Progressive Era

Progressive Era

1. Upton Sinclair: published the "Jungle" in 1906, revealing the conditions in the meat packing industry in the United States and was a major factor in the establishment of the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act

   • Meat Inspection Act: in 1906, the sale of adulterated or misbranded livestock and derived products as food was prohibited and it ensured that livestock were slaughtered and processed under sanitary conditions as signed by President Theodore Roosevelt
   • Pure Food and Drug Act: signed on the same day as the Meat Inspection Act by President Roosevelt, it prevented the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated or misbranded or poisonous or deleterious foods, drugs, medicines, and liquors
     • Theodore Roosevelt: As 26th President of the United States, he brought attention to Progressive issues at the national levels and introduced the three “C’s”

2. Jane Addams: an advocate for the settlement house movement, dedicated to improving social conditions for immigrants and other residents of urban slums

   • Hull House: purchased by Jane Addams and Ellen Starr, the house was originally meant to educate the working poor in art and literature but also offers healthcare, education, recreation, and childcare services to immigrants.

3. Jacob Riis: published How the Other Half Lives in 1890, documenting slum conditions in New York and allowing the upper and middle class to see what others were living in

   • Immigrant Living Conditions: poor housing with no running water, ventilation, or windows; the ideal environment for bacteria. Typically houses/tenements held more people than suggested and were built from cheap materials.

4. Women's Rights: women were denied the right to vote until the NAWSA and its members fought for their right to vote, and eventually pushed the government to pass the 19th Amendment.

   • National American Suffrage Association:the National American Woman Suffrage Association played a vital role in the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, guaranteeing women’s right to vote
     • 19th Amendment: adopted in 1920, it prohibits the states from denying the right to vote to citizens of he United States on the basis of sex
     • Alice Paul: advocated for the passage of the 19th Amendment, but separated herself from the NAWSA to form the National Woman’s Party in which she organized parades and pickets in support of suffrage

5. Sherman Antitrust: A federal law passed in 1890 that committed the American government to opposing monopolies. Prohibits contracts, combinations, or conspiracies “in the restraint of trade or commerce.”

   • Clayton Antitrust Act: provides further clarification and substance to the Sherman Antitrust Act. Focuses on topics such as price discrimination, price fixing, and unfair business practices. The previously mentioned Sherman Antitrust Act left numerous loopholes for large corporations and Woodrow Wilson asked for a revision to fill these holes.
     • Act Woodrow Wilson: the 28th President of the United States,Woodrow Wilson signed multiple acts in his time as US President. Wilson reformed the national economy by lowering the tariff, introducing the income tax, and instituting the Federal Reserve System.

6. Booker T. Washington: acted as a black leader, fighting against racism for blacks and gained the President’s support. He founded the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in Alabama and later formed the National Negro Business League.

   • Tuskegee Institute: (Tuskegee University) Founded by Booker T. Washington in 1881 to train teachers in Alabama and it focused on training African Americans in agricultural pursuits
   • Racial Discrimination: Despite being given the right to vote (African American men,) racial discrimination still existed and even went as far as causing problems for those seeking access to quality healthcare. African Americans were segregated in public spaces, denied access to an education, and housing was scarce. Lynchings were also a problem in the south.
     • NAACP: (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People or National Negro Committee) an organization dedicated to justice for African Americans who face racial discrimination

7. National Wildlife Refuges: a designation for certain protected area of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, it is the system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America’s fish, wildlife, and plants. The first national wildlife refuge was established by an executive order of President Roosevelt in 1903.

   • John Muir: urged the federal government to adopt a forest conservations policy and persuaded President Roosevelt to return Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove to federal protection as part of Yosemite National Park.
   • Gifford Pinchot: reformed the management and development of forests in the United Tates and advocated the conservations of the nations’s reserves by planned use and renewal. He helped found the Yale School and was eventually selected to serve as first chief of the US Forest Service by President Roosevelt

8. William Howard Taft: * as the 27th President of the United States, he pursued more antitrust suits than Roosevelt and appointed conservatives to several key government posts, but didn’t have Roosevelt’s charisma. He was against Gifford Pinchot and betrayed a platform pledge.

9. Environmentalism: natural resources were heavily exploited and used by big companies in a wasteful manner. Conservationists noticed the usage of the irreplaceable resources and asked that the federal government do something about it and captured President Roosevelt’s attention with the issue.

10. Big Business: improved the country’s economy but provided workers with poor conditions and low wages that eventually led to strikes and the formation of Union groups.

    • Working Conditions: workers were expected to work in unsanitary conditions, for long hours, and with little pay. Workers often became sick or died from such poor conditions and eventually they became tired of it; forming Unions and went on strike until the conditions were better.