Warm up• Introduction to Progressivism
• Imagine: The year is 1900. You have always been a “glass is half-
empty” kind of person. However, as your New Year’s resolution, you have decided to try to be more optimistic about things. You have decided to make a list of all of the good things in America. You can’t, however, forget all of the negatives, so while you are making a list of all of the positives, you list beside that everything that is wrong/could improve in the country at that time.
“Gilded Age”
• Looked nice on the outside, truly was CORRUPT and dirty on the inside
• Now we are on Progressive Era
PROGRESSIVE “ERA”
SYNONYMS:• GROWING• DEVELOPING
“making progress towards better conditions”
…Why the Indians wonderful stadium
is called “Progressive Field”
Goals of the Progressive Era
• 1. Protecting Social Welfare
• 2.Promoting Moral Improvement
• 3.Creating Economic Reform
• 4.Reforming Local Government
Returning Power to the People
Protecting Social Welfare
Attempt to soften harsh conditions of Industrialism
Protecting Social Welfare: Reforms• YMCA & Salvation Army created• Established soup kitchens &
recreational facilities
• Keating-Owen Act• 1916 ban goods produced by child
labor
• Muller v. Oregon• limited women to a 10 hour workday
Returning Power to the People
Promoting Moral Improvement
Good Morals = Good Life
Promoting morals: reforms
• Temperance/Prohibition - Alcohol was undermining American morals
• Women’s Christian Temperance Union- largest women’s group is U.S. history- 245,00 members by 1911
Returning Power to the People
Returning Power to the People
Creating Economic Reform
Separating Business and Politics
Narrowing Gap Between Upper and Lower Class
Economic Reforms
Many Americans question capitalism and begin to see big business as corrupt
*Robber Barons!
Some embrace socialism -Eugene V. Debs
Returning Power to the People
Reforming Local Government
Giving Power Back to the People
Holding Officials Accountable
Government Reforms• Wisconsin Gov. Robert M. La Follette• “Fighting Bob” • 3 term governor• goal: drive corporations out of politics• main target: railroads
Returning Power to the People
17th Amendment - 1913 - Direct Election of Senators
Initiativea ballot bill by the people instead of lawmakers
Referendum a vote on the initiative
Recallpublic officials face another election before the end of their term
What do all three of
these reforms have in
common?
Natural disasters play role in reforming city Governments - state/local governments botch disaster relief efforts
Sound Familiar?
Muckrakers get their name from Theodore Roosevelt who said they were too interested in the ugly side of things.
A Muckrake is something used to clean manure out of animal’s stables
Muckrakers
• Journalists and other writers who reveal (show) the need for reform.
• Their investigative reports uncover the problems and make people want to reform them
In your groupsUse the information in the muckraker folder to complete
your chart. Muckraker Specific Area of
Concern & Publication they wrote/illustrated
3 specific details from excerpt/illustration
Jacob Riis
Ida Tarbell
Lincoln Steffens
Upton Sinclair
Thomas Nast
*Research Booker T. Washington and W.E. DuBois• Top of sheet create a Venn Diagram comparing the two men’s
ideas for African Americans
• Bottom: Create a RAFTRole: African American living in the South in 1900Audience: Letter to the EditorFormat: LetterTopic: Who has the better plan for African Americans? Why?