THE
PROGRESSIVE ERA (1901-1917)
Progressivism
is difficult to define, but we will try:
Progressivism
is “an ideological response to certain fundamental changes in the United States
around the turn of the century.”
It
seeks to fix the “undesirable consequences” of industrialization, urbanization,
and immigration, such as
(1)
Monopolies
and trusts—proliferation and influence
(2)
Abuse
of corporate power and wealth—exploitation and unsafe products
(3)
The
“political contaminants” of power and wealth
(4)
Incompetent,
dishonest politicians
*Progressives
call for honest, moral, righteous government —if you can improve government,
you can improve society and democracy.
*Espouse
a scientific approach to addressing social problems—rule by “experts”
*Key
elements: education and government
Who
were the Progressives?
(1)
A
mixed collection of old Populists, civil service reformers, trustbusters, and
old “elites.”
(2)
Espoused
no specific cure-alls
(3)
Spanned
political and regional boundaries
(4)
Authors
and journalists played a key role via “muckraking”
(5)
Progressives
believed in political action to bring about social and political change via the
“Progressive Progression” (local, state, federal)
1.
The
“literature of exposure”
2.
Magazines
are the primary medium, followed by newspapers and popular fiction
3.
Limitless
amount of material, focusing on the failures of government and corporations
B.
Magazines
1.
Most
famous “muckmag”: McClure’s
magazine
2.
Articles
included Ida Tarbell’s expose’ of the Standard Oil Corporation and Lincoln
Steffens’ series on municipal (city government) corruption
3.
Favorable
response breeds copycats such as Collier’s
C.
Primary
Targets of Muckrakers
1.
Over-the-counter
drug business
2.
Child
labor
3.
Exploitation
of minorities by government and corporations
4.
Meat
processing industry
5.
Photography
of Jacob Riis depicting the crime, disease and squalor of urban slums—How
the Other Half Lives
D.
Muckraking
Fiction
1.
Wide
array of authors who incorporated Progressive ideas into their literary writing
2.
Most
famous work—Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906)
*A socialist tract that focused on the meatpacking
industry
*Read it today and you will think twice about
burgers and hot dogs
*American meat sales plummeted
*Key element in the passage of the Pure Food and
Drug Act
Muckraking
literature/journalism made progressive ideas mainstream and contributed to
public cries for governmental action and reform.
A.
State
level
1.
Progressive
governors such as Hiram Johnson of California, Theodore Roosevelt of New York
and Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey
2.
Most
famous Progressive governor—
Robert M. LaFollette of
Wisconsin
*“The Wisconsin Idea”
*The WI was a massive
blueprint for
progressive reform at the state level
*Primary targets were railroad and
lumber
companies—TRUSTS
LaFollette
was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1906.
He took his methods to Washington in an attempt to apply them at the
federal level.
B.
Federal
level
1.
Hepburn
Act (1906)—made specific the powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission
2.
Federal
Reserve Act (1913)—created Federal Reserve Board
3.
Federal
Trade Commission Act (1914)—established Federal Trade Commission
4.
Clayton
Anti-Trust Act (1914)—gave power to the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890
5.
Keating-Owen
Act (1916)—child labor
C.
The
“Progressive Amendments”
1.
16th
Amendment (1913)—federal income tax
2.
17th
Amendment (1913)—direct election of U.S. Senators
Both of these measures were
carryovers from the
old Populist agenda/platform
of the 1890s.
3.
18th
Amendment (1918)—prohibition of the manufacture, sale and transportation of
alcoholic beverages
4.
19th
Amendment (1920)—women’s suffrage
Both amendments spurred on in part by World War I
A.
Theodore
Roosevelt (1901-1909)
1.
Colorful
character
2.
Reputation
as a trust buster (sorta)
3.
Known
as “Mr. Progressive” (kinda)
Legacy:
a.
Environmental
legislation
b.
Roosevelt
Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
c.
Panama
Canal
B.
William
Howard Taft (1909-1913)
1.
Hand-picked
by TR to succeed him as GOP nominee
2.
Fell
into disfavor both with progressive Republicans and conservative Democrats
3.
Favored
small government and lower tariffs—upsets all sides
Legacy:
a.
16th
Amendment
b.
17th
Amendment
c.
A
divided Republican Party
C.
Woodrow
Wilson (1913-1921)
1.
Southern-born
Democrat, college professor and governor of New Jersey
2.
Reputation
as a reformer
3.
Won
election of 1912 because the Republicans were split between Taft and TR
4.
A
“moralist” both in domestic and foreign policy
5.
Believed
in a strong Executive branch
6.
Brilliant,
but naïve and elitist
Legacy:
a.
Bulk
of progressive legislation passed during his tenure
b.
Helped
create the beginnings of a federal bureaucracy
c.
World
War I—his greatest glory and his greatest failure
