Talk:Progressive Era
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Contents |
[edit] Progressive Presidents
Woodrow Wilson wins the prize for being the most progressive president because more than THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Theodore Roosevelt became president in September 1901 after the assassination of William McKinley. Although he had been vice president under McKinley, Roosevelt did not share McKinley’s conservative, pro-business policies.
Instead, as president, Roosevelt advanced aggressive political reforms, including the heavy regulation of business. Known as the “trust-buster,” Roosevelt was the first president to successfully invoke the Sherman Antitrust Act against monopolies and continued to restrict businesses throughout his presidency. His reforms greatly influenced economic, environmental, and international affairs as well. Roosevelt’s platform became known as the “Square Deal” because he vowed not to favor any group of Americans but to be fair to all.
Relations with Labor and Corporations Roosevelt was committed to addressing the problems of labor and corporate activity. Unlike his predecessors, Roosevelt defended the right of labor to organize, and eschewed the use of federal troops to put down strikes. In 1902, he intervened in a United Mine Workers Strike and helped labor get management to agree to bind arbitration. The arbitrators awarded the miners a wage increase and a shortened workday. Roosevelt also worked to restrict the power of big business by breaking up a monopoly. In his administration’s first trust-busting case, his attorney general filed suit against the Northern Securities Company, a railroad holding company, for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act, which had not been successfully used against monopolies since its passage in 1890. After this case, though, the Act became an extremely important tool for government regulation of corporations. In 1904, the Supreme Court ordered that the Northern Securities Company be dissolved, a decision that launched a series of antitrust suits. In all, the Roosevelt administration filed forty-three trust-busting suits. After winning reelection in 1904, Roosevelt traded sporadic bursts of trust busting for more permanent regulation. He successfully negotiated the passage of the Hepburn Act in 1906, which empowered the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), a previously weak agency, to set maximum railroad rates and inspect railroad companies’ financial records. Roosevelt, unlike his Republican predecessors in office, was not pro-business. [he was indeed pro business on the whole--compared with say Bryan. Rjensen 23:55, 26 January 2006 (UTC) ] He aggressively enforced the Sherman Antitrust Act and empowered the Interstate Commerce Commission, both key elements in his “Square Deal.” Protecting Consumers and Conserving the Environment Responding to the muckrakers’ exposés on the unsanitary conditions in food plants and the dangerous ingredients in foods and medicines, Roosevelt endorsed the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act, both passed in 1906. The first act prohibited the sale of adulterated or inaccurately labeled foods and medicines, and the second established federal regulations for meatpackers and a system of inspection. [in fact it was big business that wanted those loaws so they could shut down local unsanitary packers Rjensen 23:55, 26 January 2006 (UTC)] The early twentieth century also saw a rise in concern for the environment. Those who supported conservation and protection of wilderness sites were called preservationists. [No that is a later term. "conservation" is the word you want. Rjensen 23:55, 26 January 2006 (UTC)] Preservationists were often in conflict with business interests who saw the wilderness in terms of resources and space for commercial and residential development. [drop last part of sentence--not an issue in 1900-1910 Rjensen 23:55, 26 January 2006 (UTC)]Roosevelt was at heart a preservationist, but understood the need for compromise. He achieved this compromise through his conservation program, which provided for the regulated use of the nation’s wilderness. Roosevelt designated 200 million acres as national forests, mineral reserves, and potential waterpower sites, and added five national parks and eighteen national monuments to the list of protected lands. In 1908 Roosevelt created the National Conservation Commission to inventory the nation’s resources and manage their use more efficiently. Conservationism was a hallmark of Roosevelt’s presidency. He protected land through the creation of national parks and monuments, and advocated the responsible use of the nation’s resources by establishing the National Conservation Commission.
TAFT
Reform Under Taft Taft supported corporate regulation, and even strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission’s powers and extended its authority to the telephone and telegraph industries. He surpassed the Roosevelt administration in trust busting. Taft prosecuted ninety cases compared to Roosevelt’s forty-three. These cases, however, did not achieve the same level of publicity or impact as those under Roosevelt, and so Taft was generally considered a less aggressive trustbuster. Additional reform under Taft centered on two amendments to the Constitution, both ratified after he exited office. In 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment granted Congress the authority to tax income. After the amendment passed, Congress quickly established a graduated income tax with a maximum tax rate of 7 percent. The Seventeenth Amendment, also ratified in 1913, provided for direct election of U.S. senators by the people rather than their selection by state legislatures. This amendment was one part of a general movement for government reform, under which the public took an increasingly powerful and direct role in electing officials. [ok but add tariff reform & reciprocity w Canada--big issues in 1910-11 Rjensen 23:55, 26 January 2006 (UTC)]
WOODROW WILSON
