1913

US

Cordell Hull (TN)

Graduated Income tax legalized under the Constitution. Hull Amendment to the Underwood-Simmons Tariff instituted the tax. Income tax replaced the tariff as the primary source of government funds.

1913

US

Direct election of senators by the people instead of by state legislatures. Increased voice of the people; greater democracy.

18th Amendment

1919 (In effect 1920-1933)

US

Prohibition of alcohol; no manufacture, sale, transport, or import of alcohol. Enforced through the Valstead Act. Progressive reform meant to remove social problems of society caused by drunkeness. "Noble experiment" proved unenforceable and was repealed in 1933 by the 21st Amendment.

1920

US

Carrie Chapman Catt and others

Guaranteed women the right to vote in national electios. Increased electorate; greater democracy. Resulted from one of the longest and largest single issue reform movements in US History--Suffragettes.

1916

US

Established an eight hour workday with extra pay for overtime. At first the law applied only to interstate railroad workers, later extended to almost all workers.

1902

PA

Elihu Root/John Mitchell

United Mine Workers strike for 8 hour day, higher wages and union recognition results in company lockout and intervention by T. Roosevelt. He advises mine owners to negotiate  with workers or face Federal takeover of the mines. Gave credibility to the Unions who then worked out a 10% wage increase and a 9-hour day. Federal intervention expanded the power of the President.

1912-1913 (Armory Show)

NYC

Robert Henri/George Luks/Wm.Glackens/et al

Socially conscious artists whose frank portrayal of working class life and the cities and everyday objects earned the the nickname of "Ashcan." Pioneers of American artistic realism and example of Progressivism in art.

1909

US

R.A. Ballinger/Pinchot/Taft

Secretary of Interior Ballinger leased forest lands reserved by T. Roosevelt to private timber companies. Pinchot, head of Forestry Division, concerned for environmental protection complains to T. Roosevelt and is fired by Taft for causing controversy. Causes split between conservative "Old Guard" Republicans and liberal progressive Republicans who later form the Bull Moose Party

1878

US

Richard Bland (MS)/Wm. Allison (IA)

Designed to mollify farmers and wester miners hurt by the "Crime of '73" when the government stopped coining silver money. The act stated that the government would buy $2-4 million worth of silver a month and mint it into silver dollars. However, the Treasury never actually minted these coins.

1912

Theodore Roosevelt

Progressive Republicans supporting "New Nationalism" program of T. Roosevelt who had once described himself as "fit as a bull moose." This split in the Republican Party results in a win for Democrat Wilson in 1912. Causes the Republican Party to become more conservative.

1874

Lake Chautauqua, NY

John Vincent

Began as secular subjects attached to Sunday schools to educate people in rural areas about the latest art, literature and scientific news of the world. Evolved into traveling groups of lecturers and concert performers covering most of the US. Made education available to those without formal training and was indicative of the reform spirit for self-improvement.

1914

US

Wilson

Blocked loophole in the Sherman Antitrust Act by banning interlocking directorates, price fixing, holding stock and tie-in agreements. Also called the "Magna Carta of Labor" because it exmpted unions from "restraint of trade rules." Strenghtened antitrust controls, but still not completely effective.

1893-94

Ohio to Washington DC

Jacob Coxey

March of the unemployed to ask Congress to begin a large railroad building program to employ people and finance the plan with paper money. March fails when Coxey is arrested. Symbol of mounting protest of the Populist movement that Government should help the people.

1880-1892

Midwest

C.W. McCune

Formed to relieve farmers' distress by appealing for easier credit, railroad regulation, sale of public lands to actual settlers and a lower tariff. Set-up cooperatives for selling crops. Social function through local "granges." Move toward politics by farmers that later becomes a part of the Populist Party.

1913

(Glass-Owen Act)

Created the Federal Reserve Banking System. It allowed flexibility in the amount of currency in circulation and allowed member banks to borrow. Controlled money supply and economy through the use of the discount rate (charged to banks for loans) and the reserve limit (requirement for on-hand funds in banks.) Federal government has tools to control the economy.

Free Silver

1873-1900

West

Miners/Famers/Populists/Wm. Jennings Bryan

Westerners were promoting free silver as a means of increasing the money supply, inflating currency and easing the strain on farmers' debts. The amount deemed necessary for this to happen was for the Government to mint 16 silver coins for each gold coin (16:1). Goal of the Populists.

1900

US

McKinley

This act ended the coinage of silver and backed all currency and made all coins from gold. Ended bimetalism and decreased the money supply.

