PROGRESSIVISM

-Movement for social change between the late 1890s and WWI. Its origins lay in a fear
of big businesses and corrupt government and a desire to improve the lives of countless
Americans. Progressives set out to cure the social ills brought about by the
industrialization and urbanization, social disorder, and political corruption

Muckrakers-Unflattering term coined by Theodore Roosevelt to describe the writers who made a
practice of exposing the wrongdoings of public figures. Muckraking flourished from
1903-1909 in magazines such as McClures and Colliers, exposing social and political
problems and sparking reform
-dirt, stirring up the dirt
McClures Magazine-owned by Samuel S. McClure
Lincoln Steffens-McClure sent him to travel and find something to write about
-wrote Tweed Days in St. Louis and The Shame of Minneapolis which was about the
corrupt partnership between businessmen and politics
-believed reform was possible
Ida Tarbell-wrote History of the standard oil company
Upton Sinclair-wrote The Jungle which was about the corruption in meat packing industries
Louis Brandeis-Attorney for the state of Oregon who filed the Brandeis brief in Supreme Court for the
case of Muller v. Oregon, this brief presented only two pages of legal precedents, but
contained 115 pages of sociological evidence on the negative effects of long workdays on
womens health and thus on women as mothers. The brief expanded definition of legal
evidence
Muller v. Oregon-Supreme Court decision established special protections for working
women, upholding an Oregon law that limited women working in factories and laundries
to a ten-hour work day.
W.E.B. DuBois-Sociologist that graduated from Harvard
-founder of the Niagara Movement with William Monroe Trotter; focused on equal rights
and the education for the African American youth
-helped start the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
which is founded on the beliefs that nonviolent protests and legal action were the best

way to achieve equal rights for blacks and white. He didn't like Booker T. Washington's
way of saying that thought that economic and moral advancements rather than legal and
political changes would ensure equal rights for blacks.
Successes of the NAACP-Guinn v. United (1915) states the Supreme Court overturned a grandfather clause that
kept African Americans from voting in Oklahoma
-Buchanan v. Worley (1917) struck down a law in Louisville, Kentucky that required
residential segregation
-with the National Urban League, NAACP persuaded the federal government to form a
special Bureau of Negro Economics within the Labor Department to look after the
interests of African American wage earners
-despite this, African Americans still experienced disenfranchisement, poor job
opportunities, and segregation
Margaret Sanger-nurse, abortion, created birth control
Frederick Taylor-wrote the principles of scientific management
-standardization of tools and equipment
-eliminated redundancy
-cut business in half
Robert LaFollette-governor of Wisconsin
-train gov. Bureaucrat; expert on agency overseeing
-Wisconsin Idea
-Two areas of America didnt get along, now they do

Who were the Progressives?-middle class

-educate elite, professors, doctors, lawyers, journalists
-weaknesses: if you dont know how to fix it, then you dont know
-alienate people
Objectives of the Progressive Movement-bringing greater democracy to America
-social justice
-prohibition
-eradicating prostitution
-making businesses and industry better

Bringing greater democracy to America 17th and 19th amendments-initiative

-Referendum- voting for something or not voting
-recall- not liking the president, do we keep the president or not?
-primaries- held in June of President election year. Purposes: figuring out who is running
for President
17th Amendment- Allows the right to directly allow senators
Secret ballot: secretive of who you elect
19th Amendment: ladies allowed to
Social justice
-protection of the worker and consumer
Comstock act:
-illegal to mail anything pornographic
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire-only 1 exit, 46 women died
-upton Sinclair
Prohibition
-progressives didnt like alcohol, decided to make it illegal
(18th and 21st amendments)18th- outlawed liquor, destroyed farm, looking for ways to make money
21st got rid of 18th amendment
Prostitution-more women came to America than could be employed
-only place it wasnt illegal was in Nevada
T. ROOSEVELT-Outspoken, national politics, mother and wife died, bought a farm, became a cowboy,
came back to NYC, organized the rough riders, William Mckenny assassinated, Teddy
became President
-conserved national resources, created 17 mil. Acres of national park land
-building panama canal which was under control by Columbia
Hawk pro war (Roosevelt)
Dove no war
Northern Securities Co. a holding company that maintained financial interests in other
companies
William Howard Taft-became President with Roosevelts help

