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![Document 8
• "About my work in America. At first I work in the mill at Gilbertville, Massachusetts. There
were about 24 of us in one house. That house is still standing but has been moved. It was a
company house. In one room about twice the size of this one (20x15) there were three beds
and six boys slept there. We bought our own groceries and gave them to the woman who kept
the house and she cooked for us. She would furnish the salt and pepper and so forth but we
bought the rest and paid each $3 a month for room and the cooking; because, you see, we
could only earn about $2.64 a week. I was a spinner, there, but when I wanted to get married I
did not want to board but to have a tenement of my own and the company houses could not
be bought there.
• "So I came to Pittsfield where they told me I could get a job with the Berkshire Woolen, but
when I got here they told me to go to Pontoosuc (Pontoosuc Woolen [Mig.?] Co.) as I would
get a better job. Well, I could not talk English yet and I worked there one day and then the
boss told me I would have to go. I did not know why. He paid me, I think, $1.50 and I went to
the Berkshire Woolen. The boss at Pontoosuc was Irish, his name was Pat Fleming. He is dead
now. I was a Polack. You see, I did not know why I was fired at first. . . .”](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/chapter23-190427211112/85/Chapter-23-The-Progressive-Era-94-320.jpg)
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Similar to Chapter 23: The Progressive Era
Chapter 23: The Progressive Era
- 1. Chapter 23: The ProgressiveEra Section 1: Sources of Progressivism
- 2. The Progressive Era •Write down one thing from the video that you already knew, • One thing that you learned, • And one thing that you would like to learn more about • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYaaKS8vx_o
- 12. Inequality in America •20% of Americans lived in comfort… • While 80% barely subsisted • In 1904, 10 million Americans were underfed, poorly clothed, and poorly housed • Industrial workers averaged $10-$12 for a 60-80 hour work week • Women could make as little as $6 for the same work and children made even less • Workers who became injured, were laid off, or remained unemployed received no income
- 13. Disparity of Wealth •In 1900, Andrew Carnegie made $25 million while his workers made $500 • The immensely rich owned huge yachts, palatial estates, private railroad cars, and summer retreats • Appeared to be beyond the reach of the government…
- 14. Question • What arethe possible consequences of having a wealth disparity this large?
- 15. Edward Bellamy’s LookingBackward: 2000-1887 • Socialist • His novel made socialism seem to be an attractive alternative to existing society • Socialist Utopia • Sold over 1 million copies • Influenced the formation of socialist and reform movements
- 16. Eugene V. Debs •Fed up with capitalism • Capitalism- an economic system that provided for private ownership of property and profits for owners • Started the American Socialist Party • Goal- workers gain control of the government and use it to change the free enterprise system • Ran for president under the Socialist Party in 1912
- 17. Daniel DeLeon • RadicalSocialist • Democratic reform was useless, the world needed revolution • Thought the current labor unions compromised too much with industrialists • Proposed that all workers organize into new industrial unions that would eventually take over American business
- 18. Industrial Workers ofthe World (IWW) • Founded by Eugene V. Debs and Daniel DeLeon • Debs left because it became too radical • DeLeon was kicked out for being too radical • Nicknamed the “Wobblies” • Caused confrontation, strikes, sabotage, and violence • Americans rejected the group because of its radical politics • Most socialists were more moderate than this.
- 21. The Progressive Era,1900-1915 • Broad and largely unorganized group of reformers • Sought solutions to economic, social, and political problems • Present at local, state, and national levels • Shared desire to improve society • Populists believed the common people could solve societies problems, progressives trusted the experts
- 23. Question • Who doyou think was more likely to join the progressive movement? Why? • The wealthy or the poor?
