political progressivism

7/30/2019 Political Progressivism

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Essential Question:

How did progressives bring

reform to local, state, and

national governments?


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Political Progressivism inthe Cities & States


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Progressive Reform in the Cities

Political progressivism began in

cities in response to corruptpolitical machines & deteriorating

urban conditionsGood government reformers

created the National Municipal

League in 1894 to find ways tomake city governments less

political & less partisan

Most cities formedcommittees to focus on

improving quality of life

Many mid-sized orsmall cities hired anon-partisan city

manager to overseethe city bureaucracy

Many cities usedgas & water

socialism to controlpublic utility costs

Galveston, Texas wasthe 1st city to use a city

commission rather thana mayor & city council

These urban reforms were less democratic

but much more efficient& less corrupt


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Progressive Reform in the States

Progressive reformers impacted

state governments too:

A New York corruption scandal

linked politicians & utilitysuppliers leading NY to form a

utilities regulatory board

Most states created regulatory

commissions to oversee state

spending & initiate investigations


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Progressive Reform in the StatesProgressives helped make state

governments more democratic:Western states were the 1st to

allow public initiatives,

referendums, & recallsPassage of the 17th amendment

in 1912 allowed for the direct

election of SenatorsBy 1916, most states had directprimaries to allow voters tochoose candidates, not parties

Allowed citizens to create laws by petitioningto have an issue placed on a state ballot &allowing voters (not politicians) to decide

Allowed voters to directly remove anelected official by popular vote

Allowed citizens to vote on an issue (such as

tax increases) suggested by the state legislature


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Action in the States

The most significant state reform

was governor Robert La FollettesWisconsin Idea:

Used academic experts fromthe University of Wisconsin tohelp research & write state bills

Wisconsin was the 1st state touse direct primary & income tax,create industrial commissions,

set utility prices, & regulate RRs

TR called Wisconsin theLaboratory of Democracy

California, Missouri, Iowa, &Texas copied La Follettes plan


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Essential Question:

To what degree were Teddy

Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, &

Woodrow Wilson different in their

approaches to national

progressive reform?


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National Progressivism


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The Republican Roosevelt

TheMcKinleyassassination(1901)

made Teddy Roosevelt president:

TR was an activist president who

knewhow to guide public opinionUnlike most Gilded Age

Republicans, Roosevelt refused

to ignore social inequalities

He believed govt agencies

should be run by experts

TR thought of presidency as a

bully pulpit to advocate his agenda

The president is a steward of the

people bound actively & affirmativelyto do all he can for the people

Elihu Root to Sec of State

(district attorney of NYC)W.H. Taft to Sec of War

(governor of Philippines)

Gifford Pinchotas chief

conservationist


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The Square Deal

In 1902, the United Mine Workers

went on strike to demand higher pay& an eight-hour work day

The strike lasted 11 monthsTR brought both sides toarbitration & threatened govt

seizure of the coal mineThe result was a square deal for

labor (higher wages) & owners (no

formalrecognitionoftheunion)


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TR the Trustbuster?TR saw the benefit ofgoodtrusts,

but wanted to control badtrusts:He pushed for the Dept of

Commerce & Labor to

investigate business misconductIn 1902, TR ordered the Justice

Dept to charge the Northern

Securities Co in violation of theSherman Anti-Trust Act; TheSupreme Court ordered thecom an to be broken u


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TR accepted monopolies as a fact of lifefor 20th century business but viewed

regulation as the best way to tame trustswho use corrupt business practices


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TR the Trustbuster?TR was not always consistent:

Initiated suits against beef trust,American Tobacco, DuPont,Standard Oil, & New Haven RR

But he relied on business to gainre-election in 1904; sought theadvice of JP Morgan; allowedsome monopolistic mergers

The Roosevelt administration

only busted 25 trusts in 7 years

Taft busted 43 monopolies in 4 years


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TR was a popular president & won alandslide victory in 1904

Under no circumstances willI be a candidate for or accept

another nomination


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Regulating the Railroads

TRs re-election agenda focused

on business regulation:

Hepburn Act (1906) increased

the ICCs power to set maximumRR rates & investigate RR

company financial records

The Food & Drug Act (1906) &

Meat Inspection Act (1906)

protected consumers


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Conserving the Land

TR created the 1st comprehensive

national conservation policy:TR defined conservation as

wise use of natural resources

CreatedtheReclamationServiceto place natural resources (oil,

trees,coal)underfederaldomainFrom 1901 to 1908, U.S. govt

preserves grew from 45 million

acres to 195 million acres


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National Parks and Forests


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The Presidency ofWilliam Howard Taft


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The Taft PresidencyTR remained true to his promise

not to run for a 3rd

term & choseWilliam Howard Taft as theRepublican nominee for president

Taft seemed ready to carry out

TRs political agenda

I feel a bit like a fish out of

waterI hate the limelight.


