The Progressive Movement 1895-1920 A Response to Modernity

What was the Progressive Movement? Urban crusaders “who waged war on many evils…monopoly, corruption, inefficiency, and social injustice” Regulate the trusts Rid cities and states of political corruption Attack social ills: poverty, housing, health Expand democracy Improve moral behavior Restrict immigration Improve factory conditions “use government as an agent of human welfare” “Fighting” Bob LaFollette

Who Were the Progressives? It was an impulse, not an organized movement! Urban College educated Middle class Mostly women Democrats or Republicans Politicians Social reformers

Progressives Feared that trusts and corrupt government formed an unholy alliance to limit democratic institutions Feared that urban problems, immigrants, and labor violence would overwhelm society and that socialism would replace capitalism

Progressive Action Federal level: legislation, executive orders, Supreme Court cases State and local levels: legislation and re- structuring Private sector: Investigative journalism Social activism Protests and demonstrations

Why at the beginning of 20th Century? Populist movement had just died out in 1896, but ideas lived on The Social Gospel movement had earlier attempted to address some social ills A new optimism in 1900 Economic recovery Spanish-American War Investigative Reporting: Muckrakers Impact of TR

Progressive Presidents Wilson Roosevelt Taft

Roosevelt’s Square Deal He favored neither business nor labor Coal miner strikes Sought to mediate the crisis Threatened to take federal troops into the mines Agreement reached: 10% wage increase and a 9 hour workday

Roosevelt and Trusts Trust-busting Enforce Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 Prevent monopolies, cartels, trusts from anti- competitive practices Broke up the Northern Securities Company (R.R.) Antitrust action against Standard Oil Bad Trusts: harmed public and competition Good Trusts: Efficiency and low prices

Roosevelt and Consumer Protection Pure Food and Drug Act: forbade the manufacture, sale, and transportation of adulterated or mislabeled food and drugs Meat Inspection Act: provided that federal inspectors visit meatpacking plants to ensure that they met minimum standards of sanitation

Roosevelt and Conservation Forest Reserve Act of 1891: set aside 150 million acres of federal land as a national reserve that could not be sold to private interests Newlands Reclamation Act: provided money from the sale of public land for irrigation projects in western states National Conservation Commission: coordinate conservation planning by federal and state governments

President Taft Continued Roosevelt’s progressive policies Mann-Elkins Act of 1910: Interstate Commerce Commission power to suspend new railroad rates and oversee telephone, telegraph, and cable companies 16th Amendment: Income Tax Split in Republican Party Payne-Aldrich Tariff: raised tariff on most imports Openly supported conservative candidates for Congress during mid-term elections Conservative Faction/Progressive Faction

Election of 1912 Progressive Party: Bull Moose party with Roosevelt Democrat Party: Wilson Socialist Party: Eugene Debs Roosevelt v. Wilson Roosevelt: New Nationalism with more government regulation of business and unions, women’s suffrage, and more social welfare programs Wilson: New Freedom which limited both big business and big government, sought to end corruption through reform, and revive competition by supporting smaller businesses

President Wilson Attacked the “triple wall of privilege, tariffs, banking, and trusts” Underwood Tariff of 1913: significantly reduced tariffs for first time in 50 years Federal Reserve Act: purchase goods and services using the Federal Reserve Notes (dollar bills) issued by the federally regulated banking system Clayton Antitrust Act: break up monopolies Federal Trade Commission: monitor “unfair trade practice” Federal Farm Loan Act: provide farm loans at low interest rates Child Labor Act: prohibited shipment of goods manufactured by children under 14 years old

Essential Question "The Progressive movement from 1895 to 1917 was a triumph of conservatism rather than a victory for liberalism." Do you agree or disagree and why?

The Progressives http://www.learner.org/courses/amerhistory/units/15/vide o/