The Progressive Movement:

1901-1912

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Chapter Learning Objectives

Discuss the origins and nature of the progressive

movement.

Describe how the early progressive movement

developed its roots at the city and state levels.

Describe how Pres. Roosevelt began applying

progressive principles to the national economy.

Explain why Taft’s policies offended progressives.

Describe how Roosevelt led a progressive revolt

against Taft that openly divided the Republican

Party.

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The Progressive Movement

1901-1912

* AIMS

* ORIGINS

* POLITICAL PROGRESSIVISM

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AIMS to restore the government to the hands

of the people.

to use this properly controlled gov’t to

regulate industry, finance,

transportation, agriculture, foreign

policy

to use gov’t as an agency of human

welfare

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The Origins & Nature of the Progressive Movement

FOREIGN ORIGINS

“Socialist” new immigrants from Europe

Received inspiration from nations abroad

DOMESTIC ORIGINS

advocates of the Social Gospel

feminists enter the fight to clean up

corruption in city govt.

muckrakers exposed society’s evils

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Journalists Lincoln Steffens “The Shame of the Cities”

corrupt alliance between big business/ municipalgovt.

Ida Tarbell “The History of the Standard Oil Co.”

how Standard Oil fleeced consumers, ruined competition

David G. Phillips ”The Treason of the Senate”

revealed corruption caused by the Trusts, Railroads

Upton Sinclair ”The Jungle”

exposed the conditions in meat packing industry

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INTELLECTUALS

Thorsten Veblen (1899)

“The Theory of the Leisure Class”

exposed the inefficiencies of laissez-faire

capitalism

castigated society for “conspicuous

consumption”

JACOB RIIS (1890)

wrote “How the Other Half Lives”

an indictment of slum conditions in the cities

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Influence of the Social Activists

and Muckrakers

counted on publicity of evils to right

social wrongs

sought to cleanse capitalism, not to

overthrow it

believed cures for American society

would come from

more democracy

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POLITICAL PROGRESSIVISM

ATTRIBUTES

emerged in both political parties, in allregions

at all levels of government

was the majority mood of the country

Progressives were mainly middle class men & women

shared goals included

curbing the power of the trusts

stemming the perceived Socialist threat by improving living and labor conditions

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POLITICAL OBJECTIVES

pushed for direct primary elections (undercut bossism)

favored legislative reforms (Popularsovereignty)

initiative

referendum

recall

direct election of U.S. Senators (17th Amen)

Women’s Suffrage (19th Amendment, 1920)

elimination of graft at all levels of government

most reforms originated in the Western states

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The Early Progressive Movementroots developed at the local and state levels

Strive for more democracy; more direct role,

voice

City Government; eliminate corruption,

political machines

Commission Plan (Galveston, Tx. 1900)

government by experts

City Manager Plan (Dayton, Ohio, 1913)

employ trained city managers

run city efficiently, business-like

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STATE GOVERNMENT

State reformers (governors)

Robert M. LaFollette (Wisconsin)

Hiram Johnson (California)

Charles Evans Hughes (New York)

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SOCIAL LEGISLATION

Protection of Workers

child labor laws passed

maximum working hours

10 hr. day (Muller v. Oregon, 1908)

worker’s compensation laws

sweatshop laws (Triangle Shirtwaist Co. fire,

1911)

development of the concept of the employers’

responsibility to society: replaced strict

laissez-faire

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Roosevelt and the era of

Progressive Politics

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Objectives:

1. To examine how Roosevelt began applying

progressive principles to the national economy.

2. To explain why Taft’s policies offended

progressives, especially Roosevelt.

3. Describe how Roosevelt led the progressive

revolt against Taft that openly divided the

Republican Party.

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Theodore Roosevelt and Progressivism

Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902

United Mine Workers strike over wages,

working conditions, union recognition

mine owners refused to negotiate or arbitrate

with workers

TR threatened to operate coal mines with

Federal troops

owners agreed to Federal arbitration

first time the threat of Federal power was

used against capital, not labor.

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Roosevelt and Progressivism

Roosevelt’s program was the Square Deal

for capital, labor, & the public

control of corporations

consumer protection

conservation of natural resources

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The Square Deal #1: Control of Corporations

TR urged Congress to create a

Dept. of Commerce & Labor and a

Bureau of Corporations (1903)

both were authorized to investigate business

combinations, and harmful practices to

interstate commerce

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Northern Securities Company Case (1902)

was a railroad holding company

sought to achieve a monopoly in the

Northwest.

Supreme Court ordered the trust

dissolved

ruled it was a “combination in restrain of

trade” under the Sherman Antitrust Act

TR was then encouraged to seek other

reforms

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Railroad Regulation

Elkins Act (1903)

made granting and accepting secret

rebates illegal

railroads had to publish their rates

and make them public

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Hepburn Act (1906)

expanded Interstate Commerce Commission,

gave it real power to regulate rates

forbade free railroad passes, except to

railroad employees

I.C.C. could nullify existing rates, and

stipulate the maximum rates that were

allowed.

The Hepburn Act forced the railroads to

surrender their interlocking interests in

steamship lines and coal companies

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TR’s Trust-busting Philosophy

1. smashing all monopolies was not good for

the country

2. there were good trusts, and bad trusts.

3. government should regulate, not fragment

the big business combines.

