The Progressive Movement Chapter 13

THE ROOTS OF PROGRESSIVISM Section 1

Section Objectives Understand the rise of the Progressive movement Understand the impact of initiative, referendum, and recall, and of the Seventeenth Amendment Understand that progressives tried to solve social, political, and economic problems by lobbying for new legislation

Who Were the Progressives? Reformers who wanted to improve American life in the early 1900s Progressives generally believed that industrialism and urbanization had created many social problems – Most agreed the government should take a more active role in solving society’s problems – Progressives believed society could improved by using science and technology to solve social problems

Progressives were White Protestants Middle class and native born. College Educated Professionals Social workers Scholars Politicians Preachers Teachers Writers

Who were the Progressives? Areas Progressives tried to reform: – Social justice-improve working conditions in industry – Political democracy-encourage voting/end political machines – Economic equality-create fairness and equality in the work force & regulate trusts – Conservation-preserve natural resources and the environment

The Muckrakers Muckrakers were journalists and photographers who exposed the abuses of wealth and power – They felt it was their job to write and expose corruption in industry, cities and government Ida Tarbell published a series of articles critical of the Standard Oil Company and their unfair business practices Jacob Riis exposed how the poor lives in his book How the Other Half Lives

Democracy and Progressivism Some progressives wanted to make elected officials more responsive to voters – These progressives believed state governments, or legislatures, needed to be more responsive to the people Therefore, three new reforms were introduced in many states – Initiatives, referendums and recalls – All of these new reforms gave voters more power at the polls

Direct Election of Senators Another reform the progressives favored affected the federal government-the direct election of senators – Originally, senators were selected by state legislatures – Political machines or large trusts often influenced the election of senators – Progressives called for a new amendment to the Constitution that would allow voters to select their own senators Progressives got their wish when the 17 th Amendment was ratified in 1913

Working for Women’s Suffrage The struggle of women for suffrage, or the right to vote, began with the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony set up the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869 – The association’s goal was that Congress would add an amendment to the Constitution that would give women the right to vote.

Women Vote in the West By the late 1800s, four states had given women the right to vote. – Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Idaho In the early 1900s, the women’s suffrage movement gained strength. – After Stanton and Anthony died, women like Carrie Chapman Catt took up the cause for women’s suffrage She created a plan in which suffragists would work to help women gain the right to vote state by state – This process slowly began to work. However, women in these states could vote only in state elections.

19 th Amendment provides full suffrage to women in all the states, 1920.

The Nineteenth Amendment As the struggle dragged on, some suffragists took more radical steps to win the vote on suffrage. – Alice Paul helped to organize groups of women to picket outside the White House in 1917 After a few months, these women began getting arrested for crimes such as “obstructing the sidewalk” – Once released from jail, the women continued to picket the White House President Wilson agreed to support the suffrage amendment in 1918 – In 1919, Congress passed the Nineteenth Amendment By 1920, the number of eligible voters had doubled in the US

Suffragist Leaders Carrie Chapman CattAlice Paul

Picketing the White House

Social Welfare Progressivism While many progressives focused on reforming the political system, others focused on social problems These social welfare progressives created charities to help the poor and disadvantaged – They also pushed for new laws they hoped would fix social problems

The Campaign Against Child Labor In 1900 over 1.7 million kids under the age of 16 worked outside the home – Reformers established a National Child Labor Committee in 1904 to work to abolish child labor States began passing laws to limit child labor – Many states also passed compulsory education laws requiring children to go to school instead of work these laws and the wealth generated by industry helped many families throughout the US

Health and Safety Codes Many adult workers also labored in difficult conditions – Thousands of workers died or were injured on the job, but they and their families received little or no compensation from their employer Progressives joined union leaders to pressure states for workers’ compensation laws – These laws established insurance funds financed by employers Workers injured in industrial accidents received payments from the funds

Tragedy at Triangle Triangle Shirtwaist Factory (NYC) 1911 caught on fire, killing 150 people, mostly young women – The factory was located on the 8 th, 9 th, 10 th floors of a high rise building – Factory owners locked the doors during work hours to keep workers at their jobs, which prevented many of the factory workers from escaping As a result of the tragedy, many states approved new safety laws to help protect factory workers

The Crusade Against Alcohol The temperance movement to end the sale of alcoholic beverages began in the early 1800s but really started to gain strength by 1900 – The drive was usually led by women This is because many women recognized alcohol as a threat to their families

The WCTU The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (est. 1874) – Members spoke tirelessly about the evils of alcohol and pushed for state laws to ban the sale of liquor Carrie Nation was a more radical temperance crusader – Dedicated her life to fighting “demon rum” Would often storm into saloons and smash beer kegs and liquor bottles with her hatchet – Although very popular with the public, Nation embarrassed the WCTU

The Eighteenth Amendment Temperance crusaders used the Great War (Aka WWI) to their advantage – They argued that grain used to make liquor should be used to feed American soldiers instead Congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment in 1917 and by 1919, ¾ of the states had ratified it – The amendment made it illegal to sell alcoholic drinks anywhere in the US