progressivism and the republican roosevelt chapter 28 american pageant, 13 th ed
DESCRIPTION
P ROGRESSIVISM The heart of progressive movement: Belief that government should be strengthened so that it could act aggressively to tackle social ills Government could be an instrument of positive good Basic prescription: use government as an agency of human welfare A rejection of laissez-faireTRANSCRIPT
PROGRESSIVISM AND THE REPUBLICAN ROOSEVELT Chapter 28American Pageant, 13th ed.
PROGRESSIVE ROOTS By 1900 America was faced with social
problems that had been mounting for 30 years but had not been affectively addressed.
The nation was gripped by a reform movement called Progressivism. Biggest period of reform since the 1840s.Waged war on many social evils including:
monopolies, corruption in government, inefficiency, social injustice and irresponsible corporations
PROGRESSIVISM The heart of progressive movement:
Belief that government should be strengthened so that it could act aggressively to tackle social ills
Government could be an instrument of positive good Basic prescription: use government as an agency
of human welfare A rejection of laissez-faire
ROOTS OF PROGRESSIVISM Pressure came from a number of different
groups:Socialists from Europe—start to gain strength in
USChristians preaching Social Gospel—focused on
the needs of the poor and the workers at the mercy of corporations
Feminists—suffrage movement included social justice in their call for reform because women were often those who suffered the most
Urban pioneers exposing corruption of cities and working conditions of children and women
MUCKRAKERS Magazines and Newspapers
began to compete with each other to expose evil and corruption
TR coins term muckrakers Lincoln Steffens—Shame in
the Cities (big business & municipal government)
Ida Tarbell—expose of Standard Oil
David Phillips—The Treason of the Senate (Senators represent railroads & trusts)
GOALS OF MUCKRAKERS Was out-pouring of
national criticism and exposure of ways in which the system was broken
Articles had a profound impact on the nation
Like progressives in general, these articles were long on complaint but short on solutions
MUCKRAKING TARGETS Malpractice of life
insurance company tariff lobbies beef trust money trust railroad barons White slave traffic in
women Slums High rate of industrial
accidents Child labor Plight of blacks in the
South
GOALS OF PROGRESSIVES Regain the power that had slipped from the hands
of the people into the hands of the special interest. Thus, pushed for: Primary elections Initiatives – voter proposed legislation Referendum – laws on ballot for final approval Recalls - allowing voters to remove candidates who
were screwing up Another objective was rooting out corruption
corrupt practices acts – limited campaign finances secret ballot direct election of US senators
17th Amendment Woman’s suffrage
PROGRESSIVISM IN THE CITIES AND STATES
Progressives scored their biggest victories at the state and city levels
City commission form of government -Galveston Texas
Wisconsin a test lab for progressive proposals Gov. Robert La
Follette Oregon, California &
New York followed suit
PROGRESSIVE WOMEN Settlement House
movement Social Clubs “Women’s issues” Sweat shops Muller v. Oregon – laws
protect women workers too
Lochner v. New York – 10 hour workday for all
Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire
TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT Woman’s Christian
Temperance Union Frances Willard led 1 million
members Some states and counties
passed laws controlling, restricting or banning liquor
The big cities generally stay wet
TR’S SQUARE DEAL FOR LABOR Roosevelt is a progressive Demanded a “Square Deal” for capital, labor
and the public Believed the government should uphold the public
interests He pushed control of three Cs:
corporations consumer protection conservation of natural resources
Intervened in the coal strike of 1902: showed government can help the people
Department of Commerce and Labor 1903 Bureau of Corporations
TR CORRALS THE CORPORATIONS
RR monster still largely untouched
Interstate Commerce Commission was largely ineffective
TR & Congress took on railroads & trusts together
Gave Interstate Commerce Commission teeth to impose restrictions
