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Chapter 20
Progressivism
Changes in American Life
• Due to the spread of greed and dishonesty, many Americans became progressives and pressured the government to regulate industry
• Urbanization (the movement of people to cities) occurred rapidly as people moved to get employment
Opportunity
• The number of schools also increased and more people went to college
• Some of this was made possible by philanthropists, wealthy people who donated money to various causes
• Women and blacks often went to colleges just for them
• The Tuskegee Institute was founded by Booker T. Washington and had George Washington Carver as a professor
Entertainment
• The amount of work required went down and time for leisure went up
• Many people went to baseball games and boxing matches as well as concerts and theaters
• Interest in literature also rose and Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) became one of the most popular writers of the time
Social Gospel
• Christianity began to be influenced by the social problems of the day and came up with the social gospel which did not emphasize the importance of salvation
Agnosticism and Darwinism
• Two other viewpoints gained popularity at this time
• One of these, led by Robert Ingersoll, said that man cannot know for certain if there is a God
• Another was created by Charles Darwin who came up with the theory of evolution
Reform and Outreach
• B.B. Warfield, a professor at Princeton, championed the inerrancy of the Bible
• Billy Sunday, a former baseball player, spoke against the dangers of alcohol
• Others shared this view and formed temperance societies, groups that were against alcohol
Interdenominational Organizations
• The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was formed to provide a form of entertainment in large cities
• The Salvation Army provided help for the poor and set up rescue missions to assist those who were down and out
Progressivism
• Progressives focused on making life better through reform and called their movement progressivism
• They wanted the government to take the lead in making changes
Government Corruption
• Corruption was rampant at all levels of government
• Boss Tweed was a leading example of this as he cheated taxpayers out of millions of dollars
Muckrakers
• Muckrakers, journalists who exposed society’s ills, gained popularity
• Lincoln Steffens exposed Philadelphia politicians who used non existent people to gain votes
• Ida M. Tarbell exposed the practices of Standard Oil
• Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle about the meatpacking industry in Chicago
Instituting Reforms
• To curb corruption, cities began hiring a city manager. Other cities tried a commission form of government that made it easier to find corruption
• Voters also instituted a recall that allowed politicians to be removed from office
• An initiative allowed voters to propose their own legislation and a referendum allowed voters to pass judgment on acts already passed
• A final reform was the direct election of senators
Instituting Reforms
• Reformers also focused on improving the standard of living through settlement houses which provided for the needs of women
• Chicago’s Hull House founded by Jane Addams was the most famous example
Protecting People and Resources
• The government took more action in regulating industry by passing the Pure Food and Drug Act which allowed for inspectors in slaughterhouses
• Conservation was another emphasis for Roosevelt. The first national parks were created during his terms
• Gifford Pinchot became chief forester and helped preserve land
The Election of 1912
• After handpicking his successor in William Howard Taft, Roosevelt became upset with his policies and decided to run for president again
• Roosevelt created a new political party called the Bull Moose Party and took votes from Taft, allowing Woodrow Wilson to win
Woodrow Wilson and Business
• Wilson initially favored small government and set up the Federal Trade Commission, an agency focused on stopping abuses
• He also encouraged Congress to pass the Clayton Anti-Trust Act which defined the unjust acts which corporations could be punished for
Woodrow Wilson and Financial Reform
• Wilson believed in a low tariff and hoped that it would force American businesses to be more efficient. The Underwood Tariff of 1913 was the first major tariff decrease in 40 years
• Wilson also had the Federal Reserve System set up which gave control of the economy to one board