Gilded Age Reforms Henry George Progress and Poverty and Edward Bellamy Looking Backward - Forward thinking authors William James and Pragmatism - Ideas defined by consequences
December 20, 2010 Informed Public Larger circulation of magazines such as Atlantic, Century, Scribner, McClure's, Cosmopolitan, etc. Ashcan School of Artists - Defined by drawing and painting city scenes
What is a Muckraker? Term coined by Teddy Roosevelt from Bunyon's book Pilgrim's Progress Upton Sinclair's The Jungle - Exposed corruption in the meat packing industry, one of the problem trusts Jacob Riis - How the Other Half Lives - exposé of life in the tenements - Exposed life in the slums and led to urban reform Lincoln Steffens The Shame of the Cities published in McClure's Magazine - Exposed corruption in state and local governments Ida Tarbell - American's Magazine - Exposé on Standard Oil Edwin Markham published an exposé of child labor in Children in Bondage (1914) David Graham Phillips' Cosmopolitan article, "The Treason of the Senate," a bitter indictment of political corruption, provoked President Roosevelt's wrath, but created momentum that would culminate in the adoption of the 17th Amendment Henry Demarest Lloyd's Wealth against Commonwealth (1894) chronicled the rise of John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil Ray Stannard Baker examined the sad state of race relations in America in Following the Color Line (1908) Brand Whitlock expressed his opposition to capital punishment in the novel The Turn of the Balance (1907), while serving as the reform mayor of Toledo, Ohio Samuel Hopkins Adams won fame from his muckraking exposés of the patent medicine industry Muckraking fades over time because of 1. lack of good stories, 2. advertising pressure 3. growth of public relations as an industry
Organized Labor Conflict between immigrant habits, tyranny of the clock and Taylorism American Federation of Labor Growth to two million members Gompers promotes cooperation but strikes bring backlash Pressure from National Association of Manufacturing use of scabs, strike breakers, blacklisting, etc More sympathy for women and children Women's trade unions grow Sweat shops Shirtwaist dresses being manufactured ILGWU protested conditions Some success, mainly ignored Until the Triangle fire Federal Industrial Relations Committee 1913 response to triangle fire and Ludlow Massacre discovered class conflict from poor distribution of wealth and hired guns report went no where Radical Response Eugene Debs - Socialist Mother Jones, Bill Haywood form IWW Too radical for Debs Haywood tried for murder of former Governor of Idaho Strikes in 1912 and 1913 Almost resulted in class warfare
Women's Roles Seen as the moral authority from outside the government Jane Addams - Hull House Lillian Wald - Public Health Florence Kelly - Worked toward women's labor rights Frances Kellor - Social worker Infectious optimism with African Americans DuBois Addams NAACP Grandfather clause deemed unconstitutional But - Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith glorifies the Klan and sets back race relations
Municipal Reform Reaction by the middle class to the excesses of industrial power and one party city machine politics Mayoral power was stronger after push for home rule vs. state legislatures City beautiful vs. Social Justice - less grandeur, more help for poor and disadvantaged Trend toward municipal ownership of city services, transportation, water, sewage, etc.
