The Origins of Progressivism - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

The Origins of Progressivism

At the beginning of the new century, reformers1 addressed many of the problems that had contributed to the social upheavals of the late 1800s.Slide2

The Origins of Progressivism

Journalists and writers exposed the unsafe conditions that factory workers, including women and children, often faced.Slide3

The Origins of Progressivism

Intellectuals questioned the dominant role oflarge corporations in American society.Slide4

The Origins of Progressivism

Political reformers struggled to make government more responsive to the people.Slide5

The Origins of Progressivism

Together, these reform efforts formed theprogressive movement2,...Slide6

The Origins of Progressivism

...which aimed to return control of the government to the people, restore economic opportunities, and correct injustices in American life.Slide7

The Origins of Progressivism

Unlike populism3, the movement

that started with dissatisfied farmers, the progressive movement attracted middle-class city dwellers, who included writers, teachers, and scholars.Slide8

The Origins of Progressivism

Even though they never completely agreed on the problems or the solutions, these progressives sought to cure the many social problems caused by industrialization4. Slide9

The Origins of Progressivism

However, every progressive reform movement had at least one of the following four goals:Slide10

The Origins of Progressivism

I. Protecting Social Welfare –Slide11

The Origins of Progressivism

I. Protecting Social Welfare –

Social welfare reformers strove to relieve urban problems and

harsh effects of industrialization.

Grew out of the Social Gospel and settlement house movements.

5Slide12

The Origins of Progressivism

I. Protecting Social Welfare –

Social welfare reformers strove to relieve urban problems and

harsh effects of industrialization.

Grew out of the Social Gospel and settlement house movements.

5

Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) -

opened libraries, sponsored classes, and built swimming pools and parks.

6Slide13

The Origins of Progressivism

I. Protecting Social Welfare –

Social welfare reformers strove to relieve urban problems and

harsh effects of industrialization.

Grew out of the Social Gospel and settlement house movements.

5

Salvation Army -

fed poor people in soup kitchens, cared for children in nurseries, and sent “slum brigades” to convert poor immigrants to the middle-class values of hard work and temperance.

7Slide14

The Origins of Progressivism

I. Protecting Social Welfare –

Social welfare reformers strove to relieve urban problems and

harsh effects of industrialization.

Grew out of the Social Gospel and settlement house movements.

5

Florence Kelly

- lived in Jane

Addam’s

Hull House in Chicago; advocated for improving the lives of women and children; became chief inspector of factories for Illinois and helped win the passage of the Illinois Factory Act in 1893

8Slide15

The Origins of Progressivism

I. Protecting Social Welfare –

Social welfare reformers strove to relieve urban problems and

harsh effects of industrialization.

Grew out of the Social Gospel and settlement house movements.

5

Illinois Factory Act -

prohibited child labor and limited women’s working hours, soon became a model for other states

9Slide16

The Origins of Progressivism

II. Promoting Moral Improvement –Slide17

The Origins of Progressivism

II. Promoting Moral Improvement –Reformers offered programs to uplift immigrants and poor city dwellers by improving personal behavior

Prohibition, the banning of alcoholic beverages, was one such program

10Slide18

The Origins of Progressivism

II. Promoting Moral Improvement –Reformers offered programs to uplift immigrants and poor city dwellers by improving personal behavior

Prohibition, the banning of alcoholic beverages, was one such program

10

Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) -

founded in Chicago in 1873, promoted the goal of prohibition Members entered saloons, singing, praying,

and urging saloonkeepers to stop

selling alcohol

11Slide19

The Origins of Progressivism

II. Promoting Moral Improvement –Slide20

The Origins of Progressivism

II. Promoting Moral Improvement –Reformers offered programs to uplift immigrants and poor city dwellers by improving personal behavior

Prohibition, the banning of alcoholic beverages, was one such program

10

Frances Willard -

transformed the WCTU from a small mid-western religious group into a powerful national organization

WCTU members opened kindergartens

for immigrants, visited inmates in prisons,

and worked for suffrage

12Slide21

The Origins of Progressivism

II. Promoting Moral Improvement –Reformers offered programs to uplift immigrants and poor city dwellers by improving personal behavior

Prohibition, the banning of alcoholic beverages, was one such program

10

Anti-Saloon League –

founded in 1895, called itself

“the Church in action against the saloon”

Endorsed politicians that supported

prohibition

Convinced many states, towns, and

cities to prohibit the sale, production,

or use of alcohol

13Slide22

The Origins of Progressivism

II. Promoting Moral Improvement –Reformers offered programs to uplift immigrants and poor city dwellers by improving personal behavior

Prohibition, the banning of alcoholic beverages, was one such program

10

Carry Nation –

worked for prohibition by walking into

saloons, scolding the customers, and using her hatchet to destroy the bottles of liquor

14Slide23

The Origins of Progressivism

Creating Economic Reform –Slide24

The Origins of Progressivism

Creating Economic Reform –

A severe economic panic, or depression, in 1893 promptedsome Americans to question the capitalist economic system.

