Progressive Era

Why were the farmers upset?

Farmers were upset because the crop prices were unstable and started to decrease consistently. More food (supply) & More Competition results in a decrease in prices. New technology allowed more land to be farmed. But, more food on the market drove down prices and profits. The railroad increased rates and farmers couldn't go to a different railroad because they are in a monopoly. Price fixing is when more successful farmers have been charged lower rates. Small farms would still be charged increased prices.

16th Amendment

Graduated income tax (the more you make the more you pay). Both amendments were goals of the Populist party.

3 C's

Conservation: protecting the environment because it can provide natural resources, Consumer Protection: concern for public health and better food, Corporation Regulation: preventing abuses of monopolies and railroads & good trusts vs bad trusts

Political Machines (overall)

Controlled city governments. Political machines were run by bosses, who were powerful leaders that traded favors for votes, power and money. Bosses would promise more money or a position in the government, in return for other voting for them. Famous political machine is Tammany Hall led by Boss Tweed. They helped immigrants obtain jobs,give out food, understand their problems and communicated with each other. Could be greedy and vindictive (revenge) and stole millions from taxpayers in graft (gaining power and money through illegal ways or an unfair gain)

How did the initiative, recall, referendum, and primary help increase democracy?

These laws gave the people more power to vote and express their opinion in federal/state decisions. Through these processes, voters can adopt a change in law (an initiative), disapprove a law passed by the Legislature (a referendum), or remove an elected official from office (a recall). People are receiving more power instead of the government. Our country further increased democracy with secret ballots. These were printed by the states and required voters to mark their choices in the privacy of a curtain booth to ensure no one was manipulating a voter's decision. All of these laws were increasing the power of the people. They ensured Americans were able to voice their opinion safely and helped them have a larger voice in decision making and voting.

Goals of Populists Party

They wanted to change the currency and in order to increase their prices they wanted to change the gold for silver, The silver wasn't rare making more people buy their crops (inflation). Farmers wanted to have the people choosing who would be the best in the U.S Senate. Not the wealthy men because they wouldn't care about the middle class. Having people who looked out for the public's interest was what they wanted. They wanted the wealthy to be taxed more heavily and believed that it wasn't fair that just the middle class had to have taxes on goods and tariffs.

Pure Food and Drug Act

an act passed in 1906 to require the company list the accurate ingredients within the product including food and drugs. This act was passed as a response to Upton Sinclair's (muckraker) article. The consumers/public were trying to be protected with these laws.

The Grange and Farmers' Alliance

both wanted to help farmers face their issues and created a political party the People's Party (Populist Party)

Voter Fraud

individuals voted more than once in elections through the support of political machines, they would change their appearances multiple times allowing them to vote more than once

Pendleton Civil Service Act

passed in 1883 to state that federal jobs would be based on an exam (not a favor)

Teddy Roosevelt

president from 1901-1909 that contributed greatly to the Progressive Era.

William Taft

president from 1909-1913 that contributed to the Progressive Era. He broke up large monopolies, and empowered the ICC to set railroad rates.

Woodrow Wilson

president from 1913-1921 and establishment of the Federal Reserve and Federal Trade Commission.

Secret Ballot

printed by the state and requiring voters to mark their choices secretly within the privacy of a curtained booth. By 1910, voting in all states was done this way.

Ida B. Wells

the murders from lynching outraged African American muckraker, Ida B. Wells. In her newspaper Free Speech, Wells called for nationwide protests of the lynchings. While Congress rejected an anti-lynching bill, the number of lynchings decreased significantly in the 1900s because of Wells efforts. The significance of Ida B. Wells was she spoke out against lynching and exposed the racial inequality occurring in the South. Helped W.E.B. Du Bois create the NAACP (The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) as a response to the ongoing violence towards African Americans.

Primary Election

voters are able to vote in the primary election to narrow the field of candidates for a given elective office or to determine the nominees for political parties in advance of a general election.

Recall

voters have the power to vote an elected official out of office before his or her term ends. Voters could remove an elected official from office before their term ended.

Robert La Follette - Wisconsin Plan

was a Wisconsin governor who was a reformer with many ideas for change including lowering railroad rates. La Follete had an idea for a Progressive experiment called the Wisconsin Idea. It was the belief that efficient government should be controlled by voters rather than businesses and lobbyists. He also believed specialists in law, economics and the social and natural sciences would produce the most effective government possible. He wanted to change the voting system and make it a more secure system.

