40
322 The Progressive Movement 1890–1919 . The Big Ideas , SECTION 1: The Roots of Progressivism Social and economic crises lead to new roles for government. As Americans became more aware of the social problems affecting the United States, progressives began to look to the government to help solve these problems and regulate big business. SECTION 2: Roosevelt in Office Social and economic crises lead to new roles for government. When Theodore Roosevelt, a pro- gressive, won the presidency in 1901, progressivism entered national politics. SECTION 3: The Taft Administration Social and economic crises lead to new roles for government. William Howard Taft was a more moderate progressive than Theodore Roosevelt, but he still continued several progressive reforms. SECTION 4: The Wilson Years Social and economic crises lead to new roles for government. When the Progressive era ended, the role of the federal government had changed, and people expected the government to take action in regulating the economy and solving social issues. The American Vision: Modern Times Video The Chapter 5 video, “The Stockyard Jungle,” portrays the horrors of the meatpacking industry first investigated by Upton Sinclair. 1889 Hull House opens in Chicago 1902 Maryland workers’ compensation laws passed 1884 Toynbee Hall, first settlement house, established in London 1900 Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams published 1902 Anglo-Japanese alliance formed 1904 Ida Tarbell’s History of the Standard Oil Company published 1890 Jacob Riis’s How the Other Half Lives published 1903 Russian Bolshevik Party established by Lenin 1890 1900 B. Harrison 1889–1893 Cleveland 1893–1897 McKinley 1897–1901 T. Roosevelt 1901–1909

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322 CHAPTER 12 Becoming a World Power322

The ProgressiveMovement

1890–1919

. The Big Ideas ,SECTION 1: The Roots of Progressivism

Social and economic crises lead to new roles for government. As Americans became more awareof the social problems affecting the United States, progressives began to look to the government to help

solve these problems and regulate big business.

SECTION 2: Roosevelt in OfficeSocial and economic crises lead to new roles for government. When Theodore Roosevelt, a pro-

gressive, won the presidency in 1901, progressivism entered national politics.

SECTION 3: The Taft AdministrationSocial and economic crises lead to new roles for government. William Howard Taft was a more

moderate progressive than Theodore Roosevelt, but he still continued several progressive reforms.

SECTION 4: The Wilson YearsSocial and economic crises lead to new roles for government. When the Progressive era ended,

the role of the federal government had changed, and people expected the government to take action in regulating the economy and solving social issues.

The American Vision: Modern Times Video The Chapter 5 video, “The Stockyard Jungle,” portrays the horrors of the meatpacking industry first investigated by Upton Sinclair.

1889• Hull House

opens inChicago

1902• Maryland workers’

compensation lawspassed

1884• Toynbee Hall, first settlement

house, established in London

1900• Freud’s Interpretation

of Dreams published1902• Anglo-Japanese

alliance formed

1904• Ida Tarbell’s History of

the Standard OilCompany published

▲ ▲

▼ ▼▼

1890• Jacob Riis’s How

the Other HalfLives published

1903• Russian Bolshevik Party established by Lenin

1890 1900

▲B. Harrison1889–1893

Cleveland1893–1897

McKinley1897–1901

T. Roosevelt1901–1909 ▲

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323

Women marching for the vote in New York City, 1912

1905• Industrial Workers

of the Worldfounded

1920• Nineteenth Amendment

ratified, guaranteeingwomen’s voting rights

1905• Einstein’s theory of

relativity formulated

1910• Mexican Revolution

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

▼ ▼▼

1906• Pure Food and

Drug Act passed

1914• World War I begins

in Europe

1910• Mann-Elkins

Act passed

Taft1909–1913

Wilson1913–1921

1913• Seventeenth

Amendmentratified

1910 1920

HISTORY

Chapter OverviewVisit the American Vision:Modern Times Web site at

andclick on Chapter Overviews—Chapter 5 to preview chapterinformation.

tav.mt.glencoe.com

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When people read a text, they do not just read the text itself. They alsouse a skill called making inferences to understand the meaning of the

text. This is sometimes called “reading between the lines.” It means thatreaders look for clues that might explain what is occurring in a passageeven though it may not be openly stated. Readers think about what theyalready know and draw conclusions based on this knowledge. Authors relyon a reader’s ability to infer. They usually cannot include all the details in atext, because it would make passages needlessly long and repetitive.

As you read a text and make inferences, you must think about your ownbackground knowledge. You will also use several reading strategies youlearned earlier, including predicting and questioning. When you combine all of this information, you can understand the greater message the author is trying to convey.

Read the following paragraph about President Theodore Roosevelt and GiffordPinchot, first head of the U.S. Forest Service, and make inferences about the political beliefs of progressives.

As progressives, Roosevelt and Pinchot bothbelieved trained experts in forestry and resourcemanagement should apply the same scientific stan-dards to the landscape that others were applying to the management of cities and industry. Theyrejected the laissez-faire argument that the bestway to preserve public land was to sell it to lumbercompanies, who would then carefully conserve itbecause it was a source of their profits. WithPresident Roosevelt’s support, Pinchot’s depart-ment drew up regulations to control lumbering on federal lands. (pages 344–345)

As you read, you can identify which policiesRoosevelt and Pinchot supported and whichthey opposed. Both believed in scientific stan-dards of forestry management and regulation of the lumber industry. They opposed a laissez-faire approach to managing and selling publicland. You also can infer that the president didnot trust the lumber industry to operate in thepublic interest and therefore government regu-lations were necessary.

Read the text under the heading “Beginnings of Progressivism” on pages327–328. As you read, identify the information you gather from the text.Then think about the background knowledge from earlier chapters you have used to understand the passage.

Making Inferences

MAKING INFERENCESUse your background knowledgeto understand the passage. Whatdo you remember reading aboutRoosevelt taking on big businessesand trusts?

324

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Historical Interpretation When you learn to interpret events, it helps you understandtheir meaning, implication, and impact. One way to interpret is by recognizing and exam-ining how events could have taken other directions.

Interpreting Events

As you complete your high school education, you might be thinking aboutwhat you will do after graduation. Perhaps you will go to college, or you are

considering a job in a specific industry. Consider how your life will be affected byyour final decision. Will you stay close to your hometown, or will you move toanother state? Will you work for a small company or a multinational corporation?Imagine the people that you won’t meet and the experiences you may not have bychoosing one direction over another, and the impact this choice could have on thedirection of your life.

When historians interpret past events, they too consider how different choicesmight have affected the course of history. Using this skill helps them analyze pastevents. It also helps them understand the impact of decisions that were madebased on the events of the time.

Read this passage from your textbook about the suffrage movement at the end of the Civil War.

The debate over the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments split the suffrage move-ment into two groups: the National Woman Suffrage Association, . . . and the AmericanWoman Suffrage Association. . . .

This split reduced the movement’s effectiveness. In 1878 a constitutional amendmentgranting woman suffrage was introduced in Congress, but it failed to pass. Few stategovernments granted women the right to vote either. . . . By 1900 only Wyoming, Idaho,Utah, and Colorado had granted women full voting rights. (page 331)

Consider how long it took for women to gain the right to vote. Why would eachgroup focus on their own strategy for gaining voting rights? How might the out-come have been different had the two groups agreed on a unified strategy? Howdo you think the split affected history?

Choose one of the major areas on whichprogressives focused, such as childlabor, temperance, or trusts. Review thevarious events regarding the topic. Thenconsider how events might haveunfolded differently if muckrakers andreformers had not turned their attentionto your chosen issue.

325

Analysis Skill Standard H14

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326 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

Guide to Reading

Preview of Events

The Roots ofProgressivism

1890Jacob Riis’s How the OtherHalf Lives published

1901Galveston, Texas,adopts commissionsystem

1913Seventeenth Amendmentprovides for direct election of senators

✦1900 ✦19101920Nineteenth Amendmentgives women the right to vote

ConnectionIn the previous chapter, you learned howthe United States increased its power andinfluence around the world. In this sec-tion, you will discover the beginning ofthe Progressive movement and a focuson domestic reform.

• The Progressive movement was anattempt to use scientific principles toimprove society. (p. 327)

• One form of progressivism focused onways to use business practices to makegovernment more efficient. (p. 328)

• Progressive policies in Wisconsinbecame widespread, leading to electionreforms. (p. 330)

• Many progressives joined the suffragemovement to gain women the right tovote in national elections. (p. 330)

• Many progressives focused on socialwelfare problems, such as child labor,public health, and prohibition. (p. 333)

• Another form of progressivism focusedon federal regulation of big business. (p. 335)

Content Vocabularyprogressivism, muckraker, commissionplan, direct primary, initiative, referen-dum, recall, suffrage, temperance, prohi-bition, socialism

Academic Vocabularylegislation, strategy, funds, advocate

People and Terms to IdentifyJacob Riis, Robert La Follette, Alice Paul

Reading Objectives• Discuss the rise of the Progressive

movement.

• Evaluate the impact of initiative, referendum, and recall, and of theSeventeenth Amendment.

Reading StrategyOrganizing As you read about thebeginnings of progressivism, complete a graphic organizer similar to the one below by filling in the beliefs of progressives.

ProgressiveBeliefs

✦1920✦1890

. The Big Idea ,Social and economic crises lead to new roles for government. During the late1800s, Americans again became concerned with social problems in the United States.Progressives focused on a variety of issues and how to address them. Some believed thatgovernment should solve social problems, while others thought that science or businessheld the answers. Many progressives focused on improving government by making iteither more efficient or more democratic. Others joined in the suffrage movement andworked to gain women the right to vote in national elections. Still other progressivesfocused on child labor, public welfare, prohibition, and regulation of big business.

The following are the mainHistory–Social Science Standardscovered in this section.

11.2.9 Understand the effect ofpolitical programs and activities ofthe Progressives (e.g., federal regula-tion of railroad transport, Children’sBureau, the Sixteenth Amendment,Theodore Roosevelt, Hiram Johnson).

11.5.3 Examine the passage of theEighteenth Amendment to the Constitutionand the Volstead Act (Prohibition).

11.5.4 Analyze the passage of theNineteenth Amendment and the changingrole of women in society.

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The Rise of Progressivism

The Progressive movement was an attemptto use scientific principles to improve society.

Reading Connection What areas of public life do youbelieve still need to be reformed? Read on to learn about amovement in the late 1800s that tried to reform many of the illsof society at the time.

In the early 1900s, as the effects of industrializa-tion and urbanization became apparent, a series ofreform efforts transformed American society. Thesereforms ranged from government reform to socialwelfare and woman suffrage. Historians refer to thisera in American history—from about 1890 to 1920—as the Progressive Era.

In 1917 suffragist Rose Winslow and several otherwomen, including Alice Paul, founder of the NationalWoman’s Party, were arrested for obstructing trafficand blocking sidewalks. The women had been picket-ing the White House to draw attention to the fact thatwomen did not yet have the right to vote in federalelections. After being sentenced to seven months injail, Paul, Winslow, and other women prisoners wenton a hunger strike. Prison authorities forced the pris-oners to eat. Winslow smuggled details of their plightout to the public:

“We have been in solitary for five weeks. . . . I havefelt quite feeble the last few days—faint, so that I couldhardly get my hair brushed, my arms ached so. Buttoday I am well again. . . . [Alice Paul] dreaded forciblefeeding frightfully, and I hate to think how she must befeeling. . . . I am really all right. If this continues verylong I perhaps won’t be. All the officers here know weare making this hunger strike [so] that women fightingfor liberty may be considered political prisoners. . . .[W]e don’t want women ever to have to do this overagain.”

—quoted in Jailed for Freedom

Progressive reform efforts were not limited towomen’s voting rights. Progressives came from dif-ferent backgrounds, focused on a variety of issues,and did not always agree on solutions to solve thenation’s problems.

Who Were the Progressives? Progressivismwas not a tightly organized political movement witha specific set of reforms. Instead, it was a collection ofdifferent ideas and activities. Progressives had manydifferent views about how to fix the problems theybelieved existed in American society.

Progressives generally believed that industrialismand urbanization had created many social problems.Most agreed that the government should take a moreactive role in solving society’s problems. Progressivesbelonged to both major political parties and usuallywere urban, educated middle-class Americans. Manyleaders of the Progressive movement worked as jour-nalists, social workers, educators, politicians, andmembers of the clergy.

Beginnings of Progressivism Progressivism waspartly a reaction against laissez-faire economics andits emphasis on an unregulated market. After see-ing the poverty of the working class and the filthand crime of urban society, these reformers began to doubt the free market’s ability to address thoseproblems. At the same time, they doubted that thegovernment in its present form could fix those prob-lems. First, they believed the government requiredreform. They concluded that before the governmentcould be used to fix the problems of society, the gov-ernment itself must be fixed.

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 327

A police officer arresting two suffragists in Washington, D.C.

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One reason progressives believed people couldimprove society was because they had a strong faithin science and technology. The application of scien-tific knowledge had produced the lightbulb, the tele-phone, the automobile, and the airplane. It had builtskyscrapers and railroads. Science and technologyhad benefited people; thus progressives believedusing scientific principles could also produce solu-tions for society.

