Essential Question: (Just think about this one.) How did progressives bring reform to urban & state governments?

Bell Ringer Questions: How effective were progressive reformers in addressing: (a) Problems in cities?

(b) Discrimination against African Americans?

(c) Inequalities against women?

  VP Theodore Roosevelt became president after the assassination of William McKinley in 1901 TR was a different kind of president • • He thought the gov’t ought to take responsibility for the welfare of the American people His agenda of progressive reform was called the “Square Deal”

 TR was committed to a series of reforms: • • • Breaking up harmful monopolies (called “trustbusting”) Regulating businesses such as railroads & the meat industry Conservation of natural resources

  During the Gilded Age, Congress passed a series of laws designed to keep big business in check: • The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was formed in 1886 to regulate railroads • The Sherman Anti-Trust Act in 1890 made it illegal for companies to restrict trade But neither of these laws were strict enough to control monopolies

 Roosevelt saw the benefit of efficient monopolies, but wanted to control bad trusts: • • In 1902, the gov’t ordered the Northern Securities Company (a giant railroad monopoly owned by J.P. Morgan) broken up because it violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act The Roosevelt administration “busted” 25 trusts in 7 years

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In 1902, the United Mine Workers went on strike to demand higher pay & an eight-hour work day

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The anthracite coal strike lasted 11 months & threatened the nation as winter approached

 Unlike the Gilded Age presidents, TR did not side with the owners & break up the strike • TR forced both sides to arbitrate or face gov’t seizure of the coal mine • The result was a “square deal” for both sides

 When muckraker Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle was published, Roosevelt pushed for Quick Class Discussion: • • To ban harmful products & end false medicine claims, the Pure Food & Drug Act passed in 1906 Read excerpts from The Jungle

 During the Gilded Age, corporations clear-cut forests & viewed America’s natural resources as endless  Roosevelt began the 1 environmental conservation program • • st national The gov’t protected 195 million acres as off limits to businesses The Reclamation Service to place natural resources (oil, trees, coal) under federal protection

  In 1908, Roosevelt decided not to run for re election as president TR’s presidency was important because for the first time, the national government: • • • Regulated big business Protected the environment Assumed responsibility for the welfare of workers & consumers

When Roosevelt decided not to run for re-election in 1908, his successor to the presidency was Republican William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft

 Like TR, Taft believed that the U.S. needed progressive reform: • • • In his 4 years as president, Taft helped break up twice as many monopolies as Roosevelt Created the Children’s Bureau & pushed for child labor laws Helped create safety codes for coal miners & railroad workers

  But, Taft did not always trust the gov’t to solve problems & often sided with conservative Republicans • He angered progressives when he supported a high tariff which helped monopolies • He allowed a cabinet secretary to sell 1 million acres of conservation land to businesses Progressive politicians hoped that TR would run for president again

  TR decided to run for president in 1912 but the Republican Party picked Taft as their candidate • TR created the Progressive (“Bull

Moose”) Party

• Taft was the Republican nominee & the Democrats ran a reform governor,

Woodrow Wilson

Republican voters were divided in whom to support: Roosevelt or Taft

I’m feeling as fit as a “bull moose”

With the Republicans divided, Democrat Woodrow Wilson won the election of 1912 Republicans divided by a Bull moose equals a Democratic victory!

 President Wilson oversaw a great wave of progressive reforms: • • • • 16 th 1 st Amendment created the income tax in U.S. history 17 th Amendment allowed for the direct-election of U.S. Senators 18 th Amendment outlawed alcohol (prohibition) 19 th Amendment granted women the right to vote (suffrage)

 President Wilson oversaw a great wave of progressive reforms: • Created the Federal Reserve to regulate the economy by adjusting the money supply & interest rates • The Clayton Anti-Trust Act limited the ability of companies to form monopolies & protected workers’ right to strike • The Federal Trade Commission monitored unfair business practices

The “Fed” regulates the amount of money in circulation to help keep the economy strong

 The Progressive Era (1890-1920) brought major changes: • Gov’t regulation of big business  • Improvements in U.S. cities • More democracy for the people But, the outbreak of World War I in Europe distracted Americans & brought an end to the Progressive Era