- 24. The Social Gospel •Progressives amongst Catholic Priests, Jewish Rabbis, and Protestant Ministers began to preach a new social gospel • Social Gospel- religious organizations should work to improve society as well as to meet the spiritual needs of the congregation • Churches began providing recreational facilities, adult education classes, nurseries for children with working parents, and counseling for unemployment and alcoholism • Care for the whole person
- 25. The Salvation Army •The Salvation Army was (and still is today) a religious group devoted to helping the needy • Provide food, lodging, and hope for the impoverished
- 26. The Settlement HouseMovement • Expanded its reform to include slum clearance, limiting working hours, and outlawing child labor • Jane Addams continued to run the Hull House in Chicago • Florence Kelley founded the National Consumers League • Boycotted goods produced by children or workers in unsafe or unhealthy conditions • Julia Lathrop became the first head of the federal Children’s Bureau
- 27. Jane Addams, FlorenceKelley, Julia Lathrop
- 28. Progressive Women • CarrieChapman Catt was well known for her work in the women’s suffrage movement • Sarah Platt Decker led the General Federation of Women’s Clubs which promoted the arts, education, and community health
- 29. Educational Reform • Americancolleges were often church supported and were less concerned with knowledge and more concerned with the character of their students • Travelled to countries such as Germany to get a Ph.D. and brought back new teaching methods • By the late 1800s, classes in social work, economics, political science, and sociology were being offered • Richard Ely and Henry Adams also implemented new research and testing methods
- 30. Pragmatism • Progressives believedexpert reformers would be able to analyze and solve problems that kept society from running smoothly • Educational reform in America brought in a greater emphasis on questioning and research • This led to a new way of thinking called pragmatism • Pragmatism- an approach to problem solving that questioned the absolute truth of science and encouraged testing ideas to see which ones held up
- 31. Pragmatists • John Deweyargued the value of government actions should be measured by the good they do • Oliver Wendell Holmes believed that law should not be an absolute set of principles, but a tool that meets the needs of society • Spread his influence to the Supreme Court • How do these men’s ideas fit the definition of pragmatism?
- 32. Investigative Journalism • Somewriters played a major role in investigating and exposing a variety of social problems • Teddy Roosevelt nicknamed these writers muckrakers, because they constantly looked down and raked filth • Wrote for popular magazines, like McClure’s Magazine, Cosmopolitan, or Collier’s • Similar to yellow journalism, but were not written to boost sales • They identified problems for progressive reformers to fix
- 33. Famous Muckrakers • LincolnSteffens exposed graft and corruption in city governments • David Phillips linked 75 U.S. Senators with big businesses • John Spargo documented abuses of child labor • Ray Stannard Baker revealed discrimination against blacks throughout the nation • Frank Norris exposed how railroad companies took advantage of western farmers • Booth Tarkington recounted the working man’s struggle dealing with political bosses and organized crime
- 34. Famous Muckrakers • IdaTarbell exposed the corrupt business practices of the Standard Oil Company • Upton Sinclair exposed terrible working conditions in slaughterhouses as well as lack of regulations when dealing with food
- 35. Question • Do wehave anything similar to muckrakers today? • How does the government feel about them?
- 36. Chapter 23: The ProgressiveEra Section 2: Progressive Reforms
- 37. Galveston, Texas • Thiscity is a great example of how progressive reforms worked • In 1900, a hurricane wiped out the town and the corrupt city government could not handle the disaster • Local businessmen and progressive leaders got the state legislature to change the local government from a mayor and city council to a commission • 5 commissioners, elected in a non-partisan election • Each commissioner led their own department
- 38. Galveston, Texas • Transitionedinto the City-Manager Plan • An elected city council would hire a professional manager to run the city government • Similar to a business hiring a superintendent to run a factory • No mayor and no politics • By 1915, over 400 cities adopted the commission or city-manager plan
- 39. Robert La Follette •Wisconsin Governor elected in 1900 • First to bring progressive reform to the state level • Attacked the tradition of party nominating conventions as they had been under the control of party bosses • Reformers would have little chance at running for office • Pushed for a direct primary, or preliminary election
- 40. Direct Primary • Westill use these today, they take place in May, before the November election • Voters choose candidates for the general election • Party bosses and political machines lost the power to nominate party candidates to the people
- 41. Review • Last week,we started our new chapter by looking at the sources of progressivism. • What caused progressivism to take hold in America?