The Muckrakers Among the first people to articu-late Progressive ideas was a group of crusading jour-nalists who investigated social conditions andpolitical corruption. These writers became known asmuckrakers after a speech by President TheodoreRoosevelt:

“Now, it is very necessary that we should not flinchfrom seeing what is vile and debasing. There is filthon the floor and it must be scraped up with the muck-rake; and there are times and places where this serv-ice is the most needed of all the services that can beperformed. . . .”

—Washington, D.C., April 14, 1906

By the early 1900s,American publishers werecompeting to expose themost corruption and scan-dal. A group of aggressive10¢ and 15¢ magazinesgrew in popularity at thistime, including McClure’s,Collier’s, and Munsey’s.

Muckrakers uncoveredcorruption in many areas.Some concentrated on whatthey considered the unfairpractices of large Americancorporations. In McClure’s, for example, Ida Tarbellpublished a series of articles critical of the StandardOil Company. In Everybody’s Magazine, CharlesEdward Russell attacked the beef industry.

Other muckrakers targeted government. DavidGraham Philips described how money influenced theSenate, while Lincoln Steffens, another McClure’sreporter, reported on vote stealing and other corruptpractices of urban political machines. These werelater collected into a book, The Shame of the Cities.

Still other muckrakers concentrated on socialproblems. In his influential book How the Other HalfLives, published in 1890, Jacob Riis described thepoverty, disease, and crime that afflicted many immi-grant neighborhoods in New York City. The muck-rakers’ articles led to a general public debate onsocial and economic problems and put pressure onpoliticians to introduce reforms.

Describing How did the muck-rakers help spark the Progressive movement?

Making Government Efficient

One form of progressivism focused on ways to use business practices to make governmentmore efficient.

Reading Connection In what ways do you try to useyour time and resources wisely and efficiently? Read on to findout about political programs the progressives designed to makethe government more efficient.

There were many different types of progressivism.Different causes led to different approaches, and pro-gressives even took opposing positions on how tosolve some problems.

Reading Check

Muckrakers McClure’s published Ida Tarbell’s exposé on Standard Oil.What issues particularly concerned the muckrakers?

History

328 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

Student WebActivity Visit theAmerican Vision:Modern Times Web siteatand click on StudentWeb Activities—Chapter 5 for an activ-ity on the Progressivemovement.

tav.mt.glencoe.com

HISTORY

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One group of progressives focused on makinggovernment more efficient. They believed that manyproblems in society could be solved if governmentworked properly. Efficiency progressives took theirideas from business. These progressives believedbusiness had become more efficient by applying theprinciples of scientific management.

The ideas of scientific management had beendeveloped in the late 1800s and were popularized byFrederick W. Taylor in his book The Principles ofScientific Management, published in 1911. Taylordescribed how a company could become more effi-cient by managing time, breaking tasks down intosmall parts, and using standardized tools.

Efficiency progressives argued that managing amodern city required experts, not politicians. Theydid not want more democracy in government, forthey believed that the democratic process led tocompromise and corruption. In most Americancities, the mayor or city council chose the heads ofcity departments. Traditionally, these jobs went topolitical supporters and friends, who often knew little about city services.

Efficiency progressives wanted either a commis-sion plan or a council-manager system. Under the commission plan, a city’s government would bedivided into several departments, which would each be placed under the control of an expert

A City and a StormOn September 8, 1900, a massive hurricane devas-

tated the city of Galveston, Texas. About 6,000 peopledied. When the political machine that controlled the city government proved incapable of responding to thedisaster, local business leaders convinced the state to letthem take control. In April 1901, Galveston introducedthe commission system of government. Under this sys-tem, Galveston chose five commissioners to replace themayor and city council.

Four commissioners were local business leaders.When the city quickly recovered, reformers in other cities were impressed. Galveston’s experience seemed to prove the benefits ofrunning a city like a busi-ness by dividing its govern-ment into departmentsand placing each under an expert commissioner.Many other cities soon fol-lowed, adopting either thecommission plan or thecouncil-manager system.

Council-Manager FormVoters

Mayor

Heads of City Departments

elect hires

elects

appointsCity Council(makes policy)

City Manager(Chief Administrator)

carry out policy

Source: The World Book Encyclopedia.

Commission FormVoters Police Commissioner

Fire Commissioner

Parks Commissioner

Finance Commissioner

Public Works Commissioner

elect

Board ofCommissioners

pass ordinances;control funds carry out policy

Source: The World Book Encyclopedia.

Mayor-Council FormVoters

Mayor City Council

Heads of CityDepartments

elect

appointsactions approved by

carry out policy

Source: The World Book Encyclopedia.

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commissioner. These progressives argued that aboard of commissioners or a city manager withexpertise in city services should hire the specialiststo run city departments. Galveston, Texas, adoptedthe commission system in 1901. Other cities soon followed.

Explaining Why did progressiveswant to reorganize city government?

Democracy and Progressivism

Progressive policies in Wisconsin becamewidespread, leading to election reforms.

Reading Connection Do you remember how candi-dates were nominated for office during the early years of thenation? Read on to discover the progressives’ new method forchoosing candidates.

Not all progressives agreed with the efficiencyprogressives. Many believed that society neededmore democracy, not less. They wanted to makeelected officials more responsive to voters.

“Laboratory of Democracy” Political reformfirst came to the state level when Wisconsin voterselected Republican Robert La Follette to be gover-nor. La Follette used his office to attack the way polit-ical parties ran their conventions. Because partybosses controlled the selection of convention dele-gates, they also controlled which candidates werechosen to run for office. La Follette pressured thestate legislature to require each party to hold adirect primary, in which all party members couldvote for a candidate to run in the general election.

La Follette’s great reform success gave Wisconsina reputation as the “laboratory of democracy.” La Follette claimed, “Democracy is based uponknowledge. . . . The only way to beat the boss . . . is tokeep the people thoroughly informed.”

Inspired by La Follette, progressives in other statespushed for similar electoral changes. To force statelegislators to respond to voters, three new reformswere introduced in many states. The initiativeallowed a group of citizens to introduce legislationand required the legislature to vote on it. The referendum allowed proposed legislation to be sub-mitted to the voters for approval. The recall allowedvoters to demand a special election to remove an elected official from office before his or her termhad expired.

Reading Check

Direct Election of Senators Another reform theprogressives favored affected the federal govern-ment—the direct election of senators. As originallywritten, the United States Constitution directed eachstate legislature to elect two senators from that state.Political machines or large trusts often influenced theelection of senators, who then repaid their supporterswith federal contracts and jobs. By the early 1900s,muckraker Charles Edward Russell charged that theSenate had become “only a chamber of butlers forindustrialists and financiers.”

To counter Senate corruption, progressives calledfor the direct election of senators by all state voters.In 1912 Congress passed a direct-election amend-ment. Although the direct election of senators wasintended to end corruption, it also removed one ofthe state legislatures’ checks on federal power. In1913 the amendment was ratified, becoming theSeventeenth Amendment to the Constitution.

Evaluating What was the impact ofthe Seventeenth Amendment? What was it intended to solve?

The Suffrage Movement

Many progressives joined the suffrage move-ment to gain women the right to vote in national elec-tions.

Reading Connection How would you feel if you wereunable to vote for your country’s leaders because of your gender? Read on to find out how women defeated that bias in 1920.

In July 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and LucretiaMott organized the first women’s rights conventionin Seneca Falls, New York. Stanton proposed to thedelegates that their first priority should be gettingwomen the right to vote. The movement for women’svoting rights became known as the suffrage move-ment. Suffrage is the right to vote.

Woman suffrage was an important issue for pro-gressives. Although the suffrage movement began wellbefore progressivism emerged, many progressivesjoined the movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Early Problems The suffrage movement got off toa slow start. Women suffragists were accused ofbeing unfeminine and immoral. Several were physi-cally attacked. The movement also remained weakbecause many of its supporters were abolitionists as

Reading Check

330 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

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well. In the years before the Civil War, they preferredto concentrate on abolishing slavery and spent lesstime working for woman suffrage.

After the Civil War, the Republicans in Congressintroduced the Fourteenth and FifteenthAmendments to the Constitution to protect the vot-ing rights of African Americans. Several leaders ofthe woman suffrage movement had wanted theseamendments worded to give women the right to voteas well. They were bitterly disappointed whenRepublicans refused.

The debate over the Fourteenth and FifteenthAmendments split the suffrage movement into twogroups: the National Woman Suffrage Association,led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony,and the American Woman Suffrage Association, ledby Lucy Stone and Julia Ward Howe. The NationalWoman Suffrage Association wanted to focus onpassing a constitutional amendment allowingwoman suffrage. The American Woman SuffrageAssociation believed that the best strategy was toconvince state governments to give women the rightto vote before trying to amend the Constitution.

This split reduced the movement’s effectiveness.In 1878 a constitutional amendment grantingwoman suffrage was introduced in Congress, but it

failed to pass. Few state governments grantedwomen the right to vote either. With the woman suf-frage movement divided between goals, it was diffi-cult for the movement to be successful. By 1900 onlyWyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Colorado had grantedwomen full voting rights.

The Movement Builds Support In 1890 the twogroups united to form the National AmericanWoman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). The move-ment still did not make significant gains, however,until about 1910. Part of the problem was convincingwomen to become politically active. As theProgressive movement began, however, manymiddle-class women concluded that they needed thevote to promote the social reforms they favored.Many working-class women also wanted the vote toensure passage of labor laws protecting women.

As the suffrage movement grew, members beganlobbying lawmakers, organizing marches, and deliv-ering speeches on street corners. By the end of 1912,Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, andKansas had granted women full voting rights. OnMarch 3, 1913, the day before President Wilson’sinauguration, suffragists marched in Washington,D.C., to draw attention to their cause.

i n H i s t o r y

Susan B. Anthony1820–1906

Susan B. Anthony was born inAdams, Massachusetts, to Quaker par-ents. Quakers were generally moresupportive of women’s rights thansome other groups, and so Anthonywas able to receive a good education.She finished her schooling at the age of17. Anthony then worked as a teacherin New York, but she was fired afterprotesting that her pay was one-fifth the amount of her male colleagues.She found another job, however, as aprincipal at New York’s CanajoharieAcademy. Between 1848 and 1863,Anthony was involved in both the temperance and abolitionist movements.

Her involvement in the drive forwomen’s equality began in 1851 aftershe met Elizabeth Cady Stanton.Between 1854 and 1860, the duo

attempted to change discriminatorylaws in New York. In 1869 Anthonyand Stanton organized the NationalWoman Suffrage Association andbegan promoting an amendment togrant woman suffrage. Anthony and12 other women illegally cast votes inthe presidential election of 1872. Theywere arrested and convicted, but thejudge feared that the jury would rulein Anthony’s favor. He dismissed thejury and fined Anthony instead. Sherefused to pay the $100 fine, but thejudge decided to let her go, afraid thatappealing the case might generatesympathy for the suffrage movement.

In 1883 Anthony traveled to Europe,and she helped form the InternationalCouncil of Women in 1888. This organi-zation represented the rights of womenin 48 countries. She died in Rochester,New York, in 1906. Though Anthonydid not live to see her dream of woman

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 331

suffrage become reality, the UnitedStates government honored her byplacing her portrait on a new dollar coin in 1979.

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Alice Paul, a Quaker social worker who headedNAWSA’s congressional committee, had organizedthe Washington march. Paul, a graduate ofSwarthmore College who also received a Ph.D. fromthe University of Pennsylvania, was jailed threetimes for demonstrating for woman suffrage. Paulwanted to use protests to force President Wilson totake action on suffrage. Her activities alarmed othermembers of NAWSA who wanted to negotiate withWilson. Paul decided to leave NAWSA and formedthe National Woman’s Party. Her supporters pick-eted the White House, blocked sidewalks, chainedthemselves to lampposts, and went on hunger strikesif arrested.

In 1915 Carrie Chapman Catt, a graduate of IowaState College (now Iowa State University) and apeace advocate, became NAWSA’s leader. Catt devel-oped what she called her “Winning Plan” to mobilizethe suffrage movement nationwide in one final pushto gain voting rights. She also threw NAWSA’s sup-port behind Wilson in the 1916 election. AlthoughWilson did not endorse a woman suffrage amend-ment, he supported the Democratic Party’s call forstates to give women the vote.

The Nineteenth Amendment In 1869, longbefore NAWSA was formed, Wyoming became thefirst state or territory to grant women the right tovote within its borders. Other states soon began tofollow Wyoming’s lead. As the suffrage movementgained momentum, more states granted womenthe right to vote, and Congress began to favor aconstitutional amendment. In 1918 the House ofRepresentatives passed a woman suffrage amend-ment. Wilson then addressed the Senate, asking it tovote for the amendment. Despite his efforts, theamendment failed to pass by two votes.

During the midterm elections of 1918, Catt usedNAWSA’s resources to defeat two anti-suffrage sena-tors. The following year, in June 1919, the Senatefinally passed the Nineteenth Amendment by justmore than the two-thirds vote needed. On August 26,1920, after three-fourths of the states had voted to rat-ify it, the Nineteenth Amendment guaranteeingwomen the right to vote went into effect.

Evaluating How successful werewomen in lobbying to achieve passage of the NineteenthAmendment?

