Political Machines
Powerful organizations that use both legal and illegal methods to get their candidates elected to public office.
Progressives
A group of reformers working to improve society in the late 1800s.
Muckrakers
Journalists that were nicknamed this because they raked up and exposed the muck or filth of society.
Seventeenth Amendment
Allowed Americans to vote directly for US Senators.
recall
To remove an official before the end of his or her term.
initiative
Procedure that allowed voters to propose a new law by collecting signatures on a petition.
referendum
Permitted voters to approve or reject a law that had already been proposed or passed by a government body.
Robert M. La Follette
One of the leaders of the effort to reform state government. He made available to the public information on how politicians voted.
What was the main goal of political machines during the Gilded Age?
Method used to elect candidates to public office by any means necessary. Voters were paid, bribes were given, favors were traded, jobs were promised, etc.
Why do you think some immigrants supported political machines?
Due to the poor living conditions and limited job availability, immigrants were willing to sacrifice their beliefs to get ahead.
Do you think the system of testing created by the Pendleton Civil Service Act would work to reduce corruption in the spoils systems? Why or Why Not?
It would decrease the opportunities for jobs to be awarded as a spoil because job candidates would have to be educated and qualified.
Who were muckrakers and what effect did they have on reform?
Journalists that exposed the troubling issues such as child labor and racial discrimination, slum housing and corruption in business and politics. Through the exposing of these acts, many learned of the corruption and insisted on reform.
How did Progressives try to improve education?
States passed laws requiring all children to attend school. Kindergarten was started to help young children learn basic social skills.
Which Progressive reform do you think was most important and why?
Education was the biggest reform because it insisted on educating the children which took them out of the workforce and helped to prepare them for life.
What new ideas and practices were introduced to give voters more power?
The 17th amendment which allowed Americans to vote for directly for US senators; Recall allowed for the removal of an official before their turn is up; Referendums allowed voters to approve or reject a law that had already been passed or proposed by the g
How did progressive reforms limit the power of political machines?
The Pendleton Civil Service Act set up a merit system for awarding federal jobs to help eliminate giving jobs to inexperienced workers as spoils of elections; This limited the elected officials from hiring and firing candidates based on their political al
Cuffs
Punches
Utter
Complete
Close
Stuffy
Sole
Only
Access
Right to use
Stenches
Bad Smells
in vain
Without Success
galling
Causing pain, irritating
fetters
Chains
heaves
Rises and Falls
avail
Help
borax
White powder used in manufacturing and cleaning.
glycerine
Sweet, sticky substance
hoppers
Containers
consumption
Eating or drinking
ladled
Added with a large spoon
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
March 25th, 1911 - A fire started on the 8th floor of the factory; workers tried to escape but factory owners blocked the exit doors and 146 workers died; this and similar accidents led to the passage of laws improving factory safety standards.
worker's compensation laws
Guaranteed a portion of lost wages to workers injured on the job.
capitalism
Economic system in which private businesses run most industries and competition determines the price of goods.
socialism
System in which the government owns and operates a country's means of production.
William "Big Bill" Haywood
The leader of the Socialist Union known as The Industrial Workers of World;
Industrial Workers of the World
Socialist Union that had a goal to organize all workers into one large union that would overthrow capitalism; Strong opposition led to the decline of this union by 1920.
What jobs did child labors often hold?
Boys sold newspapers and shined shoes on the streets and girls cooked or cleaned for borders staying with their family. Girls also worked at home sewing clothes and making handicrafts. Many worked in factories, mines and mills.
Why did businesses employ children in factories?
They employed them because they were cheap labor, they did jobs that only small people could do (small hands, etc.) and they helped to support their parents who often also worked for the factory owners.
Why do you think reformers began to demand improvements to child labor conditions?
Children were getting injured and killed and they wanted their children to be better educated and have better opportunities in their futures.
What events led to the movement to improve workplace safety?
35,000 workers were killed in industrial accidents and 500,000 suffered injuries. The Triangle Shirt Waist Fire (146 workers died in a fire.)
Why did the Industrial Workers of the World frighten some people?
The aggressive tactics they used with staging strikes and their goal was to overthrow capitalism.
What conflicts might arise between supporters of capitalism and socialism?
Socialists want the government to step and protect and provide them but Capitalists want the freedom to not have government intervention and the ability to earn as much money as possible.
Eighteenth Amendment?
Banned the production, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages throughout the United States because of the temperance movement.
National American Woman Suffrage Association?
To promote the cause of women's suffrage. Women won the right to vote in Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho and Utah.
Alice Paul?
Leader of the Suffragettes.
Nineteenth Amendment?
Granted American Women the right to vote.
Booker T. Washington?
An educator whose strategy was not to fight discrimination directly; he encouraged African Americans to improve their educational and economic well being. He believed this would lead to the end of discrimination.
Ida B. Wells
Journalist who wrote articles about the unequal education available to African American children.
W.E.B. Du Bois
Founded the NAACP. He was a graduate from Harvard who studied and publicized cases of racial prejudice.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People?
An organization that called for economic and educational equality for African Americans.
What did the 18th and 19th Amendments accomplish?
The 18th prohibited the sale of Alcohol and the 19th granted women the right to vote.
How did Alice Paul and the National Woman's Party try to draw attention to the issue of women's suffrage?
They used parades, public demonstrations, picketing and hunger strikes.
What role did Ida B. Wells play in reform efforts for African Americans?
