Unit 4 Domestic Politics The Progressive Era Main Idea: Analyze the Progressive Movement and how it changed America

Main Idea Progressives focused on three areas of reform 1.easing the suffering of the urban poor, 2.improving unfair and dangerous working conditions, and 3.reforming government at the national, state and local levels.

What was Progressivism? A movement that began in the late 1800s Progressivism arose to address many of the social problems that industrialization created. The reformers were called Progressives Sought to improve living conditions for the urban poor Questioned the power and practices of big business Called for government to be more honest and responsive to people’s needs

Reform-minded writers were the first to expose the social ills Popular magazines printed 1 st hand account of injustices Muckrakers they “raked up” or exposed the filth of society insurance and stock manipulation, business and political corruption, the exploitation of child labor, slum conditions, and racial discrimination Ida Tarbell Condemned the business practices of Standard Oil Lincoln Steffens Exposed the corruption of city governments Frank Norris Power of the monopolistic railroad

Reforming the workplace Progressive took up the cause of working women and children Florence Kelly Helped persuade Illinois to prohibit child labor and to limit the number of hours women were forced to work National Child Labor Committee – mission was to persuade state legislatures to ban child labor State by state campaigns to limit women’s workdays Oregon = workday in laundries to 10 hours Utah = 8 hour workdays in some occupations

The Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire A gruesome disaster in New York in 1911 About 500 young women worked at the high-rise factory At the end of their 6 day work week A fire erupted Within moments, the 8 th floor was ablaze Escape was nearly impossible Many doors were locked to prevent theft The fire escape broke under the weight of the panic-stricken people Dozens of workers leapt from the windows More than 140 women and men died in the disaster This led to the passing of the toughest fire-safety laws in the country

Unions The Progressive Era, energetic new labor unions joined the fight for better working conditions International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) Organized unskilled workers “Uprising of the 20,000” Won shorter work weeks and higher wages Attracted thousands to the union International Workers of the World (IWW) Wobblies unskilled workers ignored by skilled unions textile workers in Massachusetts

Reforming Government City government reforms Progressives promoted new government structures as a means to improve efficiency. Galveston, Texas State Legislature set up a 5 member commission to govern the city. Council-manager model Began in Stanton, Virginia The city council appointed a professional politician to run the city. The reform inspired cities nationwide to follow suit.

State government reforms Robert M. La Follette progressive governor of Wisconsin Pushed through an agenda of reforms known as the Wisconsin Idea Limit campaign spending Created state commissions to regulate business (railroads and utilities) Created commissions to oversee transportation, civil service, and taxation

Election Reforms Progressives wanted to reform elections to make them fairer and to make politicians more accountable to voters. They pushed for the direct primary An election in which voters choose candidates to run in a general election Progressives backed the 17 th Amendment Gave voters, rather than state legislatures, the power to directly elect their U.S. Senators. Progressives believed that direct elections would undermine the influence of party bosses. Progressives also fought for the use of the secret ballot

Finally, progressives urged states to adopt 3 additional reform measures Initiative – allows voters to put proposed law on the ballot for public approval. Referendum – allows citizens to place a recently passed law on the ballot, allowing voters to approve or reject the measure. Recall – enables citizens to remove an elected official from office by calling for a special election. Each measure was designed to make politicians more accountable to voters.

Assignment – Wednesday, April 20 th What was progressivism? What were some of the areas of reform that the Progressives targeted? Why was the Triangle Shirtwaist fire important? What are the differences between an initiative, a referendum, and a recall? Which of the election reforms do you think had the greatest impact on American voters? Explain. Create a concept map and record the effect of the work the Progressives in three broad categories: society, workplace, and government.