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The Taft PresidencyTaft was poorly equipped to

continue Roosevelts agenda:

Taft did not trust the govt to

regulate business behaviorHe didnt have the flair of TR;

Taft was too honest & sincere

Taft tended to side with

conservative Republicans rather

than progressive Republicans

Taft backed the high Payne-Aldrich tariff

Taft fired Pinchot, TRs chief conservationistafter the Ballinger-Pinchot Affair

Progressive Republicans no longerlooked to Taft for leadership &criticized almost all his policies


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The Taft Presidency

Despite these set backs, Taft

helped push through significantprogressive legislation:

16th

Amendment was written;created a national income tax

17th Amendment was written;

direct election of U.S. SenatorsSafety codes for miners & RRs

Created the Childrens Bureau


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The Election of 1912

TR decided to run against Taft for

the Republican nomination in 1912but conservative Republicansrefused to take him over Taft

TR was nominated to the newProgressive (Bull Moose) Party

Democrats nominated formerPrinceton president & NJ governorWoodrow Wilson who ran as a

progressive reformer

Im feeling like a Bull Moose!

This deeply divided the Republican Party


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The Election of 1912

TRs New Nationalism

U.S. needs a natlapproach to reform& a strong president

Social-Justicereforms; protectionof women, children,

workers; goodtrusts to help growth

1st to enlist women

WWs New Freedom

U.S. needs smallgovt, free trade &competition

Both plans saw theeconomy as thecentral issue, but

Wilson distrustedfederal power &natl planningDemocrats not only won the presidency, but

also outright control of both House & Senate

The 1912 election was the most significant 3-way election since 1860: Lincoln (Republican),Stephen Douglas (Northern Democrat), &John Breckenridge (Southern Democrat)


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Woodrow WilsonsNew Freedom


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Woodrow Wilson's New FreedomWilson believed in strong, activist

leadership & helped push throughmany New Freedom ideas:

Underwood Tariff Act reduced

tariffs & created Americas 1stgraduated income tax

Federal Reserve Act created aFederal Reserve to regulate theeconomy by adjusting the

money supply & interest rates

1% tax for all, but 2% for the rich

The 1st efficient national banking systemsince Jackson destroyed the BUS in 1832

W d Wil ' N F d


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Woodrow Wilson's New FreedomClayton Anti-Trust Act banned

interlocking directorates & heldbusiness officers personallyliable for monopolies; helped

workers by allowing strikes &banning injunctions

As the 1916 elections neared,

Wilson pushed for more socialreformsbut U.S. involvement inWWIin1917distractedAmericans

from progressive reform

Federal FarmLoan Act Endorsed an 8-hourday for all workers

Supported

womens suffrage

Defended unions right

to collectively bargain


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Wilson and Civil Rights

During his first term in office, the House passed alaw making racial intermarriage a felony in the Districtof Columbia.

His new Postmaster General also ordered that his

Washington offices be segregated, with the Treasuryand Navy soon doing the same.

Suddenly, photographs were required of allapplicants for federal jobs. When pressed by black

leaders, Wilson replied, "The purpose of thesemeasures was to reduce the friction. It is as far aspossible from being a movement against the Negroes.I sincerely believe it to be in their interest."


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Wilson and Civil Rights

As president, Wilson confronted anew generation of militant AfricanAmerican leaders, men like WilliamMonroe Trotter, W.E.B. Du Bois and

Marcus Garvey, who had begun tochallenge their more conservativeelders - and the expectations andassumptions of much of whiteAmerica.

Universal Negro Improvement Association

marcus Garvey

W.E.B. DuBois


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Conclusions:

The Fruits of

Progressivism

Th F it f P i i


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The Fruits of Progressivism Progressive reforms led to:

Urban & labor improvementsDirect primaries & female votingMore government responsibility for

social welfareRegulatory commissionsIncreased importance of interest

groups & public opinion pollsAn expert bureaucracyA more powerful presidency

WWI ended the Progressive Era


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The Progressive Era: Summary

Progressives were diverse in outlook and geographic

location, but shared commitment to progress and reform Progressives sought to reform society and business, and their

achievements included settlement houses, protectivelegislation for child and women workers

Prohibition of alcohol was a Progressive method for cleaning

up society, controlling immigrants Political reform more successful: Progressives achieved

womens suffrage and numerous reforms of electoral process

Reformers in state governments provided model for anexpansion of presidential power under Teddy Roosevelt

Roosevelt was active in regulating big business, labordisputes, conservation of natural resources

Three-way election of 1912 split Republicans on issue ofProgressivism and elected Woodrow Wilson, a limitedprogressive

political progressivism

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