Progressivism Problems caused by Industrialization and Immigration and America’s Solutions

Progressivism Defined:  Large movement in society from the mid 1890s-WWI.  Progressivism reflected worry about the state of society due to the effects of industrialization and urbanization  social disorder, political corruption, and a host of other issues.  What are the issues?  Activity Activity

Government Corruption  Political Machines- Political bosses showing favoritism in return for votes  Ex: Boss TweedBoss Tweed  Business leaders having monopolies and trusts- one company controlling market  Ex: JD Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie

How Did America Discover Problems?  Muckrakers:  Theodore Roosevelt coined the unflattering term in 1906 to describe the practice of exposing the corruption of public figures.  Examples of articles are: Ida Tarbell’s scathing “History of the Standard Oil Company” Lincoln Steffen’s “The Shame of Minneapolis” Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” Lincoln Steffen’s “Tweed’s days in St. Louis “

Economic Issues  Unequal distribution of wealth- huge difference between the rich and the poor  Large gap between rich and poor  Business practices-  Increase production

Social Issues  Child labor  Women’s Rights  Workplace conditions  Moral decision making  High crime rate  Excessive drinking to mask “tough times”

Environment and Living Conditions  Pollution in society  Air pollution, trash, harmful land usage  Poor food and water quality  No government regulations  Living conditions in the slums  Tenement housing  Fires  Overcrowding in cities

How Will the Progressives Respond?