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Chapter 18: The Progressive Movement

Terms in this set (20)

Progressives
People who had many different views about how to fix the problems they believed existed in American society. They generally believed that industrialism and urbanization had created many social problems. Most agreed that the government should take a more active role in solving society's problems. Usually belonged to both major political parties and usually were urban, educated middle-class Americans.
Muckrakers
A group of crusading journalists who investigated social conditions and political corruption. They uncovered corruption in many areas. Some concentrated on exposing what they considered to be the unfair practices of large American corporations. Others targeted government. Still others concentrated on social problems.
Robert La Follette
Republican governor of Wisconsin. Used his office to attack the way political parties ran their conventions. Pressured the state legislature to require each party to hold a direct primary. Had great reform success which gave Wisconsin a reputation as the "Laboratory of democracy."
Direct primary
Where all party members could vote for a candidate to run in the general election.
Initiative
One of the three reforms. Allowed a group of citizens to introduce legislation and required the legislation to vote on it.
Referendum
One of the three reforms. Allowed proposed legislation to be submitted to the voters for approval.
Recall
One of the three reforms. Allowed voters to demand a special election to remove an elected official from office before his or her term had expired.
Alice Paul
A quaker social worker who headed NAWSA'S congressional committee, organized the Washington march. Wanted to use protests to force President Wilson to take action on suffrage. Her activities alarmed other members of NAWSA who wanted to negotiate with Wilson. She left NAWSA and formed the National Woman's Party. Her supporters picketed the White House, blocked sidewalks, chained themselves to lampposts, and went on hunger strikes if arrested.
Carrie Chapman Catt
NAWSA's leader. Developed what she called her "Winning Plan" to mobilize the suffrage movement nation-wide in one final push to gain voting rights. She also threw NAWSA's support behind Wilson in the 1916 election. Although she did not endorse a woman suffrage amendment, he supported the Democratic Party's call for states to give women the vote.
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
A fire in New York's Triangle Shirtwaist Company in 1911 which killed 146 people, mostly women. They died because the doors were locked and the windows were too high for them to get to the ground.
Eugene V. Debs
The former American Railway Union leader, won nearly a million votes as the American Socialist Party candidate for president in 1912.
Hepburn Act
Act that intended to strengthen the Interstate Commerce Commission. It became ineffective because it lacked sufficient authority. It tried to strengthen the ICC by giving it the power to set railroad rates.
"The Jungle"
Book published by Upton Sinclair. Based on Sinclair's close observations of the slaughterhouses of Chicago, the powerful book featured appalling descriptions of conditions in the meatpacking industry. Became a best-seller. Made consumers ill-and angry.
Meat Inspection Act
Act that was a response to "The Jungle". Required federal inspection of meat sold through interstate commerce and required the Agriculture Department to set standards of cleanliness in meatpacking plants.
Pure Food and Drug Act
Act that prohibited the manufacture, sale, or shipment of impure or falsely labeled food and drugs.
Newlands Reclamation Act
Act that authorized the use of federal funds from public land sales to pay for irrigation and land development projects.
Gifford Pinchot
Close friend of Roosevelt, became head of the United States Forest Service. Believed that trained experts in forestry and resource management should apply the same scientific standards to the landscape that others were applying to the management of cities and industry. Rejected the laissez-faire argument that the best way to preserve public land was to sell it to lumber companies, who would then carefully conserve it because it was the source of their profits. With the president's support, Pinchot's department drew up regulations controlling lumbering on federal lands.
Underwood tariff
Piece of legislation that reduced the average tariff on imported goods to about 30 percent of the value of the goods, or about half the tariff rate of the 1890s.
Federal Reserve Act
This act created a central banking system, consisting of twelve regional banks governed by the Federal reserve Board. It was an attempt to provide the United States with a sound yet flexible currency.
Clayton Antitrust Act
Act that banned tying agreements, which required retailers who bought from one company to stop selling a competitor's products. Also banned price discrimination. Businesses could not charge different customers different prices. Manufacturers could no longer give discounts to chain stores and other retailers who bought a large volume of goods.
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