Gilded Age In 1873 Mark Twain published the novel The Gilded Age. To him, the new industrial America was gilded, or coated with cheap gold paint, on the outside. He felt that society was truly corrupt on the inside. Twain said that the country lived by the motto "Get rich; dishonestly if we can, honestly if we must." Politics/govt. were corrupt during the Gilded Age. Powerful groups called political machines influenced city and county politics in the late 1800s. These groups had one key goal—to get their candidates elected to public office, legally or otherwise. Political machines printed election ballots listing only their party's candidates, bribed voters or counters A political machine like New York City's Tammany Hall controlled local govt. and spending

Political Machines Political machines were run by powerful leaders known as bosses. The machine's boss traded favors for votes. In exchange for these votes, the boss might offer city jobs or order neighborhood improvements. Some politicians saw nothing wrong with machines exchanging money and jobs for working-class votes. However, once in power, bosses often used their control over government to get rich. For example, Tammany Hall boss William Marcy Tweed may have stolen up to $200 million from the city treasury. He was later convicted and died in jail. Federal government also suffered from scandals. Congress & President Ulysses Grant’s administration took money/gifts from groups like railroad owners and whiskey distillers

Civil Service Reform Reacting to corruption of the Gilded Age, many called for changes in the civil service, or government jobs. The party that controlled government had long taken advantage of the so-called spoils system Spoils system = giving jobs to loyal party supporters, even to those who were not qualified. Every time a new party took power, it replaced many current government employees. Leading to ruined careers and poorly run govt. Reformers wanted people to take exams so civil service jobs based on their merit (skills) Reformers believed that a merit-based system would keep out unfit and corrupt workers. President Chester A. Arthur answered calls for reform by backing the Pendleton Civil Service Act. This law, passed in 1883, set up a merit system controlled by the Civil Service Commission.

Progressive Era In the late 1800s reformers, who became known as progressives, began working to improve society. Reform = Change They wanted to solve problems such as crime, disease, and poverty… that were being made worse by fast industrial and urban (city) growth. Many progressives attacked these problems by trying to change the conditions that caused them. Some wanted health and education programs in poor neighborhoods, as well as govt. reforms. Some chose to fight for better working conditions. Many progressives did agree, however, that to reach these goals the federal govt. and public needed to work together to solve social problems

Muckrakers Many journalists helped give life to the progressive movement by writing about corruption in business and politics. They hoped that their articles would lead to greater public awareness of problems, and thus to more reforms. These journalists were soon nicknamed muckrakers because they "raked up" and exposed the muck, or filth, of society. Some muckrakers became well-known for writing about unfair business practices. Ida Tarbell was a muckraker who wrote articles attacking John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company & its unfair practices Reporter Lincoln Steffens wrote about scandals in city politics in some of the first muckraking articles. First published in 1902 in McClure's Magazine, his articles were later printed in a book called The Shame of the Cities.

Muckrakers & Food Muckraking journalists made people more aware of problems within the food and drug industries. The American Medical Association also called for better food standards and proper labeling. Yet Congress would not pass reforms. The turning point came in 1906 when muckraker Upton Sinclair published The Jungle, a novel telling of the practices of the meatpacking industry. The book's descriptions of spoiled meat being packed and sold to customers shocked readers, including President Teddy Roosevelt. Muckrakers also wrote about child labor, racial discrimination, and slum housing. Articles angered many city politicians and business leaders but also helped unite progressives. Muckrakers influenced voters to question corrupt practices and politicians to call for reforms.

Progressives & Elections Worries about political corruption caused some progressives to focus their efforts on state and local government. They favored reforms that left political machines with less power. For example, they supported the use of ballots that listed all candidates of all parties. Many states also began using secret ballots to keep every person's vote private. Reformers also tried to give voters more power. For example, they favored the direct primary, which allowed voters to choose candidates for public office directly rather than leave it to party leaders to select On a national level the 17th Amendment passed in 1913 allowed Americans to vote directly for U.S. senators. Previously, state legislatures (like congress) had elected senators.

Progressives & Government Other reform measures gave voters new ways to petition for action on political issues. For example, some states and cities began allowing a procedure known as the recall. Through this process, unhappy voters can sign a petition asking for a special vote. The purpose is to recall, or remove, an elected official before the end of his term A procedure called initiative allows voters to propose a law by collecting signatures on petition If they get enough signatures, the proposed law is voted on at the next election. Another procedure, called the referendum, permits voters to approve or reject a law that has already been proposed or passed by state or local governments. This process gives voters a chance to overrule laws with which they do not agree.

More Government Reforms In addition to working for greater voter participation, progressives also worked to make local governments more efficient and responsive to citizens' needs. Some reformers wanted city governments to be run like a business. Several cities changed to council-manager governments. Under this system, voters elect a city council, which then appoints a professional manager to run the city. In the commission form of government, a group of elected officials runs the city. Each official manages a major city agency, such as housing, sanitation, or transportation. In Wisconsin, Republican Robert M. La Follette challenged the power of the party bosses & political machines with the Wisconsin Idea. The program made use of the cooperation between experts at the University of Wisconsin and state government officials. This idea became a model for progressive reformers in other states.

Progressives attack city problems Many immigrants and native-born Americans moved to U.S. cities looking for work. They often crowded into broken-down tenements. As a result, thousands of poor families lived in unclean and unsafe buildings. Lawrence Veiller helped get the 1901 New York State Tenement House Act passed. This law made it illegal to build poorly lit and airless tenements. Required new buildings to have better ventilation and running water. Many progressives also started settlement houses like Jane Addams's Hull House in Chicago.

More Urban Reforms Urban reforms led to new professions such as city planning and civil engineering. City planners worked with local leaders to control city growth. T They passed zoning laws, wrote safer building codes, and opened public parks. Civil engineers planned street-paving and bridge-building projects. Sanitation engineers tried to solve waste and water problems. Death rates dropped a great deal in areas where these problems were addressed. Such progressive improvements gave U.S. cities some of the best public services in the world.

Reforming Society Progressive leaders worked to reform education # of kids in school increased in the late 1800s States passed laws requiring kids to attend school. Reformers pushed for new public high schools with courses in citizenship, health, and job training. Progressives start kindergartens-help poor city kids Kindergartens taught basic social skills to children between the ages of three and seven. By 1898 more than 4000 kindergartens opened John Dewey was a key supporter of early childhood education. His goal was to help children learn critical-thinking skills that would help them in everyday life. Dewey's teaching methods became the model for progressive education across the country.