The Progressives | Period 7: 1890-1945 | AP US History | Khan Academy

Summary

The Progressive Era, spanning from the 1890s to the 1920s, was a period of significant reform in the United States. Driven by industrialization and urbanization, reformers addressed social issues like poverty and unsafe conditions through various means. Journalists exposed corruption, politicians regulated big businesses, and activists fought for workers' rights and women's suffrage. Despite their diverse goals, Progressives shared a belief in societal improvement and government intervention. However, their efforts were marred by contradictions, such as advocating for literacy tests and eugenics, reflecting the era's complex nature.

Takeaways

• 🏭 The Civil War led to significant societal changes with industrialization, urbanization, and immigration reshaping American life.
• 🌆 City living and factory work introduced new social issues like poverty and unsafe conditions, prompting the need for reform.
• 🔍 The Progressive Era, starting in the 1890s, was characterized by reformers addressing social problems through various means.
• 📰 Muckrakers played a crucial role by exposing corruption and unsanitary conditions, influencing legislation like the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.
• 🛠 Progressives fought for worker protections, including an eight-hour workday, safer working conditions, and collective bargaining rights.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Efforts were made to advance women's and children's rights, such as limiting child labor and securing women's suffrage through the 19th Amendment.
• 🏛️ Politicians like Teddy Roosevelt aimed to curb big business excesses by challenging trusts and monopolies.
• 🗳️ The Progressives sought to reduce political corruption, resulting in the 17th Amendment for the direct election of senators.
• 🚫 Moral reform was pursued, culminating in the 18th Amendment's prohibition of alcohol sale and consumption.
• 🔄 Despite their goals for societal improvement, Progressives were not uniform in their views, with divisions on issues like voting rights and immigration.
• 🌐 The Progressive Era's legacy is mixed, with some successes in addressing social issues but also limitations and contradictions in their approach to inclusivity and equality.

Q & A

What were the major changes in American life after the Civil War?

After the Civil War, American life underwent significant changes due to industrialization, urbanization, and immigration, which altered the demographic composition, living conditions, and occupational landscape of the United States.

What social problems emerged with city living and factory work during the Progressive Era?

The rise of city living and factory work led to social problems such as poverty, unsafe working and living conditions, and the emergence of monopolies and price-fixing practices that limited competition.

Who were the Progressives and what did they advocate for?

The Progressives were reformers who advocated for remedies to the social problems that arose during the period of rapid industrialization and urbanization. They worked on a variety of issues, including sanitation, worker protections, women's rights, and limiting the power of big businesses.

What was the role of muckrakers in the Progressive Era?

Muckrakers were journalists, writers, and photographers who exposed corruption and unsanitary factory practices, contributing to public awareness and driving legislative changes like the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.

What were some of the key reforms pursued by Progressives to protect workers?

Progressives fought for an eight-hour workday, safer working conditions, and the right for workers to bargain collectively through unions, aiming to improve the lives of laborers in the face of industrialization.

How did Progressives work to advance the rights of women and children?

Progressives aimed to advance the rights of women and children by limiting child labor, promoting access to birth control, and securing women's suffrage through the 19th Amendment.

What actions did Progressives take to curb the power of big businesses?

Progressives, including politicians like President Teddy Roosevelt, targeted trusts and monopolies to reduce their stifling effect on competition and to prevent price-fixing.

How did the Progressives address political corruption?

To combat political corruption, Progressives focused on reforms such as the passage of the 17th Amendment, which allowed for the direct election of senators, reducing the influence of party bosses.

What were the moral reforms advocated by some Progressives?

Some Progressives pushed for moral reforms to create a more orderly and humane society, with a significant achievement being the passage of the 18th Amendment, which prohibited the sale and consumption of alcohol.

What were the common beliefs among Progressives regarding the role of government?

Progressives shared a belief in the potential for societal improvement and the necessity of government intervention to address social problems, marking a departure from the laissez-faire approach of the Gilded Age.