Reading Check

332 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

S.C.

WASH.1910

OREG.1912

CALIF.1911

NEV.1914

IDAHO1896

MONT.1914

WYO.1869

COLO.1893

UTAH1870

ARIZ.1912 N. MEX.

TEXAS

OKLA.1918

KANS.1912

NEBR.

S. DAK.1918

N. DAK. MINN.

WIS.

IOWA

MO.

ARK.

LA.

MISS.

TENN.

KY.

ILL. IND.

MICH.1918

OHIO

ALA. GA.

FLA.

N.C.

VA.W.VA.

PA.

N.Y.1917

VT.N.H.

MASS.

R.I.CONN.N.J.

DEL.

MD.

ME.

Woman Suffrage, 1869–1920

Full woman suffrage before 1920, with date granted

Partial woman suffrage before 1920

No woman suffrage until ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment

1920 border

1. Interpreting Maps Which region led the way in grant-ing woman suffrage?

2. Applying Geography Skills Based on the map, whatregion would you suggest had the least amount of campaigning for woman suffrage?

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Social Welfare Progressivism

Many progressives focused on social welfareproblems, such as child labor, public health, andprohibition.

Reading Connection In what ways could you try tomake the world a better place for others? Read to learn howprogressives worked to eliminate the problems caused by childlabor, unsafe workplace conditions, and alcohol consumption.

While many progressives focused on reformingthe political system, others focused on social prob-lems, such as crime, illiteracy, alcohol abuse, childlabor, and the health and safety of Americans. Thesesocial welfare progressives created charities to helpthe poor and the disadvantaged. They also pushedfor new laws they hoped would fix social problems.

The Campaign Against Child Labor Probablythe most emotional Progressive issue was the cam-paign against child labor. Children had always

worked on family farms, but the factory work thatmany children performed was monotonous, andthe conditions were often unhealthy. In 1900 over1.7 million children under the age of 16 workedoutside the home. Reformers established a NationalChild Labor Committee in 1904 to work to abolishchild labor.

Muckraker John Spargo’s 1906 book The Bitter Cryof the Children presented detailed evidence on childlabor conditions. He told of coal mines where thou-sands of “breaker boys” were hired at age 9 or 10 topick slag out of coal and were paid 60¢ for a 10-hourday. He described how the work bent their backs per-manently and often crippled their hands. Reportslike these convinced states to pass laws that set aminimum age for employment and established otherlimits on child labor, such as maximum hours chil-dren could work. At the same time, many statesbegan passing compulsory education laws, requiringyoung children to be in school instead of at work.

By the early 1900s, the number of child laborers hadbegun to decline. For many families, the new wealthgenerated by industry enabled them to survive

MOMENTinHISTORYMOMENTinHISTORYYOUTHFUL PROTESTTwo young immigrants marchin a New York City demonstra-tion against child labor prac-tices in 1907. Both youngwomen wear banners pro-claiming the same message—one in English, the other inYiddish. Such protests helpedpublicize the exploitation ofchildren in dingy, dangerous“sweatshops” in Americancities. At the dawn of the twen-tieth century, more than a mil-lion children—some as youngas eight—labored long hours infactories.The weight of popularopinion finally forced state governments to pass laws protecting young workers.

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 333

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without having their children work. For others, thechild labor and compulsory education laws meant thatwives had to work instead.

Health and Safety Codes Many adult workersalso labored in difficult conditions. Factories, coalmines, and railroads were particularly dangerous.For example, in 1911 a terrible fire swept throughTriangle Shirtwaist Company in New York City.Nearly 150 women workers died, trapped by doorslocked from the outside. Outrage at the deathscaused New York City to pass strict building codesdealing with fire hazards, unsafe machinery, andworking conditions.

During the early 1900s, thousands of people diedor were injured on the job, but they and their fami-lies received little compensation. Progressivesjoined union leaders to pressure states for workers’compensation laws. These laws established insur-ance funds financed by employers. Workers injuredin industrial accidents received payments from the funds.

Some progressives also favored zoning laws as amethod of protecting the public. These laws divided atown or city into zones for commercial, residential, orother development, thereby regulating how land andbuildings could be used. Building codes set minimumstandards for light, air, room size, and sanitation, and

required buildings to have fire escapes. Healthcodes required restaurants and other facilities tomaintain clean environments for their patrons.

The Prohibition Movement Many progres-sives believed alcohol was responsible for manyproblems in American life. Settlement houseworkers hated the effects of drinking on families.Scarce wages were spent on alcohol, and drink-ing sometimes led to physical abuse and sick-ness. Many Christians also opposed alcohol.

Some employers believed drinking hurtworkers’ efficiency, while political reformersviewed the saloon as the informal headquartersof the machine politics they opposed. Thetemperance movement, which advocated themoderation or elimination of alcohol, emergedfrom these concerns.

For the most part, women led the temperancemovement. In 1874 a group of women formed theWomen’s Christian Temperance Union(WCTU). By 1911 the WCTU had nearly 250,000members. In 1893 another organization—theAnti-Saloon League—was formed. At first thetemperance movement worked to reduce alcoholconsumption. Later it pressed for prohibition—laws banning the manufacture, sale, and con-sumption of alcohol.

Examining What actions did progressives take to deal with the issue of child labor?

Reading Check

334 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Children were not the only oneswho faced difficult and even hazardous working conditions. This fire inNew York City in 1911 killed nearly 150 women. What safety measuresand technology do people have today to help prevent deaths duringa fire that people might not have had in 1911?

History

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Progressives Versus Big Business

Another form of progressivism focused onfederal regulation of big business.

Reading Connection Do you remember how the federalgovernment supported big business, such as the railroads, duringthe rise of industry after the Civil War? Read on to find out howthe progressives now tried to limit the power of big business.

A fourth group of progressives focused theirefforts on regulating big business. Many progressivesbelieved that wealth was concentrated in the handsof too few people. In particular, many became con-cerned about trusts and holding companies—giantcorporations that dominated many industries.

Progressives disagreed, however, over how to reg-ulate big business. Some believed government shouldbreak up big companies to restore competition. Thisidea led to the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890. Othersargued that big business was the most efficient way toorganize the economy. They pushed for the creationof government agencies to regulate big companies.The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), createdin 1887, was an early example of this kind ofProgressive thinking.

Some progressives went even further and advo-cated socialism—the idea that the governmentshould own and operate industry for the communityas a whole. They wanted the government to buy uplarge companies, especially industries that affectedeveryone, such as railroads and utilities.

At its peak, socialism had some national support.Eugene Debs, the former American Railway Union

leader, won nearly a million votes as the AmericanSocialist Party candidate for president in 1912. Mostprogressives and Americans, however, believed inthe American system of free enterprise.

Efforts to regulate business were focused at thenational level. Congress passed a number of proposalsto regulate the economy under presidents TheodoreRoosevelt, William Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.

Evaluating What was the impact ofEugene Debs and the Socialist Party on the 1912 election?

Reading Check

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 335

Checking for Understanding1. Vocabulary Define: progressivism,

muckraker, commission plan, direct pri-mary, initiative, legislation, referendum,recall, suffrage, strategy, funds, temper-ance, advocated, prohibition, socialism.

2. People and Terms Identify: Jacob Riis,Robert La Follette, Alice Paul.

3. Identify what was provided for by theNineteenth Amendment to theConstitution.

Reviewing Big Ideas4. Explaining How did initiative, referen-

dum, and recall change democracy inthe United States?

Critical Thinking5. Evaluating

Identify the different issues associatedwith social welfare progressivism. Howdo these ideals influence society today?

6. Organizing Use a graphic organizersimilar to the one below to list the kindsof problems that muckrakers exposed.

Analyzing Visuals7. Examining Charts Study the charts on

page 329. Under which system do voters seem to have the most controlover department heads? Why do youthink so?

Problems Exposedby Muckrakers

CA CS1; HI1

Writing About History8. Persuasive Writing Some women in

the early 1900s suggested that theConstitution needed an equal rightsamendment. Imagine you are livingthen. Write a letter to the editor of yourlocal paper supporting or opposing suchan amendment. CA 11WS1.1; 11WS1.2

Eugene Debs (right) with running mate Emil Seidel (left)➤

For help with the concepts in this section of AmericanVision: Modern Times go to andclick on Study Central.

tav.mt.glencoe.com

Study CentralHISTORY

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This was the first time in his lifethat he had ever really worked, itseemed to Jurgis; it was the first timethat he had ever had anything to dowhich took all he had in him. Jurgishad stood with the rest up in thegallery and watched the men on thekilling-beds, marveling at their speedand power as if they had beenwonderful machines;it somehow neveroccurred to one tothink of the flesh-and-blood side of it—that is, not until heactually got downinto the pit and tookoff his coat. Then hesaw things in a differ-ent light, he got at theinside of them. Thepace they set here, itwas one that calledfor every faculty of a man—from theinstant the first steer fell till thesounding of the noon whistle, andagain from half-past twelve tillheaven only knew what hour in thelate afternoon or evening, there wasnever one instant’s rest for a man, forhis hand or his eye or his brain. Jurgissaw how they managed it; there wereportions of the work which deter-

mined the pace of the rest, and forthese they had picked men whomthey paid high wages, and whomthey changed frequently. You mighteasily pick out these pace-makers, forthey worked under the eye of thebosses, and they worked like menpossessed. This was called “speedingup the gang,” and if any man could

not keep up with thepace, there were hun-dreds outside beg-ging to try.

Yet Jurgis did notmind it; he ratherenjoyed it. It savedhim the necessity offlinging his armsabout and fidgetingas he did in mostwork. He wouldlaugh to himself as he ran down the line,darting a glance nowand then at the man

ahead of him. It was not the pleasan-test work one could think of, but itwas necessary work; and what morehad a man the right to ask than achance to do something useful, and toget good pay for doing it?

So Jurgis thought, and so he spoke,in his bold, free way; very much tohis surprise, he found that it had a

from The Jungleby Upton Sinclair

Born in Maryland in 1878,Upton Sinclair spent his lifewriting about and trying tochange what he saw as wrong inthe United States. One of hismost famous novels, The Jungle,deals with working conditionsand the rights of immigrants.The novel tells the story of JurgisRudkus, a Lithuanian immigrantwho comes to the United Stateswith his family in the early1900s, dreaming of wealth andfreedom. What he finds is“Packingtown,” the bustling,filthy stockyards of Chicago. Inthe following excerpt, Sinclairdescribes the system Jurgiscomes to know after gaining hisfirst job in a meatpacking plant.

Read to DiscoverWhat qualities did Sinclairbelieve a person must have tosucceed in Packingtown?

Reader’s Dictionarykilling-beds: areas where cattle

were slaughtered

dismayed: alarmed, disheart-ened

universality: the state ofincluding all

pitted: set against each other

caldron: a large kettle or potfor boiling

knave: a tricky, deceitfulperson

trice: short period of time

336 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

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tendency to get him into trouble. For most of the menhere took a fearfully different view of the thing. Hewas quite dismayed when he first began to find itout—that most of the men hated their work. Itseemed strange, it was even terrible, when you cameto find out the uni-versality of thesentiment; but itwas certainly thefact—they hatedtheir work. Theyhated the bossesand they hated theowners; they hatedthe whole place,the whole neigh-b o rh o o d — e v e nthe whole city,with an all-inclu-sive hatred, bitterand fierce. Womenand little childrenwould fall to curs-ing about it; it wasrotten, rotten ashell—everythingwas rotten. WhenJurgis would askthem what theymeant, they wouldbegin to get suspi-cious, and contentthemselves withsaying, “Nevermind, you stayhere and see foryourself.”

. . . Jurgis had made some friends by this time, andhe sought one of them and asked what this meant.The friend, who was named Tamoszius Kuszleika,was a sharp little man who folded hides on thekilling-beds, and he listened to what Jurgis had to saywithout seeming at all surprised. They were commonenough, he said, such cases of petty graft. It was sim-ply some boss who proposed to add a little to hisincome. After Jurgis had been there awhile he wouldknow that the plants were simply honeycombed withrottenness of that sort—the bosses grafted off themen, and they grafted off each other; and some daythe superintendent would find out about the boss,

and then he would graft off the boss. Warming to thesubject, Tamoszius went on to explain the situation.Here was Durham’s, for instance, owned by a manwho was trying to make as much money out of it ashe could, and did not care in the least how he did

it; and underneathhim, ranged inranks and gradeslike an army, weremanagers andsuperintendentsand foremen, eachone driving theman next belowhim and trying tosqueeze out of himas much work aspossible. And allthe men of thesame rank werepitted against eachother; the accountsof each were keptseparately, andevery man lived interror of losing hisjob, if anothermade a betterrecord than he. Sofrom top to bottomthe place was sim-ply a seething cal-dron of jealousiesand hatreds; therewas no loyalty ordecency anywhereabout it, there was

no place in it where a man counted for anythingagainst a dollar. And worse than there being nodecency, there was not even any honesty. The reasonfor that? Who could say? It must have been oldDurham in the beginning; it was a heritage which theself-made merchant had left to his son, along with hismillions.

