The Progressive Era

The Progressive Era

• Progressives were motivated by new social problems and aimed to make positive changes
• Industrialization, urbanization, and immigration during the Gilded Age caused new social problems that progressives aimed to solve

New Social Problems

• A widening gap formed between wealthy industrialists and the impoverished working class
• Many workers were employed in factories with low wages, long hours, and poor working conditions
• The urban poor lived in crowded tenements lacking sanitation, proper ventilation, and basic amenities
• Tenement housing involved overcrowded, poorly built apartments with little sanitation, leading to diseases
• Factory work had unsafe conditions with hazardous machinery, unsanitary environments, and long hours, leading to injuries and deaths
• Many children worked long hours in dangerous conditions
• Big corporations controlled entire industries and manipulated the market to maximize profits
• Monopolies led to high prices, poor wages, and stifled competition
• Progressives wanted to break up monopolies to ensure fair competition and prevent economic exploitation

Muckrakers

• Muckrakers exposed corruption, social injustices, and the harsh realities of industrial America through investigative journalism
• Muckrakers helped bring about reforms by educating the public
• Upton Sinclair published The Jungle in 1906, exposing the unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry
• The Jungle played a major role in the passage of the Meat Inspection Act (1906) and the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)
• Ida Tarbell wrote a series of articles on Standard Oil, exposing how Rockefeller’s company monopolized the oil industry
• The Standard Oil expose led to the company's breakup under antitrust laws
• Jacob Riis published How the Other Half Lives (1890), documenting the lives of the urban poor through photography and writing

The Progressives

• Progressivism was a broad social, political, and economic movement
• Progressives included middle-class reformers, social activists, business leaders, and intellectuals
• Progressives were concerned about the negative effects of industrialization, urbanization, and corruption in business and politics
• Progressives believed government intervention could address social and economic issues that unchecked capitalism had created
• Believed in democratic reforms to address political corruption and expand democratic participation
• Aimed to protect the environment, improve public health, and improve working conditions

Civil Rights: Racial, Religious, and Social Injustices

• Carrie Chapman Catt led the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)
• NAWSA advocated for women's suffrage through state-by-state campaigns
• Alice Paul led the National Woman’s Party (NWP)
• NWP used more militant tactics to advocate for a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote
• The NWP organized hunger strikes and protests, leading to the passage of the 19th Amendment
• Margaret Sanger fought for birth control access and founded what would later become Planned Parenthood
• Sanger campaigned for the legalization of contraception
• The 19th Amendment (1920) granted women the right to vote
• The Supreme Court upheld the “separate but equal” doctrine in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
• The “separate but equal” doctrine legalized racial segregation in public facilities and entrenched Jim Crow laws in the South
• Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the South
• Southern states enacted literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses to disenfranchise African Americans
• Booker T. Washington focused on vocational training and economic self-sufficiency for African Americans
• W.E.B. Du Bois co-founded the NAACP
• Du Bois advocated for immediate civil rights and higher education for African Americans
• Ida B. Wells led a campaign against lynching in the South and founded the first anti-lynching society

Health and Food Safety Reforms

• Goals included improving consumer protection, ensuring sanitary conditions in food production, and protecting public health
• The Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) established federal regulations for food and drugs
• The Act required that foods and drugs be accurately labeled and free from harmful substances
• The Meat Inspection Act (1906) mandated federal inspection of meatpacking facilities
• Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle exposed the unsanitary and exploitative conditions in the meatpacking industry

Labor Reform

• Problems in the workplace included long hours, low wages, unsafe working conditions, and lack of workers’ rights
• The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911) killed 146 workers due to locked exits and unsafe conditions
• The fire led to a public outcry and the passage of labor reforms, such as workplace safety laws and labor unions gaining more recognition.
• Child labor laws were established to limit or eliminate child labor in factories and mines
• Compulsory schooling was established
• Laws were introduced that established minimum wages and regulated work hours
• There was advocacy for reducing working hours

American Imperialism

• American Imperialism questions whether the U.S. had become an empire of its own just 100 years after winning independence from Great Britain

What is American Imperialism?

