Progressive era (1880-1920)

1. Progressive era (1880-1920) • As the Civil War ended, increased immigration caused American cities to grow. As cities grew new problems arose. Reformers swung into action in areas such as city government, politics, public schools, and the workplace. African Americans, American Indians, immigrants, and women also called for reforms.

2. Corruption in Politics: • Powerful organization called political machines influenced city and county politics • They used both legal and illegal ways to get candidates elected to office • They would bribe voters, election officials, get only one candidate listed on the ballot, paid for votes, and even hire the people who counted the votes to make sure it turned out the way they wanted • Political machines were run by powerful bosses • One of the most famous political bosses: William Marcy Tweed of New York City (Tammany Hall) reportedly stole as much as $200 million from the City Treasury during his time in power. http://www.travelchannel.com/videos/the-story-of-boss-tweed-0217117 • Most bosses got support from new immigrants who needed more help to get by. ”The Brains” Political Cartoon by Thomas Nast

3. Solutions to political corruption? • The nation passes Civil Service Reform • Civil Service is the term used to describe government jobs… for example: police, fireman, state troopers, IRS workers, and all other government jobs are considered to be Civil Service Jobs • This was supposed to help put the most qualified candidates in the job • You had to take a test to show certain skills • The law passed in 1883 was called the Pendleton Civil Service Act and set up a merit system controlled by the Civil Service Commission. Today it covers almost 90% of all government jobs.

4. The Progressive Movement: • Reformers in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s were knows as Progressives • They worked to solve problems such as crime, disease, and poverty • Jacob Riis and Jane Addams were examples of reformers during this time. • Reformers received help from Muckrakers, journalists that helped “dig up dirt” on the problems in society • Thomas Nast and Upton Sinclair are two examples of muckrakers.

5. Solving Corruption in Politics: Solving Corruption in Politics: • Goal was to expand democracy: to help stop the political corruption by expanding the right to vote and the power of the people • The 17th Amendment is passed in 1913 and allows for the first time Americans the right to vote directly for their Senators in Congress • Voters also were given the right to call for action on many political issues: • Recall: Voters can now sign a petition asking for a special vote on an elected official. This allows them to remove elected officials if they are not happy with them. • Initiative: this allows voters to propose a new law by getting signatures on a petition. • Referendum: allows voters to sign a petition to vote on a law already in place

6. Reforming the Workplace: Child Labor Reform • Because of extremely low wages in the workplace many families sent their children to work to help the family get by • About 1.75 million children under age 15 worked in mines, mills, and factories in 1900 • Reformers helped create the National Child Labor Committee to investigate child labor and eventually pass laws

7. Safety in the Workplace: • Many pushed for higher wages and fewer working hours • Many states will pass minimum wage laws and maximum working hours • Tragic accidents bring attention to workplace safety • In 1900 alone, 35,000 people were killed by industrial accidents. Another 500,000 were injured on the job

8. Safety in the Workplace: • In 1911, the tragic and shocking fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York City caused anger and outrage • A fire broke out when over 500 mostly immigrant women and children were preparing to leave for the day • The exit doors on the 10th floor of the building were locked and over 146 workers died from the fire, some jumping to their deaths to escape the smoke and heat • Because of this shocking case and others like it, reformers called for more workplace safety and greater laws regulating working conditions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ulaG9x4GpE

9. Rise of Labor Organizations: • Unions fought for better working conditions • Workers began to unite together to demand shorter working hours, higher wages, and safety on the job • One of the most powerful unions was the American Federation of Labor (AFL) whose leader Samuel Gompers argued for safer working conditions, higher pay, collective bargaining and the right of the workers to organize • Other organizations include the Knights of Labor • Another outspoken leader of the labor movement as well as leader of the Socialist movement in the U.S was Eugene Debs Haymarket Affair: • On May 4, 1886, a labor protest rally near Chicago’s Haymarket Square turned into a riot after someone threw a bomb at police.  http://www.history.com/topics/haymarket-riot

10. Women’s Suffrage Movement: • Many women wanted more rights including the right to vote • Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony found the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890 to help get the right to vote for women • Efforts will pay off when the 19th amendment is passed in 1920 and granted all women in the United States the right to vote

11. African Americans fight for change: • After slavery ended there was still a lot of problems for African Americans including discrimination • Booker T. Washington tried to help improve conditions through education. He was a founder of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama • Ida B. Wells was more outspoken and wrote many articles drawing attention to the violent killings in the south of black men • W.E.B. Dubois took a more hands approach to fighting discrimination and helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) • NAACP worked to end discrimination and bring down the oppressive Jim Crow Laws and end segregation in the South

12. Progressive presidents:Theodore Roosevelt (Teddy)- • Teddy Roosevelt pushed for the Square Deal, where everyone’s (businessmen, workers, and consumers) rights should be balanced for the public good. • Got involved in several progressive issues including cleaning up the meat-packing industry thanks to Upton Sinclair’s book The Jungle. Because of this he pushed for the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. This regulates the manufacture, sale, and transportation of all food and drugs distributed in the United States. Also passed was the Meat Inspection Act specifically addressing Sinclair’s book. • Roosevelt also gets Congress to regulate railroad shipping costs, this helping the small farmers. • He pushed legislation through Congress, authorizing and establishing the authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission to set railroad rates.

13. Theodore Roosevelt (Teddy)- • He also becomes a big supporter of the conservation movement that worked to protect our natural resources and sets up many sites as protect federal lands. This today is known as our National Parks System, for example the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Niagara Falls, Badlands in South Dakota, Florida Everglades, etc… In total 150 million acres of public land set aside and protected William Howard Taft- • He continued Roosevelt’s path and sued many big businesses for unfair treatment of workers and for being monopolies. • Taft also continued to add more lands to the National Parks System for protection.

14. Woodrow Wilson- • He lowered tariffs with the Underwood Tariff Act of 1913. • He also reformed the tax code by pushing for the passage of the 16th Amendment in 1913 that allowed the federal government to tax our personal income. This provided a new source of income for the federal government. • He also worked to get the Federal Reserve Act passed to reform the banking industry. Created a National banking system and a federal reserve. • Wilson also pushed to reform businesses; He helped get the Clayton Antitrust Act passed in 1914 and strengthened federal laws against monopolies. • He also created the Federal Trade Commission that had the power to stop unfair trade practices.