History Chapter 20 The Progressive Era This Covers The Origin Goals And Results

Unlock access to all the studying documents.

View Full Document

CHAPTER 20

The Progressive Era

1890–1920

This chapter covers the origin, goals, and results of the Progressive Era. In doing so, it discusses the

domestic agenda of presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.

CORE OBJECTIVES

1. Explain the varied motives of progressive reformers.

2. Explain the various sources of thought and activism that contributed to the progressive movement.

3. Identify the specific goals of progressive reformers and how they advanced them.

4. Describe the contributions of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft to the progres-

sive movement, and explain how and why the two men came to disagree.

5. Describe the progressive policies of President Woodrow Wilson, and explain why and how they

differed from those of Presidents Roosevelt and Taft.

CHAPTER OUTLINE

1. The Progressive Impulse

2. The Varied Sources of Progressivism

A. Depression and Populism

B. “Honest Government” Activism and Socialism

C. Muckraking Journalism

D. Religious Activism and Social Responsibility

i. Settlement Houses

E. The Woman Suffrage Movement

3. Progressives’ Aims and Achievements

A. Reforms in the Political Process

B. Efficiency Movement in Business and Government

C. Regulation of Business

D. Promotion of Social Justice

i. The Campaign against Drinking

ii. Labor Legislation

iii. The “Progressive” Income Tax

4. Progressivism under Roosevelt and Taft

A. Roosevelt’s Taming of Big Business

B. The 1902 Coal Strike

C. Roosevelt’s Election to a Second Term

D. Regulation of the Railroad, Food, and Drug Industries

E. Environmental Conversation

F. Roosevelt and Race

G. The Transition from Roosevelt to Taft

H. Taft and Tariffs

I. The Ballinger-Pinchot Controversy

J. The Taft-Roosevelt Feud

5. Woodrow Wilson’s Progressivism

A. Wilson’s Dramatic Rise

B. The Election of 1912

C. A Burst of Reform Bills

i. The Tariff and the Income Tax

ii. The Federal Reserve Act

iii. Anti-Trust Actions

D. Progressives’ Disappointments with Wilson

i. Progressivism for Whites Only

ii. The Vote for Women

iii. Progressive Resurgence

iv. Farm Legislation

v. Labor Legislation

E. The Limits of Progressivism

LECTURE IDEAS

1. Begin by having the class collectively define what progressive means. Inevitably, someone will say

“liberal.” This can lead to an effective discussion about what the terms we hear today and read about in

the past might actually mean. This is where a discussion of the paradoxes of progressivism should take

place. Describe who the progressives were, in all their diverse glory. What were their major objectives,

and what was their ultimate legacy upon the American reform spirit? Can we make a connection to the

progressives of the past and the progressive spirit today? See the following references:

2. The Progressive Movement was a middle-class reform movement designed to improve the lives of

those living in lower-class conditions. In a lecture discuss reasons why the middle class and lower up-

per class provided relief and aid to those in the lower class. You might wish to discuss that the middle

class—that is, skilled workers who had moved into mid-level management positions in industry—had

only recently arrived at their station in life. Many hoped to improve deplorable conditions the lower

class experienced and thereby prevent violent rebellions, which could jeopardize their newly gained

middle-class status, In this regard, you might mention labor relations in other countries and the revolu-

tionary uprisings that could result from economic disparity. Additionally, remind students of the vio-

lent riots that had occurred in the late nineteenth century in the United States. Religious convictions al-

so often came into play in the motivations of middle-class women reformers who campaigned for Pro-

hibition.

This lecture will provide students with a broader perspective regarding the motivations of the

Progressives at the time, who often are simply portrayed as benevolent crusaders. Useful references in-

clude:

3. For a lecture on the Southern Progressive Movement, which was drastically different from that in the

northern urban areas, refer to the following:

4. The story of John Muir and Gifford Pinchot serves as a wonderful example of an event that brings to-

gether at once the contradictions of progressivism. On one hand, we have John Muir, who sees a na-

tional park (Yosemite) as the necessary product of an urban-industrial society that might only progress

with a connection to unspoiled nature. On the other hand, we have the city of San Francisco (with

Pinchot’s backing), which needs water to progress cleanly and safely as an urban giant. Lay out the

story and the outcome. Useful references include:

5. For a comparison of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson—a comparison that should be instruc-

tive in explaining various progressive ideas—see John Milton Cooper Jr.’s The Warrior and the Priest

6. To help prepare a lecture on the original efficiency expert and the idea of micromanagement in our

IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES / FLIPPED CLASSROOM SUGGESTIONS

1. Divide the class into several groups and have them define progressivism. Additionally, have each

group define the characteristics of what and who the progressives were. Then have each group present

their findings and see if any common trends can be found for each question.

2. Have students identify the various issues that the average muckraker might have investigated during

the Progressive Era.

3. Outside of class, have students gather information on the People’s party platform for the 1896 election

as well as the Progressive party’s platform of 1912. Ask them to create a chart or table comparing the

two platforms. In class, have an open discussion in which students share their findings. Guide the stu-

dents’ discussion with questions such as: Are there similarities and differences between the two plat-

4. After a discussion of the 1912 election, have the students describe the effects of the third-party candi-

dates on the outcome of that election and compare those effects to how third-party candidates have in-

fluenced any other election.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Compare and contrast the progressive ideas of Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft with

those of Woodrow Wilson.

2. How important was the role of a third-party candidate in the outcome of the 1912 election?

3. What impact did the social reformers of the late nineteenth century have on American life?

4. What role did women play in the progressive movement of the early twentieth century?

5. Who were the muckrakers, and what were their contributions to the reform movements of the early

twentieth century?

6. How did the progressive movement differ between the urban centers of the northern states and the

more rural South? What accounts for these differences?

7. Identify ways that religion contribute to the progressive movement.

8. Why did progressives believe political reforms were necessary? Without political reforms, could the

progressives achieve their goals?

9. Give examples of Theodore Roosevelt’s contribution to the emerging environmental movement in

the early twentieth century.

10. Why were progressives disappointed in Woodrow Wilson’s presidency? Could Wilson have done

anything different during his presidency to address the disappointments of reformers?

11. Show how the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 restructured the American banking system. How was the

new system better or worse than the previous banking system?

PRACTICING CITIZENSHIP

This chapter lays out the chief components and limitations of progressivism around the turn of the twenti-

eth century and shows there was an element of conservatism in the movement. In the twenty-first century