1. Chapter 9-The Progressive Era
Section 1-The Origins of Progressivism
and
Section 2-Women in Public Life

2. Section1-The Origins of Progressivism

3. The Progressive Movement
In the late 1800’s many Americans began calling for sweeping changes across the nation
This voice mainly came from the rapidly growing middle class
Shared a belief that industrialization and urbanization had created troubling social and political problems
Wanted to bring about reforms that would correct these problems and injustices through logic and reason
Chapter 9 Section 1

4. Progressives Target a Variety of Other Problems
Political Reform-
The vote was the primary goal of many woman
Honest Government-
Targeted political officials who build corrupt organizations, called political machines
Wretched living conditions caused by inadequate services
Big Business-
Wanted greater economic opportunities for smaller businesses
Class System-
Wanted to reduce growing gap between rich and poor
Attacked harsh working and living conditions
Wanted social welfare laws for children
Wanted government regulations to aid workers and consumers

5. The Progressive Movement
The Progressive Movement-A movement to restore economic opportunities and correct injustices in American life
The Progressive Movement had four main goals:
Protecting Social Welfare
Promoting Moral Improvement
Creating Economic Reform
Fostering Efficiency

6. The Four Goals of the Progressive Movement
Protecting Social Welfare-Provided financial help and services for poor.
Ex. YMCA activities, education, community centers, social services.
Promoting Moral Improvement-Improvement in personal behavior and morals.
Prohibition (ban of alcohol) and the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU).
Sponsor schools, visit inmates, work for suffrage.
Creating Economic Reform- Muckrakers expose corruption in business and public life
Fostering Efficiency-Performing in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort.
Shorter work hours, higher pay, assembly lines.

7. Protecting Social Welfare
During the late 1800’s social welfare reformers worked to soften the harsh conditions resulting from rapid industrialization
Social Gospel and settlement house movements worked with community centers and local churches to help the poor through social service programs
The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) opened libraries, sponsored classes, built along with organizing activities like handball and building swimming pools
Florence Kelly was influential in helping pass the Illinois Factory Act of 1893.
This act prohibited child labor and limited the hours a woman would be forced to work

8. Promoting Moral Improvement
While protecting social welfare was important many felt that the key to reform was an improved sense of morality.
These reformers wanted immigrants and poor city dwellers to help themselves by improving their personal behavior
One solution was adopting prohibition
Prohibition-The movement to ban alcoholic beverages for the preservation of American morals and values

9. Promoting Moral Improvement
Crusade against alcohol led by Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and the Anti- Saloon League
Supported prohibition
Laws that would ban making or selling of alcohol
Opposed alcohol for moral and social reasons
18th Amendment: The Prohibition Law: Ratified in 1919

10. Muckrakers
Socially conscious journalists/writers who uncovered a wide range of ills afflicting America in the early 1900s
Name coined by Theodore Roosevelt, who thought they were too focused on the ugly side of things
Muckrake is a tool used to clean manure and hay out of animals’ stables
Articles appeared in newspapers and magazines which were widely read by American families, many of whom were horrified by what they read

11. Social Gospel
Many people thought Christianity should be the basis for social reform
Walter Rauschenbusch
Baptist minister who combined German socialism and American Progressivism to form the Social Gospel
Taught that people could make society the kingdom of God
Inspired a push against child labor and for a shorter work week, as well as a push for a limitation of power for corruption and trusts

12. Settlement House
Settlement House- community center that provided social services to the urban poor
Used to improve the lives of poor people
Settlement House Workers:
Taught women childcare
English to immigrants
Ran nursery schools and kindergartens
Theatre/art/dance programs for adults

13. Jane Addams Jane Addams- Leader in the settlement house movement
Inspired by work at “Toynbee Hall” (settlement house in London)
Opened Hull House in Chicago
“Hull House”
The number of settlement houses greatly increased over the years
Success inspired college-educated, middle class women to become social workers

14. Florence Kelley’s Contribution
Lawyer Florence Kelley was a leading reform figure
Protecting children and their education
Efforts to ban child labor in Illinois
“National Child Labor Committee”: Successfully promoted the national government to create the U.S. Children’s Bureau
Protected the health and welfare of children

15. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911) :
Caused large-scale casualties
Fire that rose awareness to protect the workers
Progressives called for reform to protect factory workers
New York passed laws to protect workers and other states followed the suit
Other states passed compensation laws
Prevented the previous dangers of factory workers (long hours/poor ventilation/hazardous fumes/dangerous machinery etc.)
Funded workers who were hurt on the job

16. Child Labor-Reforming the Workplace
By 1912, nearly 40 states passed child-labor laws, but states didn’t strictly enforce the laws and many children still worked.
Businesses fought labor laws in the Supreme Court, which ruled on several cases in the early 1900s concerning workday length.
Issues with Child Labor and Children’s Rights
No work place regulations
Very few public schools
Cotton fields, factories and coal mines
Most of the children working were immigrants, working class poor and southerners

