Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Progressive Era 1890-1920
The Progressive Era 1890-1920
1890-1920
“What were the causes and
effects of the Progressive
Movement?”
• SSUSH13 The student will identify major efforts to
reform American society and politics in the
Progressive Era.
a. Explain Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and federal
oversight of the meat packing industry.
b. Identify Jane Addams and Hull House, and the
role of women in reform movements.
c. Describe the rise of Jim Crow, Plessy v. Ferguson,
and the emergence of the NAACP.
d. Explain Ida Tarbell's role as a muckraker.
e. Describe the significance of progressive reforms
such as the initiative, the recall, and referendum,
direct election of senators, reform of labor laws and
efforts to improve living conditions for the poor in
cities.
Read Chapter 17!
• Compare and contrast populism and
Progressivism.
The Drive for Reform
Section 1
Origins of Progressivism
Main Idea: The Progressive Movement was started to fight for a variety of
political, social, and religious problems.
Main Idea: Journalists called muckrakers and fiction writers brought social
problems to the public’s attention.
Main Idea: As Progressives gained support, they achieved reforms for the poor
and children and improved the education system and working conditions for
industrial workers.
Reforming Government
Recall
17th amendment
Commission form of city government (Galveston
Plan)
The Second Area of Reform
• Hepburn Act
• Sherman Antitrust Act
• Ida Tarbell and Standard Oil
• Meat Inspection Act
• Pure Food and Drug Act
• 16th Amendment
• Federal Reserve Act
• Federal trade Commission (FTC)
• Clayton Antitrust Act
• Workingman’s Compensation Act
• Conservation
• Labor Strikes
The Fourth Area of Reform
Main Idea: When Theodore Roosevelt became President in 1901, he expanded the powers
of the President and shaped the modern presidency. He fought for reform proposals that
would keep the wealthy and powerful from taking advantage of the poor.
Main Idea: During Roosevelt’s presidency, the government enacted many reforms
involving labor unions, control of shipping costs, antitrusts, and the food and drug
industries.
Main Idea: Following the advice of naturalists, Roosevelt closed off land and pushed for
laws that would conserve water.
Main Idea: When Taft was elected President, he changed many of Roosevelt’s policies,
including relaxing control of trusts. His policies encouraged Roosevelt to seek another
term in office.
Roosevelt Shapes the Modern
Presidency
• Assistant Secretary of the
Navy • What did Roosevelt want his
• Spanish-American War – Square Deal program to achieve?
formed the Rough Riders • A fair, honest, and just society in
• Governor of New York which everyone had an equal
• McKinley’s Vice President in chance to succeed
1900
• McKinley assassinated
• Expanded the power of the
Presidency
• Program called the Square
Deal – goal to keep wealthy
from taking advantage of
small business owners and
poor
NOTE TAKING Reading Skill: Identify Main Ideas
TR’s Antitrust Activism
• TR used the Sherman Antitrust Act 1890
– Had never been vigorously enforced
• Government sued Northern Securities Company
(holding company that controlled railroads in the
Northwest)
– U.S. won the case in the Supreme Court
• 42 other antitrust actions under Roosevelt
– Successful in controlling business yet still believed in
supporting business
• President Wilson created the Federal Trade Commission
in 1914
– Monitored businesses for unfair practices
– Continued TR’s “trust-busting”
Types of Monopolies/Trusts
Horizontal Integration John D.
Rockefeller
Vertical Integration:
o Gustavus Swift Meat-packing
o Andrew Carnegie U. S. Steel
Trustbusting and Regulating Industry
• Mine Strike, 1902 • Meat Inspection Act –
• Hepburn Act 1906 – gave federal agents to inspect any
Interstate Commerce meat sold across state lines
Commission enforcement • Pure Food and Drug Act
powers 1906 – controls on other
• Sherman Antitrust Act – foods and on medicines;
Supreme Court ruled controls labeling, and tests
Northern Securities drugs
Company was illegal trust *What impact did Roosevelt’s
actions have on the
government’s role in the
economy?
Increased the role of the
government in regulating the
economy and labor issues
The Labor Movement
• Main goal of labor movement was to reduce
hours and gain better wages and working
conditions
• Faced stiff opposition from employers who
used injunctions to stop workers from going
on strike
Government Manages the Environment
• John Muir –
Yosemite National
Park, 1890
• Set aside 100 million
acres of forestland
• Gifford Pinchot –
“rational use” of
forests
TR’s Environmental Reform
• National Reclamation Act
– Set aside money from the sale
of public lands to fund the
construction of irrigation
systems in arid states
– Set aside 200 million acres for
national forests and parks
• Vocabulary:
-Woodrow Wilson FTC
-Federal Reserve Act New Freedom
-Sixteenth Amendment
-Clayton Antitrust Act
Wilson’s New Freedom
Main Idea: In the 1912 presidential election, the Republican Party was divided
between Taft and Roosevelt, leading the way for Woodrow Wilson to be elected.
Once in office, Wilson developed a Progressive plan that placed strong
government control on corporations.
Main Idea: Wilson worked to give the government more control of the economy.
Some of the laws passed during his term included lowering tariffs, reforming
the banking system, strengthening antitrust regulation, and supporting labor
unions and workers’ rights.
Main Idea: Changes in the American economy and the government’s role in
managing natural resources still have an impact on society today.
Continued...
Wilson Wins Election of 1912
• Democrats – Woodrow Wilson
• Progressives – Theodore Roosevelt
• Republicans – William Howard Taft
• Republicans split the vote, allowing Wilson to win
• New Freedom – Wilson’s program to give more freedom to
small businesses
• Moral/Missionary Diplomacy
– Wilson denounced the dollar diplomacy of Taft,
emphasizing his idealistic views.
• The New Freedom Policy promised to enforce
antitrust laws without threatening economic
competition
– Was against big business and big government
Wilson Regulates the Economy
• Lowered tariffs to
reduce price of
consumer goods
• Sixteenth
Amendment -
income tax to make
up for lost revenue
Federal Reserve Act
• Reform the banking system
• National banks under the control of the
Federal Reserve Board
• Regional banks established to hold
reserve funds from commercial banks
• Sets interest rate that banks pay to
borrow money from other banks
Wilson Strengthens Antitrust Regulation
What policies did Wilson pursue in support of his New Freedom program?
Pushed for laws that would give the federal government more power over
tariffs, banks, and trusts
NOTE TAKING Reading Skill: Identify Main Ideas
Progressivism’s Legacy
• Political reforms
• Nineteenth Amendment
• Federal government offered more protection to
Americans
• American economy based on Antitrust laws,
Federal Reserve Board and other federal
agencies
• Environmental progress
• Problems remain
CHART Progressive Era Legislation and Constitutional Amendments
Accomplishments of Limits of
Progressivism Progressivism
– Redefined the role of – Focused on cities,
government in business ignoring tenant and
and politics migrant farmers
– Labor reform, especially – Supported imperialism
for women and children – Ignored African
– Amendments to the Americans, worsening
Constitution race relations
– Help for urban Americans – World War I ended
Progressive Era
Three Other Progressive Amendments
• 16th Income Tax
– Was a progressive income tax
– The more money earned, the more money paid
• 17th Popular election of senators
– Formerly selected by state legislators
• 18th Prohibition