Progressive Beliefs Gilded Age | Progressivism | Gospel of Wealth * Rich=good=heaven * Poor=bad=sinner=hell * Wealth= an outward sign of wealth * You are a failure if you don’t have wealthHuman Existence=Atomist * You are nothing but a don’t * Random, chaotic mess * Solitary existence | Social Gospel * Interconnectedness * Christian notion of love * Brotherly love, uplifting, “together” * Connected as peopleHuman Existence= Connection * People connected together * Pulling up and down * Make land clean * Reform to help neighbor= pro-reform | Social Darwinism * Survival of the fittest * Natural law reigns for government, social economic | Reform Darwinism * Because church attendance dropped off * Not living in nature so can’t use natural law * Protection of weak, not destruction * Justice, morality, charityAltruism= capable of committing selfless acts, only possible with humans=not in nature | Liberty of Contract * Prevent reform * Private business owner cannot be told what to do | Legal Pragmatism * Shift to reform * Balance=principle + common good * Principle=idealist , protect wildlife, right to bear arms * Common good=realist, electricity, people getting shot * Shift for between |
Era=1910-19 * Tended to be educated, middleclass, women * Had downtime * Idea that society being unfair * Symbolizes what America could have been
Hull House * Lead by Jane Addams * Nature vs. nurture= nurture * Based on immigrants=responsibility to teach them the new ways of life * Early community centers= Hull House(1st) * Social gospel belief that it is OUR city
Rise of Professions * Profession now= need degree, license * Created special requirements to do a job * Ex=AOA/Barr Association set standard * Positive standard * Protects the consumer
Muckrakers
* Journalists that targeted big businesses * Job of the media to watch for common good * Realize that people of power will corrupt good * Expose bad and corruption * Ex. Jungle Claire * Says Spanish/American war caused more death by disease than by bullets * Pure Food/Drug Act= regulates food * Ida Claire=showed corruption of Rockefeller oil
Social Gospel * Interconnectedness * Christian notion of love * Brotherly love, uplifting, together * Pro-reform= help neighbor * Caused by muckrakers moralistic tone= outrage of society and economic injustice and lead to religious reform * Religion with reform=moral component to redeem lives of even least favored people
Salvation Army * Salvation Army=Christian welfare organization * Like a military, with officers * Materials + service to urban poor * Started by Father John Ryan left in parish to serve in troubled cities * Expanding scope of catholic, social welfare groups * Rich man helps out poor man * Belief of humanitarian evolution of social fabric
Woman+ Suffrage * Right to vote 19th Amendment 1920 * 60s= reproductive rights +employment rights
Initiative + Referendum and Direct primers + recall * Many progressives turned to state government for reform * Scorn on state legislature = incompetent, corrupt party bosses * Wanted to increase power of the electorate * Initiative= reformers allowed to avoid state legislature by submitting new legislation directly to voters in general elections * Referendum= provided a method by which actions of the legislature could be returned to the electorate for approval. * Legislative action directly to people for approval * 1928 20 states had * Limit power of the party + improve quality of the officials * Direct primaries= attempt to take the selection of candidates away from bosses and give it to the people * People, not bosses choose candidates * In south= an effort to limit black voting, to create primary voting * Recall= gave voters right to remove a public office official from office at a special election * Could be given when a sufficient number of citizens signed a petition * Limits the political machines * 17th Amendment= senators appointed by popular vote (vote of the people) and not elected by state legislature because caused corruption
Triangle Shirtwaist fire * 1911 New York * Terrible fire in Triangle Shirt Company * 146 workers died * Many trapped inside because management emergency exits to prevent malingering * State commission delivered report calling for reform in labor conditions * Responding to intense women’s groups and labor unions * Support from and reforms lead by Tammany Democrats * Robert f. Wagner + Alfred E. Smith * Created labor laws that imposed regulations on factory owners and established mechanism
African American Reform * Progressive era= challenges to existing norms * AAs faced legal, social, economic obstacles in challenging their oppressed status and seeking reforms * Brooker T Washington’s beliefs were embraced * =self improvement instead of long-term social change * Supported black colleges * win over white population by adapting middle class values * W.E.B. Du Bois=goals to eliminate prejudice and injustice * immediate civil rights and professional education * argued talented percentage in blacks * The souls of black people = attack of Washington, saying he encouraged whites to continue segregation * Said talented blacks should demand university education, should aspire to be professionals * Fight for civil rights not wait to be granted * Launched Niagara Movement * Formed national association for the advancement of colored people (NAACP) * Used federal lawsuits in pursuit of equal rights * Guinn v. United States= grandfather clause found unconstitutional * Buchanan v. Worley= court outlawed Kentucky law of requiring residential segregation * Leading black organization * Issue of lynching= advocate law to make it illegal
