The Progressive Movement 8-5.8 Focus Question: What was the goal of the Progressive Movement in South Carolina and the rest of the nation?  

The late 19th and early 20th centuries witnessed a reform movement never before seen in the United States. Called the Progressive Movement, it followers wanted to address the evils and injustices of the Gilded Age. America in the 20th Century: The Progressive Era 30 minute video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2MPY__3xHw

Government had had an attitude of laissez faire, of keeping hands off and not restricting business. Corruption, abuse of power were left unchecked at this time.

It resulted in an unrestrained growth of industry that led to monopolies. Monopolies such as Standard Oil and Carnegie Steel strangled their competition.

Meanwhile there was a growing gap between the rich and the poor Meanwhile there was a growing gap between the rich and the poor. The wealth of the country rested in the hands of a very small percentage. John Jacob Aster and his wife would be on the Titanic when it sank in 1912. He was one of the richest men in the country.

Most of the Progressives were middle class educated people in society Most of the Progressives were middle class educated people in society. They were people in both the Republican and the Democratic Parties.

These reformers wanted to end corruption in business and government, address economic problems such as poverty, and improve society.

Progressivism reached a large audience through the work of ‘muckraking’ journalists. Muckraking was the practice in journalism of exposing the wrong-doings of public people and organizations. During the Muckraking Movement, newspaper reporters tried to expose the evils of society and push for social change. Famous photojournalist Jacob Riis published many photos like this That would help to bring change to America.

Lewis Hine’s photographs would help bring about change- especially for the child labor issue as Americans were horrified by his graphic pictures of young children working.

The meat would be shoveled into carts, and the man who did the shoveling would not trouble to lift out a rat even when he saw one—there were things that went into the sausage in comparison with which a poisoned rat was a tidbit. There was no place for the men to wash their hands before they ate their dinner, and so they made a practice of washing them in the water that was to be ladled into the sausage. There were the butt-ends of smoked meat, and the scraps of corned beef, and all the odds and ends of the waste of the plants, that would be dumped into old barrels in the cellar and left there. Under the system of rigid economy which the packers enforced, there were some jobs that it only paid to do once in a long time, and among these was the cleaning out of the waste barrels. Every spring they did it; and in the barrels would be dirt and rust and old nails and stale water—and cartload after cartload of it would be taken up and dumped into the hoppers with fresh meat, and sent out to the public’s breakfast.

Reforms were slow to come to South Carolina Reforms were slow to come to South Carolina. In South Carolina, some national issues held little concern. South Carolinians were not interested in solving the problems of new immigrants, since few came to the state.

Ben Tillman’s Spin on Progressivism Some southerners, such as Ben Tillman, argued that disenfranchising the African American was a progressive reform of government since such an act removed from the body politic a group deemed inferior to whites and not able to make intelligent political decisions.

Government Reform Government Reform would be one of the first reforms the people demanded. Progressives demanded that the government should work for the people.

Reform initiatives were based on the expansion of democracy and the limitation of the power of the corrupt political bosses and included support for the secret ballot, primary elections that allowed voters rather than party bosses to select the candidates for office, direct election of Senators, and an income tax to ensure revenue to provide government services.

Although South Carolina held the first in the nation primary, other government ‘reforms’ in South Carolina were designed to actually limit the voting power of the mill workers. Having all but eliminated the African American vote, middle class South Carolinians used a variety of devices to limit the political power of mill workers. In some places the registrar refused to qualify mill workers.

One of the Progressive Presidents was Teddy Roosevelt One of the Progressive Presidents was Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt had his “Square Deal” Progressive program. He sought to control corporations, protect consumers and would help protect our nations natural resources by establishing the first national parks.

William Taft and Woodrow Wilson would also be Progressive Presidents William Taft and Woodrow Wilson would also be Progressive Presidents. Taft would get the 16th, 17th and 18th Amendments passed, would work to protect workers and children. Wilson would go after the banks and help farmers.

Prohibition Many progressives throughout the nation believed that prohibition of the sale of alcohol or the promotion of temperance in the use of alcohol would curb crime and improve family life. The temperance movement aimed at making the production, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages illegal. in 1918, the United States amended the United States Constitution to outlaw the sale and distribution of alcohol. The 18th Amendment was ratified. http://www.history.com/topics/prohibition

Despite being a socially conservative state, South Carolina was slow to pass temperance legislation because of Governor Tillman’s control of the state government.

In 1915, the state passed a prohibition law and in 1918 the United States amended the United States Constitution to outlaw the sale and distribution of alcohol. However, many South Carolinians continued to engage in making, distributing or drinking illegal alcohol, as did other people throughout the United States.

The legislature passed a prohibition bill, but Tillman substituted the State Dispensary system so that the state would control the distribution of alcohol. The South Carolina Dispensary system was a state-run monopoly on liquor sales in South Carolina which operated from 1893 to 1907 statewide and until 1916 in some counties. Liquor bottled by the state dispensary was the only liquor to be sold legally in South Carolina.

Women’s Suffrage, the Right to Vote for Women The women’s rights movement started at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 in New York. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton formed the National American Women Suffrage Association. Decades later, the 19th Amendment would finally get passed and ratified in 1920.

Although the South Carolina legislature did not ratify the 19th amendment until 1967, South Carolina women were able to vote because of ratification by other states.

Tax Reform Many supported a fair tax system including the income tax that could provide needed services to the people. Nationally, the 16th Amendment would be ratified and established the federal income tax.

Robert Cooper SC Progressive Governor supported raising state taxes to increase spending on public education and supported a law that increased the amount of time students were to spend in school to 7 months.

Richard Manning Another progressive South Carolina governor helped to establish a fair tax system that enforced income taxes for all South Carolinians, established schools, improved the administration of hospitals and paved South Carolina’s roads

Child Labor Newspapers in South Carolina such as Columbia’s The State, like muckraking journalists elsewhere, supported child labor reform with articles that described the problems of the workers. Despite the opposition of politically powerful mill owners, progressives were able to pass some child labor laws that first set the minimum age to work at ten and then raised it to twelve. School reforms to help increase education plus increased funding were also put into place.

Despite the opposition of politically powerful mill owners, progressives were able to pass some child labor laws that first set the minimum age to work at ten and then raised it to twelve. South Carolina progressives were also concerned with issues of health and literacy as diseases spread through mill villages and mill workers remained largely illiterate.

Only one third of South Carolina children went to school at the turn of the century. Of those who attended a third only went to school for 4 months or less out of the year. Education reforms included a compulsory attendance law, increased funding and the establishment of an adult school program by the state.

These reforms did not always have the support of mill workers who needed the income their children brought to the family and who resented anyone telling them when their children could work or that they had to go to school or that they should be inoculated against disease.

Health Reforms During the Progressive era, public health officers launched successful campaigns against hookworm, malaria, and reduced the incidence of tuberculosis, typhoid, and diphtheria. Pure milk campaigns also slashed rates of infant and child mortality. Sanitation was improved in many cities and hospitals built.

Places still threatened by malaria today Sorry mosquito, everyone hates you

Worker Rights Many states passed laws limiting a worker’s day to 8 hours. Many states also passed laws establishing minimum wages for women who were paid less than men, banned child labor or established minimum working ages, established workman’s compensation. Safety guidelines for the workplace would be established in many states especially after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire that killed over a 100 women. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ulaG9x4GpE Triangle Shirtwaist Fire video

World War I brought an end to the Progressive Movement but not an end to the problems the movement had tried to address.