Wilson’s first legislative action was to lower the tariff. In 1913, he sponsored the Underwood Tariff, which cut tariffs substantially. It was the nation’s first reduction in tariffs since before the civil war. Also in 1913, Wilson helped launch an investigation into the possibly corrupt relations between pro-tariff lobbyists and certain senators. [drop--he did not launch that, COngress did & it went nowhere Rjensen 23:55, 26 January 2006 (UTC)] The Federal Reserve System Wilson and his supporters sought to create a centralized bank system under public control, which would be able to stabilize the economy in times of panic. [Sen Aldrich designed the system--WW gets credit for passing over objection of people like Bryan Rjensen 23:55, 26 January 2006 (UTC)] After months of bargaining, Congress passed the Federal Reserve Act in 1913. This act established a network of regional Federal Reserve banks under partially private and partially public control. The Federal Reserve Board was created to oversee the entire network and national fiscal policy. Initially weak, the “Fed” would become a powerful force in American economics. [initially weak? note WW insisted it was 100% private. Rjensen 23:55, 26 January 2006 (UTC)] Wilson’s most notable legislative achievement was the 1913 passage of the Federal Reserve Act, establishing the system of Federal Reserve banks still in use today. Business Regulation Wilson pushed two important regulatory measures through Congress in 1914. First, the Federal Trade Commission Act created a five-member agency to investigate suspected violations of interstate trade regulations and to issue “cease and desist” orders should it find corporations guilty of unfair practices. Secondly, the Clayton Antitrust Act improved upon the vague Sherman Antitrust Act by enumerating a series of illegal business practices. The Wilson administration initiated antitrust suits against almost one hundred corporations. Labor and Farm Reform Wilson strongly supported worker’s rights. Under his administration, Congress passed a series of labor laws designed to ban child labor, shorten workdays, and, in the Workmen’s Compensation Act, provide injury protection to federal employees. Wilson also supported reforms benefiting farmers, such as low-interest loan programs. [you miss explosive RR issue in 1916...and note Supreme Court struck down child labor law Rjensen 23:55, 26 January 2006 (UTC)]
--Robertchen 03:01, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)
Three goals of the progressives were to end the abuses of power, create and reform institutions that helped the individual, and apply science to managening political and economic institutions. Three methods used to accomplish progressive goals were muckraking newspapers, and novels that exposed the ills of society, and political reforms like the inititative referendum and recall. Different groups of progressives advocating reform were middle-class reformers, upper-class reformers, working class-reformers and socialists. The state governments took limited step to implement progressive reforms.In Wisconsin, Governor Robert M. La Follette wrestled control from the trusts and returned power to the people, becoming a Progressive leader in the process.Other states also took to regulate railroads and trusts, such as Oregon and California, which was led by Governor Hiram W. Johnson.Charles Evans Hughes, governor of New York, gained fame by investigating the malpractices of gas and insurance companies. The federal governement had a mixed record during the progressive era, the judical branch in particular was very conservative. The landmark case of Muller vs. Oregon (1908) found attorney Louis D. Brandeis persuading the Supreme Court to accept the constitutionality of laws that protected women workers. On the other hand, the case of Lochner vs. New York invalidated a New York law establishing a ten-hour day for bakers. Yet, in 1917, the Court upheld a similar law for factory workers The Progressivism spirit touched President Roosevelt, and his “Square Deal” embraced control of the corporations, consumer protection, and the conservation of the United States’ natural resources. TR did crack down on over 40 trusts, and he helped dissolve he beef, sugar, fertilizer, and harvesters trusts, but in reality, he wasn’t as big of a trustbuster as he has been portrayed. He had no wish to take down the “good trusts,” but the trusts that did fall under TR’s big stick fell symbolically, so that other trusts would reform themselves. TR’s successor, William Howard Taft, crushed more trusts than TR, and in one incident, when Taft tried to crack down on U.S. Steel, a company that had personally allowed by TR to absorb the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company. Woodrow Wilson’s presidency saw reforms in the banking system and tarrifs. In 1914, Congress passed the Federal Trade Commission Act, which empowered a presidentially appointed position to investigate the activities of trusts and stop unfair trade practices such as unlawful competition, false advertising, mislabeling, adulteration, & bribery. The 1914 Clayton Anti-Trust Act lengthened the Sherman Anti-Trust Act’s list of practices that were objectionable, exempted labor unions from being called trusts (as they had been called by the Supreme Court under the Sherman Act), and legalized strikes and peaceful picketing by labor union members. --Gary123 01:59, 31 Jan 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Muckrakers?
I might be missing something here but what relevance does the muckrakers sentence have with the rest of the article? If the sentence is relevant to Progressivism, could the author link it in with the rest of the text?
[edit] Semi-Protect
God only knows why they chose "Progressive Era", but this article has been hit with a lot of stupid vandalism in the past couple weeks. Might be a necessary candidate for semi-protection until those responsible get distracted by a shiny object and move on. Sloverlord 18:20, 7 December 2006 (UTC)
It's likely because this is about the time U.S. history classes hit the progressive era. That's why I'm here. Dunno why people are such asses though - probably because they are anonymous (not to mention young). I agree on the semi-protect Mgsloan 05:23, 8 January 2007 (UTC)
I'm here for the same reason as above. I can't say whether I agree or not though, I'm inexperienced. Exposay 8 January 2007
[edit] Capitalization on P(p)rogressive
The Capitalization on the articles about Progressivism and the Progressive Era don't have consistent capitalization on the word Progressive. I'm not sure if it's a proper noun or not, but I'm leaning towards that it is. Exposay 8 January 2007
[edit] Chuck Norris???
I wasn't aware that Chuck Norris was a Progressive. I do know, however, that Frank Norris was, he wrote McTeague in 1899(published). That's from The American Nation: A History Of The United States Ninth Edition by John A. Garraty. That's AP U.S. History for ya.
72.230.34.237 04:18, 19 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Overlap with Fourth Party System
The Fourth Party System article begans: "The Fourth Party System or Progressive Era..." Isn't a merge something to consider? Tazmaniacs 19:14, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
