Government should be accountable to citizens. How do we do this today? Social Progressivism Government should be accountable to citizens. How do we do this today? Government should curb the power of the wealthy. Does this happen today? Government should be given expanded power over citizens so that it could help them more. What do you think about this? Governments should be efficient and not be so corrupt. Is this possible?
Problems to fix Immigrants living in tenement housing, turning to organized crime Urbanization and city growth Rise of the political machine (Tammany Hall) Poor working conditions (child labor, etc) Jim Crow Laws and Black Codes in the South Lack of women rights Problems were exposed by muckrakers.
New Beliefs Social Gospel Sociology: August Comte Prohibition Purity Crusaders Emphasis on higher education Public education became compulsory Philanthropy Socialism
Help with immigration Immigrants caused massive urbanization due to restrictive covenants and tenement housing. This urbanization led to disasters such as the Great Chicago Fire. This was dramatized in the book How the Other Half Lives Laws were passed that were supported by nativists and worked to end immigration. These laws were the Chinese Exclusion Acts, Alien Contract Laws and the Gentlemen’s Agreement. Settlement houses were created through out major cities to help with immigrants.
Political Machines A political machine was an unofficial city organization that tried to keep a certain political group in power. These often operated on an exchange of favors. They often gave jobs or graft in order to gain power. This is also called the spoils system. The best example of a political machine would be William Marcy Tweed (known as Boss Tweed), the leader of Tammany Hall. He often padded bills for construction contracts in order to bilk millions from the city of New York. Other bosses: Boss Tom Pendergast, The Byrd Organization Pendleton Civil Service Act attempted to end the spoils system.
Thomas Nast
Poverty Social Gospel Movement: a movement that developed within religious institutions and believe that God wanted people to help the poor Charity Organization Movement: attempted to decide who received charity based on scientific principles. Settlement Houses: a Community center that worked to teach immigrants how to adapt to society. Examples of this included Hull House and Henry Street Settlement. Temperance Emphasis on education in public schools
Racism Plessy vs. Ferguson: Separate but equal Violence against African Americans in the South De facto segregation in the North: not legally created but socially enforced Voting restrictions: poll tax, reading tests and grandfather clauses. Creation of the NAACP led by Booker T. Washington (focused on education) and W.E.B DuBois Booker T. Washington believed that African Americans should attempt to fit in to “white culture” and began the Tuskegee Institute Niagra Movement: led by DuBois and vowed to not “bow to oppression”. Focus on Pan Africanism. Believed that African Americans should embrace and create their own culture.
Women’s Rights NAWSA Mother Jones and the Wobblies Equal Rights Amendment of 1923 New women’s universities Civil Disobedience Temperance Movement
Temperance Propaganda
Other Social Problems Problems in food and drug creation: Exposed by muckraker Upton Sinclair in The Jungle : a muckraker is someone who stirs up dirt or corruption, this is also known as yellow journalism Dangerous working conditions: Exposed by the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and in Ida Tarbell’s The History of the Standard Oil Company Progress and Poverty: Henry George Looking Backward: Edward Bellamy
Reforms that happen 16th – 19th Amendments Pendleton Civil Service Act Settlement Houses NAACP FDA Attack on monopolies: Underwood Tarrif Act, Clayton Antitrust Act, Federal Trade Commission Federal Reserve created