Woodrow Wilson-believed 13 was lucky, first President to have PHD, sensitive to criticism, wanted to
keep the federal gov. in check
-underwood-simons tariff act: lowered tax by 15%
-federal reserve act of 1913- 12 regional banks across US
-fed. Trade com. Act- oversee business activities
-clayton antitrust act of 1914- outlaw the worst corporate practices
-keating owen child labor act- prohibited interstate goods made by children
Warren G. Harding-1920-1923; Ohio; Newspaper editor
0 factor- any president elected in a year that ended in 0 was killed
-risen to senate because of political bosses; loyal
-got 61% of popular vote
-releases Eugen Debbs from jail
-lacked will to change political habits
-Secretary of Commerce:
-Secretary of Treasury- Andrew Mellon
-Secretary of State: Charles Hughes
-Congress didnt want to ratify treaty; technically still at war with Germany
-Hughes invited Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan

Calvin Coolidge-1923-1929
-from Vermont, went to Amherst, lawyer, gov. of Massachusetts, approached white
house, no parties/celebrations, save money, Austere living
-Trickle down theory- keep wealthy powerful so wealth trickles down
-JP Morgan paid no income tax during Coolidge
Herbert Hoover-Jesse Smith: friend of Harding who sold information for money
-Charles Forbes: admin, of VHA used money from VHA to his bank account
-Teapot Dove: Secretary of Interior Albert Fall and Attorney General Doherty; Elkhill,
CA; oil preserved, released oil deposits that belonged to gov.
-Doherty 1 year in jail, Forbes jailed for taking $200 mill.
Franklin D. Roosevelt-1933-1945
-4 terms: elected in 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944
-family lived for public service
-only child, attended Harvard, marries cousin Eleanor Roosevelt, had 5 children, crippled,
had an affair with Lucy Mercer (Eleanors secretary),
-Amendment 22 limits Presidency to two terms because of Roosevelt
-veto 635 bills

WORLD WAR I-Sedan was a railroad for Germany, America had to crush this
-Nov. 11 Germany surrendered
-flu killed more American in Europe than anything
Underlying and immediate causes of the War-

CPI-

War Industries Board-

War Labor Board-

Chateau Thierry-

Belleau Wood-

Treaty of Versailles-1st cause of WWI

-Germany wasnt involved
-14 points: Wilson wanted the nations to have access to free elections and self
determination
-reparations: the one who starts the war and loses the war has to pay money
-France requested money

Weimar Republic:
-Democratic gov. in Germany, new govt didnt do so well
-England wanted Germany gone completely
Lebensraum: living room in French
Clause 231: put complete blame for the beginning of WWI on Germany and its allies
The TWENTIES
Why did the US enter the world in a confident note?
-no battles fought in America
-American population not harmed
-economy booming
-on the winning side
Changes in America-Assembly line- mass produce anything
-characterized by cities, and the automobile that will change the world
-electricity will replace steam washing machines, refrigerators, etc.
-American worker became highest paid worker in the world
-radio broadcasting: KDKA Pittsburgh, 1st major radio station
-motion pictures: Hollywood used Mexico because it was cheap and had good weather
Changes in the family/womens roles-flapper girl
-women were able to work but had lowest paying jobs
-youth rebellion: men had alcohol in trench coats, bootlegging
economic issues and weaknesses-upper class and upper middle class benefited from economic changes
-African Americans were lowest class
Great Migration
-African Americans moved North to find work and get out of the South
Sharecropping- didnt own the land
Impact on NYC
-Harlem Renaissance: Jazz Music
-Alaine Locke- New Negro, 1st American to graduate from Oxford College

The Migration Narrative-come up with reasons to leave, find out where youre going
Jacob Lawrence-taught at Washington University, drew paintings that explained migration

