ANC - Progressive Reforms Lesson

Progressive Reforms

Muckrakers

Photograph from Jacob Riis, "How the Other Half Lives"Many reforms came about after journalists investigated and exposed political corruption, child labor, slum conditions, and other social issues. These journalists were called muckrakers, and famous among them were Upton Sinclair and Ida Tarbell. In his novel The Jungle, Sinclair told the story of European immigrants working in Chicago's meatpacking industry. The book exposed the poor labor practices and unsanitary conditions that produced contaminated food. Congress was pressured to pass laws to regulate the meatpacking industry and to require meat packers to produce food that was safe to consume (Meat Inspection Act). In a series of magazine articles, Tarbell exposed political corruption in New York, Chicago, and other cities, and criticized Standard Oil Company's unfair business practices. Her findings angered the public and contributed to the government's decision to break up the Standard Oil Trust.

Progressive Reforms

The Progressives supported new ideas and policies they believed would improve people's lives. They supported increased government regulation of business and industry, efforts to protect consumers and workers, and policies to conserve natural resources. Their efforts to improve living conditions for the poor in cities led to more and better libraries, schools, hospitals, and parks.

Women Progressives, in particular, sponsored laws to end child labor and to require government inspections of workplaces. Jane Addams brought a British idea, the settlement house, to the United States, when she established Hull House in Chicago. Hull House was a social service agency that provided trained workers to help recent immigrants and working-class citizens learn about home economics, basic medical care, the English language, legal rights, and other topics important to low-income urban residents.

The Progressives also opposed political bosses and had scorn for citizens' lack of control over them. Progressive election reforms helped to increase ordinary citizens' direct control of government in these ways. Supporters of any new law may collect voters' signatures on an initiative to force a public vote on the issue. This prevents government officials from ignoring the desires of citizens. When enough citizens support an initiative, the government must present the issue to the public as a referendum on which the public may vote. This also prevents government officials from ignoring the desires of citizens. Citizens may remove public officials from office before their terms expire by organizing a recall election. This allows citizens to control who serves in government.

Another Progressive reform was the direct election of senators. Under the U.S. Constitution, each state's legislature elected that state's U.S. senators. The Progressives favored the adoption of an amendment to the Constitution that gave voters the right to elect their U.S. senators. They succeeded in their efforts with the adoption of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913. View this chart on the Progressive Era Links to an external site., and view the following two presentations giving Progressive Reforms and the Election of 1912.

In the activity below, drag and drop the correct names to the corresponding facts.

Who’s Who? Progressive Reformers

 

 

Can you match the “muckraker”? What about the progressive reformer to the reforms they advocated? Read over each clue and determine which person it describes. Once you think you know, click to reveal the answers. Each person may be described more than once!

 

 

Set 1

Options:  Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, Jane Addams, Susan B. Anthony, John Spargo

  1. wrote The Bitter Cry of Children
  2. efforts led to the passage of the 19th Amendment
  3. wrote extensively about corruption in government
  4. advocated female suffrage
  5. wrote The Jungle
  6. drew attention to the plight of poor workers in meat packing plants
  7. lead to the passage of laws regulating the meat industry
  8. provided basic medical care, legal workshops, meals, and recreation
  9. began the Hull House in Chicago
  10. wrote about the heavy-handed tactics of Standard Oil
  11. work discussed the horrors of child labor
  12. work was published in some of the new magazines of the 20th century
  13. provided services to the urban poor & working class
  14. as a result, many states regulated child labor (hours & age limits)
  15. was a tireless crusader for women's rights

Set 2

Options: Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois, Robert Lafollette

  1. advocated education
  2. took a more aggressive approach to reform
  3. favored regulation of business
  4. progressive governor of Wisconsin
  5. advocated adoption of middle class standards in the black community
  6. believed that African-American's could end racism by proving their worth
  7. favored lowering tariffs
  8. broke up trusts (monopolies)
  9. made his state a model for Progressives across the country
  10. favored an active role of government
  11. was the first African-American to receive a doctorate from Harvard
  12. took on powerful business interests in his state
  13. pushed for protection of our natural resources
  14. favored an income tax on wealthy Americans
  15. U.S. President from 1901-1909
  16. Progressive President, served from 1913-1921
  17. ran for president as a third-party candidate
  18. involved in the founding of the NAACP

Think you know? Click here to download the answers and see if you got them right! Links to an external site.

 

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