Introduction

As the industrial economy grew and the government struggled to adjust to that growth, the Progressive movement arose from the concerns of private citizens about how to survive in an industrial, urban society. Progressives addressed a variety of issues, including efficiency in government, regulation of big business, welfare programs for the urban poor, and immigration restriction. The common elements in all these agendas included a belief in a scientific and pragmatic approach as the best method for solving social problems. The movements also largely originated in urban areas that were particularly confronted with the problems caused by changes in American society. Middle-class reformers, often led by women such as Jane Addams, gradually brought these movements from the private to the public sector, in which they gained adherents first in the municipal and state governments and subsequently in the federal government. Both Theodore Roosevelt (shown below) and Woodrow Wilson supported Progressive agendas, a fact which reveals both the breadth of the movement's goals and the depth of support for Progressive goals in American society. Yet these goals focused primarily on the concerns and the moral agendas of the middle class at the expense of the interests and beliefs of black and working-class Americans. Despite these limitations, Progressive reformers instilled an optimistic perspective that helped Americans to believe they could fix the problems that had frustrated Americans for decades.

The Web activities and additional research links for this chapter will examine the ideological influences on progressivism as well as the diversity of reform efforts that occurred under the Progressive umbrella.

Web Activities 

1.  Read William James' lecture "What Makes a Life Significant?". What does he think makes a life significant? How does his philosophy connect with the motivations for and goals of Progressivism? Now read Louis Brandeis' speech "True Americanism". Does this speech promote a similar ideology to that of Dewey? How does it correspond to the efforts of settlement workers to Americanize immigrants and to the efforts of other Progressives to restrict immigration?

2.  Read the "imaginary dialogue" between John D. Rockefeller, Sr. and Ida Tarbell. She was one of the first of the "muckraking" journalists and the author of a scathing piece on Rockefeller and his company Standard Oil's business practices. How do their philosophies about his business practices and their consequences differ? What is Rockefeller's philosophy? How does Tarbell believe business ought to be conducted? What problems does she believe the Rockefeller approach creates in American society?

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3.  The militant women's suffrage movement began in England with Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Sylvia and Christabel. Read this description of Emmeline and then click on the links to her daughters' sites. What tactics did they use to promote women's suffrage in England? How did government officials respond? Alice Paul, an American student, joined the Pankhursts' crusade while she was in England and returned home to advocate for women's suffrage in the United States. Read about her use of the hunger strike as a political tactic. How does her approach differ from the "Winning Plan" of Carrie Chapman Catt?

4.  Read Theodore Roosevelt's speech on the New Nationalism. To get there, click on T. Roosevelt's picture and then on domestic policy, then scroll down and click on the New Nationalism. What positions does he promote in the relationship between labor and management? What stance did he take eight years earlier in the Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902? Read the text of Northern Securities Co. vs. U.S., the 1904 Supreme Court case instigated by Attorney General Philander Knox at Roosevelt's request. Why did the Court order the company to dissolve? According to the textbook, do these two actions exemplify Roosevelt's basic attitude toward the trusts?

Additional Research Links

The Search for the Good Society

• Jacob Riis. View pictures Riis took of the New York tenements. What elements of poverty and urban life did he emphasize in these pictures?
• The Ashcan School. Take the virtual tour of this exhibit of the group of painters who chronicled city life, especially in New York, in the first two decades of the twentieth century. What elements of urban living do they highlight?
• Margaret Sanger. How did this promoter of birth control become interested in the subject? What resources did she use to promote her cause?

Controlling the Masses

• Visit the Eugenics Archive and take the virtual tour to gain an understanding of this science that flourished during the early twentieth century. What exactly was eugenics? Why did it appeal to some Progressive reformers?
• Visit the Home Page of the Anti-Saloon League Museum. Click on the link to Printed Materials. What media resources did the League use to promote its messages of temperance and prohibition?

The Politics of Municipal and State Reform

• Read this brief biography of Robert "Battle Bob" LaFollette, the governor who made Wisconsin the "laboratory of democracy. What was new about his way of governing?

Progressivism Goes to Washington

• Read the biographies of Gifford Pinchot and John Muir. What sparked their interests in conservation? Were there any differences in their philosophies and methods?
• The Election of 1912. Read about the candidates and the issues in this 4-way race for president. What issues did each candidate espouse? What does the outcome tell us about the way Americans of the time felt about Progressive reform movements?