She was a journalist who wrote articles about the unequal and she wrote about the more than 3000 lynching events that occurred in the US. The lynching of the Blacks occurred while they were waiting to stand trial.
How did Booker T. Washington differ from other African American leaders?
He believed that African Americans should improve their educational and economic well being and to not fight discrimination directly.
Do you think the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was successful in fighting discrimination?
Yes they have been successful. They made "Grandfather Clauses" illegal which had restricted the African Americans. They attacked discrimination by using the courts.
What discrimination did Chinese Americans face?
Anti-Chinese Riots occurred in western towns and cities.
How were some minority groups overlooked by the Progressive movements?
Because some minority groups had not acclimated to European society, these groups didn't receive the same amount of aid from the government. They didn't want to change and so they formed their own societies to help their ethnicities.
Theodore Roosevelt
Vice-President to McKinley; Upon McKinley's death, he took office. He created the Square Deal which emphasized that the interest of business people, laborers, and consumers should be balanced for the public good.
Pure Food and Drug Act
Law prohibited the manufactured sale and transport of contaminated food and drugs.
conservation
Protection of nature and its resources.
William Howard Taft
Roosevelt's Secretary of War; Replaced Roosevelt as President in 1908
Progressive Party
Also known as the "Bull Moose Party", this political party was formed by Theodore Roosevelt in an attempt to advance progressive ideas and unseat President William Howard Taft in the election of 1912. After Taft won the Republican Party's nomination, Roos
Woodrow Wilson
Won the electoral vote in 1912 to become President; He spoke of the terrible conditions under which many working class Americans did. He pushed for Tariff revisions and banking reform.
Sixteenth Amendment
Allowed the Federal Government to impose direct taxes on citizen's incomes.
How did Theodore Roosevelt support progressive reforms?
He created the square deal that the interests of business people, laborers and consumers should be balanced for the public good. He also busted up the monopoly of railroads - railroad shipping rates.
Why did many Americans support conservation?
They supported it because they wanted to make sure that the nation used its natural resources efficiently and Roosevelt had doubled the national parks.
Do you think Roosevelt's reforms benefited the nation?
His reforms benefited the nation because he took on making sure that everything was balanced. He didn't try to eliminate capitalism, but he made everyone accountable and equal. He fought to eliminate monopolies to make sure that people had a chance to com
What was the Progressive Party - Why was it created?
They were the party that was formed by Roosevelt to run against the Dems and Republicans. It was created because Roosevelt was angered at Taft's reforms and regulations on big business.
How were the administrations of William Howard Taft and Roosevelt similar and how were they different?
They both favored business regulation and opposed socialism. Roosevelt supported stricter regulation of big business and Taft wanted tariffs to be lowered.
Which president do you think had the biggest influence on progressive reform - Roosevelt, Taft or Woodrow Wilson? Explain your choice.
Roosevelt had the greatest impact on progressive reform because of his Square Deal and because followed the reforms to the point of creating the progressive party.
Some Americans supported a __________________ system, which proposed government ownership of the country's means of production.
Socialist
Republican ______________________ began a program to reform state politics in Wisconsin.
Political Bosses
The ________________ granted women in the US the right to vote.
19th Amendment
The _________________ prohibited the manufacture, sale and transport of mislabeled or contaminated food and drugs.
Pure Food and Drug Act
During the Gilded Age, ________________ often dominated local politics and used corruption to get their candidates elected.
Political Machines
__________________________ were journalists who wrote about troubling issues such as child labor, tenement housing, and political corruption.
Muckrakers
What tactics did bosses and political machines use to gain control of local governments?
Cheating by bribing the voters and trading favors for votes.
What changes did Progressives make to city life?
Settlement Houses, city planning and civil engineering such as safer building codes and new public parks as well as improved transportation by paving roads and building bridges. Pollution, waste disposal were also addressed.
What reforms were made to improve working conditions and who was affected by the reforms?
Child Labor laws restricted the age of the children and what labor they could do as well as made it law to have children educated. Safe working condition laws were passed; Sanitation conditions were passed.
What are the differences between capitalism and socialism?
Socialism is when the government owns and operates a country's means of production vs Capitalism is an economic system in which private business run most industries and competition determines the price of goods.
If you were a business owner, would you have supported the progressive workplace reforms?
No because it would mean that it would cost me more as a business owner and I would have to adhere to strict rules.
What minority groups were overlooked by progressive reform efforts?
Chinese, Native Americans and Mexicans;.
How did women's involvement in the Progressive movement lead to constitutional change?
They got the right to vote.
Do you agree with Booker T. Washington's approach to improving life for African Americans?
His approach is a passive approach because it's not aggressive to make change happen, but he is encouraging the African Americans to become well educated and to improve their economic well being.
How did William Howard Taft disappoint Progressives?
He reduced the rates on imported goods but raised others with the Payne Aldrich Tariff. The Progressives wanted the tariffs to be lowered in order to lower prices for consumers.
In what ways were the reforms of President Roosevelt, Taft and Wilson similar?
They were all fighting for the consumer - Roosevelt with the Square Deal, Taft lowered tariffs on imported goods and Wilson with Banking Reform.
Would you have supported Wilson's progressive reforms?
No. He introduced Income tax with his Tariff Reform.
What role did political machines play in local politics during the Gilded Age?
They coerced employees to vote for designated candidate.
How were the children affected by the movement for workplace reforms?
They were forced to go back to school, they were limited as to how much they could work or earn based on the reforms.