22. PROGRESSIVE ERA 1900 - 1918
State of the Nation in 1900 Industrialization dominated Affordable cars from Henry Ford Trusts and monopolies were spreading Assembly Lines increased production scientifically Expanded work force to include minorities New immigrants take greater role in industry Conflict between labor and management Industrial catastrophes
Changes Begin with Henry Ford Not the first to use mass production but the first to use it so successfully. Sold his first car in 1905 but found that the price was too high. Determined to make cars affordable he perfects the conveyer system of mass production. 1895 – four cars in the U.S. 1917 – nearly 5 million.
Automobile Ownership Results in massive changes to American life and economy. Ripple effect to many industries.
Increase in Business Consolidation and Trusts Began in 1880s with Standard Oil By 1903 most smaller industries had disappeared, taken over by large trusts. Result is oligopoly, not monopoly.
Scientific Management Jobs were becoming monotonous and dangerous Speed became important “In the past the man has been first. In the future, the system must be first” Frederick Winslow Taylor “The Principles of Scientific Management”
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire New York City, 1911 Fire breaks out 146 people died
Mourning March Americans begin to demand reform and look to their government
Life on the Farm Improved some Rural mail delivery Better irrigation and flood control Impact of the Populist Movement felt
Women at Work About five million working women Most single More black women than white Most worked for economic reasons
Child Labor
Niagara Movement and the NAACP Began by W.E.B. DuBois Racial justice and equality Rejected the gradualist concepts of Washington Led to the NAACP Aggressive approach formed basis of later civil rights programs
Most African Americans Remained locked in virtual slavery Unable to break free of cycle of poverty Trapped in the Jim Crow South.
Immigration Pressures Labor Massive increase in immigration Increase in Mexican immigration
Labor Union Membership Increases
Labor Unrest is Evident Protest March Industrial leaders begin to work with labor.
Quality of Life For most Americans improved significantly Rising middle class Urban culture dominates rural culture More leisure time activities Movies (D.W. Griffith, “Birth of a Nation”) Books (Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Tom Swift) Phonographs (New Orleans Jazz, Ragtime) Vaudeville (Musical productions)
The Arts Dance: Isadora Duncan stressed improvisation Architecture: Loft apartments Visual Arts: Realism of the Ashcan School
Some Sense a Change A shift from the “usual” and the “individual” Movement towards the “new” and the “masses” Eyes were opened to the need for change.
Muckrakers Expose the Ugliness of Society Writers who specialized in writing in-depth, investigative stories highlighting the “dirty” realities of party politics and the scandalous conditions in factories and slums. Newspapers, magazines and books
Ida Tarbell One of the earliest Attacked the Standard Oil Trust, 1902
Lincoln Steffens Editor of “McClure’s Magazine” Exposed business corruption in St. Louis, Missouri
Upton Sinclair A proclaimed Socialist Blamed capitalism for the corruption of society Wrote the most famous Muckraker novel “The Jungle”.
Lasting Impact It exposed inequities Educated the public about corruption Prepared the way for corrective action
Muckrakers Were the Voice of the Progressive Movement Focused on the state of society Concerned with the impact of industrialization Upset with the conditions in the city Irritated by the corruption in local government Progressive Era spans the 1890s to the beginning of World War I.
How did most Progressives view the trusts of the day? Thought they should be run by the government Were strong supporters of the trusts Wanted to regulate them or break them up Had no views on the issue Most of them were heavily involved in the trusts
Muckrakers Were government investigators of business Performed little or no useful public serivce Were religious leaders who spoke against business practices of the day Were writers who investigated corruption in American life Were union organizers.
What was the main focus of the Niagara Movement? Retaliation against white people Securing government jobs for blacks Providing job training for blacks Speaking out against Jim Crow laws Equal rights and education
Muckraking writer who wrote an expose of Standard Oil Ida Tarbell Lincoln Steffens Samuel S. McClure Finley Peter Dunne J.P. Morgan
Which of the following was NOT true of scientific management? Management should use standardization of methods Many factories adopted the principle completely Jobs became monotonous and dangerous The goal was to establish routine Workers seemed like part of the machinery
What group began to immigrate in large numbers in the early 1900s? Mexican Chinese Germans Japanese Africans
Where did a fire take place in 1911 which killed 146 people and sparked a movement for building code reform? U.S. Steel Corporation Triangle Shirtwaist Company Standard Oil Company Ford Motor Company Edison Electric