SYMBOLISM--> the government, not big

business ruled the country

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Square Deal # 2: Consumer Protection

Policy centered on Public Healthmeasures

Sinclair’s The Jungle exposed the meat packing industry

foreign governments threatened to ban importation of U.S. meat

Meat Inspection Act (1906) passed by Congress

federal inspection of meat shipped interstate

Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)

prevent adulteration/ mislabeling of foods and drugs

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Square Deal # 3:

Conservation of Natural Resources

by 1900, U.S. faced exhaustion of discovered mineral and natural resources.

conservationist TR took action

NEW LANDS ACT (1902) (water in the west, why?

$ from sale of western lands --> irrigation projects in the West

established revolving fund to pay for more water projects

effect--> rivers dammed, land became irrigated, productive

Conservation may be TR’s most enduring tangible achievement

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Problems in the Republican Party:

Roosevelt’s Panic of 1907

TR’s actions during his second term

caused uncertainty in the business

community

TR lost some influence after his 1904

re-election by announcing that he would

not run in 1908 (he became a lame duck)

TR’s Square Deal program unsettled

Wall Street for a short time

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The Panic of 1907 paved the way for

needed financial reforms

need for a more elastic money supply

exposed need for ways to increase money in

circulation

Congress passed the Aldrich Vreeland Act

which allowed national banks to issue

emergency currency backed by specified

collateral

foreshadowed the Federal Reserve Act of 1913

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Problems in the Republican Party

Roosevelt and Taft

Roosevelt chose Wm. Howard Taft to be his

successor in 1908

Candidates in the 1908 Campaign

Republicans: Taft (winner)

Democrats: Wm. Jennings Bryan

Socialists: Eugene V. Debs

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Theodore Roosevelt’s Contributions

1. Enlarged the power and prestige of the

Presidency

2. Roosevelt helped shape the Progressive

movement of his times, and future

liberal reforms of the 20th Century

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Progressivism: 1908-1912

The Presidency of

William Howard Taft

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Taft as President

Wm. Howard Taft was mildly progressive.

He was wedded to the status quo

He came under the influence of the “Old

Guard” of the Republican Party.

The Old Guard was very resistant to the

progressive reforms introduced by Roosevelt.

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Dollar Diplomacy

Taft believed the U.S. should use foreign

policy to protect American business

interests and American investments abroad.

He used Wall Street investments in foreign

nations to uphold our foreign policy.

Wall Street invested in areas of strategic

concern to the U.S.

Far East, Caribbean, Central America

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Taft’s Progressivism: 1909-1912

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Taft’s Progressivism

Taft, as a trust-buster, had an outstanding

record.

1911, The Standard Oil Company was ordered

dissolved.

The Supreme Court redefined the Sherman

Anti-trust act.

Added the ‘Rule of Reason’: The Sherman Act

outlawed business combinations that unduly or

unreasonably restrained trade.

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The Tariff Question

Taft endorsed a lowering of the tariff in the

1908 Presidential campaign.

In Congress, the bill that passed actually raised

tariff rates, and was pro-business.

Taft signed the new Payne-Aldrich Tariff in

1909.

This new tariff outraged progressives and

alienated Taft from the progressive wing of

the Republican party.

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The Ballinger-Pinchot Controversy:1910

Grew out of western opposition to

conservation measures because they

inhibited the development of the West.

Secretary of the Interior Ballinger opened

western public lands to corporate

development.

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Gifford Pinchot of the Agriculture

Department (a Roosevelt confidant)

criticized Ballinger’s actions as being

detrimental to the conservation effort.

Taft dismissed Pinchot

Taft threw his weight behind the conservatives

and supported Ballinger.

Ballinger opened over 1 million acres of land

that Roosevelt had reserved for conservation.

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This event exposed the wide gap between

the progressive wing of the Republican

Party and the Old Guard.

Reformers believed Taft was undermining

Roosevelt’s conservation program.

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Speaker of the House Controversy Joe Cannon was the most powerful Speaker,

since Henry Clay.

Cannon opposed nearly all social-welfare

programs and as Chairman of the House Rules

Committee.

He decided which bills would be discussed.

Progressive members wanted to take some of the

Speaker’s powers away.

Conservatives opposed any erosion of the Speaker’s

powers.

Taft further alienated the progressive wing

by supporting Cannon.

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The 1910 Congressional Election

Many progressives campaigned against

Taft-supported candidates.

Roosevelt campaigned for a number of these

progressives.

TR’s speeches called for New Nationalism,

urged the federal government to increase its

power to solve social and economic abuses.

Control of Congress split: Dem/House;

Rep/Senate.

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The Split in the Republican Party

At the Republican National Convention in

1912, progressive Republicans supported

LaFollette.

Roosevelt refused to support either

LaFollette, or Taft and announced that he

was running for president.

Roosevelt openly split with Taft and the Old

Guard.

Roosevelt had decided that the policies of Taft

were not progressive enough.

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Taft, and the Old Guard, controlled the

Republican Convention machinery and

denied Roosevelt the nomination.

Roosevelt and his followers walked-out of the

convention, proclaimed themselves to be the

progressive party.

The Progressives (Bull Moose Party)

nominated Roosevelt for president, with

Gov. Hiram Johnson for vice-president.

Platform included elimination of child labor,

women’s suffrage, 8 hour work-day

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The Rise of Political Women in 1912

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