Progressive+Era+Outline

I. Sources of Progressive Reform

C. Influx of immigrants and rise of new managerial class upset traditional class alignments D. Massive depression (1893-1897) convinced many that equal opportunity was out of reach for many Americans. II. Who Were the Progressives?

D. Socialists--frustrated workers who promised to destroy capitalism. Led by Eugene Debs (who polled 900,000 votes for president in 1912), socialists were rejected by most Progressives as too extreme in their goals and methods II. Teddy Roosevelt & the Square Deal

B. Conservation reform added massive areas to the national forests (total of 190 million acres)

III. City and State Government Reform

B. State level reform efforts championed by Robert La Follette of Wisconsin

IV. Major Progressivism Programs

G. Temperance--Anti-Saloon League and Women's Christian Temperance Union fought alcoholism on the state level through blue laws and on the national level with the 18th Amendment which prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of liquor. V. Presidential Election of 1912

C. Democrats nominated Woodrow Wilson, the scholarly governor of New Jersey who called for moral revival and reform, including low tariffs, the breaking up of all monopolies, and for the government to be an umpire in disputes between labor and business. D. Socialists nominated Debs, who called for public ownership of all natural resources and major industries. E. Wilson won 40/48 states as Republicans split between Taft and TR. Height of Progressivism as Wilson, TR, and Debs totalled 11 million votes to 3.5 million for Taft. VI. Wilson's New Freedom and Progressivism

B. Currency and banking reform-- Creation of Federal Reserve System

C. Clayton Antitrust Act (1914) to restrict monopolies and set up a Federal Trade Commission to stop unfair practices which may arise VII. Evaluation of Progressivism A. Weaknesses of Progressive reform

B. Progressive accomplishments 1. Trustbusting forced industrialists to notice public opinion 2. Legislation gave federal and state governments the tools to protect consumers. 3. Income tax helped build government revenues and redistribute wealth 4. Progressives successfully challenged traditional institutions and approaches to domestic problems.