What were some of the internal contradictions within the Progressive Movement?

Despite their efforts to improve society, Progressives were divided on issues like voting rights, with some advocating for restrictions on who could vote and supporting policies that favored white, educated, native-born citizens over others.

How did the Progressives' views on immigration and race shape their reforms?

Many Progressives supported the complete assimilation of immigrants into American culture and advocated for restrictions on 'undesirable' immigrants, reflecting the racial attitudes and eugenics beliefs of the time.

Outlines

00:00

🏭 The Progressive Era: Reform and Diverse Goals

The Progressive Era, spanning from the 1890s to the 1920s, was a period of significant reform in the United States. It was a response to the social problems brought about by industrialization, urbanization, and immigration. The era saw the rise of the Progressives, a diverse group of reformers who advocated for various social improvements. These included muckrakers exposing corruption, politicians regulating big businesses, conservationists protecting natural resources, and female reformers improving conditions for the vulnerable. Despite their diversity, Progressives shared a belief in societal progress and the government's role in achieving it. Key reforms included sanitation and consumer protection, worker's rights, women's and children's rights, curbing big business, political corruption, and moral reforms. However, the movement was not without its internal contradictions, such as the selective expansion of voting rights and varying stances on immigration.

05:00

🔍 The Contradictions Within the Progressive Movement

While the Progressive Era was marked by a desire to improve American society, it was also characterized by internal divisions and contradictions. Progressives expanded democracy by advocating for women's suffrage but simultaneously sought to restrict voting rights for certain groups, such as through literacy tests and residency requirements. Their views on immigration were mixed; some supported immigrant rights and cultural respect, while most favored assimilation and supported restrictions on 'undesirable' immigrants. The movement was influenced by the racial science of the time, which led to discriminatory practices like segregation and eugenics. Despite some successes in addressing corruption and exploitation, the effectiveness of Progressive reforms was limited by their selective nature and the underlying racial biases of the era. The era's end was marked by the Great Depression, indicating the need for further societal changes.

Keywords

💡Progressive Era

The Progressive Era refers to a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States that lasted from the 1890s to the 1920s. It was a time when reformers, known as Progressives, sought to address social problems arising from industrialization and urbanization. The video script mentions this era as a backdrop for the various reforms and movements discussed, such as sanitation laws and women's suffrage.

💡Industrialization

Industrialization is the process of social and economic change where human labor is progressively replaced by machines, often in large-scale manufacturing. In the context of the video, industrialization is highlighted as a catalyst for the changes in American life, leading to urbanization, new social problems, and the need for Progressive reforms.

💡Urbanization

Urbanization is the movement of people from rural to urban areas, leading to the growth of cities. The script discusses how urbanization changed the composition of the U.S. population and where they lived, which in turn led to new social issues like poverty and unsafe living conditions that the Progressives aimed to address.

💡Muckrakers

Muckrakers were journalists, writers, and photographers who exposed corruption, unsanitary conditions, and other social injustices during the Progressive Era. The video script uses Upton Sinclair and his novel 'The Jungle' as an example of muckraking that led to the passage of consumer protection laws.

💡Sanitation

Sanitation refers to the hygienic conditions and practices designed to promote health. The script mentions that Progressives advocated for sanitation reforms, such as the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, in response to unsanitary factory conditions that were making food products unsafe.

💡Worker Protections

Worker Protections are laws and regulations designed to ensure safe working conditions and fair labor practices. The video discusses how Progressives fought for an eight-hour workday, safer conditions, and the right for workers to bargain collectively through unions.

💡Women's Rights

Women's Rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women on the ground of equality with men. The script highlights the Progressives' efforts to advance women's rights, including limiting child labor, promoting access to birth control, and the passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.

💡Big Business

Big Business refers to large-scale commercial enterprises with significant market power. The video script notes that the rise of big business led to monopolies and price-fixing, which Progressive reformers like President Teddy Roosevelt sought to curb through trust-busting and promoting competition.