- 42. Initiative, Referendum, Recall •Three more reforms introduced by La Follette • Initiative: allowed a group of citizens to introduce legislation and required legislators to vote on it • Referendum: allowed proposed legislation to be submitted to the voters for approval • Recall: allowed voters to remove an elected official from office by holding a special election • Wisconsin became the “laboratory of democracy” and progressives in other states copied their reforms
- 43. Women • Women becomeincreasingly impatient • Progressives were arguing that the people should have a greater voice in the government • Shouldn’t that include women? • By 1914, 11 Western states had granted women the right to vote
- 44. Question • How couldallowing women the right to vote positively or negatively effect the progressive movement?
- 45. “Caveat Emptor” • “Letthe buyer beware” • People who purchased worthless life insurance, bread made with sawdust, or colored water labeled medicine had only themselves to blame • The consumer had to protect themselves • Progressives argued that the consumer had no way of knowing when products were misrepresented
- 46. Charles Evans Hughes •Investigated the insurance industry and uncovered bribery of elected officials and huge salaries that insurance executives paid to themselves and their families • Led to laws regulating insurance companies • Eventually became governor of New York in 1907 and a Supreme Court Justice in 1910
- 47. Local Reforms • Cityzoning laws regulated how land and buildings could be used • Set minimum requirements for light and air, fire escapes, room size, and sanitation in tenement houses • Protected the residents and made sure the land was being used in the best interest of the people
- 48. Upton Sinclair • Famousmuckraker for his work The Jungle • His intention was to shed a light on the poor working conditions in Chicago factories • He ended up portraying the horribly unsanitary conditions in slaughterhouses • Still led to change…
- 52. The Pure Foodand Drug Act, 1906 • Roosevelt was outraged and demanded reform • Established the Food and Drug Administration as a government agency • Also passed the Meat Inspection Act • Together, these acts regulated the content and inspection of food, prohibited the use of addictive drugs in non-prescription medicines, and required accurate labels on food and drug products
- 53. Protecting Workers • Workerswere often blamed for industrial accidents and employees who became seriously injured were fired • No one was on the side of the workers and without income they could not afford medical treatment • Progressives joined with labor union leaders to push for worker’s compensation laws • Employers paid into insurance funds and if an employee was injured in an industrial accident, they would be paid from the fund • Related legislation also established state agencies to inspect factories, limit worker hours, and bring an end to crowded, unsanitary work environments
- 54. Women Workers Reform •By 1900, 20% of all workers were women • Progressives believed women needed special protection • Oregon was the first state to pass a law limiting women to a 10 hour work day • Employers challenged this law saying that it violated a women’s civil right to choose how long she wanted to work • In 1908, the case was brought to the Supreme Court…
- 55. Muller v. Oregon •Progressive attorney Louis Brandeis used data collected by the National Consumers League (run by Florence Kelley) to show long working hours damaged women’s health • The court was persuaded by Brandeis’ findings and upheld the law • This was a landmark case because it looked beyond legal precedent and took into consideration what was best for society
- 56. Campaign Against ChildLabor • Factory work was monotonous, unhealthy, and dangerous • Children workers were treated like adults • Reformers created the National Child Labor Committee in 1904 of campaign for the abolition of child labor
- 57. Child Labor • Inanthracite coal mines, “breaker boys” aged 9 or 10 picked slag out of coal • Paid 60 cents for a 10 hour day • The work permanently bent their backs and crippled their hands • In textile mills, more than 1/8th of the workers were under 16 years of age • Some cotton factory workers were as young as 7 or 8
- 58. Children’s Bureau • Investigatedand published information to help the campaign against child labor • By 1914, all but one state set a minimum age of employment • Many other limits were also put on child labor
- 59. The 16th Amendment •In 1895, the Supreme Court declared an income tax unconstitutional • In 1913, the 16th amendment empowered the federal government to levy an income tax • Started with the idea of taxing corporate profits
- 60. • How didAmericans feel about the 16th Amendment?