1889

PA
Andrew Carnegie/Russel Conwell

God gave wealth to those who deserved it and could best use it for the benefit of all. Used to justify the grea amassing of wealth and promoted philanthropy.

1867

IL
Oliver Kelley

First National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry; lodges of farmers to exchange business and social information. Sought reform to fight the fall in farm prices--organized co-ops (Montgomery Ward). Continues to exist today--strong movement. Realized some reforms on state level with "Granger Cases" that won limits on RR prices and grain storage rates.

1873-1884

IN/IA/OH

Peter Cooper/James B. Weaver

Platform was to repeal the Specie Resumption Act and keep Civil War "Greenbacks" in circulation to prevent deflation and to reduce hours for workers. Strong third party movement to aid farmers and workers.

1889

Chicago, IL

Jane Addams

Established the first "settlement house" offering relief to the poor in city slums. Wanted to help potentially useful citizens. Example of reform efforts of individual people. Other settlement houses grew from her idea.

aka Wobblies

1905-1925

IL

Bill Haywood

Left-wing, radical organization of unskilled workers. Attempted to abolish capitalism by striking, boycotting and even sabotaging business. Violent strikes and radicalism brought little change. Longer lasting was collection of labor songs used to promote unity among the workers.

1887

US

Established the Interstate Commerce Commission; prohibited railroad rate discrimination. Commission would decide if rates were "reasonable and just." Created first government regulatory agency. RR were first private business to be regulated. Weak law with little enforcement, but model for future, stronger laws.

1916

US

Barred child labor in production of goods sold in interstate commerce. It was later declared unconstitutional (Hammer v. Dagenhart). First law regulating child labor was later re-established in Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.

1906

T. Roosevelt/Upton Sinclair

Preparation of meat shipped over state lines would be subject to US government inspection from beginning to end. Passage was direct result of the publication of The Jungle describing conditions in Chicago's meat-packing industry. Successful muckraker, Progressive reform.

1900-1916 (present)

US

Ida Tarbell/Lincoln Steffens/Upton Siclair/Jacob Riis/Frank Norris

T. Roosevelt used this term to describe a group of writers who raked up the muck of American society. Writers took this as a compliment to their efforts to improve America by investigating problems and encouraging readers to act on solutions. Began a new form of investigative journalism that is credited with much of the success of the passage of progressing reforms through public opinion and protest.

1877

IL

Munn & Scott Warehouse Co.

Illinois courts affirmed the right of the state to fix maximum storage rates for grain. First of the "Granger Cases" and high point for Granger movement. Decision was reversed in Wabash case in 1886, but showed farmers necessity of solving problems politically on a national level.

1909

NY

W.E.B. DuBois/Oswald Villard/Mary White Overton

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People whose goal was to end racial discrimination. Rejected accommodation approach of Booker T. Washington and tried to use the courts to gain legal rights and stop lynchings. Oldest and largest Civil Rights group.

1912

US

Woodrow Wilson/Louis Brandeis

Campaign promise to establish this program of regulating business by setting up a framework of laws for business to follow and regulation them as needed when laws were broken. Later Wilson realized the need or constant regulation of business with regulatory commissions. End to laissez faire.

1912

US

T. Roosevelt/Herbert Croly

Campaign promise to establish a strong federal program to constantly regulate business and protect labor. Even though TR lost the election, Wilson incorporates New Nationalism into his own program. Reversal of the concept of laissez faire.

1904

IL

James Hill/E.H. Harriman/J.P. Morgan/T. Roosevelt

Supreme Court Case determined that these railroad companies were monopolies and were in violation of "restraint of trade" under the Sherman Antitrust Act by controlling all rail traffic in and out of Chicago, the gateway to the west. First Court action to actively enfore the Sherman Act and President's insistence on enforcement gained TR the name of "trustbuster."

1909

US

Nelson Aldrich (RI)/Taft/Robert Lafollette

Taft fulfills his promise to lower the tariff to 32%, but Aldrich and his followers attach amendments making the tariff average about 41%. Wester "insurgents" see this as a broken promise from Taft which causes a split in the Republican Party which loses to Democrat Wilson in 1912.

1892

Omaha, NE

William Jennings Bryan

Omaha Platform of the "People's" party asked for easier credit, free silver, control of the economy by the government and extension of political democracy. Strongest third party in US history; later absorbed by the Democrats.