Jurgis would find out these things for himself, ifhe stayed there long enough; it was the men [likehim] who had to do all the dirty jobs, and so therewas no deceiving them; and they caught the spirit ofthe place, and did like all the rest. Jurgis had comethere, and thought he was going to make himself

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 337

A supervisor watches as slaughterhouse workers push hogs through a scalding trough.➤

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useful, and rise and become a skilled man; but hewould soon find out his error—for nobody rose inPackingtown by doing good work. You could lay thatdown for a rule—if you met a man who was rising inPackingtown, you met a knave. That man who hadbeen sent to Jurgis’s father by the boss, he would rise;the man who told tales and spied upon his fellowswould rise; but the man who minded his own busi-ness and did his work— why, they would “speedhim up” till they had worn him out, and then theywould throw him into the gutter.

. . . One curious thing he had noticed, the very firstday, in his profession of shoveller of guts; which wasthe sharp trick of the floor-bosses whenever therechanced to come a “slunk” calf. Any man who knowsanything about butchering knows that the flesh of acow that is about to calve, or has just calved, is not fitfor food. A good many of these came every day to thepacking houses—and, of course, if they had chosen,it would have been an easy matter for the packers tokeep them till they were fit for food. But for the sav-ing of time and fodder, it was the law that cows ofthat sort came along with the others, and whoevernoticed it would tell the boss, and the boss wouldstart up a conversation with the government inspec-tor, and the two would stroll away. So in a trice thecarcass of the cow would be cleaned out, and entrailswould have vanished; it was Jurgis’s task to slidethem into the trap, calves and all, and on the floorbelow they took out these “slunk” calves, andbutchered them for meat, and used even the skins of them.

One day a man slipped and hurt his leg; and thatafternoon, when the last of the cattle had been dis-posed of, and the men were leaving, Jurgis wasordered to remain and do some special work whichthis injured man had usually done. It was late, almostdark, and the government inspectors had all gone,and there were only a dozen or two of men on thefloor. That day they had killed about four thousandcattle, and these cattle had come in freight trains fromfar states, and some of them had got hurt. There weresome with broken legs, and some with gored sides;there were some that had died, from what cause noone could say; and they were all to be disposed of,here in darkness and silence. “Downers,” the mencalled them; and the packing house had a special ele-vator upon which they were raised to the killing-beds, where the gang proceeded to handle them,with an air of businesslike nonchalance which saidplainer than any words that it was a matter of every-day routine. It took a couple of hours to get them outof the way, and in the end Jurgis saw them go into thechilling rooms with the rest of the meat, being care-fully scattered here and there so that they could notbe identified. When he came home that night he wasin a very somber mood, having begun to see at lasthow those might be right who had laughed at him forhis faith in America.

338 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

Analyzing Literature

1. According to the passage, what is the plant

owner’s main goal?

2. What does Sinclair mean when he says,

“. . . there was no place in it where a man

counted for anything against a dollar. . . .”?

Interdisciplinary ActivityGovernment When it was published, The Junglewas so shocking that it launched a governmentinvestigation of the meatpacking industry. Theinvestigation eventually led to the establishment oflaws regulating the industry. Using the Internet,research these laws and read about how they are enforced today. Write a short report on yourfindings.

CA 11RC2.5

Workers in a meatpacking plant➤

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Voices from the Fields: Children of Migrant Farm Workers Tell Their Stories (Nonfiction)by S. Beth Atkin

S. Beth Atkin is a writer and photographer who focuses her work on children. This 1993title relates in pictures and words the difficult lives of nine children of migrant workersin California today. In their stories, written in both English and Spanish, the children talk about long work hours, problems with gangs, and the difficulties that come withchanging schools frequently.

For other literature selections that relate to social problems and reform movements, you might consider the following book suggestions.

Twenty Years at Hull-House (Autobiography)by Jane Addams

Jane Addams was one of the reformers of the late 1800s and early 1900s who sought to help immigrants in crowded Chicago. She founded Hull House, a settlement house,where she lived until she died at age 75. Her autobiography describes her experiencesduring the first 20 years of Hull House.

The Waterworks (Fiction)by E.L. Doctorov

This book tells the story of newspaper editor McIlvaine who looks into the disappear-ance of one of his freelancers, Martin Pemberton. In the process, the city of New Yorkbecomes a central character in the novel as Doctorov describes the impact of industrialization, the political machine, corrupt police, and greedy tycoons.

Anthills of the Savannah (Fiction)by Chinua Achebe

Nigerian-born Achebe set this novel in the fictional African country of Kangan, whichhas just received independence. The fictional lives of an elected official, a statesman,and a journalist show how governmental power and corruption soon erode society and end the great hopes of the new nation.

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 339

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340 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

Guide to Reading

ConnectionIn the previous section, you learned aboutthe Progressive movement. In this section,you will discover how progressive idealsbecame prominent in national politics.

• Theodore Roosevelt, who believed inprogressive ideals for the nation, tookon big business. (p. 341)

• Theodore Roosevelt and Congressexpanded the power of government bypassing several acts regulating meatinspection, food and drugs, and conser-vation of the environment. (p. 344)

Content Vocabularyarbitration

Academic Vocabularytrigger, issue, environmental

People and Terms to IdentifySquare Deal, Northern Securities, UnitedMine Workers, Hepburn Act, UptonSinclair

Reading Objectives• Describe various efforts to regulate

concentrated corporate power.• Discuss Theodore Roosevelt’s interest

in environmental conservation.

Reading StrategyTaking Notes As you read about theadministration of President TheodoreRoosevelt, use the major headings of thesection to create an outline similar to theone below.

Preview of Events

Roosevelt in Office

1901Theodore Roosevelt becomes presidentafter William McKinley’s death

✦1900 ✦1904

1902United Mine Workersgo on strike

1903Roosevelt sets upBureau of Corporations

1906Upton Sinclair’s TheJungle published

1906Meat InspectionAct passed

✦1902 ✦1906

Roosevelt in OfficeI. Roosevelt Revives the Presidency

A.B.C.D.

II.

. The Big Idea ,Social and economic crises lead to new roles for government. Followingthe election of Theodore Roosevelt, progressive reforms and ideas became moreprominent in national politics. Although Roosevelt recognized and appreciatedthe efficiency of large corporations, he also felt they had a responsibility to con-sider the public welfare. Therefore, he worked to supervise big business withoutdestroying it. The Bureau of Corporations monitored big business, and the attor-ney general was able to bring antitrust lawsuits against companies if necessary.As public concern regarding medicine and food handling increased, PresidentRoosevelt and Congress passed several acts to help protect the public. Perhapsthe area in which President Roosevelt made the greatest impact, however, wasenvironmental conservation.

The following are the mainHistory–Social Science Standardscovered in this section.

11.2 Students analyze the relation-ship among the rise of industrializa-tion, large-scale rural-to-urbanmigration, and massive immigrationfrom Southern and Eastern Europe.

11.2.1 Know the effects of industrializa-tion on living and working conditions,including the portrayal of working condi-tions and food safety in Upton Sinclair’sThe Jungle.

11.2.5 Discuss corporate mergers that pro-duced trusts and cartels and the economicand political policies of industrial leaders.

11.2.9 Understand the effect of political programs and activities of the Progressives(e.g., federal regulation of railroad transport,Children’s Bureau, the Sixteenth Amendment,Theodore Roosevelt, Hiram Johnson).

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Roosevelt Revives the Presidency

Theodore Roosevelt, who believed in pro-gressive ideals for the nation, took on big business.

Reading Connection How much do you think a presi-dent’s personal beliefs should shape national policy? Read onto learn how Theodore Roosevelt, with the help of Congress,used his ideas to change trusts and big business.

Theodore Roosevelt, better known as “Teddy,”took office at age 42—the youngest person ever toserve as president. Roosevelt was intensely competi-tive, strong-willed, and extremely energetic.

William McKinley’s assassination brought TeddyRoosevelt to the presidency. Despite the tragic circum-stances, he took to the office with great joy. A manwho loved the outdoors and physical activity,Roosevelt impressed many people as a new kind ofpresident. One visitor wrote that after spending timewith Roosevelt, “you go home and wring the personal-ity out of your clothes.”

The famous muckraker, Lincoln Steffens, alreadyknew Roosevelt as a fellow reformer. Steffens went toWashington to see his friend, and this is what he saw:

“His offices were crowded with people, mostlyreformers, all day long. . . .He strode triumphantaround among us, talking and shaking hands, dictatingand signing letters, and laughing. Washington, thewhole country, was in mourning, and no doubt thePresident felt he should hold himself down; he didn’t;he tried to but his joy showed in every word andmovement. . . .With his feet, his fists, his face and hisfree words, he laughed at his luck. . . .And he laughedwith glee at the power and place that had come to him.”

—quoted in Theodore Roosevelt, A Life

In international affairs, Roosevelt was a SocialDarwinist. He believed the United States was in com-petition with the other nations of the world and thatonly the fittest would survive. Domestically, how-ever, Roosevelt was a committed progressive, whofirmly believed that government should actively bal-ance the needs of competing groups in Americansociety.

“I shall see to it,” Roosevelt declared in 1904, “thatevery man has a square deal, no less and no more.”During his second term, his reform programs becameknown as the Square Deal. To Roosevelt, it was notinconsistent to believe in Social Darwinism andProgressivism at the same time. He believed theUnited States needed to adopt progressive reforms inorder to maintain an efficient society that could com-pete successfully against other nations.

Roosevelt Takes on the Trusts Although headmired competition, Roosevelt was also concernedwith efficiency. He believed that trusts and otherlarge business organizations were very efficient andpart of the reason for America’s prosperity. YetRoosevelt remained concerned that in the pursuit oftheir private interests, some trusts were hurting thepublic interest. He wanted to find a way to supervisebig business without destroying its economic effi-ciency. When the New York Sun declared thatRoosevelt was “bringing wealth to its knees,” thepresident disagreed. “We draw the line against mis-conduct,” he declared, “not against wealth.”

During Roosevelt’s first year in office, a fight for control of the Burlington Railroad erupted on the New York Stock Exchange. On one side was E.H. Harriman of the Union Pacific Railroad. On theother side were James J. Hill and J.P. Morgan of theGreat Northern and Northern Pacific Railroads. Thestock battle almost triggered a financial panic that

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 341

Theodore Roosevelt

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could have plunged the nation into a recession. Thethree men ultimately compromised by creating a giantnew holding company called Northern Securities.

The formation of the Northern Securities Companyalarmed many Americans, including Roosevelt. Thestock battle that led to its creation seemed a classicexample of private interests acting in a way thatthreatened the nation as a whole. Roosevelt decidedthat the company was in violation of the ShermanAntitrust Act. In early 1902, he ordered his attorneygeneral to file a lawsuit against Northern Securities.

In 1904 in Northern Securities v. the United States,the Supreme Court ruled five to four that NorthernSecurities had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act.The dissenting justices argued that the ShermanAntitrust Act did not ban companies from buying orselling stock to each other. They observed thatNorthern Securities had not hurt commerce. It had

not tried to keep other companies from competing,and it had not tried to raise railroad rates. In fact,rates had fallen on railroads owned by NorthernSecurities. Although the court was sharply divided,Roosevelt declared the decision a great victory.Newspapers hailed Roosevelt as a “trustbuster,” andhis popularity soared. ; (See page 1006 for more informa-tion on Northern Securities v. the United States.)

The Coal Strike of 1902 As president, Rooseveltregarded himself as the nation’s head manager. Hebelieved it was his job to keep society operating effi-ciently by preventing conflict between the nation’sdifferent groups and their interests. In the fall of 1902,he put these beliefs into practice.

The previous spring, the United Mine Workers(UMW) union had called a strike of the miners whodug anthracite, or hard coal. Nearly 150,000 workerswalked out of eastern Pennsylvania’s anthracitemines demanding a pay increase, a reduction in workhours, and recognition for their union.

As the months passed and the strike continued,coal prices began to rise. To Roosevelt it was anotherexample of groups pursuing their private interests atthe expense of the nation. If the strike dragged on toolong, the country would face a coal shortage thatcould shut down factories and leave many people’shomes cold with winter fast approaching.

Roosevelt urged the union and the owners toaccept arbitration—a settlement imposed by an out-side party. The union agreed. The mine owners,determined to destroy the UMW, did not. One owner,George Baer, declared, “The rights and interests ofthe laboring man will be protected and cared for notby the labor agitators, but by the Christian men to

John D.Rockefeller

J.P. Morgan

James J.Hill

T. Roosevelt

Corporate Giants This 1904 cartoon portrays Roosevelt as “Jack the Giant-Killer,” but he actually restrained very few trusts. Why do you think the sceneis set on Wall Street?

Analyzing Political Cartoons

342 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

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whom God in His infinite wisdom has given the con-trol of the property interests of the country.”

The mine owners’ stubbornness infuriatedRoosevelt, as it did much of the public. Rooseveltthreatened to order the army to run the mines.Fearful of this, the mine owners finally accepted arbi-tration. By intervening in the dispute, Roosevelt hadtaken the first step toward establishing the federalgovernment as an honest broker between powerfulgroups in society.

