APUSH CH 28

Progressivism

• During this time, there is a rise in urban poverty, cities, industrialization, immigration, racial inequality, crime, and disease.

• Key Question: Should the federal govt continue to have limited powers, or should they become more active in order to resolve the problems of the modern world, shape society, and protect American interests abroad.

• Progressivism: demonstrated the need for reform (1st attempt at evaluating the role of govt), wanted to limit the power of monopolies and improve the general public's working and living conditions

  • no more laissez faire policy: govt finally takes action to protect the consumer and get

• Muckrakers: derogatory name given by President Roosevelt to reporters who exposed problems in society to encourage reform. They often targeted corruption between big business and govt and social injustices wanted to improve capitalism, NOT get rid of it.

  • Ida Tarbell: exposed the corruption of Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company
  • Jacob Riis: described the horrors of New York slums
  • Thorstein Veblen: said the elite class was making wasteful business (making money just to become richer) instead of productive activities, like making goods that satisfy real needs
  • Ray Stannard Baker: described how many blacks were still illiterate and often subject to racial violence.

• Social Gospel: wealthy feel morally (and religiously) obligated to help the poor for advancement of civilization (progressivism based on Christian teachings and morals). Wealthy people donate to schools, leading to an increased quality of education, spurs reform

• Muller V. Oregon (1908): said laws restricting women to 10 hour workdays were constitutional seen as a victory because it contradicted the norm of employers controlling everything and gave 'protections' to women workers, who were seen as more fragile and weak to keep up with the demands of industry.

• Progressives were a diverse group with various motives for reforms: pacifists who wanted to abolish war, settlement house workers who wanted to assimilate immigrants, labor unionists who wanted greater govt regulation, (often wealthy) women who wanted suffrage, etc (Women justified their involvement as an extension of their traditional homemaking, not a rejection)

• Political Reforms: aimed to undercut the power of political party bosses

  • Initiative: voters could directly propose legislation, by passing the state legislatures which party bosses tended to have a stronghold over.
  • Referendum: laws would be placed on the ballot and would have to be approved by the people to pass more difficult for big business agents to 'railroad' in laws that benefited them
  • Recall: elected officials who had accepted bribes from big business or lobbyists were removed by the people less opportunity for corruption in govt
  • Australian Ballot: voters can secretly mark their choice when voting and don't feel intimidated into choosing certain candidates
  • 17th amendment: direct election of Senators by the people → again reduced the power of the part bosses and weakens the link between big business and govt.
  • Wisconsin gov. Robert La Follette notably took control away from corruption corporations and devised a system to regulate public utilities.

Other things to know

• Lochner v. New York (1905): a New York state law had est. a 10 hour workday for bakers, but the court invalidates the law
  • seen as setback for the labor movement and shows Progressivism was not always successful.
• Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911): fire erupted, but locked doors and other fire code violations prevented the women workers from escaping: many either jumped out of the building or burned to death
  • Led to worker's compensation laws
• Square Deal: Roosevelt aims to address the 3 C's by passing acts to reform corrupt Corporations, protect Consumers, and Conserve the environment becomes known for 'trust-busting.
• Coal Strike of 1902: coal workers strike for more pay and less working hour- Roosevelt threatens to shut down the mine if the owners don't give in to their demands for once, the President is siding with labor instead of protecting business interests

Controlling Operations

• Elkins Act (1903): railroad companies who gave rebates to companies (so that the companies would prefer to use their rail line) and shippers who accepted them were punished allowed for competitive railroad rates; no monopoly
• Hepburn Act (1906): banned free passes, when RR would give companies free rides in the hopes of future business.
• Northern Securities Case (1902): RR company that tried to monopolize th industry in the Northwest Roosev breaks the trust, 1st time that antitru legislation is used to break up a trust instead of a labor union.

Consumer Protections

• Upton Sinclair's The Jungle (1906): described the unsanitary conditions of meat workers; hoped to incite sympathy for their plight, but people were more concerned about the cleanliness of the meat they were eating.
• Meat Inspection Act (1906): said the federal govt would regulate and inspect meat industry.
  • shows that government cares about public concerns; no more laissez faire.
• Pure Food & Drug Act (1906): people were worried about being sold mislabeled food and drugs, so the FDA regulates the labels so consumers are informed
  • more government regulation of business to ensure no malpractice.

Conserving the Environment

• Hetch Hetchy Valley: Controversy arises when preservationists wanted to leave the valley as it is, but conservationists wanted to protect it while also using it efficiently and responsibly conservationists win, a dam is built, preservation ists were upset. Companies find ways to work with the federal government over preservation of natural resources. Debate will continue as to how much the nation should protect/use nature.
• Election of 1908: Republicans chose Willian Taft, while Democrats chose Jennings Bryan → Taft wins

Taft and Introduction to Wilson

• Aside from way more trust busting, Taft didn't do much compared to Roosevelt, but did use dollar diplomacy, which supported US investments abroad in areas that were strategically significant (for example, near central America to ensure the security of the Panama Canal). Strengthened foreign policy and defense more profits.
• Payne-Aldrich Bill (1909): remember, progressives in the Republican party wanted to lower protective tariff to prevent monopoliesTaft angers them because the bill keeps high rates on the most used imports. but he thinks it's a good bill.
• Ballinger-Pinchot Quarrel: Taft fires well liked conservationist for insubordination, further splitting the Republican party.
• Election of 1912:
  • Democrats choose Woodrow Wilson
  • Republicans choose T.Roosevelt (wants to challenge Taft for nomination because he felt like Taft hadn't followed TR's policies)
  • Socialist Eugene Debs (known for organizing many labor protests)
• New Nationalism: Roosevelt uses a comprehensive progressive platform to gain support from many different groups, advocated mostly for strict regulatory agencies
  • not as free function as Wilson, doesn't gain as much support.
• New Freedom: Wilson called for unmonopolized (and unregulated) markets, controlled by antitrust laws, banking reforms, and tariff reductions → very popular, helped Wilson win the election of 1912. Took measures that increased competition instead of government requlation.