The Progressives enacted reforms to address several problems that arose during the Industrial Revolution. Some of the key problems they targeted included long work hours, child labor, workplace injuries, unsanitary meat production, and political corruption. The reforms enacted included establishing limits on work hours and child labor, implementing workers' compensation laws, passing the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drugs Act, adopting the secret ballot and direct primaries, and establishing antitrust laws. The document outlines how Progressives sought to use government action and regulation to remedy issues in labor, industry, politics, and society that had negative impacts on workers and ordinary citizens.

1. The Progressives Respond to Society’s Problems

2. Essential Questions
Unit Focus: Who
benefits and who
suffers during the
time of profound
economic change?
Activity Focus:
How did the
Progressives
address the
problems
society faced?
Unit Focus: Did this
period of
industrialization
and reform move
America closer or
further away from
its founding ideals?
Unit Focus:
How can
people change
society?

3. GOAL
Can you explain the
solution to three
Progressive Era
Problems?

4. Directions
1. Get into your assigned group of four.
– In your group, assign each member one page of the
graphic organizer.
2. Skim the chapters 17 and 18 in the History Alive
textbook for problems the Progressives faced.
3. Fill out the enacted reform column on the graphic
organizer with information from the textbook.
4. Think of society today and decide if the reform was
successful or not. Be ready to defend your answer.
5. Share the answers as a group and fill in all sections of
the organizer.
6. Class discussion/correction of graphic organizer.

5. Closure Day 1
• Pick the enacted reform that you think has the
biggest impact on today. In a paragraph of at
least 5 sentences, explain the problem, the
reform, and why you think its impact in
important today. Be sure to include facts from
your notes and the textbook.

6. Problem Enacted Reform
Workers work 60-84 hours per week. Many states passed laws limiting the work day to
eight hours.
Children work in dangerous industries. By 1912 three fourths of the states had passed
laws banning child labor.
Each year about 35,000 workers are killed
and 500,000 maimed in industrial
accidents.
Workers’ compensation laws were passed that
forced employers to pay employees who were
injured or contracted a disease because of their
jobs.
The meat industry has poor sanitation and
sells diseased and contaminated meat.
The Meat Inspection Act was passed in 1906,
which gave federal officials the right to inspect
meat, due in large part to a response from the
conditions in Upton Sinclair’s book The Jungle.
The Meat Inspection Act was passed in
1906, which gave federal officials the right
to inspect meat, due in large part to a
response from the conditions in Upton
Sinclair’s book The Jungle.
The Pure Food and Drugs Act was passed in
1906, which gave federal officials the right to
prohibit the sale of impure drugs, foods, and
liquors.

7. Problem Enacted Reform
There is vote fraud because people
can see how each other vote.
The secret ballot was put into place in many areas.
“Backroom deals” have led to the
election of many wealthy businessmen
to the Senate.
Corrupt city bosses and political machines were
replaced by appointed commissioners and city
managers.
Elected officials favor special-interest
groups, especially big business.
The 17th Amendment to the Constitution required
that U.S. senators be directly elected by the populace
rather than selected by state legislatures. The
initiative allowed citizens to bypass the legislature and
propose laws directly. The referendum allowed
citizens to directly vote on laws.
Some elected officials break the law
but continue to serve out their term in
office
Many states passed laws allowing the removal of
politicians from office through the recall.
Political party leaders often select
candidates that only benefit insiders.
The 17th Amendment to the Constitution required
that U.S. senators be directly elected by the populace
rather than selected by state legislatures. Direct
primaries replaced the system in which party leaders
picked candidates.

8. Problem Enacted Reform
One percent of the population
owns 50% of the wealth, while 50%
of the people own almost nothing.
In 1913 the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution
was passed, establishing an income tax that required the
wealthy to pay taxes on their income for the first time.
Tariffs help protect big business but
can hurt the common worker.
Tariffs continued throughout this time period.
Monopolies or near-monopolies
provide huge profits for their
owners by gouging consumers.
The Sherman Antitrust Act and Clayton Antitrust Act
resulted in the federal government suing large
corporations involved in monopolies and prohibited the
sale of corporations’ stock when their sale might lead to a
monopoly.
Monopolies or near-monopolies
gouge consumers with higher,
noncompetitive prices.
The Sherman Antitrust Act and Clayton Antitrust Act
resulted in the federal government suing large
corporations involved in monopolies and prohibited the
sale of corporations’ stock when their sale might lead to a
monopoly.
The 300 largest corporations own
more than 40% of the industrial
wealth of the country.
The Sherman Antitrust Act and Clayton Antitrust Act
resulted in the federal government suing large
corporations involved in monopolies and prohibited the
sale of corporations’ stock when their sale might lead to a
monopoly.

9. Problem Enacted Reform
If something needs to get done quickly in a
city, people need to pay a bribe.
Corrupt city bosses and political machines
were replaced by appointed commissioners
and city managers.
The police are poorly paid and poorly trained. Police forces were professionalized.
Cities are overcrowded, with impure water
supplies.
City water systems were purified.
The behavior of city residents is poor, resulting
in STDs, crime, and alcoholism..
The attempts to crack down on these
problems was not very successful and gained
the resentment of many people, especially
immigrants, who felt they were looked at as
inferior people who needed to be controlled.

10. Closure Day 2
• Decide if the enacted reform that you picked
yesterday still has the biggest impact on today.
In a paragraph of at least 5 sentences, defend
yesterday’s answer or explain your new choice
by describing the problem, the reform, and
why you think its impact in important today.
Be sure to include facts from your notes and
the textbook.