Political Reforms in the Cities & States

Voter Participation Democracy was cornerstone of Progressive Movement If given the chance, voters would elect honest officials Advocated for a number of voter reforms: Secret Ballots- voters required to mark their choices in a private booth; adopted by all states in 1910 Direct Primaries- nominating conventions used to be dominate by political bosses; Gov. of Wisconsin Robert La Follette introduced the direct primary (voters nominated who they wanted to run for office) Weren’t that effective in overthrowing boss rule; Southerners used white-only primaries to keep African Americans from voting

Voter Participation Other voter reforms: Direct Primaries- U.S. senators were traditionally chosen by state legislatures rather than direct vote; Progressives believe this is why the Senate was dominated by big business, political machines Nevada first state to adopt direct primary, 17th Amendment in 1913 required all senators to be elected by popular vote Initiative- voters compel legislatures to consider a bill Referendum- citizens can vote on proposed laws printed on their ballots Recall- voters could remove a corrupt/unsatisfactory politician from office

Municipal Reform City bosses and their corrupt alliances with local businesses were the first target of the Progressives Wanted to take the utilities out of the hands of private companies 1915: 2/3 of the nation’s cities owned their own water systems Many cities also came to own and operate gas lines, electric power plants, and urban transportation systems

Municipal Reform Commission plan of governments- voters elected the heads of city departments, not just the mayor Another effective reform was where an elected city council would hire expert managers to direct a city department

State Level Reform Reform governors battled corporate interests; championed voter reforms, tax reforms, and state regulatory commissions Urban and rural reformers were split on the issue of temperance and prohibition Urban progressives more worried about political machines, rural progressives thought politics could be cleaned up by prohibition Urban life was also improved by social welfare, ideas of social justice Settlement workers lobbied politicians for better schools, juvenile courts, safety regulations for the workplace, prison reform

Child and Women Labor Progressives most outraged by treatment of children in industry National Child Labor Committee proposed laws that were passed by 2/3 of states by 1907 State compulsory attendance laws were most effective in keeping children out of factories and mines

Child and Women Labor Legal and political reforms to protect women from long working hours Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (1911) in a high-rise garment factory claimed 146 lives, mostly women Tragedy sparked greater activism among women and motivated states to pass laws to improve safety, working conditions in factories Unforeseen consequence is that women were kept out of physically demanding, but higher paying jobs

? List and briefly explain the four major voter reforms Progressives advocated for. What were some municipal reforms Progressives achieved during this time? What did settlement workers lobby politicians for? What were Progressives most outraged by? What was most successful in resolving this issue? What was the significance of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire?