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Progressives - Coggle Diagram
Progressives
Solutions
People started to get hired for their experience and their knowledge about the job versus who you knew.
In reaction to the privatization of utilities, Progressives went for a municipal/cooperative approach to vital services like gas and water.
To address social issues, they wanted better local laws, improved living conditions, etc. Settlement Houses established. Provided child care, education, and other necessary programs to enable workers in their daily lives.
Referendum: The public votes on a law that is already passed by legislature. EX. abortion law gets passed, public petition stop vote on it on the next election ballot to repeal it.
Recall: When the people can call for either a recount of votes of an elected official or to vote again on issues that have already been passed.
Initiative: is a proposal from the public. The public have enough signatures on petitions to vote on it on the next election ballet.
Reaction to the complete lack of any regulation in food & drugs, or for large (anti-capitalist by nature) monopolies, the "Pure Food & Drugs Act" and "Sherman Anti-Trust Act" were passed, respectively.
Key Figures
Jacob Riis, one of the early muckrakers, a professional photographer, he took pictures of the living and working conditions of poor people of the time (ex: slums)
Jane Addams, a full on progressive, took action and made a settlement house in Chicago, called the Hull House.
Lincoln Steffens: a muckraker who sat at city halls and listened to the people talk about corruption in the government, wrote it all down, and published "Shame of the Cities". Then later wrote another book. "Treason of the Senate", exposing their bribe prices and corruption. result of this- most politicians were voted out at the next election.
Muckrakers: term comes from T. Roosevelt- the ones exposing the truth about unpleasant realities. "raking up the dirty underside of society. Today we call them investigative journalists.
Ida Tarbell, author of "A History of Standard Oil", went after Rockefeller/Standard Oil to expose the monopolies and abuse of power. Her father's oil refinery(?) was driven out of business by Rockefellers ruthless business practies.
Upton Sinclair: went undercover in factories, exposed the horrible working conditions, published a book on it called, The Jungle. "Aimed for their hearts, but he hit their stomach". result- people became angrier at what is going in their food, not how the workers are treated.
Problems
Politics was corrupt, many got hired through nepotism
Child labor, poor work and living conditions. Ex: Childrens would work for a dime a day.
Problems with regulations. Ex: Alcohol, food, and drugs regulation. Large monopolies took over all production, and there were no regulations for work.
Progressives (upper-middle class, white, educated), despite their well-meaning intentions, weren't able to identify with the people they were wanted to help (poor, POC/Immigrant, uneducated).
Who?
Upper-middle class, urban, and educated. Usually WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants).
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Where?
In cities or heavily industrial areas (ex: New York City, NY and Chicago, IL)
Why?
They wanted change, forward change; what makes it forward? Change using government action on some level, improvement using gov. organized to help others