History Chapter 21 The Progressive Era This Covers The Main Features Progressivism And

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CHAPTER 21

The Progressive Era, 1890–1920

This chapter covers the main features of progressivism and the domestic policies of the administrations

of Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson. The chapter begins by identifying the progressives and their beliefs. It

outlines reasons why progressivism began in the first place, including the discontent created by

depression, failed reform, and the rising awareness of social injustice, in part thanks to muckraking

journalism. Additional topics include the early activism of members of religious institutions and the

growing women’s movement. The chapter then outlines some of the achievements of the progressive

movement, including efficiency and better government, regulation of business, and campaigns in support

CHAPTER OUTLINE

I. The Progressive Impulse

II. The Sources of Progressivism

B. Populism

C. “Honest Government”

III. Progressives’ Aims and Achievements

A. Political Reforms

B. The Efficiency Movement

i. Municipal Reform

ii. The Wisconsin Idea

iii. Regulation of Business

ii. Environmental Conservation

iii. Roosevelt and Race

iv. The Brownsville Riot

E. Taft and Retrenchment

i. A Life of Public Service

ii. The Tariff and the Income Tax

iii. The Federal Reserve Act

iv. Anti-Trust Actions

E. Wilson Declares Victory

i. Progressivism for Whites Only

ii. The Vote for Women

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

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

together the contradictions of progressivism. On one hand, we have John Muir, who sees a national

3. For a comparison of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson—a comparison that should be

4. A lecture on the Progressive Era and the efficiency movement can help students understand the

broader changes of the twentieth century. For a view of Frederick Taylor, the original efficiency

expert and the idea of micro-management in our work world, see Robert Kanigel’s The One Best Way:

5. A lecture on the election of 1912 can really expose students to the impact of a third political party

(and a former president’s attempt at a political comeback). The drama of the formation of the

Progressive Party, also known as the Bull Moose Party, suggests the unique possibilities within the

American electoral system. Likewise, the determination of Woodrow Wilson in his rise to the top and

IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES

1. Divide the class into several groups and have them explore what progressivism meant in the early

2. It has been said that there would not have been a Progressive Era without the muckrakers. Ask

students to find and list the names of various muckrakers. Then have them identify the various issues

that the average muckraker might investigate during the Progressive Era. Consider referring them to

3. After a discussion of the 1912 election, divide the class into four groups and have them outline the

goals and objectives of each of the four major presidential candidates: Woodrow Wilson, Theodore

Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Eugene V. Debs. Next, either give a short lecture on or have

students research the demographics of the nation in the early twentieth century leading up to this

4. Women helped shape the Progressive movement in a number of ways. Ask students to make a list on

the blackboard or in a discussion board post of various ways that women contributed. For example,

their roles included helping run settlement houses, working as journalists, being active in the social

5. What was environmental preservation versus conservation? Before class, ask students to research

short biographies of Gifford Pinchot and Richard Ballinger. What were their differences on managing

the environment and resources? What was the Ballinger-Pinchot controversy? Is it possible that the

6. 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

students’ discussion with questions such as: Are there similarities and differences between the two

platforms, and if so, what do they suggest about these two individual movements? The point of this

activity is to help students recognize the continuity of ideas across different eras, moving beyond

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

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

early twentieth century.

5. 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

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

century it is not uncommon to see the two major political ideologies in America—the essential operating