• American Imperialism is the policy of extending a country’s power through diplomacy or military force
• It often involves the establishment of colonies or spheres of influence
• It includes direct U.S. military and economic interventions (e.g., Cuba, the Philippines, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico)
• It involves the expansion of U.S. global influence culturally, economically, and politically
• The U.S. shifted from isolationism to becoming an imperial power, seeking to compete with European powers and establish a global presence.

Motives for American Imperialism

• The U.S. sought new markets for its goods, especially in Asia and Latin America
• It also sought access to raw materials and natural resources, such as sugar and rubber
• Expansion of global trade routes and the establishment of trade agreements were desired to bolster American economic power
• There was a desire to compete with European powers, who had established vast colonial empires
• The need for strategic military bases around the world was important for naval power and influence
• The belief in American exceptionalism and the superiority of American culture was rooted in Manifest Destiny and Social Darwinism
• American exceptionalism justified the spread of American values abroad
• There was a notion that the U.S. had a responsibility to “civilize” or “uplift” other nations through colonization
• Strategic goals fostered the establishment of naval bases to strengthen the U.S. military presence in the Pacific and Caribbean
• The Great White Fleet was an example of expanding U.S. naval power

The Four “Ps” – Four Objectives of American Foreign Policy

• Power: Strengthening the U.S. on the world stage, asserting itself as a dominant military and economic power
• Peace: Maintaining global stability and peace through diplomacy and military power
• Prosperity: Expanding U.S. economic interests by accessing new markets, securing resources, and promoting American businesses abroad
• Principles: Promoting democratic values and human rights, often justifying imperial actions under the guise of moral responsibility

The Purchase of Alaska – Seward’s Folly (1867)

• The U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million
• At the time, many critics thought the purchase was a waste of money
• Alaska proved to be a valuable acquisition, yielding resources like gold, oil, and timber
• It served as a strategic location for military and trade routes.

The Spanish-American War (1898)

• The Cuban independence movement was a cause of The Spanish-American War
• The explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor killed 260 American sailors
• Yellow Journalism by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer sensationalized the events to rally public support for war
• The U.S. gained control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines
• Cuba became a U.S. protectorate
• The U.S. solidified its status as a colonial power with territories in the Caribbean and Pacific.

Cuba and the Platt Amendment (1901)

• The Platt Amendment limited Cuba's ability to make treaties with other nations
• It gave the U.S. the right to intervene in Cuban affairs to maintain stability
• It allowed the U.S. to establish a naval base at Guantánamo Bay
• U.S. actions and influence severely limited Cuban sovereignty

The Annexation of Hawaii

• Hawaii was a crucial location for U.S. military and trade interests in the Pacific
• The U.S. had growing economic ties with Hawaii, particularly in the sugar industry
• In 1893, American business leaders and military personnel orchestrated a coup against Queen Liliʻuokalani
• Hawaii was annexed in 1898, becoming a U.S. territory

The Philippine-American War (1899–1902)

• After the Spanish-American War, the U.S. bought the Philippines from Spain for $20 million
• Filipinos had fought for independence from Spain and resisted American colonization
• The Philippines became a U.S. colony until 1946

The Open Door Policy (1899–1900)

• The U.S. advocated for equal trade access in China to prevent European powers from monopolizing Chinese markets
• The U.S. sought to ensure access to China’s vast market and resources without territorial acquisition.

Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” Diplomacy

• "Speak softly and carry a big stick" — Roosevelt advocated for using diplomacy backed by military power to achieve American goals
• Roosevelt supported Panama’s independence from Colombia in exchange for control over the Panama canal zone

The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine (1904)

• The U.S. claimed the right to intervene in Latin American countries to maintain order and protect American interests

Taft’s “Dollar Diplomacy”

• Taft promoted U.S. investments in Latin America and Asia to replace European loans with American capital
• Taft hoped to extend U.S. economic influence while avoiding military intervention

Wilson’s “Moral Diplomacy”

• Wilson’s goal was to promote democracy and moral leadership globally
• He opposed imperialistic policies and supported democratic governments, even at the cost of U.S. intervention in foreign nations like Mexico.

Legacy of American Imperialism

• Expanded American economic, political, and military power
• Established the U.S. as a dominant world power, particularly in the Caribbean and Pacific
• Set the stage for U.S. involvement in global affairs during the 20th century.