APUSH Unit 10- Roosevelt & Wilson Progressivism Chapter Guide/Lecture Notes Chapter 29 I. Elements of reform A. Diverse goals of progressivism- greater democracy, honest and efficient gov t, more efficient regulation of business, and greater social justice for the working people 1. An element of conservatism in progressivism- businesses want stability not chaos and uncertainty; reformers motivated by religious beliefs leading to moral reform 2. Urban industrial ills required government responses- schools, good roads, environmental conservation, public health and welfare, care of the disabled, and others B. Antecedents to progressivism 1. Populism- reform shifted to cities, middle-class activists attacking political corruption and urban development 2. The Mugwumps- the honest-gov t ideal: urban problems such as crime and efficient provision of utilities (gas, electricity, etc.) 3. Socialism- socialist doctrines were countered by the growing influence of mainstream reforms C. The Muckrakers 1. Remedying complex social ills and issues required raising public awareness, which would in turn spur political action, would lead to those investigative journalists who thrived on exposing these social ills; the chief outlets for these social critics were inexpensive magazines that began to flourish such in the 1890s, such as Arena and McClure s 2. Jacob Riis- a Danish immigrant, who exposed New York City slum conditions in How the Other Half Lives (1890) 3. Lincoln Steffens- the golden age of muckraking is sometimes dated from 1902, which McClure s ran Steffen s article about municipal corruptions, later collected into a book, The Shame of Cities (1904) 4. Ida M. Tarbell- published in McClure s, History of the Standard Oil Company (1904), which Tarbell wrote about the revelations of predatory practices and rigged railroad rates helped convince the Supreme Court in 1911 to rule that the Standard Oil Company must be dismantled II. The main features of progressivism A. Greater democracy- promoted to democratize gov t and encourage greater political participation 1. Direct primaries- the nomination of candidates by the vote of all party members rather than an inner circle of activists
2. The initiative, referendum, and recall- procedures enabling voters to enact laws directly a. Initiative- a designated number of voters petitioning to have a measure put on the ballot b. Referendum- the electorates then could vote on the initiative up or down 1. In 1898, South Dakota became the first state to adopt the initiative and referendum c. Recall- whereby corrupt or incompetent public officials could be removed from office by a public petition and a vote 1. In 1910, Oregon became the first to adopt it 3. Popular election of senators a. The Senate came under increasing attack as a millionaires club ; in 1912, the Senate finally accepted the inevitable and agreeing to the Seventeenth Amendment, authorizing popular election of senators; the amendment was ratified in 1913 B. "The gospel of efficiency" 1. Frederick W. Taylor and The Principles of Scientific Management (1911)- scientific industrial management as it came to be known, promised to reduce waste through scientific analysis of labor processes 2. New ideas for municipal government-commission system and the citymanager plan a. In 1901, Galveston, TX adopted the commission system, which ultimate authority is in a board composed of elected administrated heads of city departments--- commissioners of police, sanitation, etc. b. In 1908, in Staunton, VA, the more durable city-manager plan was first adopted, which a professional administrator ran the municipal gov t in accordance with policies set by the elected council and mayor 3. Robert La Follette and the "Wisconsin Idea" a. Established a Legislative Bureau to provide research, advice, and help in drafting legislation, which this Idea promoted a efficient and more scientific gov t C. Corporate regulation 1. Alternative solutions to the problems of big business- laissez-faire or socialist program of public ownership of big business 2. The trend toward regulation D. Social justice- women, mainly middle-class married, Christian women, were the driving force behind the grassroots progressive movement 1. Labor laws a. Child labor- the National Child Labor Committee, organized in 1904, led a movement which would, in ten years, be instrumental in pushing legislation in most states to ban labor of underage children (minimum age varying from 12 to 16) and limiting hours older children may work
