{ Chapter 22 The Progressive Era
fix a range of social ills made by industrialism redeeming traditional American values as democracy, Christian ethics, individual opportunity, and the spirit of voluntary public service. Pragmatism- looking to what worked and relying on modern techniques of research, analysis, diagnosis, and prescription. Protecting Social Welfare Promoting moral improvement Creating economic reform Fostering efficiency controlling environment impartial experts began to investigate and regulate society. Why did it start?
Social Welfare YMCA, Salvation Army Florence Kelly: improve lives of women and children. Illinois Factory Act limit women’s working hours and prohibited child labor. poverty as the social consequence of deprivation, not the consequence of personal failure or immorality. Settlement houses helped to produce a new profession, social work, which applied scientific approaches to helping the poor and troubled. Women became leaders Birth control, housing reform, child labor, consumer issues: All were promoted by women and other reformers as matters of social welfare and social justice. For many progressives, woman suffrage promised to help clean up society and, just as important, politics as well.
Moral Reform Improve personal behavior pressed for immigration restriction, prohibition of alcohol, and an end to urban vice. Prohibition: ban alcoholic beverages Women’s Christian temperance union- promoted temperance. Suffrage, setting up kindergartens, visiting prisons Concentrated on closing saloons
Economic reform Criticize laissez-faire into socialism Muckrakers- journalists writing about corrupt business.
Fostering Efficiency Scientific management- easier and simple tasks Assembly line- Ford Motor Company Increase in production High worker turn over- injuries and exhaustion
Initiative- bill originated by citizens Referendum- voters instead of legislature accepted or rejected it. Recall enabled voters to remove public officials by forcing them to face another election. WI- first for direct primary. 17 th amendment- direct election for senators Local and State Reform
Increase power of Federal Government 1902 Coal Strike- arbitration Square Deal-big government ensure fair results Busting “Bad” Trusts- regulating Conservation- Gifford Pinchot Preservation- 17 mil. Acres of national forest Pure Food and drug act Meat inspection act (Muckraking) US vs ED Knight- Sherman Antitrust act applied only to commerce not manufacturing Teddy Roosevelt
Picked by TR Angered conservationists Hired Richard Ballinger Fired Pinchot Biggest trust buster Child labor laws Pushed for 16 th Amendment- graduated income tax Republican party splits from Progressives Progressive party – called “Bull Moose Party” Teddy Roosevelt “New Nationalism” For: direct election of senators, women’s suffrage, workers comp., 8hr day, min. wage for women, federal law against child labor and regulation of business Taft
New Freedom Triple wall 1- Trusts 2- tariffs 3- high finance Lower tariffs-they weakened competition Underwood-Simmons Tariff resulted in 16 th Amendment passed 1913 (only affected those who made more $4000) 17 th Amendment direct election of senators Federal Reserve Act-12 national banks, regulate credit and money supply be setting interest rates, buying or selling govt. bonds, issue paper currency= stabilization for credit and money supply Transfer funds and protect consumers from closing banks Federal Trade Commission Enforce orderly competition- oversee business activity Investigate violations Clayton Antitrust Act no monopolies! Legal to strike, picket, and boycott Illegal to Price discrimination Holding companies Interlocking directorates Woodrow Wilson
Denied equality for minorities Voting restrictions: poll tax, grandfather clause, literacy tests Discrimination (Plessy v. Ferguson) Cripples some industry by the regulations Govt. agencies captured by industry Limitations