💡Political Corruption

Political Corruption is the abuse of power by government officials for personal gain. The script discusses how Progressives aimed to limit political corruption, particularly in city political machines dominated by party bosses, with the passage of the 17th Amendment being a notable achievement.

💡Moral Reform

Moral Reform refers to efforts to change society's behavior to conform to a set of ethical or moral standards. The video script mentions the 18th Amendment, which prohibited the sale and consumption of alcohol, as a major achievement of moral reformers during the Progressive Era.

💡Eugenics

Eugenics is the belief in improving the genetic quality of the human population through selective breeding. The script points out that some Progressives advocated for eugenics, viewing it as a way to improve the American gene pool, which included discouraging 'undesirables' from reproducing.

Highlights

After the Civil War, America experienced significant changes due to industrialization, urbanization, and immigration.

New social problems such as poverty and unsafe conditions arose from city living and factory work.

The Progressive Era, starting in the 1890s, was a time of reform aimed at addressing these social issues.

Progressives were a diverse group including muckrakers, politicians, conservationists, and female reformers.

Muckrakers like Upton Sinclair exposed corruption and unsanitary conditions, leading to legislation like the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.

Progressives fought for worker protections, including an eight-hour workday and safer working conditions.

Reforms aimed at advancing women's and children's rights included limiting child labor and promoting birth control.

The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, a significant achievement of the Progressives.

President Teddy Roosevelt and others targeted trusts and monopolies to promote fair competition.

The 17th Amendment allowed for the popular election of senators, reducing political corruption.

Moral reform efforts led to the 18th Amendment, which prohibited the sale and consumption of alcohol.

Progressives believed in the possibility of societal improvement and the role of government in achieving it.

There were internal divisions within the Progressive Movement, particularly regarding voting rights and immigration.

Some Progressives supported literacy tests and residency requirements, restricting the vote to certain groups.

The Progressive Era had both uniting and dividing factors, impacting the goals and effects of the reform movement.

Progressives succeeded in curbing some of the worst problems but were limited in their vision for societal improvements.

The effectiveness of Progressive reforms is a topic that requires examination of the subsequent decades.

Transcripts

- [Instructor] After the Civil War

there were enormous changes in American life.

With industrialization, urbanization,

and immigration changing the composition of who lived

in the United States, where they lived,

and what they did for a living.

But city living and factory work came with new

social problems like poverty and unsafe working

and living conditions.

The rise of big business had also led to practices

that limited competition, like monopolies and price fixing.

Starting in the 1890s a number of reformers

began to advocate for remedies to these social problems.

They were known as the Progressives.

This era of reform, which lasted through the 1920s,

has come to be known as the Progressive Era.

But the difficult thing about the Progressive Era

was that these reformers worked on all sorts

of different things.

There were muckrakers, which were journalists,

writers, and photographers who tried to expose

corruption or unsanitary factory practices.

There were politicians who tried to reign in

big businesses and protect consumers.

There were conservationists who tried to preserve

national parks and wilderness from exploitation.

And there many influential female reformers

who tried to help women, children, and immigrants

achieve better working and living conditions.

So clearly Progressives didn't all share the same goals

or advocate for the same solutions to problems.

How can we even compare the goals and effects

of the Progressive reformers when they were so diverse?

Let's start by taking a look at some of the goals

and achievements of the Progressives.

Now, I'm not gonna go into a lot of detail

about individual reformers or pieces of legislation here.

What I'm interested in doing is taking a birds eye view

of the kinds of reforms that Progressives pursued

during this time period.

First, there were those who advocated for sanitation

and consumer protections like Upton Sinclair,

whose novel The Jungle exposed the unsanitary conditions

in factories that made food products.

The outrage that book generated led to the passage

of laws like the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.

Then there were the Progressives who fought

for protections for workers.

