Progressive Era Lesson 1 Part I 1900-1920
Unit Essential Question Is there one American experience? Today s Objective: You will learn what is considered to be Progressivism and who were the Social Progressives. How did they help shape our country?
The Big Picture The unrestrained capitalism and laissez-faire attitude of politicians during the Gilded Age resulted in a variety of problems and exposed a need for reform. The Progressives, led by investigative journalists and urban reformers, attempted to clean up America s problems. While neither a unified nor wholly successful movement, progressives gained success in protecting the urban poor, improving urban infrastructure, restraining monopolies, regulating commerce, monitoring political corruption, expanding democratic opportunities, reforming the American tax and monetary system, conserving the environment.
What is Progressivism? Progressivism is the term applied to a variety of responses to the economic and social problems rapid industrialization introduced to the United States. Progressivism began as a social movement and grew into a political movement. Progressive reforms included prostitution, poverty, child labor, factory safety, women s rights, temperance, & political corruption.
Reforming America s Cities Progressive reform 1 st began in cities in the 1890s to address factory, tenement, labor problems: Early reformers realized that private charity was not enough to cure all social ills The Social Gospel movement was a new religious philosophy that focused on improving society & saving individual souls
Who Were the Reformers? Some of the 1 st reformers were educated, middle-class women: Women found reform was a way to improve their communities & to break out of their traditional, 19 th century social roles Scholars Politicians Preachers Teachers Journalists Social workers Writers Mostly: Young, college-educated, middle class. In other words, they were people who believed that the problems society faced (poverty, violence, greed, racism, class warfare) could best be addressed by providing good education, a safe environment, and an efficient workplace.
Progressive Beliefs Move away from laissez faire with government regulating industry Make US government responsive to the people (voting) Limit power of the political bosses. Improve worker s rights, conditions for poor and immigrants Clean up the cities End segregation and Jim Crow
4 Goals of Reformers Part I - Today 1. Protect the Social Welfare (gov t provisions of economic assistance) 2. Create Economic Reform (gov t policies for businesses) Part II - Wednesday/Thursday 3. Promote Moral Improvement (changes in character) 4. Foster Efficiency (effective use of resources/conservation)
Protect Social Welfare Industrialization was unregulated Employers felt little responsibility toward their workers Settlement houses and churches served communities Example: Hull House founded by Jane Addams The YMCA and Salvation Army took on service roles.
Women s Rights Women were key leaders in: Charity Org Society collected data on poverty & slums; led to the NY Tenement Commission Nat l Conference of Social Work used professional social workers & called for minimum wages, maximum hours, widow pensions
Create Economic Reform Reformers wanted to hold factories and companies accountable. To call out the robber barons. Robber Baron: a ruthlessly powerful U.S. capitalist or industrialist of the late 19th century considered to have become wealthy by exploiting natural resources, corrupting legislators, or other unethical means. Child Labor Horrible working conditions Not livable wages Risks
Journalism s Role in Progressivism New muckraking journalism drew attention to social problems, such as urban poverty, corruption, & big business practices: Popular monthly magazines, like McClure s & Collier s, used investigative journalism & photos Jacob Riis How the Other Half Lives (1890) was the 1 st exposé of urban poverty & slums Henry George s Progress & Poverty (1879) showed the growing gap between rich & poor Lincoln Steffan s Shame of the Cities (1902) exposed corrupt political machine bosses Ida Tarbell s History of Standard Oil (1904) revealed Rockefeller s ruthless business practices
Most Famously Upton Sinclair s The Jungle (1906) led to federal investigation of the meatpacking industry, gov t inspections, & improved sanitation Sam H. Adams exposed the dangers of patent medicines which led to the Pure Food & Drug Act requiring listing of ingredients & banned adulterated drugs
Activity Today - Analyze Primary Sources Who were the muckrakers? What types of issues did they expose? How did they help shape our country? 1. Upton Sinclair 2. Jacob Riis
Upton Sinclair Upton Sinclair was born in Maryland in 1878. His involvement with socialism led to a writing assignment about the plight of workers in the meatpacking industry, eventually resulting in the best-selling novel The Jungle (1906).
Jacob Riis In the late 19th century, progressive journalist Jacob Riis photographed urban life in order to build support for social reform. Riis also wrote descriptions of his subjects that, to some, sound condescending and stereotypical. In this lesson, students look at Riis s photographs and read his descriptions of subjects to explore the context of his work and consider issues relating to the trustworthiness of his depictions of urban life. Most well-known for: How the Other Half Lives
Progressive Era Lesson 1 Part II 1900-1920
Quick Quiz - Check for Understanding What was considered to be Progressivism? Who were the Social Reformers and what were some of the goals?
What is Progressivism? Progressivism is the term applied to a variety of responses to the economic and social problems rapid industrialization introduced to the United States. Progressivism began as a social movement and grew into a political movement. Progressive reforms included prostitution, poverty, child labor, factory safety, women s rights, temperance, & political corruption.
Who Were the Reformers? Some of the 1 st reformers were educated, middle-class women: Women found reform was a way to improve their communities & to break out of their traditional, 19 th century social roles Scholars Politicians Preachers Teachers Journalists Social workers Writers Mostly: Young, college-educated, middle class. In other words, they were people who believed that the problems society faced (poverty, violence, greed, racism, class warfare) could best be addressed by providing good education, a safe environment, and an efficient workplace.
Goals of Reformers (Part II) 3. Promote Moral Improvement (Changes in character) 4. Foster Efficiency (Effective use of resources/conservation)
Promote Moral Improvement Some reformers felt that the answers to society's problems was personal behavior. Proposed reforms such as prohibition Women s groups, like the WCTU, helped gain key reforms: - Prohibition Shocking reports of alcohol abuse led 19 states to outlaw booze & the passage of the 18 th Amendment (1920) - Prostitution By 1915, almost all states banned brothels & the Mann Act banned the interstate transport of immoral women
Foster Efficiency The Panic of 1893 prompted some Americans to question the capitalist economic system. The Panic of 1893 was a national economic crisis set off by the collapse of two of the country's largest employers, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and the National Cordage Company. Following of the failure of these two companies, a panic erupted on the stock market. Some workers embraced socialism. Eugene Debs organized the American Socialist Party in 1901. (He will run for Prez in 1912).
Efficiency Many Progressive leaders put their faith in scientific principles to make society better. In industry, Frederick Taylor began using time and motion studies to improve factory efficiency. Taylorism became an industry fad -- factories sought to complete each task quickly.
Industrialist / Robber Barons By the early 20th century, the richest 9% of Americans controlled 75% of the national wealth. The number of millionaires increased from 300 to over 4,000. Families were forced to rely on two, three, and sometimes more, incomes to make ends meet. Captains of Industry or Robber Barons?
Businessmen / Industrialists Andrew Carnegie - Steel Jay Gould - Railroads John D. Rockefeller - Oil J.P. Morgan - Banking
Crash Course