TR TRUST BUSTING Northern Securities
Company Railroad holding
company held by J.P. Morgan – had monopoly in Northwest
TR with help of Supreme Court dissolved NSC and others
Proved that government had power over business
CARING FOR THE CONSUMER TR backed
legislation protecting against adulterated and mislabeled food
1906 Upton Sinclair The Jungle
Meat Inspection Act of 1906
Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906
ROOSEVELT AND CONSERVATION
EARTH CONTROL
Americans using up natural resources Corporations hungry to exploit resources Conservation and naturalist movement
started before TR president, but TR gave the movement a huge kick in the pantsSet aside vast tracts of forests to prevent
logging on itBanned Christmas trees from the White HouseProtected coal mines
ROOSEVELT EMBOLDENS ENEMIES
Roosevelt is easily elected in his own right in 1904
TR’s big mistake: announces that he will not
run for a “third” term. makes him a lame duck
ROOSEVELT PANIC OF 1907 Sharp but short-lived panic on Wall Street in 1907
Speculation ends in run on banks Currency in short supply
Conservatives blame TR – too much government intervention
Aldrich-Vreeland Act National banks can issue emergency currency if
needed; sets the stage for Federal Reserve Act of 1913
THE ROUGH RIDER THUNDERS OUT TR used his political clout to
engineer nomination of William H. Taft in 1908
Taft platform were TR’s policies
Dems nominate William Jennings Bryan
Taft wins easily Socialists manage nearly a
half-million votes
CONTRIBUTIONS OF TR Enlarged the power and
prestige of the presidency Began the process of taming
capitalism ensuring that it would survive rather than being replaced
Developed technique of using publicity as a political weapon
Helped shape the progressive movement and to lay the ground-work for later liberal reforms
Opened Americans, eyes to world affairs and America’s role and potential influence on world events
TAFT: A ROUND PEG IN A SQUARE HOLE
Taft was initially very popular
Taft was passive with no jovial personality like TR
Poor judge of public opinion
Foot-in-mouth disease (a little too honest)
DOLLAR DIPLOMACY Extra dollars can go to foreign investments
where the US has a stake in country’s success
Success for them=success for US Leads to investment in Caribbean Causes US entanglement in these
countries US Marines land in Cuba, Nicaragua,
Honduras and the Dominican Republic to restore order and to protect US investmentsContinues the distrust of Caribbean and Central
American countries toward US
TAFT THE TRUSTBUSTER Taft brought antitrust suits at nearly four times the
rate of TR; 90 in his 4-year term Supreme Court decision in Standard Oil case
Dissolution of company Said company restricted trade & violated Sherman
anti-trust act Taft also went after US Steel
Angered TR because he liked US Steel
TR BUSTS TAFT TR increasingly annoyed
with Taft TR expected and
wanted Taft to be progressive in his mold
TR was not ready to leave the stage
TR moving from Taft’s mentor to his antagonist
The progressive wing longed for the return of TR
TAFT SPLITS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY Lower tariff one of the primary progressive aims;
protective tariff viewed as the mother of all Trusts Payne-Aldrich Bill passed
Taft: the “best bill ever passed by the party” Increased tariffs on many items
Taft relieves Gifford Pinchot of duties as chief of Agriculture because he spoke up about opening lands in West to corporate development
REPUBLICAN SPLIT By 1910 the progressive wing
of Republican party moved into open revolt
Taft being pushed into the camp of the conservatives
Osawatomie, Kansas, speech Doctrine of “New Nationalism” or
increased government power Mid-term elections showed
Democratic gain
THE TAFT-ROOSEVELT RUPTURE National Progressive
Republican League; LaFollette at the head
TR lets it be known that he will accept a third term if nominated by Republicans
He seizes the progressive banner
Wins a number of the new primaries
TR is more popular with voters, but doesn’t win the nomination because Taft was more conservative
Roosevelt is outraged & forms the Bull Moose Party
CITATION Progressivism and the Republican Roosevelt. (2001).
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