The Bureau of Corporations Despite his lawsuitagainst Northern Securities and his role in the coalstrike, Roosevelt was not opposed to big business. Hebelieved most trusts benefited the economy and thatbreaking them up would do more harm than good.Instead, Roosevelt proposed the creation of a newfederal agency to investigate corporations and publi-cize the results. He believed the most effective way tokeep big business from abusing its power wasthrough knowledge and providing the public withthe facts.

In 1903 Roosevelt convinced Congress to createthe Department of Commerce and Labor. G.B.Cortelyou was appointed the first secretary of thenew department. Within this department would be adivision called the Bureau of Corporations, with theauthority to investigate corporations and issuereports on their activities.

The following year, the Bureau of Corporationsbegan investigating U.S. Steel. Created in 1901, U.S.Steel was a gigantic holding company. Worried abouta possible antitrust lawsuit, the company’s leadersmet privately with Roosevelt and offered a deal.They would open their account books and records tothe Bureau of Corporations. In exchange, if theBureau found anything wrong, the company wouldbe advised privately and allowed to correct the prob-lem without having to go to court.

Roosevelt accepted this “gentlemen’s agreement,”as he called it. Shortly afterward he made similardeals with other companies. These arrangementsgave Roosevelt the ability to regulate big businessand continue the economic benefit of big businesswithout having to sacrifice economic efficiency bybreaking up the trusts.

Congress Follows In addition to creating theDepartment of Commerce and Labor, Congresspassed the Expedition Act, which gave federal anti-trust suits precedence on the dockets of circuit courts.Then, in 1906, Roosevelt pushed the Hepburn Actthrough Congress. This act was intended to strengthen

Miner’s Lot In the early 1900s, miners worked long hours under dangerousconditions for little pay. In an effort to obtain better compensation, reduction inwork hours, and recognition of their union, many workers went on strike. Howdid Roosevelt respond when they went on strike?

History

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 343

the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). Anearly effort to regulate the railroad industry, the ICChad been ineffective because it lacked sufficientauthority.

The Hepburn Act tried to strengthen the ICC bygiving it the power to set railroad rates. The agencyoriginally was intended to regulate rates to ensurethat companies did not compete unfairly. At first,railroad companies were suspicious of the ICC andtied up its decisions by challenging them in court.Eventually, the railroads realized that they couldwork with the ICC to set rates and regulations thatlimited competition and prevented new competitorsfrom entering the industry. Over time the ICCbecame a supporter of the railroads’ interests, and by1920 it had begun setting rates at levels intended toensure the industry’s profits.

Comparing What was the purposeof the Interstate Commerce Commission, and how successfulwas it?

Reading Check

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Consumer Protection and Conservation

Theodore Roosevelt and Congress expandedthe power of government by passing several acts regu-lating meat inspection, food and drugs, and conserva-tion of the environment.

Reading Connection Have you ever visited a nationalpark or forest and enjoyed the outdoors? Read on to discoverhow Theodore Roosevelt helped make some of these nationalparks and forests possible.

When Roosevelt took office, he was not greatlyconcerned about consumer issues, but by 1905 con-sumer protection had become a national issue. Thatyear, a journalist named Samuel Hopkins Adamspublished a series of articles in Collier’s magazinedescribing the patent medicine business.

Many companies were patenting and marketingpotions they claimed would cure a variety of ills.Many patent medicines were little more than alcohol,colored water, and sugar. Others contained caffeine,opium, cocaine, and other dangerous compounds.Consumers had no way to know what they were tak-ing, nor did they receive any assurance that the med-icines worked as claimed.

Many Americans were equally concerned aboutthe food they ate. Dr. W.H. Wiley, chief chemist at theUnited States Department of Agriculture, had issuedreports documenting the dangerous preservativesbeing used in what he called “embalmed meat.”Then, in 1906, Upton Sinclair published The Jungle.Based on Sinclair’s close observations of the slaugh-terhouses of Chicago, the powerful book featuredappalling descriptions of conditions in the meatpack-ing industry:

“There would come all the way back from Europeold sausage that had been rejected, and that wasmoldy and white—it would be dosed with borax andglycerine, and dumped into the hoppers, and madeover again for home consumption. . . . There wouldbe meat stored in great piles in rooms; and the waterfrom leaky roofs would drip over it, and thousands ofrats would race about upon it.”

—from The Jungle

Sinclair’s book was a best-seller. It made con-sumers ill—and angry. Roosevelt and Congressresponded with the Meat Inspection Act. It required

federal inspection of meat sold through interstatecommerce and required the Agriculture Departmentto set standards of cleanliness in meatpacking plants.The Pure Food and Drug Act, passed on the same dayin 1906, prohibited the manufacture, sale, or ship-ment of impure or falsely labeled food and drugs.

Conservation Roosevelt put his stamp on the pres-idency most clearly in the area of environmentalconservation. Realizing that the nation’s bountifulnatural resources were being used up at an alarmingrate, Roosevelt urged Americans to conserve theseresources.

An enthusiastic outdoorsman, Roosevelt valuedthe country’s minerals, animals, and rugged terrain.Roosevelt urged Americans to conserve theseresources. He cautioned against unregulated exploi-tation of public lands and believed in conservation tomanage the nation’s resources. As president,Roosevelt eagerly assumed the role of manager. Heargued that the government must distinguish“between the man who skins the land and the manwho develops the country. I am going to work with,and only with, the man who develops the country.”

Land Development in the West Rooseveltquickly applied his philosophy in the dry Westernstates, where farmers and city dwellers competed forscarce water. In 1902 Roosevelt supported passage of the Newlands Reclamation Act, authorizing theuse of Federal funds from public land sales to applyfor irrigation and land development projects. Thus, it was the federal government that began the large-scale transformation of the West’s landscapeand economy.

Timber Resources Roosevelt also backed effortsto save the nation’s forests through careful manage-ment of the timber resources of the West. Heappointed his close friend Gifford Pinchot to headthe United States Forest Service. “The naturalresources,” Pinchot said, “must be developed andpreserved for the benefit of the many and not merelyfor the profit of a few.” With the president’s support,Pinchot’s department drew up regulations control-ling lumbering on federal lands.

As progressives, Roosevelt and Pinchot bothbelieved that trained experts in forestry and resourcemanagement should apply the same scientific stan-dards to the landscape that others were applying tothe management of cities and industry. They rejectedthe laissez-faire argument that the best way to pre-serve public land was to sell it to lumber companies,

344 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

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who would then carefully conserve itbecause it was the source of their profits.With President Roosevelt’s support,Pinchot’s department drew up regulationsto control lumbering on federal lands.

Roosevelt took other steps as well toconserve the nation’s natural resources.He added over 100 million acres to theprotected national forests, thus quadru-pling their area. In addition, he estab-lished 5 new national parks and 51 federalwildlife reservations.

Roosevelt’s Legacy President Rooseveltchanged the role of the federal govern-ment and the nature of the presidency.Increasingly, Americans began to look tothe federal government to solve thenation’s economic and social problems.Under Roosevelt, the executive branch ofgovernment had dramatically increasedits power. The ICC could set rates andregulations for the railroad industry tosupport fair competition. The AgricultureDepartment could inspect food to helpprotect public health and safety. TheBureau of Corporations could monitorbusiness, and the attorney general couldrapidly bring antitrust lawsuits under theExpedition Act.

Examining How didRoosevelt’s policies help protect the health of con-sumers and the conservation of natural resources?

Reading Check

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 345

Checking for Understanding1. Vocabulary Define: trigger, arbitration,

issue, environmental.2. People and Terms Identify: Square

Deal, Northern Securities, United MineWorkers, Hepburn Act, Upton Sinclair.

3. Explain the intent of the Hepburn Act.

Reviewing Big Ideas4. Analyzing How did Upton Sinclair con-

tribute to involving the federal govern-ment in protecting consumers?

Critical Thinking5. Evaluating Do you agree with

Roosevelt’s use of the ShermanAntitrust Act against NorthernSecurities? Give specific reasons for your opinion.

6. Organizing Use a graphic organizersimilar to the one below to list theresults of the Coal Strike of 1902.

Analyzing Visuals7. Analyzing Photographs Look at the

photograph on this page. What do youthink President Roosevelt’s speech isconcerning? Choose an issue and createbrief remarks for a speech by PresidentRoosevelt.

Writing About History8. Descriptive Writing Imagine that you

are living in the early 1900s and thatyou have just read Upton Sinclair’s TheJungle. Write a letter to a friend explain-ing what the novel is about and how itcharacterizes the Progressive era.

CA 11WA2.2a

Crowd Pleaser Teddy Roosevelt’s energetic speaking style captivated audiences across thenation. What impact did he have on the office of the presidency?

History

Results of1902

Coal Strike

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346 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

MercedRiv

er

C A T H E D R A L R A N G E

EaglePeak

El Capitan7,569 ft. (2,307 m)

UpperYosemite Falls1,430 ft. (436 m)

YosemitePoint

Clouds Rest9,926 ft. (3,025 m)

Cathedral Rocks

CathedralSpires

Royal ArchesYosemite Fallstotal drop2,425 ft. (739 m)

Yosemite Valley4,000 ft. (1,219 m)

Bridalveil Fall620 ft. (189 m)

Geography&History

OUR GROWING HERITAGEThis map of the United States shows 9 of the national parks that existedby the end of President Theodore Roosevelt's administration. Rooseveltestablished 5 national parks, 4 of which still exist today. He also estab-lished 51 wildlife preserves and 150 national forests.

Yellowstone,1872

Sullys Hill,1904

Wind Cave,1903

Mount Rainier,1899

Crater Lake,1902

Sequoia,1890

Mesa Verde,1906

General Grant (Kings Canyon),1890Yosemite,1890

AtlanticOcean

PacificOcean Gulf of Mexico

Early National Parks

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LEARNING FROM GEOGRAPHY

1. How was the Yosemite Valley formed?

2. How did the establishment of thenational park system help to conservenatural resources?

mountains and glaciers of the park.His compelling descriptions swayed many influential people. In 1890Congress expanded the protectedarea and made Yosemite an officialnational park.

In many ways Yosemite estab-lished a pattern for our national parksystem. It started programs to teachvisitors about native plants and wild-life and was the first park to build amuseum to help visitors understandand enjoy the region.

In 1903 President TheodoreRoosevelt visited the park with Muir.The natural beauty of the valley capti-vated the environmentalist presidentand stimulated his desire to protectvast areas of the country.“We are notbuilding this country of ours for aday,”declared Roosevelt.“It is to lastthrough the ages.”During his presi-dency Roosevelt enlarged Yosemite,established the U.S.Forest Service,and put millions of acres of landunder federal protection. In 1916 theNational Park Service was established,and today it manages more than 380areas, including 57 national parks.

The Story ofYosemite

The breathtaking beauty of the Yosemite Valley hasalways astounded visitors to California’s High Sierra.In 1851 volunteer soldiers

came upon the valley.One officer felt a “peculiar exalted sensation”as hemarveled at his surroundings.

The officer’s reaction was a natural one.Carved by glaciers andrivers, the seven-mile-long valley intowhich he and his men rode lies at anelevation of 4,000 feet (1219 m).Above them rose the near-verticalcliffs and great granite monoliths of El Capitan,Half Dome,and CathedralRocks.Down onto the valley floorpoured the waters of Bridalveil Fall.A dozen other waterfalls spilled oversheer cliffs elsewhere in the valley,some of them— like Yosemite Falls at 2,425 feet (739 m)—among thehighest on Earth.Within five years,horseback parties were coming togaze at Bridalveil Fall and the face of El Capitan.The tourists had foundYosemite.

To guarantee that the public could continue to enjoy the beauty,in 1864 President Abraham Lincolngranted the valley to California as awilderness preserve. In so doing,Lincoln laid the foundation for the national park system. (The firstofficial national park,Yellowstone,wasnot created until eight years later.) By the late 1880s Yosemite was attractingabout 5,000 visitors a year. John Muirand other conservationists wereanxious to preserve the area.Muir had spent years tramping through the woods and up and down the

Sightseers admireYosemite Falls as theyride along Glacier PointTrail in 1901. Today some 3.5 million touristsvisit the park each year.

President Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir standatop Glacier Point.

Bridalveil Creek

Bridalveil Creek

Half Dome8,836 ft. (2,693 m)

Glacier Point7,214 ft. (2,199 m)

Nevada Falls594 ft. (181 m)

SentinelRock

347

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348 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

Guide to Reading

ConnectionIn the previous section, you learned howPresident Roosevelt’s progressive reformsaffected the United States. In this section,you will discover how President Taft, amore moderate progressive, continuedprogressive reforms.

• William Howard Taft, elected to con-tinue Theodore Roosevelt’s policies,had difficulties with tariff and conser-vation issues. (p. 349)

• Taft worked to pass progressivereforms. (p. 351)

Content Vocabularysyndicate, insubordination

Academic Vocabularydynamic, scheme, establish

People and Terms to IdentifyJoseph G. Cannon, Payne-Aldrich Tariff,Richard A. Ballinger

Reading Objectives• Explain how Theodore Roosevelt

helped Taft get elected.• Discuss why progressives were disap-

pointed with Taft as president.

