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Jacob Riis-Muckraker
A muckraker was someone who would expose the corrupt side of business and the public. Jacob Riis can be considered a muckraker because he exposed the social issues during the Progressive Era. His publication of How The Other Half Lives, published in 1890, shows how his dedication to photography and journalism shed the light on the conditions that people were living in at this time. Some of the issues included an unclean environment, poor housing conditions and fire safety. -
Eugene Debs
In 1893 Eugene V. Debs became president of the American Railway Union. His union conducted a successful strike for higher wages and safer conditions against the Great Northern Railway in 1894. Debs was a Socialist, meaning he was more liberal than a Progressivist. He fought for many Progressive ideas, especially for worker's rights. -
Public Service Reform
One objective the Progressives enforced was protecting social welfare, which was established in many ways. Beginning around 1895, many different organizations were created to help the people. The YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) opened libraries, sponsored classes, built swimming pools/handball courts, and helped young children for the good of the city. The Salvation Army fed and sheltered homeless children. Organizations like these made sure that people were cared for. -
Business Reform
The Elkins Act, passed in 1903, was intended to strengthen the Interstate Commerce Act. Rebates could no longer act as incentives and rates could no longer be changed. Some rail lines would give discounts to important customers (big businesses) and so this act helped the Progressive era by fighting back on big buisnesses.. The law was sponsored by President Theodore Roosevelt as a part of his Square Deal. -
H.G. Wells
H.G. Wells was a writer of science-fiction works including The Time Machine and War of the Worlds. He was of the greatest influences on the progressive mind in the twentieth century and he had a great influence on our vision of the future. Wells supported socialist ideas. He explored issues of social class and economic disparity in a number of his works, including Kipps (1905). -
Robert La Follette
Robert La Follette was most notably known as a Progressive leader in Wisconsin. He ultimately led the way in regulating big buisnesses. In 1906, he entered the U.S. Senate. His main target was the railroad industry; he taxed railroad property at the same rate as other businesses and set up a commission to regulate rates. Targeting big buisnesses was a goal of the Progressive Era. -
Upton Sinclair
Upton Sinclair was an activist writer whose works often exposed social injustices. Although many publishers rejected it, The Jungle, published in 1906, became a best-seller and aroused widespread public indignation at the quality and impurities in processed meats. This work contributed to Social reforms like the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act during the Progressivee Era. -
Charles Evans Hughes
Charles Evans Hughes was elected New York state governor in 1906 and went on to serve as a justice for the Supreme Court. As a supporter of progressive policies, Hughes was able to play on the popularity of Theodore Roosevelt and weaken the power of the state's conservative Republican officials. He also addressed social reforms by lowering working hours and improving safety during the Progressive era.. Hughes lost the Presidential election of 1916 to Woodrow Wilson. -
Corrupt Practices Reform
The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was signed by President Theodore Roosevelt. It was the first federal law prohibiting the interstate transportation and sale of adulterated foods. Scandals concerning the purity and quality of food sold to the U.S. public became widespread as the unsanitary methods used by the food industries were exposed. This was previously a corrupt practice that was later reformed during the Progressiver era in order to help the people and their health. -
William Jennings Bryan
William James Bryan was a liberal member of the Democratic Party and a fundamental activist who supported Prohibition. In 1908, Bryan was elected president of the Democratic Party. He contributes to the Progressive Era because he was anti-large buisnesses and he fought for woman's suffrage. These were some of the main goals of the Progressive Era. -
Jane Addams
Jane Addams served as the first female president of the National Conference of Social Work in 1910. She established the National Federation of Settlements and served as president of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Addams fought primarily for women's suffrage and believed their voices should be heard in legislation. She pushed for social reforms during the Progressive era. -
Teddy Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt's conservationism and willingness to take on big business are examples of why he is considered to be one of the better presidents. His progressive policies set the stage for important reforms of the 20th century. Teddy ran for presidency for the Progressive Party in 1912, but lost to Woodrow Wilson. -
The Sixteenth Amendment
Adopted on February 3rd, 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment gave the federal government the power to lay and collect an income tax regardless of the source of that income. A graduated income tax has always been the number one goal of socialism. Before this amendment, tariffs were the primary source of federal revenue. -
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson won the Presidential election of 1913 and was the 28th U.S. President. He guided the country through WW1. During the Progressive era, he signed the 19th amendment allowing women's right to vote. Wilson also expanded the federal government to regulate businesses because he favored small businesses and farmers: he reduced tax rates that had previously favored industrialists over small business. -
The Seventeeth Amendment
Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan formally declared the amendment's adoption on May 31, 1913. The Seventeenth Amendment provided for the direct election of Senators by the people rather than by the state legislatures
as the original Constitution called for. This amendment, more than any other act of Congress helped to bring about a consolidated government. In the aftermath of the seventeenth amendment, the checks and balances derided by Woodrow Wilson would gradually diminish. -
Social Justice Reform
Congress passed the Underwood Tariff Act which reduced tariffs to their lowest levels in over 50 years. It imposed a graduated income tax to make up for lost revenue. The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 created a thee-level banking system in order to justify the banks in America to prevent any fraud in the sytems in order to help protect US citizens. -
Labor Reform
The use of child labor was largely debated during the Progressive era. In 1904, the National Childrens Labor Committee sought evidence to expose the issue of child labor. In 1916, the Keating-Owens Act was passed. This prohibited the transport of goods manufactured using child labor across state lines. -
Hiram Johnson
Hiram Johnson was an American politician who helped form the Progressive Party. In 1917, Johnson ran successfully for the U.S. Senate. Under his leadership, the legislature passed a series of progressive measures including women's suffrage, restrictions on child labor and workingmen's compensation. He was also the unsuccessful vice president canidate along with Theodore Roosevelt in the election of 1912. -
The Eighteenth Amendment
On January 16th, 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the import, export, transport, manufacture or sale of intoxicating beverages. Protecting moral improvement was a main goal of the Progressive Era. Many unions formed like the Womens Christian Temperance Union because of the belief that alcohol was undermining American morals. Carrie Nation, a strong advocator for the temperance of alcohol, would enter pubs and taverms and smash bottles and damage the bar with her hatchet. -
The 19th Amendment
Ratified on August 18th, 1920, the 19th amendment prohibits any U.S. citizen from being denied on their right to vote based on their sex. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton drafted the amendment and first introduced it in 1878. The Women's Suffrage Movement helped enforce the idea that women should be allowed to vote. One of the goals for Progressivism was social reform, and with the approval of the 19th amendment, the goal was achieved.
