Cram Sheet: Progressive Politics P E OP L E

Theodore Roosevelt Progressive Republican President of the United States, 1901-1909 Most popular political leader of early 20th century Promised to regulate big business and bust trusts Stepped down voluntarily in 1909, then ran again for presidency in 1912 on Progressive Party ticket but lost to Woodrow Wilson William Howard Taft Republican President of the United States, 1909-1913 Administration had both Progressive and conservative tendencies Roosevelts hand-picked successor, but not as charismatic or effective Won Republication nomination for reelection in 1912 but finished behind both Democrat Woodrow Wilson and Roosevelt (running on Progressive Party ticket) in general election Woodrow Wilson Progressive Democratic President of the United States, 1913-1921 Defeated Taft and Roosevelt to win presidency; first Democrat to win White House in 20th century Pursued idealistic foreign policy; led U.S. into WWI in the name of Progressive principles Upton Sinclair Muckraking novelist, author of The Jungle, 1906 Intended book to spread socialist message about mistreatment of workers in Chicago' meatpacking industry Readers instead horrified by mistreatment of meat J.P. Morgan Major American financier Arranged several major mergers; financed US Steel; controlled railroads across nation Andrew Carnegie Scottish-born American industrialist; imported European steel techniques to dominate American steel industry Attempted to reorganize entire steel industry under own company Became one of world's richest men and one of world's most generous philanthropists Proponent of Gospel of Wealth

EV ENTS
1887 Interstate Commerce Act Created Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate railroads Early example of Progressive legislation designed to use the government to regulate business practices Enforcement powers neutered by Supreme Court until a series of reinforcing acts passed in 1910s 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act New law designed to restore competition to markets by splitting apart monopolies Thought designed to target big business, the law was only used against unions and agricultural co-ops until Roosevelts presidency 1901 McKinley Assassination President William McKinley murdered by crazed anarchist Leon Czolgosz Charismatic young Vice President Teddy Roosevelt became president 1907 Financial Panic Stock-market panic threatened to throw economy into severe recession Economy stabilized by private actions of J.P. Morgan and other financiers 1908 Muller v. Oregon Supreme Court ruled that Oregon law limiting womens workday was constitutional Crucial case in establishing the right of government regulation of economy

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1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Fire spread rapidly through New York garment sweatshop Workers had been locked inside the factory by owners to prevent theft Only one small fire escape was not big enough to allow many to escape 146 workers jumped to their deaths or burned alive; most were young girls Unions used disaster to argue that working conditions in factories should be improved 1912 Presidential Election Democrat Woodrow Wilson defeated Republican incumbent W.H. Taft, popular ex-president Theodore Roosevelt, and Socialist Eugene Debs Division of Republican votes between Taft and Roosevelt allowed Democrats to elect first president in more than two decades 1913 Sixteenth Amendment Authorized Congress to levy income taxes 1913 Seventeenth Amendment Allowed for U.S. Senators to be elected directly by popular vote 1917 Hammer v. Dagenhart Supreme Court ruled that child labor laws were unconstitutional But court later overturned ruling on minimum wage (for women and children) in 1923 with Adkins v. Childrens Hospital 1918 Sedition Act Criminalized production of antiwar materials and the delivery of any speech deemed unpatriotic or detrimental to the war effort Imposed fine and imprisonment on anyone who discouraged military recruiting or criticized the government, the flag, or the military uniform

GROUPS
Progressives Slippery term, difficult to define Generally middle class reformers Promoted active change in society, often using tools of government Incorporated members of both political parties Progressive Party (a.k.a. Bull Moose Party) Third party headed by Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 Attempted to make Progressivism into independent political force Essentially organized around Roosevelts personality; when he lost in 1912, party fell apart All members of Progressive Party were Progressives, but not all Progressives were in Progressive Party

CONCEP TS
Muckrakers Investigative journalists Term coined by Teddy Roosevelt Attempted to bring foul conditions of American industrial society to light Tended toward sensationalistic exposs; rarely promoted specific solutions Economies of Scale Gains in production or savings of cost produced by integration of large scale processes In plain English, the money you save when you do something on a larger scale and become more efficient. Vertical Integration When a company takes over all stages of production in the making of its product Allows economies of scale and higher profitability

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Horizontal Integration When a company forces out or takes over its competitors, building a monopoly over an entire industry Many companies endured temporary cuts in prices to drive competitors out of business, creating monopoly conditions and generating high profits Conservationism Environmental movement driven forward by Thoreau, Roosevelt and John Muir Attempted to protect beauty and majesty of Americas natural landscapes Angered industrialists and others who wanted to use natural resources for economic development rather than preserving them

PLAC ES
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, New York City Overcrowded garment sweatshop Site of tragic 1911 fire that killed many workers, mostly young girls

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