Temperance
* Elimination of alcohol to restore societal order * Idea that drunkenness spawned violence * Wives wanted temperance to reform behavior + improve life, stop family probs * Employers thought alcohol impeded efficiency * Saloons=centrals of political machine institution * 1873 Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) Frances Willard joined Anti-Saloon League * Pressed legislation for the abolition of salons and prohibition of manufacturing and sale of alcohol * Entry into World War pushed for prohibition+ opposition to alcohol by immigrants, working class voters, rural fundamentalists= Amendment 18 * 1929, prohibited alcohol
Nativism
* Reformers thought that immigrants created social problems * Some wanted to help assimilate others wanted to limit flow of new immigrants * Immigrants polluting nation’s racial stock * Eugenics movement= science of altering the reproductive process to produce new hybrids or breeds, science of improving population by controlling breeding * Racial science * Used to define some races better than others, grade races on characteristics to determine “fitness” in society * Want sterilization of human race, some people seen unfit, done against “retarded” * Human inequalities= hereditary * Nazis=culmination of racial science * Ex. Non-anglo E. Europeans and Asians * Carnegie Foundation funded = turning eugenics in a method to alter human reproduction * Madison Grant, Passing of the Great race = biggest nativist, advocated protecting purity of anglo-saxon * Tied together eugenics and nativism * Congress’s Dillingham Report= new immigrants less assimilable than other groups * Restrictions should be based on nationality for immigration * Thought to be solution against urban crowding, unemployment, strained social services + unrest
Socialism
* Socialism party grew * Eugene Debs=leader * Strong ideas with Germans, Jews, and protestant farmers * Socialists= need for basic structural changes in economy, disagreed on extent +tactics * Moderates= nationalizing only major industries, use electoral politics * Radicals=Industrial workers of the world (IWW, wobblies)\ * Powerful and popular * Too many opinions
Square Deal * Society unfair wanted equality * Create more fair economic system * Use of arbitration= if a problem between owner and employer, 3rd unaffiliated party makes decision * Interstate commerce act * Hepburn Act=restore regulatory authority to govt * Pure food and drug act
Taft Progressive Record * William Howard Taft= lowered tariff rates hardly and raised some * People resented passivity and inaction * Payne-Aldrich Tariff * Won election in 1908
Teddy Roosevelt’s Progressive Record * Saw federal government as mediator of the public good * Not opposed to industrial combinations but realized for the potential abuse of power * Department of commerce and labor created to publicly investigate corporations * Regulated trusts * Used Sherman Antitrust act to break up northern securities company (monopoly over RRS in NW) * Saw gov’t as impartial regulator for labor * Sided with United Mines workers in 1902 strike * Square Deal * Pure food and drug act 1906 * Favored 8 hour work day, workmen’s compensation, inheritance, income taxes * Hapburn railroad regulation 1906= increase fed power to oversee rates * Restored gov’t regulatory power * Allowed gov’t to regulate railroads
Wilson’s Progressive Record * Progressive reform * Cut down tariffs= Underwood- Simmons Tariff * In order to introduce competition into market and breakup trusts * Made up for revenues from less tariffs with graduated income tax * New freedom= business was unjust and wanted to destroy, not regulate monopoly (Roosevelt) * Limit monopolies * Good for country= morally right * Federal Reserve Act 1913 * Made Regional fed banks made up of individual banks= issued loans at discount rate * Issued Fed Reserve notes, backed by govt * Shifted funds to meet credit demands of troubled areas + support banks * Govt regulate free market * Deal with monopoly * Strengthen ability of govt to break up trusts * Federal Trade Commission Act * Clay Antitrust Act * Both created regulatory agency that would help businesses determine if actions acceptable to govt * Could investigate behavior
Payne Aldrich tariff * By Taft * Reduced tariffs barely at all and even raced in some areas * People resented passivity * Refused to overcome opposition of Republican Old Gaurd
Election of 1912 * Taft= support of conservative Republicans * Roosevelt=support of progressives * Convention Republican Nat’l Committee gave nomination to Taft * Roosevelt left republicans established own progressive Party = Bull moose Party * Contest between conservatives vs. reformers, between branches of progressivism * Democrats choose Wilson * Taft resigned, Roosevelt shot forced to sidelines, Wilson won
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