Muckraker

was a crusading journalist who used the press to turn public opinion against corruption. Muckrakers exposed corruption and bad business practices in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They did this with the goal of change.

Jacob Riis

was a famous muckraker and photographer during the Progressive Era. He captured the attention of Americans with the documentation of photographs. Riis took pictures in the streets of very poor neighborhoods, studied cases of the ill and poor, included internet statistics, and had close association with government authorities and health officers. With his book How the Other Half Lives (1890), he shocked his readers with photographs and factual descriptions of poor conditions in New York City.

What is a progressive? What is a muckraker? Give examples of how they caused change to happen.

A Progressive was a reformer in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They were forward-thinking people who wanted to improve American life. Progressives were always a group of people who came from many backgrounds and backed different causes. Progressives were united by a belief that the ills of society could be solved. Progressives wanted the government to act in the public interest, for the good of the people. A muckraker was a crusading journalist who used the press to turn public opinion against corruption. Muckrakers exposed corruption and bad business practices in the late 1800s and early 1900s. These people would cause change by making the public aware of their ideas and advocating for change. For example, Upton Sinclair was a famous muckraker who wrote a book about the meatpacking industry. This book sent a shock wave through Americans and made more people aware of the issues that needed to be changed. Some famous progressive reformers were Booker T. Washington andW. E. B. Du Bois who both advocated for racial equality.

The Election of 1896 William Jennings Bryan

A famous speech was written by William Jennings Bryan called the "Cross of Gold." He stated Everyone is a hard worker and they should all be respected and accepted equally. Neither is more important than the other. The government had turned down everything they asked for, and didn't allow them to have what they asked for. He also stated the cities are dependent on the farms, even if cities burn down but farmers can easily build it back up. His famous line "You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold." This was a reference to Jesus and when he was nailed to the cross of gold. He is stating the cross of gold (gold standard is killing the farmers just like the cross killed Jesus. William McKinley who wins because of the heavily populated North and East had voted for him

17th Amendment

Direct election of senators. Both amendments were goals of the Populist party.

Tenement Inspection Act

Jacob Riis shocked Americans by revealing how the other half lived and the awful conditions of the tenements. He contributed to help the government pass this act which was to ensure tenements were safe and followed the rules/regulations of the city.

How did Jacob Riis' How the Other Half Lives create change?

Jacob Riis' was a famous muckraker who revealed how the poor live through photographs. He captured the attention of Americans with the documentation of photographs. Riis took pictures in the streets of very poor neighborhoods, studied cases of the ill and poor, included internet statistics, and had close association with government authorities and health officers. With his book How the Other Half Lives (1890), he exposed the awful and unsafe conditions of tenements. Riis worked very hard to make them safer and more sanitary for all and encourage more fortunate people to help as well. His worked paid off when the Tenement Inspection Act was passed to ensure tenements were safe and followed policies.

Why was Teddy Roosevelt a progressive president?

Teddy Roosevelt was the first of three presidents who used their power as the nation's chief executive to fight for Progressive causes. He was a reformer who advocated for change and paid close attention to muckrakers and other progressve causes. Roosevelt was also responsible for the Square Deal (gave all workers an equal chance to succeed), labor unions (first president to favor labor over owners), conservation (was very involved in nature and fought to protect wildlife, consumer production (fought for the rights of consumers by passing the Meat Inspection Act and the Food and Drug Act), and railroad/corporation regulations (controlled many monopolies and ensured farmers and other production companies weren't taken advantage of by railroads).

Railroad Reform

The government regulated the rates so no one had an advantage. It also forced them to show their rates so no unfair price fixings were made.

How did Upton Sinclair's The Jungle create change?

Upton Sinclair was a famous muckraker who exposed the wrongdoings of the meat packing industry through a book titled The Jungle. This book described the awful ways companies would produce and package meat in factories. This book caused Americans to be very frustrated, angry, and disgusted. As a result the government got involved and did a thorough investigation. The investigation matched up to exactly what Upton Sinclair wrote. In 1906 the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Acts were passed. These acts protected consumers and required corporations to be completely honest and transparent about their product.

