The Roots of Progressivis

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Progressivism Not a unified political

movement, but rather a broad range of reform movements

Rejected Social Darwinism, laissez-faire economics, & Individualism

Blamed industrialization & urbanization for the filth, crime, and poverty of American cities, yet embraced the power of science and technology to build a better society

Believed change can only come through government regulation of the economy and providing direct help to those in need

Progressives tended to be urban, educated, middle-class Americans

Leadership came from journalists, educators, social workers, and the clergy

Muckrakers Journalists who

investigate social conditions, unfair business practices, and political corruption (today, this is called “investigative journalism”)

Term first coined by Theodore Roosevelt in a 1906 speech

Ida Tarbell 1857 – 1944 Magazine journalist Wrote The History of

Standard Oil Company (1904), an expose of Rockefeller’s unethical business practices

For many Americans, this was their first lesson in the dangers of trusts and monopolies

Charles Edward Russell

1860 – 1941 Journalist Exposed the

conditions in Chicago’s stockyards, badly damaging the reputation of the beef industry

One of the founders of the NAACP in 1909

Later became a socialist, ran for office in NY

David Graham Phillips

1867 – 1911 Journalist / Novelist Exposed how campaign

contributions had led to corruption in the Senate; the public uproar that followed led to the passage of the 17th Amendment, changing how Senators are elected

Shot and killed by a man who believed Phillips’ exposé had led to the downfall of his family’s reputation

Lincoln Steffens 1846 – 1936 Journalist Wrote The Shame of

the Cities (1904), an exposé on political corruption within the US’ major cities

Later became a communist, declaring after a visit to the Soviet Union in 1919: “I've seen the future, and it works”

Jacob Riis 1840 – 1914 Danish immigrant Worked as a journalist

and crime scene photographer

Wrote How the Other Half Lives (1890): Used photographs to expose the squalor and horrible living conditions in the tenements and slums of NYC

Worked with then NYC police-commissioner Theodore Roosevelt to effect reforms within the NYPD

Progressive Philosophers

Henry George 1839 – 1897 Wrote Progress and

Poverty (1879) Argued that a gap was

opening up between the rich and poor due to industrialization

Wanted government to tax the wealthy (through property taxes) to raise the money for social programs to help the poor

Also supported free trade, limits on Chinese immigration, use of secret ballots in voting

Died of a stroke while running for mayor of New York – over 100,000 people attended his funeral!

Lester Frank Ward

1841 – 1913 Wrote Dynamic Sociology

(1883) Used Darwin’s ideas to

argue that humans were different from animals because of the ability to think and plan; we succeed not because of the ability to compete, but rather because we have the ability to cooperate (through government)

This idea is called Reform Darwinism

Edward Bellamy 1850 – 1898 Wrote Looking

Backward, 2000 – 1887 (1888)

Predicted a future where the US has become a utopia – no crime, poverty, or politics, government owns all industry and distributes wealth equally

His cousin wrote the Pledge of Allegiance

Died of tuberculosis

Naturalists Group of novelists

who argued that, contrary to “survival of the fittest,” sometimes people fail through no fault of their own – they are caught up in circumstances that they can’t control; part of the Realism movement

Stephen Crane 1871 – 1900 Wrote Maggie, A Girl

of the Streets (1893): tale of a girl forced by family circumstances into prostitution and death

Also wrote The Red Badge of Courage (1895), the short-story The Open Boat

Died of tuberculosis which he contracted while covering the Spanish-American War

Jack London 1876 – 1916 Author of The Call of

the Wild (1903) Wrote stories of

man’s struggle against the uncontrollable power of nature

Also a socialist Was his death a

suicide?

Theodore Dreiser

1871 – 1945 Wrote Sister Carrie

(1900): a story of how sex and wealth can slowly corrupt the innocent without them even being aware of it

Devoted socialist

The Social Gospel 1870 – 1920 Work to improve

society through the biblical ideals of charity and justice

Primarily church-centered

Churches began to evolve from being simply places of worship to being community centers and taking on missions designed to help the poor – provide gyms, social programs, day care

The Salvation Army

Began in England in 1865 as the Christian Mission, spread to US in 1880

Dedicated to “The advancement of the Christian religion as promulgated in the religious doctrines . . . the advancement of education, the relief of poverty, and other charitable objects beneficial to society or the community of mankind as a whole.”

The YMCA The Young Men’s

Christian Association Began in England in

1844, spread quickly throughout US

Aim was to help urban workers by offering Bible studies, prayer meetings, citizenship classes

Facilities included gyms, pools, libraries, auditoriums, and temporary low-cost lodging

Jane Addams 1860 – 1935 Founded Hull House, a

settlement house in Chicago

First woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize

Supported the idea that Christians have a moral responsibility to fix society’s problems & help the less fortunate

Settlement Houses Most famous

settlement house = Chicago’s Hull House

Middle class “settlers” moved into working class neighborhoods to help provide education, meals, childcare, medical care, and general advice to immigrants and poor workers

Public Education Industrialization

increased demand for a trained, educated workforce

Schools were also necessary for Americanizing immigrants’ children: they learned English, US History, patriotism, responsibilities of citizenship

School to Work Pipeline

Schools were used to teach the traits necessary to succeed in the industrial workforce: punctuality, attendance, neatness, efficiency, attention to detail, obedience to authority

High schools offered a variety of technical and vocational skills

Public Universities Due to the Morrill Land

Grant Act, the number of public universities rose dramatically

Between 1870 and 1890, the number of American students in college tripled

New colleges opened aimed specifically at educating female and black students