ProgressivismProgressivism

Social Justice Movement

“By altering the environment they could reconstruct society and

eliminate poverty.”

• “By the last two decades of the century many thoughful men had begun to march under various banners declaring that somewhere and somehow the promise of the American dream had been lost – they often said ‘betrayed’ – and that drastic changes needed to be made to recapture it.”

• America: A Narrative History v2 p.922

Those of the outside

• African Americans and racism

• Booker T. Washington

• WEB Du Bois

• Women and the Domestic Sphere

“to use the govt. as an agency of human welfare”

• To reform … monopolies, corruption and inefficiency in govt. and social injustice.

• Based on white middle class values• Response to the complexity of the

urban/industrial cities, political machines, and “robber barons.”

MuckrakersMuckrakers• Publicists … exposés

• TR and Pilgrim’s Progress

• Lincoln Steffens Shame of the Cities

• Ida Tarbell Standard Oil

• Upton Sinclair The Jungle

• Frank Norris The Octopus

Focus on ChildrenFocus on Children• horror stories… a waste of human

resources…broken before adults

• Florence Kelley …

1. Hull House and Jane Addams,

2. Nat. Consumers League,

3. Nat. Child Labor Committee,

4. Juvenile Court System

Focus on CitiesFocus on Cities• Jacob Riis How the Other Half

Lives

1. Photographer

2. “green space”

3. Urban overcrowding …National Housing Assoc. … tenement laws

Focus on EducationFocus on Education• Learning by rote questioned• Kindergarten• Vocational/agricultural schools• John Dewey• Goal … flexible, better educated,

more open minded/understanding adults.

Temperance MovementTemperance Movement• Reasons …

• Women's Christian Temperance Union … Francis Willard

• Carrie Nation and her hatchet

• 1906-12 7 states pass laws

• 1919 18th Amendment then 23rd

SuffrageStanton and Anthony Alice Paul

Focus on PoliticsFocus on PoliticsGoal … to increase democracy• Wisconsin Idea: Robert La Follette• Primary• Recall• Referendum• Initiative• 16th Amendment (1913, income tax)• 17th (1913, direct election/Senators)• 19th (1920, women’s suffrage)

TR’s Square DealTR’s Square Deal• “second only to

Niagara Falls…”• Square Deal• 3 Cs …1. Control of corps.2. Consumer

protection3. Conservation

• 1902 Coal strike• Dept. of Commerce and labor• “laissez faire” vs. good and bad trusts …

regulation the key• Elkins and Hepburn Acts and RR• JP Morgan and Northern Securities• “Trustbuster”• Meat Inspection & Food and Drug Acts• National Parks, Forests and Monuments

William Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft• 1908 election vs.

Bryan and Debs

• Dollar Diplomacy

• Sherman Anti-Trust vs. Standard Oil

• TR’s back

1912 Election• 1910 TR had begun to campaign• 1911 Progressive party under Robert

La Follette1. 8 hour day, 6 day week2. No child labor under 16 years3. System of accident, old age, and

unemployment insurance4. Women’s suffrage

“The Progressive cause is based on the eternal principles of righteousness. In the end the cause itself shall triumph.”

• Republicans = Taft• Progressives = TR = Bull Moose• Democrats = Woodrow Wilson• Socialists = Eugene V. Debs

“make the working class the ruling class of the nation and world”

Corporate Capitalism okay. Socialist/ radical labor org. bad. Conservative unions good. Promote Democracy. • New Nationalism1. Corp. “inevitable

and necessary

2. Increase Fed. Govt. power to regulate business

3. Strong govt. to protect rts of people

• New Freedom1. Restore old forms

of economic competition and equal opportunities

2. Less Fed.power “Free men need no guardians”

Woodrow WilsonWoodrow Wilson• 41% of the vote but

Progressivism wins

• “preacher intellect”

• “zealous idealism”

• “triple wall of privilege” …tariffs, banks, trusts…

Tariff issue• Joint session of Congress• 1913 Underwood Tariff Bill• Why so easy?

Banks• Other People’s Money and How the

Bankers use It …Brandeis• 1913 Federal Reserve Act sets up the

bankers’ bank

Trusts

• Federal Trade Commission takes on interstate commerce and unfair trade practices

• Clayton Anti-trust Act… strengthened the weaker Sherman.

• Exempted Labor from anti-trust prosecution, legalized strikes and picketing. AF of L’s Gompers called it the Magna Carta of Labor