Improving America Unit 2: Notes #5 10/25/12 Mr. Welch

Progressivism  A reform movement starting in the late 1800s  Meant to address many of the social problems that the Industrial Revolution created  Progressivism focused on 3 areas of reform: Easing the suffering of the urban poor Easing the suffering of the urban poor Improving unfair & dangerous working conditions Improving unfair & dangerous working conditions Reforming gov’t at the national, state & local levels Reforming gov’t at the national, state & local levels  Muckrakers helped to expose these problems to the public These were reform minded writers & journalists These were reform minded writers & journalists Told first hand accounts of the injustice and horrors that they witnessed Told first hand accounts of the injustice and horrors that they witnessed

Reforming Society  As cities continued to grow they were unable to provide the services people needed Safe housing, garbage collection, police and fire protection Safe housing, garbage collection, police and fire protection  The Tenement Act of 1901, forced landlords to install lighting in public hallways and to provide at least one toilet for every two families  Settlement houses were also created as a way to help out new immigrants They offered English and job training courses and provided social activities They offered English and job training courses and provided social activities

Good Samaritans  Most settlement house workers were college educated women that believed in the concept of social gospel The idea that faith should be expressed through good works Believed it was the church’s moral duty to help solve social problems Major part of the 2 nd Great Awakening

Muckraker in Action  In 1906, Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle as a way to expose the harsh living and working conditions that immigrants in Chicago faced The public was outraged by the unsanitary conditions the meat was kept The public was outraged by the unsanitary conditions the meat was kept  President Roosevelt ordered the Secretary of Agriculture to check out these allegations in Sinclair’s book

Gov’t Intervention  As a result of The Jungle, in 1906 Congress passed the Meat Inspection Act Which required federal inspection of meat across state lines Which required federal inspection of meat across state lines  Congress also passed the Pure Food and Drug Act Which forbade the manufacture, sale, or transportation of food and patent medicine containing harmful ingredients Which forbade the manufacture, sale, or transportation of food and patent medicine containing harmful ingredients It also required food and medicine containers to have accurate ingredient labels It also required food and medicine containers to have accurate ingredient labels

Rough Times for Farmers  During the late 1800s farmers were in debt Prices for crops were falling, in order to buy more land and produce more crops farmers mortgaged their farms Prices for crops were falling, in order to buy more land and produce more crops farmers mortgaged their farms By producing more crops, farmers made prices on crops drop even more By producing more crops, farmers made prices on crops drop even more When farmers could not make loan payments on their mortgages, banks would foreclose on the farms When farmers could not make loan payments on their mortgages, banks would foreclose on the farms

Solution??  To solve this problem the Farmers’ Alliance called for more money to be put into circulation They believed that with inflation, they could charge more for their crops and get out of debt They believed that with inflation, they could charge more for their crops and get out of debt To do this the dollar would have to be backed by silver not by gold (unlimited coinage of silver) To do this the dollar would have to be backed by silver not by gold (unlimited coinage of silver)

New Political Party  The Farmers’ Alliance formed the Populist Party, also known as the People’s Party  It called for bank regulation, gov’t ownership of railroads, an 8 hour work day, restrictions on immigration, and free (unlimited) coinage of silver Gov’t regulations: direct election of senators, single terms for the president and vice-president Gov’t regulations: direct election of senators, single terms for the president and vice-president  Populist party platforms eventually became part of the Democratic Party It began to introduce the concept of the gov’t being responsible for reforming social issues It began to introduce the concept of the gov’t being responsible for reforming social issues