Chapter 19: Progressive Politicians United States History Chapter 19: Progressive Politicians

Reforming Government Government corruption was rampant in the late 1800s and Progressives wanted to eliminate that corruption The election process was fixed to eliminate the power of the bosses Direct primaries were created for voters to choose candidates that run in the general election later 17th Amendment: gave voters power to elect senators, not states choosing Initiative and referendum: gives voters power to create laws and vote on laws Recall: voters can remove elected officials from office Reforms had mixed results, with business still heavily influencing elections

Theodore Roosevelt William McKinley won a second term in 1900 but was assassinated shortly after in 1901 Teddy Roosevelt, as his vice president, became president He felt that the presidency was an office that needed to be more hands on and address vital issues One of the biggest accomplishments of his first term was brokering a deal with miners and coal mines over a strike that almost crippled the country Arbitrators, a third party outside of the mines, worked a deal out with workers and owners, preventing a strike that would have cut off coal supplies in the winter of 1902-03 He called the compromise a “square deal” His reelection in 1904 emphasized the Square Deal He called for limited power of trusts, health and public safety and improved working conditions

Regulating Business Roosevelt set out to make sure the Sherman Antitrust Act was enforced and helped to establish the Interstate Commerce Commission The ICC regulated railroad rates to prevent companies from giving rebates and charging more for shorter runs Laws were passed to regulate the safety of food and drugs Pure Food and Drug Act: prevented the sale of bad or dangerous food and drugs Meat Inspection Act: required meat to be inspected before being shipped Brought about by muckraking author Upton Sinclair’s book The Jungle, which outlined the atrocities of the Chicago meatpacking industry Roosevelt also worked to protect the environment He helped pass laws to manage public lands, reclaim damaged lands, and established the National Park Service to protect areas of wonder, beauty, and fragility

William Howard Taft Roosevelt gave his support to Taft in the election of 1908 Taft continued many of the policies implemented by Roosevelt, such as environmental protection, more regulation of business, reforming of working conditions, including child labor, etc. Mann-Elkins Act of 1910: extended the ICC jurisdiction to telephone and telegraph companies, not just railroads 16th Amendment: proposed in 1909, ratified in 1913, gave the gov’t power to levy income taxes However, other actions taken by Taft angered Progressive politicians, especially Roosevelt Payne-Aldrich Tariff: a high tax on imports that Progressives were against because of its role in raising consumer prices of goods Ballinger-Pinchot Affair: rift between Ballinger (Secretary of the Interior) and Pinchot (head of US Forest Service) Pinchot was fired for criticizing Ballinger The firing showed that Taft was weak when it come to environmental reform and cost Republicans many seats in Congress in the elections of 1910 Roosevelt was angered greatly, and decided to run for president again in 1912

Election of 1912 Taft and Roosevelt were both Republicans running for president, but Republicans nominated the incumbent Taft Outraged, Roosevelt formed his own party, the Progressive Party, also known as the “Bull Moose” Party Woodrow Wilson was selected to run for president by the Democrats The split in the Republican Party ensured a victory for the Democrats Wilson believed in many Progressive reform measures, however, he felt that too much control could limit individual freedoms He was more moderate than Roosevelt in his ideas of reform, and much different from another candidate, Socialist Eugene Debs, who called for public ownership of industries In the end, he soundly defeated all other candidates, even gaining votes from Republicans that were against Taft and Roosevelt

Election of 1912

Wilson’s Administration After taking office, Wilson did many things to reform government Lowered tariffs with the Underwood Tariff Act of 1913 Implemented a progressive income tax (the higher your income, the higher your taxes) Created the Federal Reserve System in 1913 to regulate money Passed the Clayton Antitrust Act in 1914 by putting some meat on the bones of the Sherman Antitrust Act, finally making it effective Created the Federal Trade Commission in 1914 to oversee industry and trade practices Wilson also addressed labor practices Passed laws that shortened workdays and gave workers the right to strike Federal Workmen’s Compensation Act created to give benefits to those injured on the job Tried to outlaw child labor, but was unsuccessful

Women’s Suffrage Movement Women were not allowed to vote in any elections in most places around the nation The National American Woman Suffrage Association, led by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was created in 1890 to fight for the right to vote Another group, the National Woman’s Party, created in 1916, focused on passing an amendment guaranteeing suffrage Finally, after years of hard work at the state and national levels, the 19th Amendment was ratified Ratified in 1920 Guaranteed the right to vote to be protected regardless of sex

Presidents Roosevelt, Taft, & Wilson