2. Essential Question
0 What was the Progressive Era?
0 What were two important objectives of
progressivism?’
0 how was the radio act and the progressive era
related?
3. The Progressive Era
The Progressive Era was a time period in
American history lasting from the 1890s through
the 1920s. At the turn of the century, America was
experiencing rapid urbanization and
industrialization. Many immigrants from
southeastern Europe were arriving . As a result of
these processes, countless city dwellers were
crowded into tenement slums, with high rates of
disease and infant mortality. In urban areas, party
bosses controlled power through political
machines. In addition, corporations were
consolidating into “trusts” and a few companies
controlled the majority of the nation’s finances.
http://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/progressiveera/home.html
4. Making government more
responsive and efficient
0 Two important objectives of Progressivism were giving the public the
opportunity to participate more directly in the political process and
limiting the power of big city bosses. Progressives hoped to accomplish
these goals through a variety of political reforms. These reforms included
the direct primary a preliminary election giving all members of a party the
chance to take part in a nomination and that was intended to limit the
influence of political machines in selecting candidates; initiative a process
for putting a proposition or proposed law on a ballot, and referendum, the
voting on an initiative, allowing the people to enact legislation that a state
legislature is either unwilling or unable to do; and recall, a process giving
voters the power to remove elected officials from office through petition
and a vote. Governor Robert M. LaFollette of Wisconsin championed these
reforms, and their implementation in his state became the model for the
rest of the country (the Wisconsin Idea).
5. 0 Progressives were also fascinated by efficiency and scientific management.
In 1900, when a hurricane and flood destroyed much of the infrastructure
of Galveston, Texas, the mayor and city council were replaced with a
commission made up of nonpartisan administrators who ran each of the
city's municipal departments. The commission form of government became
popular in small and medium‐sized cities throughout the country.
Following a flood in 1913, Dayton, Ohio experimented with a city‐manager
system. Under this plan, the structure of a city government followed that of
a business corporation, with a city administrator acting as a manager
reporting to a board of directors made up of a mayor and city council. The
Progressive Era also saw the growth of the public ownership of water, gas,
and electric service; municipally owned utilities offered consumers lower
rates than private companies. Utilities that remained in private hands
invariably came under the jurisdiction of regulatory commissions that
reviewed rates, mergers, and other business activities. Railroads and urban
transportation systems were under similar regulation. Progressive reform
measures, however, extended beyond restructuring the government and
addressed social problems as well.
6. Women Suffrage
0 The National American Woman Suffrage Association relied
on patient organizing, while the militant groups adopted
more direct tactics. The Congressional Union, for example,
was committed to gaining the vote through the passage of a
constitutional amendment rather than securing it piecemeal
state by state, and the National Woman's Party used picket
lines, marches, and hunger strikes to build momentum for
their cause. Women's participation in World War I, through
service in the military and work in defense plants and the
Red Cross, heightened the momentum. The Nineteenth
Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right
to vote, passed the Senate in June 1919 and was ratified by
the states in August 1920, more than 70 years after the first
women's rights meeting in Seneca Falls, New York.
7. The Radio Act
0 Congress passed the Radio Act of 1927 to bring order
to the chaos of radio broadcasting. In the process,
Congressional representatives had to deal with several
free speech issues, which were resolved in favor of the
Progressive concepts of public interest, thereby
limiting free speech. This study examines how
Congress intended radio licensees to interpret and
practice free speech. In conclusion, it was found
Congressmen feared radio's potential power to prompt
radical political or social reform, spread indecent
language, and to monopolize opinions. Therefore, the
FRC was empowered to protect listeners from those
who would not operate radio for "public interest,
convenience, and necessity.“
http://www.scripps.ohiou.edu/mediahistory/mhmjour2-2.htm
8. 0 Before radio legislation could be passed, competing Progressive factions debated
who would control radio. Sen. Pittman and Rep. E.L. Davis of Tennessee
represented the rural American voice of the common people. They believed that
the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) conspired to turn radio into a monopoly.
The battle for control of radio began when White introduced a bill in the House
and Davis introduced a series of amendments to prevent what he perceived as
monopoly control of radio. Opponents of the act wanted to insure that everyone
received equitable service, rates, and treatment from radio stations. "As it stands
now they [the radio monopoly] are absolutely the arbitrators of the air," warned
Davis, who held that position throughout the life of the bill. 25 Rep. Luther A.
Johnson of Texas opposed the Radio Act because he did not believe the bill gave
the federal government the authority to protect the marketplace of ideas. Radio
was restructuring America through the formation of opinion, Johnson argued in
debate, and American opinion could not be left in the hands of the monopoly. If
one group controled radio, those who opposed them would find it "impossible to
criticize," Johnson argued. Networks (called chains in 1927) and high-powered
stations controlled by a few would make "freedom of the air" impossible.
9. How was the radio act and the
progressive era related?
0 The radio act and the progressive act were related by
the uses of what each one of them brought. The radio
act helped the progressive era by having a type of
device for public announcements. It made it easier for
people to know going on in the world such as the
women's suffrage period etc. people were able to hear
speeches and help out during disastrous situations.
10. Citations
0 "Do Progressives know the historical meaning of the word?." <i>SodaHead</i>.
N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2014. <http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/do-
progressives-know-the-historical-meaning-of-the-word/question-2291817/>.
0 "The Radio Act of 1927 as a Product of Progressivism." <i>The Radio Act of 1927
as a Product of Progressivism</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2014.
<http://www.scripps.ohiou.edu/mediahistory/mhmjour2-2.htm>.
0 "Women in the Progressive Era." <i>Women in the Progressive Era</i>. N.p., n.d.
Web. 19 May 2014. <http://www.nwhm.org/online-
exhibits/progressiveera/home.html>.
0 "Political and Social Reforms." <i>Political and Social Reforms</i>. N.p., n.d. Web.
19 May 2014. <http://www.cliffsnotes.com/more-subjects/history/us-history-
ii/the-progressive-era-19001920/political-and-social-reforms>.
0 "Radio Act of 1912 Law & Legal Definition." <i>Radio Act of 1912 Law & Legal
Definition</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014.
<http://definitions.uslegal.com/r/radio-act-of-1912/>.
