2.2 Progressive Movement Progressives Activists Social Gospel Challenge to Social Darwinism National Child Labor Committee Improving the Workplace Making Local Changes Reforming Government Recall Initiative Referendum Women’s Suffrage NAWSA Tuskegee Institute NAACP Theodore Roosevelt Square Deal William H. Taft Election of 1912 New Freedom

Progressives Were reformers because they were committed to improving conditions in American Life.

Activists Taking a new approach, progressives changed their tactics and decided to use political action to achieve reforms. They wanted government to solve society’s problems. Unfortunately it was a large divide between what to reform, how to reform it, and how far to go with reform. This caused many different groups of reformers and not a solid idea of reform.

Social Gospel The social gospel was a religious reform movement. The political movement was called populism. Populists and Progressives, rural and urban middle class, agreed that working conditions must be improved and curb the power of big business. The Social Gospel followers applied Christian teachings to social and economic problems.

Challenge to Social Darwinism Progressives argued that domination by the rich and powerful was a distortion of democracy. They believed that government should play an active role in protecting the political and economic rights of the average citizen against big business.

National Child Labor Committee Their purpose was to restrict or ban child labor and keep them in schools. By 1893 Illinois had banned child labor. By 1912 39 states had passed child labor laws. These laws prohibited children under the age of 14 from working, while limiting hours of others.

Improving the Workplace Progressives had mixed success with the workplace safety. Some laws limited the numbers of hours that could be worked, but a supreme court case in 1905 ruled that these laws interfere with some freedoms protected by the 14th Amendment. Protecting women fared better and were able to limit hours for women. They also pushed for workers compensation laws which by 1916 almost 2/3rds had passed. These laws allowed injured workers, on the job, to receive some pay if their injuries prevented them from working.

Making Local Changes Progressives wanted to reform local structures first, by electing progresses to office. This did occur in some places and allowed Police to be reformed, then setting minimum wage for workers and improving city services. They also tried to reform the structure, and began to elect or select people based on skills, rather than by party loyalty.

Reforming Government Next was on to big government. Reformers had many reforms and some were accomplished. The biggest reform that they wanted to create was the secret ballot for elections. At the time parties used colored ballots allowing everyone to see party affiliation. This created no secrecy when electing anyone to office. They also established booths and primary elections to engage voters in the process of the election.

Recall Another big reform was a recall. This is the process in which voters can remove an elected official before his or her term expires. Enough voters have to sign a petition for a recall to take place.

Initiative A direct initiative is a lawmaking reform that enables citizens to propose and pass laws directly without involving the state legislature. Enough voters sign a petition to put it on the ballot, then vote to approve on election day. More Western States.

Referendum Another lawmaking reform more popular in the West was referendum. This says a law passed by state legislatures is placed on the ballot for approval or rejection by voters. This allows voters to keep legislatures in check.

Women’s Suffrage Many women saw themselves as “social housekeepers.” Since they could clean up the house, society could also be cleaned up in the same manner. Women had begun demanded the right to vote as early as 1848. (Jane Addams- hull house) Elizabeth Cady Stanton argued that “the power to make laws was the right through which all other rights could be secured.”

NAWSA Eventually with Stanton at the helm women formed the National American Woman Suffrage Association. The first victories came at the state level and by 1918 women had the right to vote in 15 states. (20 years)

Tuskegee Institute Booker T. Washington inspired by progressive ideal began the Tuskegee Institute. This institute was establish to encourage blacks to better themselves and work their way up society.

NAACP Some favored confronting racism head on. They founded a group called National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909.

Theodore Roosevelt Was the first Progressive President who thought it his responsibility to protect the average citizen against anything that threatened the Constitution. He also expanded the presidential power.

Square Deal He believed that businesses, workers and consumers should all receive a fair and honest treatment. This became his policy, which focused on protecting workers and consumers by regulating big business.

William H. Taft Taft continued some of Roosevelt's programs but he then went against some of the ideals he ran on, and raised tariffs protecting American big business. This caused Roosevelt to be very upset, claiming that Taft abandoned the progressive ideals.

Election of 1912 It set the stage for an election with the Republican Party picking Taft, Roosevelt running as an independent under his own popularity and Woodrow Wilson as the Democratic nominee. The split between Taft and Roosevelt caused Wilson to win the election.

New Freedom Wilson wanted to eliminate all trusts because he felt they were denying economic freedom to small businesses and ordinary citizens. He did also push other progressive reforms to increase the power of the everyday citizen. He was the first president since Washington to speak before Congress, lobbying for legislation.