Lecture

Honors U.S. History Name:

Mr. Irwin
Week 14 Period:

Chapter 11
The Progressive Reform Era
Chapter 11-1
The Origins of Progressivism

Key Terms:
Progressive Era – The period from approximately 1890 – 1920, during which a variety
of reforms were enacted at the local, state, and federal levels.

muckraker – Journalist who uncovers wrongdoing in politics or business.

capitalism – An economic system characterized by a “free” market in which

entrepreneurial, private company, and corporate ownership of business allows for the
potential of profit and the accumulation of wealth.

socialism – An economic and political philosophy that is based on the belief that
democratic means should be used to evenly distribute wealth throughout a society.

communism – An economic system in which the central government makes all

decisions regarding the production of goods and services. A major goal of communism
is to create a “single class” society by controlling ownership of resources and by
controlling wealth in the society.

injunction – A court order prohibiting a party from engaging in a certain activity.

The Need for Reform:

From our study of Chapters 8 & 9, we got a glimpse at how America underwent a great
transformation around the turn of the 20th century. This change was characterized by
the combination of large scale immigration to the United States, a leap forward in
technology and the seemingly limitless opportunities that were available to those who
were imaginative, willing to work hard and/or take huge risks. It seems that for a while,
America outgrew itself!

Unfortunately, greed and corruption had found their way into American society. During
what has become known as the Progressive Era, politically aware citizens, religious
groups and reform-minded government officials launched a series of reactions, in order
to reign in some of the abuses and corruption that came with our transformation into a
modern society.

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Muckrakers:
Just as Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the slavery era novel, shocked much of America with its
depiction of the harsh treatment of slaves, novelist Upton Sinclair both shocked and
sickened the nation when his novel, The Jungle, exposed turn of the century meat
packing practices. Sinclair and other writers and journalists became leading figures in
the reform oriented Progressive Era, which spread across the United States at the turn
of the twentieth century. The purpose of their writings was to bring attention to
corruption in government and business, and to focus upon labor and health related
issues, as well. These writers were nicknamed “muckrakers.” Muck is another name
for the manure and hay that must be cleaned out of barns, so the idea behind the term,
muckraker, is that of someone who is stirring up society’s muck!

Progressive Goals and Beliefs:

Progressivism was not a single unified movement. Progressive views were held by
Republicans, as well as by Democrats. People who called themselves Progressives did
not all share the same beliefs, but overall, Progressives sought to return control of
government to the people, restore economic opportunities, and correct injustices in
American society. Populists, muckrakers, intellectuals and political reformers made up
the core of the Progressive Movement. Progressive goals fell into the four categories
listed below:

4 Progressive Goals:
1. To protect social welfare

2. Promote moral improvement

3. Create economic reform

4. Foster efficiency

Examples of protecting social welfare:

• Setting up community centers and getting churches involved in providing social
services directed towards the needs of the poor.

• Setting up the YMCA

• Setting up the Salvation Army

Examples of promoting moral improvement:

• Encouraging immigrants and the poor to uplift themselves, and to improve
their personal behavior.
o Alcoholism

 Prohibition – prohibitionists feared that alcohol was undermining American

morals.

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  In 1874, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union was founded in
Cleveland, Ohio.

 The WCTU proceeded to launch a crusade for prohibition of

alcohol.

 By 1911, the WCTU had spread across the country and had a
membership of approximately 245,000 people.

 The WCTU also:

• Opened kindergartens.

• Visited inmates in prisons and asylums.

• Worked for suffrage.

Examples of creating economic reform:

• Embracing socialism – A severe economic panic occurred in 1893. This led
some Americans to question the capitalist economic system that our country
was/is based upon. As the result, some Americans, primarily of the working
class, embraced socialism.

o In 1901, Eugene V. Debs helped organize the American Socialist Party.

 He believed that small could not compete with big.

 Debs said that trying to compete against the likes of John D. Rockefeller
would be comparable to someone using a wheelbarrow to compete with
the Santa Fe Railroad.

Examples of fostering efficiency:

• During the 1890s and early 1900s, the 10 hour work day was commonplace.

o The introduction of scientific studies into the work place.

o Studies showed that the long work day was taking a toll on workers.
 Causing inefficiencies in the operations.