Reading StrategyOrganizing As you read about progres-sivism in this section, complete a graphicorganizer similar to the one below listingTaft’s conflicts with the progressives.

Preview of Events

The Taft Administration

✦1908 ✦1910 ✦1912

1908Taft elected president

1909Ballinger-Pinchotcontroversy

1910Mann-ElkinsAct passed

1911Antitrust lawsuit filedagainst U.S. Steel

1912Roosevelt challenges Taft forRepublican nomination

✦1909 ✦1911

Disputes BetweenTaft and Progressives

. The Big Idea ,Social and economic crises lead to new roles for government. PresidentTaft worked to lower tariffs in order to help consumers and increase competition.His actions, however, angered many progressives. The Ballinger-Pinchot contro-versy that followed destroyed Taft’s reputation with progressive reformers.Despite the controversies and division with reformers, Taft managed several suc-cesses while in office. He established the Children’s Bureau to investigate childlabor, increased the regulatory powers of the ICC, set up the Bureau of Mines, protected national forests, and brought an antitrust lawsuit against U.S. Steel.

The following are the mainHistory–Social Science Standardscovered in this section.

11.2 Students analyze the relation-ship among the rise of industrializa-

tion, large-scale rural-to-urbanmigration, and massive immigration

from Southern and Eastern Europe.

11.2.9 Understand the effect of politicalprograms and activities of the Progres-

sives (e.g., federal regulation of railroadtransport, Children’s Bureau, the Sixteenth

Amendment, Theodore Roosevelt, Hiram Johnson).

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Taft Becomes President

William Howard Taft, elected to continueTheodore Roosevelt’s policies, had difficulties with tariffand conservation issues.

Reading Connection What national leaders have triedto carry on the policies of the person they succeeded in office?Read on to learn of such an attempt that appeared to fail in theearly 1900s.

William Howard Taft had been TheodoreRoosevelt’s most trusted lieutenant. He had servedas a judge, as governor of the Philippines, and asRoosevelt’s secretary of war. In fact, he seemed anacceptable successor to almost everyone.

One evening in January 1908, President TheodoreRoosevelt sat chatting with Secretary of War WilliamHoward Taft and his wife, Nellie, in the second-floorWhite House library. The mood was relaxed. Seatedcomfortably in his easy chair, Roosevelt was talkingabout a subject he had often discussed with his guests:the future role of Taft. Roosevelt toyed with a couple ofoptions. “At one time it looks like the presidency,” hemused, considering a future role for his trusted lieu-tenant, “then again it looks like the chief justiceship.”

The Tafts knew that Roosevelt had the power tobring about either of these options. “Make it the presi-dency,” interrupted Nellie Taft, always ambitiousabout her husband’s career. Taft himself was less con-vinced that he would make a good chief executive.“Make it the chief justiceship,” he uttered.

In the end, Taft bowed to the wishes of his wife andboss. Following George Washington’s example andhonoring his own promise of 1904, Roosevelt decidednot to seek reelection in 1908. Instead, he endorsed anexperienced administrator and moderate progressiveto run for president on the Republican ticket: WilliamHoward Taft.

—adapted from The American Heritage Pictorial History of the Presidents of the United States

Thanks to Roosevelt’s efforts, Taft easily receivedhis party’s nomination for the 1908 election. TheDemocratic candidate, twice-defeated WilliamJennings Bryan, lost once more.

Taft’s Approach to Government “My dearTheodore,” Taft wrote to his old friend a couple ofweeks after assuming office. “When I am addressedas ‘Mr. President,’ I turn to see whether you are at myelbow.” The comment was telling.

In that same letter, Taft admitted some of his earlyfears about his presidency:

“I have no doubt that when you return you willfind me very much under suspicion. . . . I have not theprestige which you had. . . . I am not attempting quiteas much as you did . . . and so I fear that a large partof the public will feel as if I had fallen away from yourideals; but you know me better and will understandthat I am still working away on the same old plan.”

—quoted in The American Heritage Pictorial History of the Presidents of the United States

Roosevelt and Taft were very different people.Roosevelt was a dynamic person who loved thespotlight and the rough-and-tumble world of poli-tics. He had grand ideas and schemes but left thedetails of administering them to others. Taft was theopposite in many ways. He was a skillful adminis-trator and judge. He disliked political maneuveringand preferred to avoid conflict with others. UnlikeRoosevelt, who acted quickly and decisively onissues, Taft responded slowly, approaching prob-lems from a legalistic point of view. “I don’t likepolitics,” he wrote, “I don’t like the limelight.”Although committed to many progressive ideas,Taft’s personality and approach to politics quicklybrought him into conflict with progressives.

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 349

William Howard Taft

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350 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

Political Uproar Taft’s interior secretary, Richard Ballinger, pictured at left, ignited controversy when he made nearlyone million acres of public land available for development. Progressive Gifford Pinchot, at right, leaked the story to thepress. How was the controversy resolved?

The Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act Like many pro-gressives, Taft believed high tariffs limited competi-tion, hurt consumers, and protected trusts. Roosevelthad warned him to stay away from tariff reformbecause it would divide the Republican Party. Taft,however, went ahead and called Congress into spe-cial session to lower tariff rates.

To pass a new tariff, Taft needed the help ofSpeaker of the House Joseph G. Cannon. As Speaker,Cannon appointed all committees and decidedwhich bills they handled. By exercising almost totalcontrol over debate, Cannon could push some billsthrough without discussion and see that others nevercame to a vote. Progressives wanted to unseatCannon because he often blocked their legislation.

Taft disagreed with the effort to unseat Cannon.He pressured progressive Republicans into stoppingtheir campaign against Cannon. In exchange,Cannon quickly pushed the tariff bill through theHouse of Representatives. Taft’s compromiseangered many progressives. The following year, theydefied the president by joining with HouseDemocrats and removing Cannon from power.

Taft further alienated progressives when the tariffbill went to the Senate. The powerful head of theSenate Finance Committee, Republican NelsonAldrich from Rhode Island, wanted to protect hightariffs, as did many other conservative senators. Theresult was the Payne-Aldrich Tariff, which cut tariffshardly at all and actually raised them on some goods.After discussions with Aldrich and other senators,

however, Taft decided to accept the new tariff.Progressives felt betrayed and outraged by Taft’sdecision: “I knew the fire had gone out of [theProgressive movement],” recalled chief foresterGifford Pinchot after Roosevelt left office.“Washington was a dead town. Its leader was gone,and in his place [was] a man whose fundamentaldesire was to keep out of trouble.”

The Ballinger-Pinchot Controversy With Taft’sstanding among Republican progressives deteriorat-ing, a sensational controversy broke in 1909 helpingdestroy Taft’s popularity with reformers for good.Many progressives had been unhappy when Taftreplaced Roosevelt’s secretary of the interior, JamesR. Garfield, an aggressive conservationist, withRichard A. Ballinger, a more conservative corporatelawyer. Suspicion of Ballinger grew when he tried tomake nearly a million acres of public forests and min-eral reserves available for private development.

During this mounting concern, Gifford Pinchotcharged the new secretary with having once plottedto turn over valuable public lands in Alaska to a pri-vate syndicate, or business group, for personal profit.Pinchot took the charges to the president. Taft’s attor-ney general found the charges were groundless.

Still not satisfied, Pinchot leaked the story to thepress and asked Congress to investigate. Taft firedPinchot for insubordination, or disobedience. Thecongressional committee appointed to study the con-troversy cleared Ballinger.

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By signing the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act, support-ing Ballinger against Pinchot, and backing Cannon,Taft gave the impression that he had “sold the SquareDeal down the river.” Popular indignation was sogreat that the congressional elections of 1910 resultedin a sweeping Democratic victory, with Democratstaking the majority in the House and Democrats andProgressive Republicans grabbing control of theSenate from the conservatives.

Summarizing What problems didPresident Taft have with progressives on tariff issues?

Taft’s Progressive Reforms

Taft worked to pass progressive reforms.

Reading Connection Do you know people who let oth-ers take credit and recognition for their work? Read on to learnabout William Howard Taft’s record as a progressive.

Despite his political problems, Taft also had sev-eral successes. Although Roosevelt was nicknamedthe “trustbuster,” Taft was a strong supporter of com-petition and actually brought twice as many antitrustcases in four years as his predecessor had in seven.

In other areas, too, Taft was at least as strong a pro-gressive as Roosevelt. Taft established the Children’sBureau, a federal agency similar to Roosevelt’sBureau of Corporations. The Children’s Bureau inves-tigated and publicized problems with child labor. Taftalso supported the Mann-Elkins Act of 1910, whichincreased the regulatory powers of the ICC.

The Ballinger-Pinchot controversy aside, Taft wasalso a dedicated conservationist. His contributions in

Reading Check

this area actually equaled or surpassed those ofRoosevelt. Taft set up the Bureau of Mines to monitorthe activities of mining companies, expanded thenational forests, and protected waterpower sites fromprivate development.

Although disturbed by stories of Taft’s “betrayal”of progressivism, Roosevelt at first refused to criti-cize the president. Then, in October 1911, Taftannounced an antitrust lawsuit against U.S. Steel,claiming that the company’s decision to buy theTennessee Coal and Iron Company in 1907 had vio-lated the Sherman Antitrust Act.

The lawsuit was the final straw for Roosevelt. Aspresident, he had approved U.S. Steel’s plan to buy thecompany. Roosevelt believed Taft’s focus on breakingup trusts was destroying the carefully crafted systemof cooperation and regulation that Roosevelt hadestablished. In November 1911, Roosevelt publiclycriticized Taft’s decision. Roosevelt argued that thebest way to deal with the trusts was to allow them toexist while at the same time increasing government’sability to regulate them.

Having broken with Taft, it was only a matter oftime before progressives convinced Roosevelt toreenter politics. In late February 1912, Rooseveltannounced that he would attempt to replace Taft asthe 1912 Republican nominee for president.

Evaluating How did PresidentTaft’s accomplishments regarding conservation and trustbustingcompare to President Roosevelt’s?

Reading Check

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 351

Checking for Understanding1. Vocabulary Define: dynamic, schemes,

syndicate, insubordination, established.2. People and Terms Identify: Joseph G.

Cannon, Payne-Aldrich Tariff, RichardBallinger.

3. Describe how Taft helped conservationefforts, alleviated child labor problems,and strengthened the ICC.

Reviewing Big Ideas4. Examining How did replacing

Roosevelt’s secretary of the interiorcause a dispute between Taft and the progressives?

Critical Thinking5. Comparing What was the difference

between Roosevelt and Taft regardingthe relationship between the presidentand Congress?

6. Organizing Use a graphic organizerlike the one below to list Taft’sProgressive reforms.

Analyzing Visuals7. Examining Photographs Study the

photograph on page 350. Note thestructure of the newspaper. How wouldyou compare the layout of the news-paper in the photograph with the styleof today’s newspapers?

Writing About History8. Descriptive Writing Write a magazine

article in which you defend or criticizePresident Taft’s administration in termsof its support of progressivism.

CA 11WS1.1

Taft’s Progressive Reforms

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Guide to Reading

ConnectionIn the previous section, you learned aboutPresident Taft’s reforms and the growingconflict within the Progressive movement.In this section, you will discover howWoodrow Wilson won the presidency and learn about the reforms he continued.

• Woodrow Wilson’s “New Freedom”campaign won him the White Houseafter Republican voters split over Taftand Roosevelt. (p. 353)

• President Wilson reformed tariffs andbanks and oversaw the creation of theFederal Trade Commission. (p. 354)

• Wilson continued to support progres-sive reforms as he faced reelection in1916. (p. 356)

• Progressivism changed the view manypeople had about the government’srole in social issues. (p. 357)

Content Vocabularyincome tax, unfair trade practices

Academic Vocabularycapacity, levying, labor, foundation

People and Terms to IdentifyProgressive Party, New Nationalism, NewFreedom, Federal Trade Commission,National Association for the Advancementof Colored People

Reading Objectives• Describe Wilson’s economic and social

reforms.• Evaluate the legacy of the Progressive

movement.

Reading StrategyCategorizing As you read about pro-gressivism during the Wilson administra-tion, complete a chart similar to the onebelow by listing Wilson’s Progressive eco-nomic and social reforms.

Preview of Events

The Wilson Years

1912Woodrow Wilsonelected president

1913Federal ReserveAct passed

1914Federal TradeCommission Act passed

1916Keating-Owen ChildLabor Act passed

✦1912 ✦1914 ✦1916

Economic Reforms Social Reforms

352 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

. The Big Idea ,Social and economic crises lead to new roles for government. PresidentWilson supported progressivism and successfully worked to lower tariffs, reformbanks, establish the eight-hour workday, and pass the Federal Farm Loan Act. Hewas less successful, however, with child labor regulation. Progressives in Congressdemanded antitrust action and established the Federal Trade Commission and theClayton Antitrust Act. While the Progressive movement addressed many socialproblems, it did not focus on religious and racial issues. Still, those who were notnative-born white males now had the hope and desire to take action. The publicnow expected the government to take an active role in regulating the economy andaddressing social issues.

The following are the mainHistory–Social Science Standardscovered in this section.

