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?