Sacco and Vanzetti-Italian immigrants put on trial for robbing a truck; 1 paymaster killed; found guilty;
before executed there were protests because found guilty with no real evidence
Scopes Trial-John Scopes taught evolution in class, arrested, put on trial, found guilty, overturned a
few days later
-William Jennings Bryan questioned having religious knowledge; admitted there were
parts of the bible that he didnt believe; prosecutor
-Clarence Darrow- attorney
KKKNativism-reemergence of the KKK
-only native borns mattered
David Stephensen- political party boss of Indiana who convicted 2nd degree murder
Hemingway-questioned New World Order, left US to live in Paris
Non fict.A moveable feast American life in Paris
Non fict. The Sun Also Rises story of Am. Moving to Europe
A farewell to arms response to post war
-committed suicide in 1961
The DEPRESSION and STOCK MARKET CRASH
-railroad industry in trouble b/c of trucks
-coals in trouble b/c natural gas and electricity
-agriculture in trouble b/c goods sent out to France but France didnt need it; 1921 no
income
-1920 people developed poor impulse control; used credit; couldnt pay bills
-middle/upper class buying stock margin; down payment
-close to 900 grocery store chains
-over 8000 coal miners too poor to buy anything
1928 election
-Hoover (wet) vs. Al Smith (dry, gov. of NY, in favor of getting rid of prohibition
-Hoover elected
-President during biggest economic crisis in the US
Black Thursday 24 Oct. 1929
-price collapsed in Wall St.
-lose 47.50 per share
-b/w Thurs. to Tues. 30 bill. Dollars in stocks lost

-sold shares due to panic

-Hoover believed in efforts in private sector to jump start economy not government
(republican idea)
Great Depression
-buying on credit, banks foreclosed, stocks on margin, agriculture trouble, depression
with whole world (domino effect)
-business men poor, lost homes, shanty towns (Hoovervilles), employment agencies over
5000 men looking for jobs, looked for jobs out of the country
-hobos go to Ca to get a job in agriculture by jumping freight trains
-more women seek divorces
-birth rates dropped
-banks closed
-FDIC protection protect $150,000 if bank closes
Hoovers initial plan
-did not believe in gov. intervention to assist the unemployed
-believed government subsidies would undermine the American character
What did he eventuall7 do?
-cut taxes to restore public confidence
-PECE- gov. agency to oversee current reliefe programs
-Federal Farm Board- stabilize agriculture
-Public Works created jobs where needed
-Reparations moratorium
-Reconstruction Finance Corporation of 1932- right the wrongs done with banking
failures, mortgages, etc.
The Revenue Act of 1932
-help bring money into system
Causes of and reaction to-wanted new President
THE NEW DEAL-did not end depression, WWII did
-relief, reform (prevent from happening again), recovery of business
The first 100 days
-Emergency Banking Act: national federal assistance program for banks, reopen banks
with government support, federal reserve system was empowered to making loans to
them with rubber checks, reopened banks were safe to put money into, FDR announced
banks were safe, deposits exceeded withdrawals, largest one day increase in stock market
-Federal Emergency Relief Act-relief of human suffering with middle class being target,
$500 million given to act. Gave over 1 billion dollars

-Agricultural Adjustment Act- farmers paid for not planting crops, taxes placed on
processors, farm income grew from 5.5 billion to 8.7 billion
-Tennessee Valley Authority- experiment in regional development, aimed at transforming
one of the poorest areas in the US, 7 states that bordered the Tennessee river, tried to
create dams for electricity, reduce flooding, increase average income in these areas,
-Glass-Steagall Act-separate embossment from commercial banking in order to reduce
speculation from commercial bankers
FDIC- money protected in bank $2500
-The National Industrial Recovery Act- stimulate heavy industry and provide jobs, 3.3
billion dollars in public works money, Lincoln Tunnel, USS Yorktown/ Enterprise,
Works Progress Administration
-4 million Americans back to work
-do everything
-built golden gate bridge
-spent 11 billion dollars after liquidated 8.5 million back to work
Civilian Conservation Corps.
-young people
-17-30, outdoor work
-worked forest fires, planted trees, prevented erosion, refurbished California missions
Critics
Father Charles Couglin- Catholic priest that broke with the new deal in 1934, called for
National Union of Social Justice, used radio to deliver his message, Roosevelt would not
support banking industry, Canada born
Dr. Francis Townsend- Long Beach CA, physician, spoke for elderly, old age pension
plan for retired citizens over age of 60, must agree to spend money not hoard
Huey P. Long- increased taxes corporations were paying, dictator of Louisiana, adversary
w/ FDR, started share the wealth program, house and 3 meals guaranteed to American
family, all fortunes over 5 million dollars would be seized from government, 100% tax on
income over 1 million dollars
Social Security Act of 1935
-provide a measure of unemployment insurance as well as security pension for old age,
through taxes, social security for disabled/ unable to work,
Wagner Act
-eliminate employers interference with the autonomous organization of workers into
unions.
Beer and alcohol taxed
National debt increased
FDR programs too moderate, slow recovery, need lasting permanent recovery