15Slide25

The Origins of Progressivism

Creating Economic Reform –

A severe economic panic, or depression, in 1893 promptedsome Americans to question the capitalist economic

System.

15

Henry

George & Edward Bellamy

–

writers that

criticized the laissez-faire theory

16

The capitalist ideal of competition is a “brutal and cowardly slaughter of the unarmed and overmatched by bullies in armor.”Slide26

The Origins of Progressivism

Creating Economic Reform –

A severe economic panic, or depression, in 1893 promptedsome Americans to question the capitalist economic

System.

15

Eugene V.

Debs

–

organized

the American Socialist Party in 1900

17Slide27

The Origins of Progressivism

Creating Economic Reform –

A severe economic panic, or depression, in 1893 promptedsome Americans to question the capitalist economic

System.

15

Muckrakers

–

journalists

who wrote about the corrupt side of business in magazines during the early 20

th

century

18Slide28

The Origins of Progressivism

Creating Economic Reform –

A severe economic panic, or depression, in 1893 promptedsome Americans to question the capitalist economic

System.

11

Ida M. Tarbell

–

muckraking author of “History of the Standard Oil Company” in

McClure’s Magazine

19Slide29

The Origins of Progressivism

IV. Fostering Efficiency

–Slide30

The Origins of Progressivism

IV. Fostering Efficiency

–

Reformers tried to increase the efficiency of American society

20Slide31

The Origins of Progressivism

IV. Fostering Efficiency

–

Reformers tried to increase the efficiency of American society

20

Scientific

Management

–

the effort to improve

efficiency in the work place by applying scientific principles to make tasks simpler and easier

21Slide32

The Origins of Progressivism

IV. Fostering Efficiency

–

Reformers tried to increase the efficiency of American society

20

Principles of Scientific

Management

–

author Frederick

Winslow Taylor declared, “time studies of work forms the basis of modern management”

22Slide33

The Origins of Progressivism

IV. Fostering Efficiency

–

Reformers tried to increase the efficiency of American society

20

Assembly Line Production

–

introduced by Ford Motor Company in 1913;

led to a huge increase in production, but exhausted workers

23Slide34

The Origins of Progressivism

In many states,

political machines24 rewarded their supporters with jobs and kickbacks and openly bought votes with favors and bribes.Slide35

The Origins of Progressivism

During the progressive movement, efforts were made to reform politics to make government more efficient and responsive to its constituents.Slide36

The Origins of Progressivism

But those efforts also grew from distrust of immigrants’ participation in politics.Slide37

The Origins of Progressivism

The first step in reforming political machines was the adoption of the secret ballot25, also called the Australian ballot.Slide38

The Origins of Progressivism

Next, the initiative26 and the referendum

27 gave citizens the power to create laws.Slide39

The Origins of Progressivism

Citizens could petition to place an initiative—a bill originated by the people rather than lawmakers—on the ballot.Slide40

The Origins of Progressivism

Then voters, instead of the legislature, accepted or rejected the initiative by referendum28, a vote on the initiative.Slide41

The Origins of Progressivism

The recall29 enabled voters to remove public officials from elected positions by forcing them to face another election before the end of their term if enough voters asked for it.Slide42

The Origins of Progressivism

To force Senators to be more responsive to the public, progressives pushed for the popular election of senators.Slide43

The Origins of Progressivism

Before 1913, state legislatures had chosen United States senators, a process that put even more power in the hands of party bosses and wealthy corporation heads.Slide44

The Origins of Progressivism

The Seventeenth Amendment30 allowed states

to begin choosing senators by means of the direct primary.Slide45

The Origins of Progressivism

Natural disasters sometimes played an important role in prompting reform of government.Slide46

The Origins of Progressivism

In 1900, a hurricane31 swept out of the Gulf of Mexico and demolished Galveston, Texas.Slide47

The Origins of Progressivism

The politicians on the city council botched the huge relief and rebuilding job so badly that the Texas legislature appointed a five-member commission of experts to take over.Slide48

The Origins of Progressivism

The commission was so successful that by 1917, 500 cities had replaced city councils with commissions.Slide49

The Origins of Progressivism

Local reforms coincided with progressive effortsat the state level.Slide50

The Origins of Progressivism

Spurred by progressive governors, many states passedlaws to regulate railroads, mines, mills, telephone companies, and other large businesses.Slide51

The Origins of Progressivism

Wisconsin Governor, Robert M. La Follette32, led the way in driving big businesses out of politics.