11.2 Students analyze the relation-ship among the rise of industrializa-tion, large-scale rural-to-urbanmigration, and massive immigrationfrom Southern and Eastern Europe.

11.2.1 Know the effects of industrializa-tion on living and working conditions,including the portrayal of working condi-tions and food safety in Upton Sinclair’sThe Jungle.

11.2.9 Understand the effect of politicalprograms and activities of the Progressives(e.g., federal regulation of railroad transport,Children’s Bureau, the Sixteenth Amendment,Theodore Roosevelt, Hiram Johnson).

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The Election of 1912

Woodrow Wilson’s “New Freedom” cam-paign won him the White House after Republican voterssplit over Taft and Roosevelt.

Reading Connection What political slogans have youheard during campaigns for office or school elections? Read onto learn about the “New Freedom” and “New Nationalism” ofthe 1912 election.

The 1912 presidential campaign featured a currentpresident, a former president, and an academic whohad entered politics only two years earlier.

On September 15, 1910, in the Taylor Opera Housein Trenton, New Jersey, a young progressive namedJoseph Patrick Tumulty watched as a lean man withiron-gray hair made his way toward the stage. Theman was Thomas Woodrow Wilson, the DemocraticParty’s nominee for governor.

Wilson was the choice of the party bosses. AsTumulty recalled, progressives were “feeling sullen,beaten, and hopelessly impotent.” To Tumulty’s aston-ishment, Wilson announced: “I shall enter upon theduties of the office of governor, if elected, withabsolutely no pledge of any kind to prevent me fromserving the people of the state with singleness ofpurpose.”

Tumulty knew that Wilson was declaring his inde-pendence from the New Jersey political machine. Itbrought the progressives at the convention roaring totheir feet. From one came the cry, “Thank God, at last,a leader has come!”

Two years later, Woodrow Wilson was theDemocrats’ nominee for the presidency, an office theyhad won only twice since the Civil War. This time theywere confident of victory, for Wilson, a committedprogressive, faced a Republican Party wracked bydivision.

—adapted from Wilson: The Road to the White House

The election’s outcome determined the path of theProgressive movement and helped shape the nation’spath in the 1900s.

The Republican Party Splits Believing thatPresident Taft had failed to live up to Progressiveideals, Theodore Roosevelt informed seven state gov-ernors that he was willing to accept the Republicannomination. “My hat is in the ring!” he declared.“The fight is on.”

The struggle for control of the Republican Partyreached its climax at the national convention inChicago in June. Conservatives rallied behind Taft.Most of the progressives lined up for Roosevelt.When it became clear that Taft’s delegates controlledthe nomination, Roosevelt decided to leave the partyand campaign as an independent. “We stand atArmageddon,” he told his supporters, “and we battlefor the Lord.”

Declaring himself “fit as a bull moose,” Rooseveltbecame the presidential candidate for the newlyformed Progressive Party, nicknamed the Bull MooseParty. Because Taft had alienated so many groups,the election of 1912 became a contest between twoprogressives: the Bull Moose Roosevelt and theDemocrat Wilson.

Wilson’s Character and Background WoodrowWilson entered politics as a firm progressive. As gov-ernor of New Jersey, he pushed one Progressivereform after another through the statehouse. Herevamped election laws, established utility regula-tory boards, and allowed cities to change to the com-missioner form of government. In less than twoyears, New Jersey became a model of Progressivereform.

A Woodrow Wilson election poster

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 353

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“New Freedom” Versus “New Nationalism”The election of 1912 was a contest between two menwho supported progressivism, although they haddifferent approaches to reform. Roosevelt acceptedthe economic power of the trusts as a fact of life andproposed a more powerful federal government and astrong executive to regulate them. Roosevelt also out-lined a complete program of reforms. He favored leg-islation to protect women and children in the laborforce and supported workers’ compensation forthose injured on the job. He also wanted a federaltrade commission to regulate industry in a mannersimilar to the ICC’s authority over railroads.Roosevelt called his program the New Nationalism.

Wilson countered with what he called the NewFreedom. He criticized Roosevelt’s program as onethat supported “regulated monopoly.” Monopolies,he believed, were evils to be destroyed, not regu-lated. Wilson argued that Roosevelt’s approach gavethe federal government too much power in the econ-omy. “The history of liberty,” Wilson declared, “is thehistory of the limitation of governmental power. . . .If America is not to have free enterprise, then she canhave freedom of no sort whatever.”

Wilson Is Elected As expected, Roosevelt and Taftsplit the Republican voters, enabling Wilson to win

the Electoral College and the election with 435 votes,even though he received less than 42 percent of thepopular vote—less than Roosevelt and Taft com-bined. For the first time since Grover Cleveland’selection in 1892, a Democrat became president of theUnited States.

Summarizing Who were the threemajor candidates in the presidential election of 1912?

Regulating the Economy

President Wilson reformed tariffs and banksand oversaw the creation of the Federal TradeCommission.

Reading Connection Are you aware of recent eco-nomic concerns and presidential responses to them? Read onto learn the ways that Woodrow Wilson took economic actionafter his election.

The new chief executive lost no time in embarkingon his program of reform. He immediately tookcharge of the government. “The president is at lib-erty, both in law and conscience, to be as big a man ashe can,” Wilson had once written. “His capacity willset the limit.” During his eight years as president,Wilson demonstrated his power as he crafted reformsaffecting tariffs, the banking system, trusts, andworkers’ rights.

Reforming Tariffs Five weeks after taking office,Wilson appeared before Congress, the first presidentto do so since John Adams. He had come to presenthis bill to reduce tariffs.

He personally lobbied members of Congress tosupport the tariff reduction bill. Not even Roosevelthad taken such an active role in promoting speciallegislation. In Wilson’s message to Congress, hedeclared that high tariffs had “built up a set of privi-leges and exemptions from competition behindwhich it was easy . . . to organize monopoly until . . .nothing is obliged to stand the tests of efficiency andeconomy.”

Wilson believed that the pressure of foreign com-petition would lead American manufacturers toimprove their products and lower their prices. Lowertariff rates, he claimed, would help businesses byputting them under the “constant necessity to be effi-cient, economical, and enterprising.”

In 1913 the Democrat-controlled Congress passedthe Underwood Tariff and Wilson signed it into law.This piece of legislation reduced the average tariff on

Reading Check

The New Freedom Woodrow Wilson initially believed that governmentshould break up trusts. Why did Wilson favor economic competition?

History

354 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

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imported goods to about 30 percent of the value ofthe goods, or about half the tariff rate of the 1890s.

An important section of the Underwood Tariff Actwas the provision for levying an income tax, or a directtax on the earnings of individuals and corporations.The Constitution originally prohibited direct taxesunless they were apportioned among the states on thebasis of population. In other words, the states wouldpay the income tax, not individuals, and states withmore people would pay more tax. Passage of theSixteenth Amendment in 1913, however, made it legalfor the federal government to tax the income of indi-viduals directly. This system remains in place today.

Reforming the Banks The United States had nothad a central bank since the 1830s. During the eco-nomic depressions that hit the country periodicallyafter that time, hundreds of small banks collapsed,wiping out the life savings of many of their cus-tomers. The most recent of these crises had been in 1907.

To restore public confidence in the banking sys-tem, Wilson supported the establishment of a FederalReserve system. Banks would have to keep a portionof their deposits in a regional reserve bank, whichwould provide a financial cushion against unantici-pated losses.

At the center of the Federal Reserve system wouldbe a Board of Governors, appointed by the president.The Board could set the interest rates the reservebanks charged other banks, thereby indirectly con-

trolling the interest rates of the entire nation and theamount of money in circulation. This gave the Boardthe ability to fight inflation by raising interest ratesand to stimulate the economy during a recession bylowering interest rates. Congress approved the newsystem at the end of 1913. The Federal Reserve Actbecame one of the most significant pieces of legisla-tion in American history.

Antitrust Action During his campaign, Wilsonhad promised to restore competition to the economyby breaking up big business monopolies. Rooseveltargued that Wilson’s ideas were unrealistic becausebig business was more efficient and unlikely to bereplaced by smaller, more competitive firms. Once inoffice, Wilson’s opinion shifted, and he came to agreewith Roosevelt—but progressives in Congress con-tinued to demand action against big business.

In the summer of 1914, at Wilson’s request,Congress created the Federal Trade Commission(FTC) to monitor American business. The FTC hadthe power to investigate companies and issue “ceaseand desist” orders against companies engaging inunfair trade practices, or those which hurt competi-tion. The FTC could be taken to court if a businessdisagreed with its rulings.

Wilson did not want the FTC to break up big busi-ness. Instead, it was to work with business to limitactivities that unfairly limited competition. He delib-erately appointed conservative business leaders toserve as the FTC’s first commissioners.

12

10

9

11

8

7

5

4 32 1

6

Buffalo

CharlotteNashville

Birmingham

NewOrleans

HoustonSan Antonio Jacksonville

Miami

Pittsburgh

DetroitSalt Lake City

LittleRock Memphis

Oklahoma City

Portland

Omaha

El Paso

CincinnatiLouisville

Denver

Helena

Los Angeles

Seattle

Baltimore

Boston

New York City

Philadelphia

Cleveland

Richmond

AtlantaDallas

St.Louis

Chicago

Minneapolis

Kansas City

San Francisco

12

12

The Federal Reserve System

1. Interpreting Maps Which state hasthe most branch banks?

2. Applying Geography Skills The fed-eral reserve system tied banks closer tolocal communities. What criteria doyou think were used to determinedistrict sizes and boundaries?

Federal Reserve DistrictFederal Reserve BankFederal Reserve Branch Bank

5

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 355

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Progressives in Congress responded by passingthe Clayton Antitrust Act. The act banned tyingagreements, which required retailers who boughtfrom one company to stop selling a competitor’sproducts. It also banned price discrimination, andmanufacturers could no longer give wholesale dis-counts to chain stores and other retailers.

Before the act passed, labor unions lobbiedCongress to exempt unions from the antitrust laws.The Clayton Antitrust Act specifically declared thatunions were not unlawful combinations in restraintof trade. When the bill became law, Samuel Gompers,head of the American Federation of Labor, called theClayton Antitrust Act the worker’s “Magna Carta,”because it gave unions the right to exist.

Evaluating What was the impact ofthe passage of the Sixteenth Amendment?

Federal Aid and Social Welfare

Wilson continued to support progressivereforms as he faced reelection in 1916.

Reading Connection What strategies did previouspresidents use to secure their reelection? Read on to discoverPresident Wilson’s actions as he tried to win voters.

By the fall of 1914, Wilson believed that his NewFreedom program was essentially complete. As aresult, he began to retreat from activism.

Reading Check

356 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

Factory GirlsThe young girls pictured in this photoare knitters in a hosiery factory. Theyoung girl in front must stand on a stoolto see what she is knitting. Factory jobswere often dangerous and requiredlong, tiring hours. Why did theSupreme Court find the Keating-Owens law unconstitutional?

History

The congressional elections of 1914, however, shat-tered the president’s complacency. Democrats suf-fered major losses in the House of Representatives,and voters who had supported the Bull Moose Partyin 1912 began returning to the Republicans. Realizingthat he would not be able to rely on a divided oppo-sition when he ran for reelection in 1916, Wilsonbegan to support further reforms.

In 1916, for example, Wilson signed the first federallaw regulating child labor. The Keating-Owen ChildLabor Act prohibited the employment of childrenunder the age of 14 in factories producing goods forinterstate commerce. The Supreme Court declared thelaw unconstitutional on the grounds that child laborwas not interstate commerce and therefore only statescould regulate it. Wilson’s effort, however, helped hisreputation with progressive voters.

Two other acts Wilson supported were theAdamson Act and the Federal Farm Loan Act. TheAdamson Act established the eight-hour workdayfor railroad workers and provided for additionalcompensation for any time worked over eight hours.The Federal Farm Loan Act created 12 Federal LandBanks to provide farmers with long-term loans at lowinterest rates. Farmers were able to borrow up to 50percent of the value of their land. The act enabledsmall farmers to be more competitive with largerfarms and businesses. Both acts were passed byCongress in 1916.

Examining How did the AdamsonAct improve labor conditions in the United States?

Reading Check

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The Legacy of Progressivism

Progressivism changed the view many peo-ple had about the government’s role in social issues.

Reading Connection Do you believe that groups ofpeople have been left out of “the American dream”? Read on to find out about the failures and successes of progressivism.

During his presidency, Wilson had built uponRoosevelt’s foundation. He expanded the role of thefederal government and of the president.

A New Kind of Government Progressivism madeimportant political changes in the United States.Most Americans did not expect the government topass laws protecting workers or regulating big busi-ness. In fact, many courts had previously ruled that itwas unconstitutional for the government to do so.

By the end of the Progressive era, however, bothlegal and public opinion had shifted. Increasingly,Americans expected the government, particularly thefederal government, to play a more active role in reg-ulating the economy and solving social problems.

The Limits of Progressivism The most conspicu-ous limit to progressivism was its failure to addressAfrican American and religious issues. AfricanAmericans themselves were absorbing the reformspirit, fueling their desire for advancement.