States Initiative - People can sponsor bills Referendum - Questions placed on ballots Recall - Remove elected officials from office Direct Primary - as opposed to political party naming candidates Louis Brandeis says the "states are the laboratories of America." Seventeenth Amendment - Direct election of Senators
Education Learning should be child centered Learn by doing to accommodate society become an instrument of change Education of all not just the brightest Placing middle class values on lower class immigrants
Women and the Progressive Era Muller v. Oregon - 10 hour day in 1908 Lochner case 1905 NYC bakers could not be limited by hours Suffrage Western states gave women vote first Eastern men worried about women being pro prohibition NAWSA - Carrie Chapman Catt organized state by state National Women's Party of Congressional Union - Alice Paul - More radical Women finally given vote after WW I by Wilson Contraception Margaret Sanger violated Comstock Law of 1873 Fled to Europe to avoid arrest in 1914 Returned in 1921 formed American Birth Control League - became Planned Parenthood Prohibition by 1915 2/3rds of states had laws restricting or prohibiting sale and consumption of alcohol Congress passed the 18th Amendment Alcohol was tied to prostitution drugs and political corruption Mann Act - prohibited interstate transport of females for "immoral purposes" - think Elliot Spitzer Most laws missed the root cause, poverty, education, ets
Roosevelt's Administration Elihu Root - State William Howard Taft - War James Garfield - Interior Gifford Pinchot - Forestry Reorganized Army, Navy, Consular Service Open door to progressives Micromanages everything right down to a football conference on how to deal with violence and death in football
Trust Buster Test Case 1904 - Northern Securities Trust - Railroad monopoly - Northern Pacific, Great Northern and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy RRs. Public outcry over monopoly and price gouging Win for Roosevelt first of 45 Roosevelt said there were good and bad trusts Large corporations were to be expected Railroads 1903 - Elkins Act - strengthened the ICC by heavily fining railroads that offered rebates to preferred customers 1906 - Hepburn Act - Allowed ICC to set maximum rates for shipping Gained support from public due to transparency Established new Department of Commerce and Labor Mine Workers Strike Dangerous work United Mine Workers - John Mitchell leader Demanded 8 hour work day and 10-20% increase offered arbitration owners used usual strike breakers Roosevelt threatens to use troops Compromise at 10% and 9 hour day
Roosevelt's Square Deal Believed workers had a right to join a union without interference championed open shop for gov. workers Gained support of farmers, small business, professionals and labor seen as willing to take on big money helped middle class, attacked trusts and protected business from organized labor unreasonable demands Pure Food and Drug Act Initially reaction by Meat Inspection Act as a result of The Jungle Act aimed at safety of drugs Conservation Roosevelt was an outdoorsman 1902 National Reclamation Act - allowed for use of land for irrigation Development of National Conservation commission Led to the development of the National parks and government land preserved Race Mixed Record - supports ideas but dishonorably discharges soldiers who complain about race discrimination
Taft Handpicked by Roosevelt Wanted to be a judge - wife wanted White House Not a politician Tried to lower tariffs Old Guard Republicans high jacked Compromise led to 16th Amendment and first tax on corporate profits Mann - Elkins Act - expanded role of ICC but also a compromise with the Old Guard over Progressives Opened land previously closed for development Prosecuted more anti-trust suites in one term than Roosevelt did in two
1912 Election Democrats selected Wilson Born in Georgia Football player from Wesleyan University NJ Governor Wrote the book Congressional Government criticizing weak presidents Republicans Old Guard rigs convention to nominate Taft Progressives and Roosevelt Supporters left Formed Progressive Party (Bull Moose Party) Roosevelt campaigned on minimum wage women's vote eight hour day social insurance expert oversight Wilson used the ideas in Brandeis' book Other People's Money and How the Bankers Use it Banks and trusts controlled raw materials money and markets should be broken up to competition Championed the Jeffersonian idea of limited government
Wilson's Administration First two years are a great success First President to appear before Congress since Adams Underwood Tariff - lowered basic tariff rates but reaffirmed income taxes following passage of the sixteenth amendment Uses public opinion to get past special interests in the senate Banking System Nation still using Civil War era system Changed and compromised Not one large private bank but instead 12 regional banks and federal reserve notes issued or recalled to balance money supply Moved closer to his idea of New Nationalism with the Federal Trade Commission Clayton Act no interlocking directorates or exchange of stock to reduce competition Wilson's final acts before WWI Federal Farm Loan Act - Low interest loans to farmers Seamans Act - fair treatment and living wage to merchant marine Workman's Compensation Act Restriction of child labor - struck down by Supreme Court Adamson Act - Railroad workers receive and 8 hour day with 10 hour pay Appointed Louis Brandeis to the Supreme Court but accelerated segregation in government