- 61. The 17th Amendment •Previously, Senators were chosen by state legislatures, shielding them from public pressure • Progressives believed the Senators should be more responsive to the people and less influenced by business interests • In 1913, the Seventeenth Amendment was passed and provided for the direct election of U.S. Senators
- 63. Regulation of PublicUtilities • Street-car lines, waterworks, electric companies, and other public services were not regulated by the government • Called for city governments to buy them out so they could be reformed and work in the best interest of the people instead of the company
- 64. Progressive Youth Organizations •The Boy Scouts, Campfire Girls, and Girl Scouts were formed during this time • Offered a better life for urban youth • Private charities, like the Rockefeller Foundation led health related campaigns to keep kids healthy • Juvenile courts and reform schools offered reform for young lawbreakers
- 65. Education Reform • Lawswere passed requiring attendance causing the number of high schools to more than double • Why did the number of high schools increase and not elementary schools? • The school year was lengthened • The curriculum was also expanded to include: • Music • Arts • Home Economics • Industrial Arts • Covers the needs of modern society
- 66. Family Planning • MargaretSanger was a nurse in a poor area of New York City • She made a connection between high birth rates, poverty, and infant mortality • In 1914, she began movement to educate women on family planning options • Faced strong opposition and was arrested twice for breaking public obscenity laws • Her organization endured to become the Planned Parenthood Federation
- 67. Temperance • Reformers sawthis as a protection for women and children, as well as a way to cut ties between saloonkeepers and corrupt city officials • Employers believed alcohol increased absenteeism, decreased efficiency and productivity, and contributed to accidents • At the forefront was the WCTU • Their main focus was a crusade against alcohol, but they spoke out on other issues such as prison reform and women’s suffrage
- 68. The 18th Amendment •In 1919, Prohibition was passed by Congress and added as an amendment to the Constitution making it a nationwide law • Outlawed the production and consumption of alcohol
- 70. Exit Slip • Whichof the Progressive Reforms do you think was the most important and why? Which do you think was the least important and why?
- 71. Chapter 23: The ProgressiveEra Section 3: Limits of Progressivism
- 72. Progressive Reform • Progressivismwas most effective at the state and local levels • It was difficult to organize a nationwide campaign and effectively change the federal government • Many social reforms were not within the constitutional bounds of the national government • Benefits of progressivism were spread unevenly • Skilled workers benefitted more than unskilled, which left the largest sector of the labor force unaffected
- 73. Reformers and Immigrants •An average of 1 million unskilled immigrants were coming to America every year • The majority came from Southern and Eastern Europe • “New Immigrants” • The “Old Immigrants” came from Northern and Western Europe
- 74. Question • Why doyou think immigration shifted from Northern and Western Europe to Southern and Eastern Europe during this time period?
- 75. Reformers and Immigrants •Because these workers were unskilled, they kept wages in factories, mines, and mills low • Labor unions and organizations such as the Immigration Restriction League pushed for limits on these New Immigrants • Convinced Congress to pass a bill requiring a literacy test that was vetoed by the president three times before passing into law • They had to be literate in their native language (not English) to prove they had some skills
- 76. Reformers and Immigrants •Many progressive reformers feared socialist ideas that the New Immigrants brought over from Europe • They also worried about preserving existing values and cultures and allowing the new “masses” the right to vote • Sought to weaken the power of these immigrants by instilling “proper American values” • John Dewey pushed for American History to be made a required course • Essential to teach students to be good citizens
- 77. Connection • When Americawas founded, one of the biggest worries of the founding fathers was that the ignorant masses of the nation would derail our democracy with an uneducated vote • We can see this theme replaying itself throughout history here in the Progressive Era, as well as in our current society
- 78. Reformers and Immigrants •Reformers fought to decrease the power of political machines, but this disenfranchised the New Immigrants as they received political power, jobs, and voices through party bosses • Immigrants, therefore, opposed progressive reforms • They needed their children to work in factories to make money • They needed the support of party bosses • It was seen as acceptable and expected that they drink beer or wine regularly • They didn’t need training on what others saw as proper hygiene and childcare
