During the American Industrial Revolution society faced many significant problems. What were these problems and how do you think they were reformed?

Students will be able to understand the major political, economic, and social reforms of the Progressive Era.

11.2.9. Understand the effect of political programs and activities of the Progressives (e.g., federal regulation of railroad transport, Children's Bureau, the Sixteenth Amendment, Theodore Roosevelt, Hiram Johnson).

A movement during the Industrial Revolution that aimed to restore economic opportunities and correct injustices in American life.

Goals: Protecting social welfare Promoting moral improvement Creating economic reform Fostering efficiency

Muckrakers

Goo

Goos

Temperance

Suffragettes

Populists

Midclass

Women

Labor

Unions

Civil

Rights

People wanted to reform the ills of society during the Industrial Revolution.

Progressives: People who wanted to reform government and society.

Muckrakers: Journalists who wrote about the corrupt side of business and public life in mass circulation magazines during the early 20th century.

Social Gospel: An early reform program that preached salvation through service to the poor.

Progressive Reforms

Problem Lower tariff rates did

not raise enough $ for government expenditures.

Solution Created a federal

income tax Allowed the federal

government to raise funds.

Continues today.

Problem Cities needed expert

advice (i.e.-technical engineers)

Solution City council hired

a professional manager to run city government.

What was the problem?

Party bosses controlled the selection of convention delegates & election candidates.

How was it fixed?

A preliminary election was enacted in which voters choose candidates for the general election

Problem Big business and

party bosses had to much control over state legislatures .

Solution Allowed a group of

citizens to introduce legislation, required the legislature to vote on it .

Problem Big business and

party bosses had too much control over state legislatives .

Solution Allowed proposed

legislation to be submitted to the voters for approval

Problem Big business and

party bosses had too much control over state legislatives

Solution Allowed voters to

remove an elected official from office by holding a special election.

Problem Senators were chosen

by state legislatures and therefore Senators were shielded from direct public pressure.

Solution Direct election of

Senators Ended political

corruption in the Senate

Problem Bribery of elected

officials

Solution Regulated

insurance companies + protected interests of policy holders

Problem Tenements were

unsafe

Solution Laws regulating

how land + buildings could be used

Problem Unsanitary

conditions No labels on food

Solution Protects consumers

against unsafe drugs and food. Required labels on food.

Problem Unsanitary conditions

in slaughter houses

Solution Regulated the

content and inspection of food, prohibited the use of addictive drugs.

I will be reading an excerpt from the book The Jungle from Upton Sinclair which led to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act.

Put your head down and close your eyes.

Try to visualize the events.

There was never the least attention paid to what was cut up for sausage; there would come all the way back from Europe old sausage that had been injected, and that was moldy and white—it would be douse with borax and glycerin, and dumped into the hoppers, and made over again for home consumption. There would be meat that had tumbled out on the floor, in the dirt and sawdust., where the workers had tramped and spit uncounted billions of consumption germs. There would be meat stored in great piles in rooms and water from the leaky roofs would drip over it, and thousands of rats would race about on it.

It was to dark in these storage places to see well, but a man could run his hand over these piles of meat and sweep off handfuls of the dried dung of rats. These rats were nuisances, and the packers would put poisoned bread out for them, they would die, and then rats, bread, and meat would go into the hoppers together. …There was no place for the men to wash their hands before they ate their dinner, and so they made a practice of washing them in the water that was to be ladled into the sausage….and cart load after cart load would be taken up and dumped into the hoppers with fresh meat sent out to the public’s breakfast.

Problem If workers were hurt

on the job they were fired.

Solution Gave aid to families

of workers who were hurt or killed on the job.

Continues today.

Problem Child labor

Soluton Child labor laws

were created. Children’s Bureau investigated and

reported "upon all matters pertaining to the welfare of children.”

Problem Children were

working rather than going to school

Solution laws requiring

children to attend school

number of high schools doubled between 1900 and 1920

Problem Alcohol was

corrupting society

Solution 18th Prohibited

alcohol. Repealed by the 21st amendment in 1933

Problem Consumers did not

know what they were purchasing – no return policies

Solution Labels required on

all food. Return policies

became mandatory.

Problem The RR

industry was corrupt (rebates, bribes, etc.)

Solution Increased competition between RR’s

Lowered prices Increased value Decreased bribery

Interstate Commerce Act RR’s could not fix prices Set RR rates

Elkins Act RR could not give rebates

Hepburn Act Limited # of free passes (prevented

bribery)

Problem Monopolies were

formed which eliminated competition.

Solution Outlawed trusts

(monopolies) Increased competition

Decreased prices Increased value of

products Incentive to make

new and better products

Directions: You will be shown a description of a progressive legislation. When you are randomly selected, choose the matching legislation and earn a point!

Allowed the citizens to remove elected

officials

Made monopolies illegal

Created an income tax

outlawed alcohol

Made school mandatory

City council hired a professional manager to

run city government.

Allowed proposed legislation to be submitted to the voters for approval

Allowed a group of citizens to introduce legislation, required the legislature to vote on it .

investigated and reported "upon all matters

pertaining to the welfare of children.”

Railroads could not set prices. Fixed rates.

Labels on food were mandatory

Regulated content and inspection of food

A preliminary election was enacted in which voters

choose candidates for the general election

Direct election of Senators

Gave aid to families of workers who were hurt or

killed on the job.

What do you think was the most significant reform during the Progressive Era and why?