1906

US
Muckrakers

Law aimed to protect the consumer from dangerous and misleading drugs by preventing mislabeling of food and drugs; prohibited harmful drugs and chemicals in food and medicine from interstate commerce. First law for consumer protection passed along with the Meat Inspection Act. Later strengthened to include cosmetics and advertising.

1894

TX

Chief Justice Fuller

Court rules that it had the "power and duty" to decide if RR rates were "unreasonable and unjust" even if the state legislature itself had set them. Clearly defines the right of Congress to regulate private corporations engaged in interstate commerce--major challenge to laissez faire.

1870's-1900+

MA
William James/Chauncy Wright/Charles Pierce

Rejected the deterministic interpretation of Darwin which they felt ignored the concept of free will and desire to survive. Developed theory of pragmatism and concept that truth is relative. If a theory helps understanding and increases knowledge, then it is worthwhile (if it works, use it.). Inspired the reform spirit and showed that social change was brought about by gifted reformers, not force of the environment.

1891

Rome to American Catholics

Pope Leo XIII

An encyclical that criticized the excesses of capitalism and the greed of unchecked competition. Affirmed the right of workers to unionize and the duty of the government to care for the poor. Asked the clergy to become more involved in aiding the poor and downtrodden through social change.

1890

US
John Sherman (OH)

Law passed to protect trade and commerce against unlawful restraints and monopolies. Established the "Rule of Reason" that said buisness practices were OK if not an "unreasonable" restraint of trade. Weak law, but first antitrust law passed in US and strengthened later. Law was ignored until first enforced by T. Roosevelt.

1890

John Sherman (OH)

Provided for the government purchase of 4.5 million ounces of silver each month. Treasury was to issue notes that could be redeemed in either silver or gold coin. Attempt to support silver prices and increase money supply. Ability to redeem for gold caused gold reserves to fall resulting in the Panic of 1893. Law was repealed and referred to as the Crime of '93 by western miners and farmers.

Social Darwinism

1890's

Yale Univ, CT

William Graham Sumner

Sociologist Sumner hailed millionaires as the products of natural selection (Darwin) and that reformers were meddlers with the natural order who tried to save misfits unable to survive in the struggle for existence. Theory was used to justify the accumulation of wealth and practices of big business. An argument against reform.

Social Gospel

1880's

Large American Cities

Protestant Clergymen/Washington Gladden/Wm Bliss/Charles Sheldon

Book Applied Christianity by Gladden focused on improving the living conditions of the poor as a way to save souls. Poverty caused the moral degeneration of communities: prevent sin by improving living conditions. Protestant religious basis for upcoming progressive reform movement.

1901-1908

US
Theodore Roosevelt

Republican Progressive domestic program that included the control of corporations, consumer protection, fairness to labor, and conservation of natural resources.

1840-1902

NY
Political Cartoonist

Influential caroonist responsible for public opnion against political boss Tweed's corrupt control of government in New York and his ultimate downfall. Elevated importance of political cartoons as a tool for change. Republican elephant and "fat-cat" politician.

1901-1908

US
Theodore Roosevelt

Term first used to describe TR and his zealousness in breaking up trusts. He filed 44 antittrust suits during his terms in office--the first President to enforce the antitrust laws against business

1913

US
Woodrow Wilson/Cordell Hull

First significant drop in tariff rates since the Civil War from 41% to 27%. Drop in revenues to the government would be made up through an income tax included in the "Hull amendment."

1895

American Sugar Refining Co./Chief Justice Fuller

Court ruled that it was not restraint of trade when ASRC took over competitors and controlled 98% of the sugar industry. First judicial interpretation of the Sherman Antitrust Act showed monopolies were beyond control of the government. Sherman Act would no control trusts until enforced by courts.

1886

IL

Wabash/St. Louis & Pacific Railway/Chief Justice Wait

Court ruled that railroads were "persons" and could not be deprived of property without due process of law (made corporations legal persons under the Constitution) and that in controlling RR rates, the state of IL had taken taken away those rights. Showed that the power to regulate RR rests with the Federal government and Congress' control of interstate commerce.

aka "Boss" 

1869-1871

Tammany Hall, NYC, NY

Political Leader (Dem)

Leader of a ring of grafters who cheated NYC taxpayers out of millions and forced the city almost to bankruptcy through fraudulent building contracts, payoffs and kickbacks. Political cartoons by T. Nast contributed to his loss of power. Example of government corruption common to the time period and the need to reform in city government.

1916

US

Woodrow Wilson

Law granted assistance to federal civil service employees during periods of disability. First law protecting workers injured on the job. Later extended to businesses.