Chapter 5: History

Lesson 17

The Progressive Era

The Progressive Era

The great inequalities in wealth and power of the Gilded Age brought about a political movement called Populism in the late 1800s. Populists believed that the workers and farmers who created the nation’s wealth should control it.

William Jennings Bryan

William Jennings Bryan, a US Representative from Nebraska, became a noted Populist. He ran for president in 1896, 1900, and 1908.

Jennings never won, but he did much to further Populist causes such as gaining women’s suffrage, collecting an income tax, and regulating businesses.

Such causes became the foundation of the Progressive Movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

At that time, people became more aware of the problems caused by the growth of industries and the formation of business monopolies (complete control over an industry by one company that makes it more difficult for other companies to compete).

Cities were filled with workers living in terrible housing. Poor housing made some people sick. There were no rules or laws to ensure that products were safe and effective. Sometimes products were dangerous, made people sick, or did not work as promised.

Many people felt that changes were needed. They wanted laws that protected people. They wanted the government to regulate food, drugs, and other industries. The period when such laws and protections were put in place was called the Progressive Era.

Business Reform

During the 1800s, some business organizations had formed monopolies.

A monopoly gives one business the ability to control the production and distribution of a product.

Because there is no competition, monopolies can set higher prices.

They may even make profits on poor-quality products.

Sherman Antitrust Act

In 1890, Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act.

This act made any trust, or monopoly, illegal that was “in restraint of trade”.

This act was hard to enforce because it did not define which activities were against the law.

The Sherman Antitrust Act was mainly used to break up trade unions deemed to be illegal combinations.

However, in time, monopolies were broken.

John D. Rockefeller

John D. Rockefeller created a trust when he combined all the oil companies he had taken over into the Standard Oil Company. The Sherman Antitrust Act broke up Rockefeller’s trust in the early 1900s.

The Muckrakers

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a number of writers described terrible conditions and injustices in the US. These writers were called muckrakers.

The Muckrakers

Jacob Riis wrote about the lives of people in the slums of New York. His newspaper articles and books helped to improve living conditions of the poor.

The Muckrakers

Ida Tarbell wrote The History of Standard Oil Company in 1904. Her book described the unfair business practices of Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company.

The Muckrakers

In 1906, a writer named Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle. The novel told about the life of workers in Chicago meat-packing plants.

Sinclair described how meat was processed. The factories were not safe or clean places to work, and the meat from the factories was often unsafe to eat.

The Pure Food and Drug Act and the FDA

When people, including President Theodore Roosevelt, read The Jungle, they decided to do something about it.

The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was in part a response to The Jungle and earlier activists’ efforts to improve the quality of food production. It outlawed making and selling any food that was unsafe to eat. It also put regulations on medicines. The government wanted to make sure food and drugs were safe to consume.

In 1927, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was formed. Even today it regulates all the food, medicines, doctor’s tools, and cosmetics in the United States.

The FDA tests and monitors these products to ensure public safety.

Progressive Reform

Theodore Roosevelt served as president for seven and a quarter years. During this time, he made many other progressive reforms. He became known as a “trustbuster” for his successful regulation of trusts. He supported labor unions. He regulated the railroad industry to encourage competition.

Progressive Reform

Wisconsin senator Robert M. LaFollette supported many of the same causes that Roosevelt did.

Progressive Reform

La Follette ran for president in 1924 as the Progressive Party candidate. He wanted the federal government to control the railroads in order to improve them, and spoke out against monopolies.

Progressive Reform

Other progressive reformers worked directly with people to make their lives better.

Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr made a huge difference in people’s lives when they opened Hull House in Chicago.

Hull House

Hull House was the second settlement house in the US.A settlement house helped immigrants and the poor “settle into” US culture through recreation, education, and social activities.

How did the muckrakers react to the problems people faced in the 1900s?

A. They supported LaFollette when he ran for president.

B. They helped Rockefeller build the Standard Oil Company.

C. They wrote books and articles about the terrible working conditions.

D. They created the first settlement houses.

How did the muckrakers react to the problems people faced in the 1900s?

C. They wrote books and articles about the terrible working conditions.

What law was passed to improve health and food safety for the American people?

A. the Sherman Antitrust Act

B. the Progressive Reform Act

C. the Declaration of Independence

D. the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906

What law was passed to improve health and food safety for the American people?

D. the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906

What did the settlement house founded by Jane Addams do?

A. It helped immigrants and the poor adjust to American life.

B. It helped the government break up business monopolies.

C. It sold safe products for people to buy.

D. It helped elect President Theodore Roosevelt.

What did the settlement house founded by Jane Addams do?

A. It helped immigrants and the poor adjust to American life.