- 79. Reformers and Race •Like the majority of Americans, Progressives had racist attitudes • Accepted the segregation of Japanese- Americans in California as well as the quotas on Asian immigration • While they often sympathized with the plight of African-Americans, they believed that they were an inferior race • Did not object to Jim Crow Laws • Passed no progressive reforms when Plessy v. Ferguson was decided on “Black as a race and as a whole are inferior to the white man.” -Teddy Roosevelt
- 80. Question • How wasthe plight of the African-American similar and different to that of the New Immigrant? • Why did these two groups not always get along? • Think of their jobs
- 81. Booker T. Washington •At best, many progressives were indifferent when it came to helping blacks • This led to a significant shift in black leadership during this time • Booker T. Washington- former slave that founded the Tuskegee Institute in 1881 • Trained African-Americans in 30 different trades • Equality of the races would come when blacks gained the education and skills necessary to become valuable members of society “Cast down your bucket where you are.” -Booker T. Washington
- 82. W.E.B. Du Bois •Rejected Washington’s approach to equality • Harvard educated history professor at Atlanta University • Suffrage, not job skills, would end white supremacy, stop the lynching of blacks, and gain better schools • Attended and led the Niagara Convention • African-American leaders met to decide how to demand full political rights and responsibilities for all African-Americans • Resulted in the founding of the NAACP
- 83. The NAACP • TheNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People • A reform movement that pushed for racial equality “The power of the ballot we need in sheer self- defense else what shall save us from a second slavery?” -W.E.B. Du Bois
- 84. The End ofProgressivism • The progressive movement ended as the U.S. entered WWI • Moved from reforming our own society to making the world safe for democracy
- 85.
- 86. The New Colossusby Emma Lazarus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
- 87.
- 88.
- 89.
- 90.
- 91. Document 5 • Aftervisiting several second hand furniture stores, the Saranoffs bought two second hand beds, a kitchen stove, a kitchen table and four chairs. They unpacked the bedding that they had brought with them from Russia and spent their first night in their first American home. • The next morning the children were enrolled in the public school. The first great ambition of Jacob and Sarah Saranoff had been realized. Their children were in school. • After paying a month's rent and the price of the furniture and the most necessary household utensils, Jacob had two dollars left. It was necessary for Jacob to take the first job that he could find. The job was sorting rags. His wages were eight dollars a week. The rent was six dollars a month. Jacob and Sarah decided that they could get along. • The rag-shop was located in an abandoned barn. There was a small window in the rear of this barn which had been opened when the horses were housed in it. But since it had become a rag-shop, the window had been nailed up to keep out any possible thieves. Ventilation was not considered. • The floor of the rag-shop was never swept. The dust was allowed to gather day after day, week after week. But Jacob paid no attention to the dust. His children were in school. They could not have gone to school in Russia. There were no schools for Jewish children in the village where he had lived. So why pay attention to dust?
- 92.
- 93.
- 94. Document 8 • "Aboutmy work in America. At first I work in the mill at Gilbertville, Massachusetts. There were about 24 of us in one house. That house is still standing but has been moved. It was a company house. In one room about twice the size of this one (20x15) there were three beds and six boys slept there. We bought our own groceries and gave them to the woman who kept the house and she cooked for us. She would furnish the salt and pepper and so forth but we bought the rest and paid each $3 a month for room and the cooking; because, you see, we could only earn about $2.64 a week. I was a spinner, there, but when I wanted to get married I did not want to board but to have a tenement of my own and the company houses could not be bought there. • "So I came to Pittsfield where they told me I could get a job with the Berkshire Woolen, but when I got here they told me to go to Pontoosuc (Pontoosuc Woolen [Mig.?] Co.) as I would get a better job. Well, I could not talk English yet and I worked there one day and then the boss told me I would have to go. I did not know why. He paid me, I think, $1.50 and I went to the Berkshire Woolen. The boss at Pontoosuc was Irish, his name was Pat Fleming. He is dead now. I was a Polack. You see, I did not know why I was fired at first. . . .”
- 95.
- 96. The New Colossusby Emma Lazarus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
- 97. Exit Slip • Doesthe experience of the New Immigrants that we see in our primary documents mirror the sentiments of Emma Lazarus’ poem the New Colossus? • Did America accept the New Immigrants like Lazarus’ claimed they did?
- 98. Booker T. Washingtonvs. W.E.B. Du Bois • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV3RiCAETuA • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wemGETdjx0w