In 1905 W.E.B. Du Bois and 28 other AfricanAmerican leaders met at Niagara Falls to demand full

political rights for African Americans. They met on theCanadian side because no hotel on the American sidewould accept them. There they launched the NiagaraMovement. This meeting was one of many steps lead-ing to the founding of the National Association forthe Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in1909. Du Bois and other NAACP founders believedthat the vote was essential to bring about an end tolynching and racial discrimination. “The power of theballot we need in sheer self-defense,” Du Bois said,“else what shall save us from a second slavery?”

Progressivism also did not address anti-Semitism.Lawyer Sigmund Livingston founded the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in 1913 to fight for civilliberties for Jews and to protect Jews against discrim-ination in housing, employment, education.

Despite the failure of most progressives to focus onracial and religious issues, Progressive reform helpedchange American society. Although many groupswere excluded, the progressives expanded democ-racy and improved the quality of life for millions. Asthe country entered World War I, however, Americanssoon turned from reforming their own society to acrusade to “make the world safe for democracy.”

Evaluating How did progressivismchange American beliefs about the federal government?

Reading Check

Checking for Understanding1. Vocabulary Define: capacity, levying,

income tax, unfair trade practices,labor, foundation.

2. People and Terms Identify:Progressive Party, New Nationalism,New Freedom, Federal Trade Com-mission, National Association for theAdvancement of Colored People.

3. Explain why President Wilson proposedthe establishment of the FederalReserve System.

Reviewing Big Ideas4. Identifying What new federal agencies

increased the government’s power toregulate the economy?

Critical Thinking5. Analyzing Which of Wilson’s reforms

do you consider most important? Why?6. Organizing Use a graphic organizer

similar to the one below to list theeffects progressivism had on Americansociety.

Analyzing Visuals7. Analyzing Photographs Study the

photograph on page 356. What detailsdo you see in the image that mighthave contributed to the Keating-OwenChild Labor Act?

Writing About History8. Expository Writing Imagine that

you are a newspaper editor during theWilson administration. Write an articleon the shortcomings of the Progressivemovement in terms of racial issues.Provide ideas about how the move-ment might have addressed discrimina-tion and segregation. CA 11WS1.1

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 357

Effects ofProgressivism

For help with the concepts in this section of AmericanVision: Modern Times go to andclick on Study Central.

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Study CentralHISTORY

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Source 1:Abigail Scott Duniway became thesole supporter of her six children afterher husband was disabled in an acci-dent. She earned a living as a writerand led the fight for woman suffragein Oregon. In 1899 she gave a speechpromoting women’s right to votebefore the annual meeting of theNational American Woman SuffrageAssociation in Michigan.

The first fact to be considered,when working to win the ballot, isthat there is but one way by whichwe may hope to obtain it, and that isby and through the affirmative votes of men. We maytheorize, organize, appeal, argue, coax, cajole1 andthreaten men till doomsday; we may secure their pet-tings, praises, flattery, and every appearance of acqui-escence2 in our demands; we may believe with all ourhearts in the sincerity of their promises to vote as wedictate, but all of this will avail us nothing unless theydeposit their affirmative votes in the ballot box.

Every man who stops to argue the case, as anopponent, tells us that he “loves women,” and, whilewondering much that he should consider such a dec-laration necessary, I have always admired the loyalspirit that prompts his utterance. But, gentlemen, . . .there is another side to this expression of loyalty. Not only is our movement not instigated in a spiritof warfare between the sexes, but it is engendered,altogether in the spirit of harmony, and inter-dependence between men and women. . . . In order

to gain the votes of men, so wecan win the ballot, we must showthem that we are inspired by thesame patriotic motives that inducethem to prize it. A home without aman in it, is only half a home. Agovernment without women in it,is only half a government. . . .

. . . Your next step must be toimpress upon all men the fact thatwe are not intending to interfere, in any way, with their rights; and allwe ask is to be allowed to decide,for ourselves, also as to what ourrights should be.

Source 2:Mrs. Arthur M. Dodge, a widow and the mother of six sons,led the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage.She believed that allowing women to vote would threatenthe family. In 1913 she explained her views to a reporter forthe New York Times.

That is a sad state of things, isn’t it? Home has beenthe woman’s business and her love and life for cen-turies. It is the foundation of society, the basis of allmorals. Without the home we should become unmoraland without morals society, in turn, must perish. . . .

To offset the suspicion in the public mind that suf-frage means destruction to the home, the leaders ofthe movement are now bending every effort to proveotherwise. Watch the newspapers and periodicals ofrecent days and those of days immediately to comeand you will find a flood of pictures showing suffrageleaders with their progressive cheeks pressed tightagainst the velvet faces of their babies. They doubtlesshave decided that this variation of the plan of their

For most of the history of the United States, women did not have the right to vote. A man servedas the head of his household, and he voted as the representative of his family. As womenbecame more involved outside the home, they started to demand a voice in their government.The battle became increasingly heated until women finally won the vote in 1920.

358 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

➤1cajole: persuade2acquiescence: passive acceptance

Abigail Scott Duniway➤

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publicity is necessary as a means of proving to thepublic that a suffragist can be a mother. . . .

I don’t want to seem discourteous toward my sistersin the suffrage movement. I believe the greater portionof them are not really aware of what they do. I am cer-tain the majority of them do not desire to bring aboutdestruction of the home, with all that must imply—ofloose or no domestic life; . . .

I am no advocate of retrogression3 among women.I believe in education, culture, full development. Inthese days woman, to do the best which in her lies forher own home, must get much for it from outside. Mypoint is that she must get these outside things for thebenefit of her home and not neglect her home so thatshe may go adventuring for them for her benefit,amusement, and dissipation.

Source 3:After women’s contributions helped the United Statesgain victory in World War I, President Woodrow Wilsonbecame a supporter of woman suffrage. On September30, 1918, he presented his views to the U.S. Senate.

I regard the concurrence of the Senate in the consti-tutional amendment proposing the extension of thesuffrage to women as vitally essential to the successfulprosecution4 of the great war of humanity in whichwe are engaged. . . .

. . . If we be indeed democrats and wish to lead the world to democracy, we can ask other peoples toaccept in proof of our sincerity and our ability to leadthem whither they wish to be led, nothing less persua-sive and convincing than our actions. . . .

If we reject measures like this, in ignorant defiance of what a new age has brought forth, of what they haveseen but we have not, they will cease to believe in us;they will cease to follow or to trust us. They have seentheir own governments . . . like that of Great Britain,which did not profess to be democratic, promise read-ily and as of course this justice to women, though theyhad before refused it; the strange revelations of thiswar having made many things new and plain to gov-ernments as well as to peoples.

Are we alone to refuse to learn the lesson? Are wealone to ask and take the utmost that our women cangive—service and sacrifice of every kind—and still say wedo not see what title that gives them to stand by our

side in the guidance of the affairs of their nation andours? We have made partners of the women in this war.Shall we admit them only to a partnership of sufferingand sacrifice and toil and not to a partnership of privi-lege and right? This war could not have been fought,either by the other nations engaged or by America, if ithad not been for the services of the women—servicesrendered in every sphere—not merely in the fields ofeffort in which we have been accustomed to see themwork, but wherever men have worked and upon thevery skirts and edges of the battle itself. . . .

. . . The tasks of the women lie at the very heart ofthe war and I know how much stronger that heart willbeat if you do this just thing and show our women thatyou trust them as much as you in fact and of necessitydepend upon them. . . .

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 359

➤3retrogression: regression, returning to a less complex level of

development4prosecution: pursuit

President Wilson addresses Congress➤

Source 1: Why does Duniway believe that womenshould be allowed to vote?

Source 2: What does Dodge believe will happen ifwomen are allowed to vote?

Source 3: Why does Wilson believe that it is impor-tant for the United States to extend the right tovote to women?

Comparing and Contrasting SourcesHow do Duniway, Dodge, and Wilson differ in theirbeliefs about the place of women in government?

CA HR4; HI1; HI3

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1. progressivism2. commission plan3. direct primary4. initiative5. referendum6. suffrage

7. temperance8. prohibition9. socialism

10. arbitration11. syndicate12. unfair trade practices

Reviewing Content VocabularyOn a sheet of paper, use each of these terms in a sentence.

13. legislation14. strategy15. funds16. advocate17. trigger

18. issues19. environmental20. dynamic21. schemes22. establish

23. capacity24. levying25. labor26. foundation

Reviewing Academic VocabularyOn a sheet of paper, use each of these terms in a sentence thatreflects the term’s meaning in the chapter.

360 CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement

Basic Beliefs of Progressives

Government Reforms

Business Regulation

Social Reforms

• Interstate Commerce Commission was strengthened.• Consumer protection laws were passed.• Federal Trade Commission was set up to regulate business.• Federal Reserve System was set up to control money supply.

• People could improve society by relyingon science and knowledge.

• Industrialism and urbanization causedproblems.

• Government should fix problems.• To achieve reform, government itself

had to be reformed.

• Commission and city-manager forms of government were adopted.• Direct primary system let citizens choose office candidates.• Initiative, referendum, and recall were adopted.• Seventeenth Amendment gave voters right to elect senators directly.• Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote.

• Zoning laws and building codes improved urban housing.• Child labor laws were passed.• Workers’ compensation laws were passed.• Temperance movement worked to ban alcohol.

Reviewing the Main IdeasSection 127. What were the characteristics of the Progressive era?

Section 228. What was the goal of the Hepburn Act? Do you think the act

was successful?

Section 329. List three ways President Taft alienated progressives.

Section 430. How did President Wilson attempt to reform the banking

industry?

Critical Thinking31. Making Inferences Review the text

under the heading “Taft’s Approach to Government” on page349. What inference can you make concerning the politicalrelationship between Presidents Taft and Roosevelt?

32. Civics How did Wisconsin governor Robert La Follette helpto expand democracy in the United States?

33. Organizing Use a graphic organizer similar to the onebelow to list the economic, political, and social welfarereforms brought about during the Progressive era.

Progressive Reform

Economic Political Social Welfare

Standards 11.2, 11.2.1, 11.2.5, 11.2.9, 11.5.3, 11.5.4

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Writing About History34. Interpreting Events Reread

the text under the heading ”The Election of 1912” on pages353–354. How was this contest different from previous presidential elections? Explain how the outcome might have been different if Roosevelt had not participated in the election.

35. Worker safety was an important issue for pro-gressives. Research three worker safety laws in your state,and describe how they benefit workers.

36. Interpreting Primary Sources Ida Husted Harper was anewspaper reporter, and a strong supporter of suffrage forwomen. In the following excerpt, she examines the attitudestoward the kinds of work women should do.

“The moment we accept the theory that women mustenter wage-earning occupations only when compelledto do so by poverty, that moment we degrade labor andlower the status of all women who are engaged in it. . . .

There is not, there never has been, an effort ‘to createa sentiment that home is no place for a girl.’ A goodhome is the one place above all others for a girl, as it isfor a boy. It is her rest, her haven, her protection, butthis does not necessarily imply that she must notengage in any work outside its limits. . . .

It is wholly impracticable to draw a dividing linebetween the employments which are suitable and those which are unsuitable for women. They have just as much right as men to decide this question for themselves. . . .

It is not intended to argue that every woman shouldleave the home and go into business, but only thatthose who wish to do so shall have the opportunity, and that men shall no longer monopolize the gainfuloccupations.”

—quoted in The Independent, 1901

a. What views does Ida Harper have on the kinds of workwomen should do?

b. What kinds of work-related issues do women face today?

CA HI4

Geography and History37. The map above shows the relationship between the

Progressive movement and state governments. Study themap and answer the questions below.a. Interpreting Maps Which three states came under the

control of reformers before Wisconsin did?

b. Applying Geography Skills What generalization can youmake about progressives in state governments?

S.C.1890

WASH.1889

OREG.1902

CALIF.1910

NEV.

IDAHO

MONT.

WYO.

COLO.UTAH

ARIZ. N. MEX.

TEXAS1890

OKLA.1907

KANS.1900

NEBR.1906

S. DAK.1906

N. DAK.1906 MINN.

1902WIS.1900

IOWA1901

MO.1904

ARK.1901

LA.

MISS.1904

TENN.

KY.1900

ILL. IND.

MICH.

OHIO

ALA.1906

GA.1906

FLA.1904

N.C.1900

VA.W.VA.

PA.

N.Y.

VT.N.H.

MASS.

R.I.CONN.N.J.

1910DEL.

MD.

ME.

The Progressive Movement andState Governments 1889–1912

Reformers control state legislatures

Reformers influence state government

Reformers not effective

Date reformers came to power1900

CHAPTER 5 The Progressive Movement 361

Directions: Choose the best answer to the following question.

In 1920 women won an important victory when theNine-teenth Amendment was ratified. What did thisamendment accomplish?

A It required colleges to accept women.

B It guaranteed child care for workers’ children.

C It granted women the right to vote.

D It guaranteed equal wages for equal work.

38.

Self-Check QuizVisit the American Vision: Modern Times Web site at

and click on Self-Check Quizzes—Chapter 5 to assess your knowledge of chapter content.

HISTORY

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Standard 11.5.4 Analyze the passage of the NineteenthAmendment and the changing role of women in society.

Standards Practice