Short Activity - Progressive Reform

Progressivism

Definition of progressivism - The Progressive Era is usually identified as occurring from 1900- 1917. It’s a reform movement that is so varied and comprehensive it almost defies definition. Generally the progressive movement is defined as a response to the problems of industrialization - dirty air, crowded slums, low wages, child labor, and the like. The goals were wide ranging - more democracy, honest government, the regulation of business, a commitment to public service. It had a very businesslike, efficient approach to reform. Many of the people who supported the populist movement especially because of its view of government as being more involved in society, also supported the progressive movement. But, there was a conservative strain in the movement. A lot of the reforms to regulate business were proposed by business leaders. The idea being that you shape what’s happening if you make yourself a part of the process. That some of these regulations would help certain businesses. So, there are all these problems caused by industrialization that we know about now. At the time these things were going on, however, there wasn’t a lot of broad understanding. So, how did people find out how bad things really were and what spurred this era of progressivism on? One way was through the muckrakers. Muckrakers - were journalists who thrived on exposing scandal. TR said that they were “often indispensable” to society though he thought they went overboard sometimes. So, who were some of these muckrakers and what did they do exactly? Jacob Riis - an immigrant from Denmark. He published a book called How the Other Half Lives in 1890. He went into the slums of New York City and took pictures of how the poor lived, how bad the conditions were A lot of muckrakers got their articles published in magazines like McClure’s that were popular and were widely circulated Lincoln Steffens - He reported on municipal corruption. He wrote The Shame of the Cities explaining how political machines ran the cities to their own advantage. He later wrote The Shame of the States detailing the same occurrence at the state level. Ida Tarbell - wrote an expose on John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company. She was given access to the company’s records in part because, as a woman, the company did not see her as a threat. Upton Sinclair - wrote his famous book The Jungle. It was an expose about the meat-packing industry and led to major legislation.

Meat Inspection Act - in 1906 - it required federal inspection of meats and imposed sanitation standards The Pure Food and Drug Act - was passed the same day - placed restrictions on the makers of prepared foods and patent medicines, forbade the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated, misbranded, or harmful foods, drugs, liquors. The second group - the social gospel movement. This was movement was the response to the Gospel of Wealth argument. The one that says if you’re poor, it’s your fault. This was the movement when churches began going into the slums. Young ministers are going into these areas. Helping the poor survive the conditions brought down by industrialization became an institutionalized goal of the churches. Churches would run day-cares during the week for the parents who had to work. Settlement houses _ _ This was a broader type of Christianity. Christianity wasn’t just about attending church on a Sunday, it was about ministering to people in need, giving to a community in need. Social workers – this era saw the rise of professional social workers. These workers originally worked in the settlement houses or with charity organizations. But, this begins to be seen as an actual job. And social workers begin keeping records. And these records which cover who the social workers are dealing with, what the problems are, gave a lot of information about what groups are in need of help. Social justice This is legislation that reflected an impulse towards social justice. These are the laws that are going to ban child labor. That are going to start requiring school attendance. In 1907 the state of Texas began compulsory school attendance laws. I think it was when you were seven, you had to start going to school. And, there’s also going to laws in favor of workmen’s compensation. It’s the idea that there should be justice in society – going to work shouldn’t get one killed. Triangle Shirtwaist Fire – 1911 - Legislation to protect workers against workplace accidents gained impetus in 1911 when a fire broke out in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company’s New York City factory. 146 people died in the fire, mostly women. Their average age was 19. The ten- story building did not enough exits for the women to get out of, the fire escapes could not bear the weight of people and collapsed, exit doors were locked in some places, those weren’t locked opened inwards instead of outwards, the only type of fire extinguishers were 27 buckets of water. The girls were either trapped or they jumped to their deaths to avoid being burned or in many cases were pushed out the windows by their panic-stricken co-workers. And, when the fire trucks came, their ladders only extended to seven stories high - they couldn’t even reach those in the 8th, 9th, 10th floors The outrage over this fire led to new workplace safety regulations. Rise of Professionalization - Between 1890 and 1920 a ton of national societies and associations arose. There began to be actual rules that governed certain professions. Codes of ethics and also what you had to do to become a part of that profession became regular. For example, exams began to be instituted to insure that people had the same requisite knowledge -

that there was a minimum standard of knowledge that someone had to have. The AMA was formed for doctors, bar associations were formed for lawyers. In this history profession - the American Historical Association was formed. All of this is the professionalization of the workplace. Purity crusade - Another way progressivism manifested itself was in the purity crusade. This is the beginning of the temperance movement that eventually culminates in the 18th Amendment which bans to sale of alcoholic beverages. WCTU - Women’s Christian Temperance Union - becomes a very popular part of the crusade. Towns, particularly across the west, would have a local chapter of the WCTU. It would sponsor essay contests, bring speakers in, and promote the banning of alcohol and openly criticize the evils associated with it. Political Reforms – For the most part, progressives tended to look at local and state governments to institute these new reforms. They didn’t look the national government. So, like them, first we’re going to look at some of the state and local reforms that pushed through by the progressives. Direct primary - the people of a state would get to vote on who would be a political party’s nominee for the main election. Previously, it was sort of this image of the men in a smoke-filled room deciding who the candidate would be. Now, all Democrats in a state could vote on who would be the Democratic nominee. This began in 1896 in South Carolina and then spread over the next two decades. Initiative and referendum - procedures that allowed voters to enact laws directly. Voters could petition to put a measure on the ballot - this was the initiative. The electorate could then vote on it and possibly put it into law - this was the referendum. Direct election of senators - Previously U.S. Senators were appointed by state legislatures. Now they were voted on by the people. Amendment ratified in 1913. Another goal was to make government more efficient. Two new ideas for making municipal government more efficient occurred at the turn of the century. One was the commission form of government. Commission form of government - In 1900, a massive hurricane hit the city of Galveston, Texas. It killed over six thousand people and the city government collapsed in the wake of the storm. A new type of city government was created - one in which the city was governed by a board of officials who were the head of the various administrative departments in the city. The other new idea was the city-manager form of government. City-manager form of government - It was first adopted in Virginia in 1908. In this form a professional administrator, the city manger, ran the city government. The manager would be the expert, the specialist on how to run the city.

A few other changes to note: Elkins Act - 1903 - illegal to take as well as to give rebates Hepburn Act - 1906 - gave the ICC power to set maximum rates for railroads; it enlarged the mandate of the ICC The federal reserve system was created - 1913 - twelve regional Fed. Reserve Banks were established across the nation. This is a major step for governmental intervention into the economy. Clayton Anti-Trust Act - 1914 - outlawed price discrimination Federal Farm Loan Act - 1916 - like the Fed. Reserve System but with Fed. Land Banks who would loan money to farmers at low interest rates - the great desire of the Populists finally came to fruition Keating-Owen Child Labor Act - excluded from interstate commerce goods manufactured by children under 14 Adamson Act - instituted an 8-hour day for railroad workers; and time and a half pay for overtime