W.E.B. Du Bois

a famous African American who advocated for racial equality. He believed African Americans should demand change through protests and seek higher level professional positions in society by receiving a well-rounded education rather than just learning vocational skills. The methods of accomplishing change were different between the two men. Help create and found the NAACP (The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) as a response to the ongoing violence towards African Americans.

Booker T. Washington

a famous African American who advocated for racial equality. He believed African Americans should receive vocational training so that they could establish themselves economically. Under his plan, African Americans should receive vocational training to help bring in money and accommodate white people so they can gain more respect. The methods of accomplishing change were different between the two men.

Political Machines

a group designed to keep certain wealthy people in power for a long period of time using dishonesty, fear, and cheating. A famous example was the Tammany Hall Political Machine and the boss was Boss Tweed. Thomas Nast was a cartoonist who helped bring Boss Tweed down. Some positives were helping immigrants get jobs, speed up the citizenship process, legal help, guaranteed food, and helped widows. Some negatives were they only helped others to To get immigrants votes (wasn't genuine), bosses were vindictive (get revenge), "stole" $$ from taxpayers= Graft (illegal or unfair gain), and voter fraud.

Meat Inspection Act

an act passed in 1906 to ensure the meat was processed under sanitary conditions. This act was passed as a response to Upton Sinclair's (muckraker) article. The consumers/public were trying to be protected with these laws.

Initiative

if 5 to 15 percent of all voters sign a petition proposing a new law, that law must appear on the ballot to be approved or rejected by direct popular vote. Voters can put a law on the ballot to vote on.

Square Deal

everyone having a fair hand and no one is going to advantage over anyone else. Everyone is on an even playing field (fairness). Helps workers and businesses but no one is more important than anyone else. Everyone had an equal chance to succeed.

Referendum

if 5 to 15 percent of all voters sign a petition requesting it, a recently passed law must be placed on the ballot so that voters can either approve or veto it. Voters can vote to veto or pass a recently passed law.

Trust Busting

government activities that are aimed at breaking up monopolies (William Taft & Teddy Roosevelt were known to be was a trustbuster)

Reformers

helped make utilities less corrupt. Many cities were in the hands of private companies. After, two thirds of cities now owned their own (governments) water systems etc.

Secret Ballots

mark their vote in a curtained booth for privacy, allowing no one to interfere with their vote

Florence Kelley

was a famous muckraker during the Progressive Era who focused on social reform and worked to end many social problems, including labor and racial discrimination. She also influenced many social movements in the United States. In Chicago, she was hired to investigate the labor industry. Her findings led to large changes in labor laws and greater enforcement of sweatshops. Kelley then moved to New York City and immediately worked to increase wages for workers and shorten their work days. While working with NCL in NYC, she played a lead role in the creation of the white label. The "white label" was given to stores that treated employees fairly. Citizens were asked to support worker's rights by only shopping at businesses that had the "white label". Additionally, Kelley worked with W.E.B. DuBois to set up the NAACP. She fought tirelessly to end child labor and was an advocate for women's rights and suffrage.

Ida Tarbell

was a famous muckraker during the Progressive Era who was able to expose and collapse many monopolies including Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company. She targeted the unfair practices of big business and her articles about the Standard Oil Company led to demands for more controls on trusts. Tarbell was the author and investigative journalist who published a 19-part series in McClure's magazine. This journal broke up Standard Oil's monopoly.

Upton Sinclair

was a famous muckraker in the Progressive Era who advocated change in the meatpacking industry. He wrote a book in 1905 titled The Jungle. It was about the exposed meat company's awful and unsanitary process where meat is produced and packed in factories. When the book was released Americans everywhere were shocked and horrified. His book resulted in the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act.

Lincoln Steffens

was a famous muckraker, during the Progressive Era. He wrote a book investigating government and political corruption. Steffens sought to bring about political reform in urban America by appealing to the emotions of Americans. He tried to provoke outrage with examples of corrupt governments throughout urban America. He also wrote a novel titled The Shame of Our Cities. Steffens' goal was to expose the government of wrongdoing and political corruption. He appealed to Americans through his investigative work by showing that the government was dishonest and there were many political corruptions.

Progressive

was a reformer in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They were forward-thinking people who wanted to improve American life. Progressives were never a single group with a single goal. They were a group of people who came from many backgrounds and backed different causes. Wanted the government to act in the public interest, for the good of the people. (progressive: progress)