Progressive Era

Admit Slip 2/22

Why do you believe the era in history that we are
currently studying is referred to as “The Progressive
Era”?- What do you believe may be occurring during
this time period?

What issues/problems are there going on in the U.S.

during this time period (think about issues that came
about as result of industrialization and urbanization)?

How do you think individuals attempted to fix these

problems?
Why Change?
From the 1890’s to 1920, a reform movement swept the
nation as many individuals focused on improving the
conditions within the United States.
By 1900, the United States was a rich and powerful nation.
Industrialization, urbanization, and immigration had
transformed the nation into a major world economy.
However, these changes to American society brought
about many problems.
The Progressive movement was made up of groups and
individuals who worked to change the negative effects of
industrialization and urbanization.
What Issues Needed to Be Fixed?
Powerful monopolies restricted competition and
controlled prices
Labor unrest and violence
Unhealthy and unsafe living and working conditions
Increasing gap between living standards of the rich and
poor
Urban poverty, crime, congestion, and poor sanitation
Political corruption and lack of government
responsiveness
Abuse of the nation’s natural resources
Effects of Business Practices
The corporate world grew increasingly wealthy and
more powerful.
Industrial leaders believed that economic success
demonstrated fitness to lead, that Social Darwinism
explained why some were rich and others were poor.
Those who succeeded earned their position, and those
who failed deserved their failure.
Social Darwinists believed that the government should
not intervene in this process, also known as laissez-
faire economics.
Conditions for Industrial Workers
 Working conditions for factory workers continued to be harsh.
 Many laborers worked 60-hour weeks on machinery, often in
unsafe, unhealthy conditions.
 Getting hurt on the job often resulted in the worker being fired.
 Workers earned low wages, and women and children were paid
even less than male workers.
 Workers had little security because their employers could fire
them at any time.
 Soon, workers grew less tolerant of these terrible working
conditions and began to form labor unions.
 Many businesses fired workers who attempted to form these
labor unions, and strikes by the workers were often met with
armed attacks from factory security guards.
Life for the Urban Poor
The gap between living standards of the rich and the
poor increased widely during this period, especially in
the cities.
As the rich grew richer, building lavish townhouses in
relatively safe and clean neighborhoods, the poor grew
even poorer.
The poor lived in urban slums characterized by
poverty, crime, congestion, and poor sanitation.
Housing in cities was segregated by social and
economic status, by race, and often by ethnic
background.
Admit Slip 2/23
The Progressive Era wanted to bring what to American
society in the early 1900’s?

What problems is society facing during this time?

What caused these problems to occur?

What is a muckraker? What was their job?

Admit Slip 2/24
Muckrakers wanted to expose and uncover what in
American society?

Two muckrakers we studied yesterday were:

_______ Sinclair= The _____________

Jacob ________= How the ________________.

As a result of Sinclair’s book, what two federal laws
were passed?
Pure ______ and ________ Act
________ Inspection Act
Who Were the Progressives?
The Progressives set out to tackle the problems of their
era.
The Progressive movement was made up of many different
movements, and the Progressives were many different
kinds of Americans.
The Progressives tended to be educated professionals like
that of; doctors, lawyers, teachers, and clergy.
All Progressives believed in the following ideas;
Abuses of power by government and business could be ended
New developments in technology and science could be used
to improve life
Belief in strong government that could correct abuses and
protect rights
Admit Slip 2/25
What is the purpose of the news?- What is designed to do
for society?

What is the job of modern-day news reporters?

In our current unit of study, what issues/problems are

present in society during this time?

Why do you believe the era in history that we are currently

studying is referred to as “The Progressive Era”?- What
do you believe may be occurring during this time period?
Learning Objectives 2/25
1.) Students will discuss problems present in society during
the early 1900's brought about by industrialization and
urbanization.

2.) Students will define the term muckraker and; differentiate

between two specific muckrakers, explain the specific
problem each muckraker aimed to fix, and identify the
literature produced by both individuals during the Progressive
Era.

3.) Students will value and critique the long-lasting impact of

the efforts of the muckrakers to present day society.
Partner Round Robin Activity
1.) What was life like working in factories during the early
1900’s?
Partner Round Robin Activity
2.) Describe the living conditions inside the urban slum tenement
homes.
Muckrakers
 Muckrakers helped bring reform issues to the attention of the
public.
 Most were journalists and writers, but others were also artists
and photographers.
 Muckrakers investigated and exposed corruption and injustice
through articles in magazines.
 They also wrote novels dramatizing situations that demanded
reform.
 Because of the effort of the Muckrakers, important laws were
passed to protect the rights of consumers in the United States
including; the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection
Act
 These laws were passed due to the unsanitary conditions within
the meat-packing industry exposed by Upton Sinclair in his
novel The Jungle
Muckrakers
______________-The Jungle  __________and
________conditions in the
___________industry
 Conditions of the
___________-How the other
Half Lives _______living in________.

 _____________railroad
___________-The Octopus
practices

_______________-History of  Ruthless practices

the Standard Oil Company
of_________________
 ___________Corruption in
_______________-The city government
Shame of the Cities
Upton Sinclair’s- The
Jungle

This novel exposed the

unsanitary working
conditions in the
meatpacking industry.

This novel caused the

government to pass two
important laws
protecting the rights of
consumers:

1.) Pure Food and

Drug Act

2.) Meat Inspection Act

http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=Xxe9nosW
awM
Jacob Riis’s- How the Other Half Lives

http://www.history.com/topics/new-york-
city/videos/jacob-riis
Exit Slip 2/25
Define the term muckraker.

Name two muckrakers and for each:

What problem did they aim to fix?
What were the names of their works of literature?

What long-term effects did the efforts of these two

muckrakers have on your life today? (Hint: Think of
federal laws passed)
Regents Practice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52E4Rm3_k7I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwV2lWOgX1M
Community Improvement
-Other reformers founded groups intended to correct the problems of
society.
-In Chicago, Jane Addams started Hull House, a settlement house
designed to provide education and services to the poor
Temperance Movement
 The temperance movement, which opposed the sale of alcoholic
beverages, began in the 1820’s.
 Over the years, its chief goal became prohibition- outlawing the
manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.
 Under the leadership of Francis Willard, the Women’s Christian
Temperance Union was a strong advocate for prohibition.
 These individuals believed that through prohibition, problems of
disease and poverty could be eased, family life improved, and the
national economy made more productive.
 The temperance movement led to national prohibition with the
passing of the 18th Amendment, which banned the manufacturing,
sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States
as of 1920.
African American Progressives
Booker T. Washington
Former slave and founder of Tuskegee Institute, urged African
Americans to get vocational training in order to establish
themselves financially.
This strategy was thought to increase the self-esteem of African
Americans and earn the respect of the white society.
W.E.B. Du Bois
A Harvard educated professor, shared Washington’s view of the
importance of an education, however Du Bois believed in a
broad, liberal education rather than a vocational one.
Started the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP), which further fought for the rights of African
Americans.