 Causing quality problems.

 Causing injuries.

• Henry Ford, for example, responded to this type of information at his factory by
reducing the work day to 8 hours and by paying his workers $5.00 per day.

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Reform in Government:
The Progressive Movement affected not only business, but city, state and federal
government as well.

Examples:
• Mayors who focused on dismissing corrupt and greedy private owners of utilities
such as gas, water and transit lines.

o These progressive minded mayors converted such utilities to publicly

owned enterprises.

• Progressive governors helped to pass state laws to regulate railroads, mines,

mills, telephone companies and other large businesses.

Progressive Reform of Child Labor:

Child labor – Many women’s groups advocated the boycott of products produced as the
result of child labor.

Florence Kelley:
A leader in workplace reform. She investigated labor conditions in Illinois, which
resulted in that state passing an 1893 law that:

• prohibited child labor.

• limited working hours for women.

• regulated sweatshop.

A Living Wage:
Social issue of a working/living wage
______________________________________________________________________

Chapter 11-2
Progressive Legislation

Key Terms:
social welfare program – Social programs designed to ensure a basic standard of
living for all citizens.

municipal – Relating to a city, as in municipal government.

home rule – a system that gives cities a limited degree of self-rule.

direct primary – Elections in which all citizens vote to select nominees for upcoming
elections.

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initiative – A process in which citizens can put a proposed new law directly on the ballot
in the next election by collecting voters’ signatures on a petition.

referendum – a process that allows citizens to approve or reject a law passed by their
legislature.

recall – A procedure that permits voters to remove public officials from office before the
next election.

holding company – A firm that buys up stocks and bonds of smaller companies in an
effort to gain control over markets.

Social Welfare Programs:

Most Progressives opposed government control of businesses, except for companies
that supplied essential services such as water and electricity. Many Progressives,
however felt that the government should increase its responsibility for the well-being of
its people. Progressives pushed the government to develop social welfare programs
that would ensure a minimum standard of living in America.

Municipal Reforms:
Some early Progressive reforms were geared towards cities (municipalities). In efforts
to escape the corrupt control that political bosses and their political machines had over
many local governments, Progressive reformers pushed for home rule, which allowed
for a certain degree of autonomy.

Reform of Utilities:
Cities were successful in regulating, dislodging monopolies that existed with utilities
such as water, natural gas, and electricity. Many cities took full control over these
utilities, as it was believed that it was in the public’s best interest that private businesses
not own these essential services. In many places throughout the country, city services
reflect the reforms of the Progressives; for example, today, instead of a private company
selling water to city residents, the City of San Diego controls the municipal water supply
and sewer system.

Voting Reforms:
During the Progressive Era, voters gained more direct influence in lawmaking and
choosing candidates. As a response to corruption and political machines, Wisconsin
governor Robert M. La Follette was successful in establishing direct primary elections,
in which voters determined the candidates who would be eligible to run in the general
election. This concept caught on around the country.

Many states also established the initiative process in which citizens can put proposals
on the ballot, instead of hoping that their legislators will take action on a certain issue.
The referendum, a process that allows citizens to approve or reject a law passed by
the legislature also became commonplace. Finally, the recall process which enabled

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Governor Schwartzenegger to become Governor of California can be traced back to the
Progressive Era.

Reforms in the Workplace:

The Government of Robert M. La Follette:

Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal:

Railroad Regulation:

Protecting Public Health:

The U.S. Department of Labor:

New Constitutional Amendments:
16, 17 & 18

Unemployment benefits

Accident and health insurance

Social security for the disabled and the elderly

The Progressives wanted social programs developed by experts and professionals and
administered by experts and professionals, not by politicians.

Keating – Owen Act of 1916

Prohibited the transportation across state lines, of goods produced with child labor.

2 years later the Supreme Court declared this act unconstitutional because it interfered
with states rights to regulate labor.

Efforts to limit the workday of women to 10 hours maximum.

Workers compensation laws for the families of those who are injured on the job.
Gradually, state by state, they began to implement these progressive/reform based
laws.

- Lecture Not Yet Complete -

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