1. The Progressive Movement

2. What was the Progressive Movement?
first three decades of the 20th century
Middle class reform movemnent
people looked to the federal government to correct problems in American society and the economy.

3. Causes of the Progressive Movement
Widespread poverty and harsh working conditions
creating social and economic problems in the United States
Muckrackers
five main issues included
child labor
outlawing the use of alcohol
women’s suffrage
fair treatment of workers
improving education.

4. The Progressive President: Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt sided with laborers instead of big business
Pushed the Pure Food and Drug and the Meat Inspection Act
Favorite project was conservation
Set aside millions of acres for national forests

5. Child Labor
cheap labor was very important to the growth and success of textile mills and coal mines
Children were a source of cheap labor
progressives questioned if it was morally right to make young children work the long hours in the mills and mines.
affected the health of these children.
Through their efforts, states began passing child labor laws in the late 1800s.
The owners of textile mills in SC accused these child labor reformers of trying to destroy their companies.

11. Child Labor
The federal government passed a federal law protecting children in all states in 1920.
protected children under 16- made it illegal to ship goods across state lines if they had been made with child labor.
1922- US Supreme Court ruled that child labor laws were the responsibility of the states.
1903, SC passed a law making 12 the minimum working age for children in factories.
1917- age minimum was changed to 16
Neither of these laws affected children who worked in family businesses.
By 1922, South Carolina passed a law limiting workers to 55 hour work weeks in factories and eventually lowered it to 40 hours per week in 1938.

12. Prohibition
The Progressives wanted it to be illegal to make, sell, or consume alcohol.
organized the Temperance movement to try to convince people to avoid alcoholic beverages.
Abuse of alcohol had been an issue in SC and the US since the late 1800s.
In 1892, SC held a referendum for total prohibition.
Instead, the state government formed the State Dispensary so they could control the amount of alcohol available in the state.

15. State Dispensary
all liquor sold in SC had to be bottled and dispensed through state-run facilities
Very Corrupt
Gov. Ben Tillman urged the creation of the dispensary
Opposition led to the Darlington Riot
Local officials allowed saloons to open
Tillman sent in the militia to investigate and several people were killed after an argument erupted
Darlington and Florence counties were placed under martial law

18. Prohibition
By 1915, South Carolina had statewide prohibition even before the 18th Amendment was passed in the US Constitution in 1918.
The United States remained legally “dry” for 14 years until the 21st Amendment was passed to end prohibition.
South Carolina ended its own prohibition in 1935.
Currently, the sale of alcohol is considered local option with one exception. Alcohol cannot be sold statewide on Sundays in grocery stores or retail outlets.

23. Women in the Progressive Movement
Had a leading role in progressive movement
Pushed for prohibition and education reform
African American women formed clubs that promoted better health and education in their communities
Anita Pollitzer of Charleston was president of the National Women’s Party.
19th Amendment -gave women the right to vote
SC did not ratify amendment until 1967

26. SC Internal Improvements
Roads
Built and paved roads
SC Highway Department est. 1917
Improved economic growth
Hospitals
Tuberculosis treatment center built in Columbia
Education
Attendance law was passed
More funding
Public libraries built

27. African Americans in the Progressive Movement
Disenfranchising African Americans was seen as progressive to most white South Carolinians
: over 200,000 African Americans migrated North
Clubs and organizations formed to improve conditions for African Americans
NAACP

28. Roles of SC governors in the Progressive Movement
Duncan Clinch Heyward
supported education improvements, ending child labor, strict financial practices in state government, fair treatment for all citizens, and a law to end lynching.
Coleman L. Blease,
supported state aid for the Medical College of Charleston and creation of a tuberculosis sanitarium.
Richard I. Manning
reorganized the state mental hospital, opened a school for children with mental disabilities, opened a separate prison for females, created the Tax Commission and State Highway Department, increased the money spent on public education, adopted workers’ compensation insurance, and raised the minimum working age to 14.