The Progressive Era and US Imperialism: A Comprehensive Overview

Posted on Sep 7, 2024 in History

The Progressive Movement

1. Goals of the Progressive Movement: More Government Involvement to Fix Wrongdoing

(a) Social

  • Hull Houses: Jane Addams/Lincoln Steffens – Food and shelter for the poor and immigrants
  • YMCA: Programs, libraries, and sport for young people
  • Salvation Army: Provides food, clothing, and medicine

(b) Efficiency

  • Assembly Line: Specialization of work, faster production, drops prices, Henry Ford
  • Frederick Winslow: Scientific management, math to determine how many workers to hire and how much of a product to produce

(c) Economy

  • Socialism: Government owns some of the resources
  • Muckrakers: Journalists who exposed corruption and mistreatment of workers. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair exposed working conditions in the meat industry.

(d) Moral

  • Prohibition: Banning alcohol (18th Amendment)
  • Women’s Christian Temperance Movement: Prohibition, suffrage (19th Amendment)

2. Election Reforms vs. Political Machine

  • Initiative: People put laws on the ballot
  • Referendum: Politicians put laws on the ballot
  • Recall: Special election to remove a person from office
  • Primary: People choose the candidates, not the political machine
  • 17th Amendment: Direct election of senators

Teddy Roosevelt

  • Conserving Resources: Conservation – set aside land
  • Consumer Protection: Meat Inspection Act, Pure Food and Drug Act (honest labels)
  • Control of Corporations: Broke up trusts, broke up 44 treaties
  • Creating Regulation: Building codes, zoning

2. Square Deal – Four C’s

All Americans would have access to democracy – not just the rich.

3. Bully Pulpit

When the president speaks, everyone listens.

4. Pure Food and Drug Act

Honest labels

5. Meat Inspectors

Federal government regulates the meat industry.

6. Bull Moose Party

Teddy Roosevelt’s 3rd party – takes votes away from Taft.

7. 1902 Coal Strike

Government supports workers.

William Howard Taft

1. Trust

A few companies come together to control a market. Negatives: High prices, poor quality.

2. Gifford Pinchot Affair

Brought up corruption with government and land use. Shows that Taft is going back on the progressive movement – Roosevelt turns on him.

3. 1912 Election

  • Bull Moose – Roosevelt
  • Republican – Taft
  • Democratic – Wilson

3rd party that determines elections.

Woodrow Wilson

1. Federal Trade Commission

Regulates trade and business (treatment of workers and monopolies).

2. Federal Reserve

Regulates money, inflation, interest rates.

3. NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People – nothing for civil rights.

4. Tariffs

Tax on foreign goods.

  • Negative: Other countries will put tariffs on our goods – less production.
  • Positive: Workers, buy more US products, more jobs.

5. 16th Amendment

Income Tax – Progressive Income Tax.

Suffrage Movement

1. Susan B. Anthony

Suffrage movement.

2. Florence Kelley

Minimum wage, women’s rights in the workplace.

3. Jobs Women Held in the Late 1800s

Teachers, office assistants vs. WWI factory jobs, jobs that men held.

4. Events that Brought Success for Suffrage

WWI.

5. Strategies

  • Constitutional Amendment (19th Amendment)
  • State Legislature
  • Court (14th Amendment)

6. 19th Amendment

Women’s right to vote.

US Imperialism

Larger countries take over smaller countries for resources and cheap labor.

1. US, 2. Britain, 3. Spain, 4. Germany, 5. Russia, 6. Japan

7. Industrialism

Making goods in factories – modernization.

8. Consumerism

Economy based on consumers buying products.

9. Alfred Mahan

Admiral that advocated for:

  1. Strong navy
  2. Panama Canal

Cuba

1. USS Maine

Ship that Spain was blamed for blowing up.

2. Yellow Journalism

Exaggerated or fake news to sell newspapers.

3. Spanish-American War

Spain vs. US (Puerto Rico, Cuba, Philippines).

4. Remington/Hearst

“You furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war.”

5. Teller Amendment

US will have total control over Cuba.

  • Could not borrow money
  • Could not sign treaties
  • US could lease any land that it wanted

6. De Lome Letter

Letter written by the Spanish ambassador that depicts McKinley and the US as weak.

7. Treaty of Paris

Ended the Spanish-American War.

8. Jose Marti

Cuban revolutionary who advocated for independence by attacking US companies to draw the US into conflict.

9. Rough Riders

Cavalry led by Roosevelt in the Spanish-American War.

10. Valeriano “The Butcher” Weyler

Spanish general in Cuba who used brutal tactics.

Puerto Rico/Guam

1. Foraker Act

Puerto Rico became a US territory with its own government.

Philippines

1. Aguinaldo

Advocated for Philippine independence. The US responded with concentration camps and brutality.

Panama

1. Panama Canal

Connects the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.

2. Colombia

Panama was part of Colombia. The US started a revolution.

Roosevelt

1. Nobel Peace Prize

Mediates peace between Russia and Japan.

2. Boxer Rebellion

When the Chinese tried to rise up and kick out foreigners.

3. Open Door Policy

Major nations will have open access to China to avoid conflict.

4. Roosevelt Corollary

Police of the Americas. The US would intervene in the Americas, potentially with the military.

Taft

1. Dollar Diplomacy

Loaned countries in South America money to gain control.