They pushed for an eight hour workday

and for safer conditions for workers,

along with the right for workers

to bargain collectively through unions.

Along with those reforms were others aimed

at advancing the rights of women and children,

including limiting child labor, promoting access

to birth control, and granting women the right to vote

through the 19th Amendment.

Many of the Progressive reformers were interested

in reining in the excesses of big business.

Politicians, like President Teddy Roosevelt,

went after trusts and monopolies

for stifling competition and fixing prices.

Another avenue of reform was aimed at limiting

political corruption, particularly city political machines

that were dominated by party bosses.

One victory in this arena was the passage

of the 17th Amendment, which provided for

the popular election of senators.

Lastly, there was a push for moral reform

to make society more orderly and humane.

The major achievement of these reformers

was the passage of the 18th Amendment,

which prohibited the sale or consumption of alcohol.

Okay, so now that we've done a brief survey

of what the Progressives were up to,

let's think about what aspects these reformers

had in common with each other,

and where they differed with or contradicted each other.

So this might sound a little obvious,

but one thing that united the Progressives

was that they believed in progress.

That is, they thought it was possible to improve society

and to make people better human beings.

This is worth mentioning just because not everyone

felt that this was possible.

Many of the opponents of the Progressives

saw human nature as fixed and a society with

vast inequalities of wealth and opportunity

is just an inevitable consequence of industrialization.

A second shared belief was that it was the role

of government to step in and fix these social problems.

This was a big departure from the laissez-faire

or hands off approach of the Gilded Age.

In that era, attempting to improve sanitation

or morality would have been considered

work for private charities

or voluntary associations to take on.

But the Progressives thought that the problems

they were trying to solve were too big for that approach.

And they sought out the help of local, state,

and federal government to implement their measures.

They campaigned for laws and constitutional amendments

to bring about change.

So they really began a debate over whether

or to what extent the government should take an active role

in the welfare of its citizens that would continue

into the Great Depression.

But the Progressive Movement was also riddled

with divisions and internal contradictions.

One of these was around voting rights.

The Progressives expanded democracy by winning

the right to vote for women,

but they also advocated for restricting the vote

to who they considered good voters.

White, educated, native-born people.

They worked to impose literacy tests

and residency requirements in the North,

and made no effort to challenge Jim Crow Laws

preventing African Americans from voting in the South.

Progressives were also divided on the issue of immigration.

Although a few Progressives championed the rights

of immigrants and respect for immigrant's culture

like Hull-House founder, Jane Addams,

most Progressives thought the only way

forward for immigrants was complete assimilation

into American culture.

They also supported restrictions on the entry

of immigrants they considered undesirable,

like those from Southern and Eastern Europe,

Asia, and Mexico.

These beliefs around who was fit to vote

or to be an American citizen derived from

the flawed racial science of the day,

which categorized white Anglo-Saxons as the most

evolved race, and everyone else falling somewhere

along a continuum of less evolved peoples.

With the exception of African American activists,

like Ida B. Wells, Progressive reformers supported

segregation and pretty much turned a blind eye

towards the working and living conditions

of African Americans.

Some Progressives even advocated eugenics,

a plan to improve the American gene pool

by encouraging native white women to have more babies,

and discouraging undesirables from reproducing,

sometimes through forced sterilizations.

So taking these uniting and dividing factors

into consideration what conclusions can we come to

about the goals and effects

of the Progressive reform movement?

I think it's safe to say that the Progressives

wanted to improve society and find a remedy

for the social problems caused by

industrialization and urbanization.

And that they wanted to do so through

government intervention.

But their goals were also limited.

They only wanted these improvements for those

they deemed worthy to participate in American society.

As for how effective their reforms were at solving

the problems of industrialization and urbanization,

they did succeed in curbing some of the worst problems

of corruption, sanitation, and exploitation.

But we would also need to look ahead

to the '20s and '30s to see how much

things really changed.

Spoiler alert, this booming era of industry

was about to end with a crash.