b. The Supreme Court and state labor laws 1. Lochner v. New York (1905), the Court voided a ten-hourworkday law because it violated workers liberty of contract to accept any terms they chose 2. Muller v. Oregon (1908), the Court held up a ten-hourworkday law for women on the basis of sociological data regarding the effects of long hours on the health and morals of women 3. Bunting v. Oregon (1917), the Court held up a ten-hourworkday law for men and women but held out against state minimum wage laws for another twenty years 4. Legislation to protect workers against avoidable accidents gained impetus from disasters- 1911, Triangle Shirtwaist Company in NYC- 146 died, mainly Jewish and Italian immigrant women, many in their teens--- led to stricter building codes and factory-inspection acts 2. Prohibition III. Roosevelt's progressivism-first term 1. In 1902, Roosevelt endorsed a Square Deal, which called for rigorous enforcement of existing anti-trust laws and stricter controls on big business 2. Trusts 1. Roosevelt thought effective regulation better than attempts to restore competition 2. Decision in United States v. E. C. Knight (1895) held manufacturing (sugar) to be intrastate activity, however, railroads engaged in interstate commerce 3. Supreme Court ordered the Northern Securities Company (J.P. Morgan s and other assoc.) dissolved 3. Anthracite coal strike of 1902 1. Workers struck for more pay and fewer hours 2. Mine owners closed mines 3. Roosevelt threatened to take over the mines and send in an army to run them 4. More trust cases 1. Overall, brought about 25 antitrust suits 2. Swift and Company v. United States (1905), probably most notable victory, which stated manufacturing was strictly intrastate, however, livestock and meat products of packers moved in the stream of interstate commerce and therefore are subject to federal regulation 5. Antitrust and regulatory legislation of 1903 1. Creation of the Bureau of Corporations- created by Congress to monitor activities of interstate corporations
2. The Elkins Act (1903)- passed by Congress, which made it illegal for railroads to take, as well as to give, secret rebates on freight charges to their favorite customers; all shippers would pay the same price IV. Roosevelt's progressivism-second term A. The election of 1904 1. Theodore Roosevelt (R) defeated the former chief justice of New York, Alton B. Parker (D), by the Electoral College vote of 336 to 140 B. The Hepburn Act of 1906- for the first time gave the ICC the power to set maximum freight rates, extending its reach beyond the railroads, i.e., oil pipelines C. Food and drug regulations 1. Campaign against patent medicines 2. Upton Sinclair's The Jungle (1906) and meat packers- Sinclair meant to promote socialism, however, his investigations spurred political action 3. The Meat Inspection Act (1906)- required federal inspection of meats destined for interstate commerce and empowered officials in the Agricultural Department to impose sanitation standards in processing plants 4. The Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)- enacted the same day, placed restrictions on the makers of prepared foods and patent medicines and forbade the mfg., sale, or transportation of adulterated, misbranded, or harmful foods, drugs, and liquors D. Conservation 1. Origins tied to the sportsman-naturalist a. Roosevelt a model 3. Effect of state conservation laws- conservationists championed efforts to manage and preserve the natural environment for future generations, such as George Bird Grinnell, founder of the Audubon Society; however, local hunters, including American Indians were stressed by these new laws 4. Gifford Pinchot- close friend and the nation s first professional forester; head of the Division of Forestry supported Roosevelt s progressive notion of efficiency and gov t regulation, especially towards conservation (scientific management of natural resources to serve the public interests) 5. Hetch Hetchy project 6. Reclamation Act, also known as the Newlands Act (1902)- established a new federal agency with the Interior Department, called the Reclamation Service, to administer a massive new program designed to bring water to arid western states E. The election of 1908 1. Roosevelt handpicked Taft- Secretary of War, William Howard Taft versus the Democrat William Jennings Bryan 2. Taft's victory over Bryan- Electoral College vote, 321 to 162; third-party candidate Eugene V. Debs, Socialist party candidate, garnered appx. 421,000 votes
V. William Howard Taft's progressivism 1. Taft's early career 2. Tariff reform 1. Taft wanted lower tariff 2. Tariff raised many rates 3. Fearful of party split, Taft backed new tariff 3. Dollar Diplomacy 1. This foreign policy was evident in extensive in the Far East, such as China, and U.S. interventions in the Caribbean and Central America, especially in measures undertaken to safeguard American financial interests in the region 4. Ballinger-Pinchot controversy 1. Chief of Forestry Gifford Pinchot went public with accusations against Secretary of the Interior Richard A. Ballinger a. Ballinger turned over certain federal coal lands in Alaska to a group of Seattle tycoons, some he represented as a lawyer; the group had already agreed to sell part of the land for commercial development, apparently without Ballinger s knowledge b. As Chief of Forestry, Pinchot reported the collusion to President Taft, who refused to intervene 2. Pinchot fired by Taft for insubordination- early in 1910, Pinchot went public which led to his firing 3. Taft's image as progressive tarnished 5. The Taft-Roosevelt break 1. Roosevelt upset about Taft replacing many of his cabinet members with corporate attorneys, along with Pinchot s dismissal 2. United States Steel suit- previously Roosevelt approved has an attempt to avoid a business panic 3. Review of accomplishments of Taft's administration a. Statehood for AZ and NM and territorial gov t for AK (1912) b. Sixteenth Amendment (1913)- authorized a federal income tax c. Seventeenth Amendment (1913)- provided for popular election of senators