17. Labor Law in the Supreme Court
Lochner v. New York
1905: The Court refused to uphold a law limiting bakers to a 10-hour workday.
The Court said it denied workers the right to make contracts with their employers.
This was a blow to progressives, as the Court sided with business owners.
Muller v. Oregon
1908: The Court upheld a state law establishing a 10-hour workday for women in laundries and factories.
Louis D. Brandeis was the attorney for the state of Oregon and a future Supreme Court Justice.
He argued that evidence proved long hours harmed women’s health.
Bunting v. Oregon
1917: Brandeis’ case, or the Brandeis brief, as his defense was called, became a model for similar cases.
Using the tactics of its case for women, in Bunting v. Oregon the state led the Court to uphold a law that extended the protection of a 10-hour workday to men working in mills and factories.

18. Section 2-Women in Public Life

19. Women in the Work Force Changing Patterns of Living Farm Women
Due to women in poor families having to work along with their husbands, only middle-class and upper-class women had the luxury of staying home full on a full time basis
Farm Women
On Midwestern and Southern farms, women remained an integral part of the farms success
Perform household tasks, raise livestock, help with crops
Chapter 9 Section 2

20. Women in the Work Force Women in Industry Domestic Workers
After 1900, roughly one in every five women hold jobs
25% of these women work in manufacturing
50% industrial workers made a living in the garment trade
But sadly, they only earn about half of what a man earns at the time
Domestic Workers
By 1870, 70% of employed women work in domestic settings
For many African-American and immigrant women this is their only option for employment
Often married immigrants take on sewing jobs or caring for boarders in their homes
Chapter 9 Section 2

21. Women Lead Reform Preparing Women for the Work Force
Jobs in offices, stores, and classrooms require a high school education
Business schools would train women as bookkeepers, stenographers, and typists
Women in Higher Education
Many women active in public life have attended new women’s colleges
50% college-educated women never marry; many work on social reforms
Chapter 9 Section 2

22. Women Lead Reform
Florence Kelly-( ) An advocator for women that believed that women were hurt by the unfair prices of goods they had to buy to run their homes
In 1899, she helped establish the National Consumers League
One of their major accomplishments was pushing stores to label goods in a way that was fairly priced
She also helped form Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL) who tried to improve female working conditions, pushed for minimum wage, and 8-hour work day
Chapter 9 Section 2

23. Women Lead Reform
Margaret Sanger-( ) Was a nurse, social activist, sex educator, and writer who thought that family life and women’s health would improve if women had fewer children and had access to birth control
In 1916, she opened first birth-control clinic in Brooklyn, New York
In 1921, she helped create the American Birth Control League to make this information available to more women
She also helped form an organization that evolved into the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Eventually Federal courts agreed with her fforts saying that doctors could give out this information about “family planning”
Chapter 9 Section 2

24. Women Lead Reform
National Consumer’s League (NCL)-A group organized in 1899 to investigate conditions under which goods were made and sold and to promote safe working conditions and a minimum wage
They helped develop special labels that identified products that were produced under “fair, safe, and healthy working conditions”
They also pushed for additional reforms that would ensure that the government inspected meatpacking plants, made workplaces safer, along with providing unemployment funds
Chapter 9 Section 2

25. Women Lead Reform
Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)-Founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1874.
The WCTU became one of the largest and most influential women’s groups of the 19th century by expanding its platform to campaign for labor laws, prison reform and suffrage.
It also promoted temperance “practice of never drinking alcohol” or at a minimum moderate use
They believed alcohol use led men to neglect their families, abuse their wives, and spend majority of money on liquor
This led to the passage of the 18th Amendment which outlawed production and sale of alcohol
Chapter 9 Section 2

26. A Three-Part Strategy for Suffrage
Women in Public Life
Women and Reform
Women reformers target workplace, housing, education, food, drugs
National Association of Colored Women (NACW)—child care, education
Susan B. Anthony of National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) works for woman suffrage, or right to vote
A Three-Part Strategy for Suffrage
Convince state legislatures to give women right to vote
They attempted to test the constitutionality of the 14th Amendment which offered equal protection under the law to all citizens
Push for constitutional amendment to give women the vote
Chapter 9 Section 2

27. Suffering for Suffrage
Suffrage-A movement beginning in the late 1800’s with the goal of achieving voting rights for women
Suffrage was a key goal of Progressive women
They felt that the only way to make sure government would protect children, foster education, and support family life is to allow everyone an equal say in the political process
Reformers like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton succeeded at state level in Wyoming and Colorado by end of 1890s
Chapter 9 Section 2

28. Nineteenth Amendment
The 19th Amendment-Ratified on August 18, 1920, granted American women the right to vote.
It states that the right to vote “shall not be denied on account of sex”
Ironically, the Tennessee State House of Representatives passed the amendment in their state by only one vote
Chapter 9 Section 2