PEOPLE

Theodore Roosevelt

. Progressive Republican President of the United States, 1901-1909

. Most popular political leader of early 20th century

. Promised to regulate big business and bust trusts

. Stepped down voluntarily in 1909, then ran again for presidency in 1912 on Progressive Party ticket but lost to Woodrow Wilson

William Howard Taft

. Republican President of the United States, 1909-1913

. Administration had both Progressive and conservative tendencies

. Roosevelt's hand-picked successor, but not as charismatic or effective

. Won Republication nomination for re-election in 1912 but finished behind both Democrat Woodrow Wilson and Roosevelt (running on Progressive Party ticket) in general election

Woodrow Wilson

. Progressive Democratic President of the United States, 1913-1921

. Defeated Taft and Roosevelt to win presidency; first Democrat to win White House in 20th century

. Pursued idealistic foreign policy; led U.S. into WWI in the name of Progressive principles

Upton Sinclair

. Muckraking novelist, author of The Jungle, 1906

. Intended book to spread socialist message about mistreatment of workers in Chicago' meatpacking industry

. Readers instead horrified by mistreatment of meat

J.P. Morgan

. Major American financier

. Arranged several major mergers; financed US Steel; controlled railroads across nation

Andrew Carnegie

. Scottish-born American industrialist; imported European steel techniques to dominate American steel industry

. Attempted to reorganize entire steel industry under own company

. Became one of world's richest men and one of world's most generous philanthropists

. Proponent of "Gospel of Wealth"

EVENTS

1887 Interstate Commerce Act

. Created Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate railroads

. Early example of Progressive legislation designed to use the government to regulate business practices

. Enforcement powers neutered by Supreme Court until a series of reinforcing acts passed in 1910s

1890 Sherman Antitrust Act

. New law designed to restore competition to markets by splitting apart monopolies

. Thought designed to target big business, the law was only used against unions and agricultural co-ops until Roosevelt's presidency

1901 McKinley Assassination

. President William McKinley murdered by crazed anarchist Leon Czolgosz

. Charismatic young Vice President Teddy Roosevelt became president

1907 Financial Panic

. Stock-market panic threatened to throw economy into severe recession

. Economy stabilized by private actions of J.P. Morgan and other financiers

1908 Muller v. Oregon

. Supreme Court ruled that Oregon law limiting women's workday was constitutional

. Crucial case in establishing the right of government regulation of economy

1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

. Fire spread rapidly through New York garment sweatshop

. Workers had been locked inside the factory by owners to prevent theft

. Only one small fire escape was not big enough to allow many to escape

. 146 workers jumped to their deaths or burned alive; most were young girls

. Unions used disaster to argue that working conditions in factories should be improved

1912 Presidential Election

. Democrat Woodrow Wilson defeated Republican incumbent W.H. Taft, popular ex-president Theodore Roosevelt, and Socialist Eugene Debs

. Division of Republican votes between Taft and Roosevelt allowed Democrats to elect first president in more than two decades

1913 Sixteenth Amendment

. Authorized Congress to levy income taxes

1913 Seventeenth Amendment

. Allowed for U.S. Senators to be elected directly by popular vote

1917 Hammer v. Dagenhart

. Supreme Court ruled that child labor laws were unconstitutional

. But court later overturned ruling on minimum wage (for women and children) in 1923 with Adkins v. Children's Hospital

1918 Sedition Act

. Criminalized production of antiwar materials and the delivery of any speech deemed unpatriotic or detrimental to the war effort

. Imposed fine and imprisonment on anyone who discouraged military recruiting or criticized the government, the flag, or the military uniform

GROUPS

Progressives

. Slippery term, difficult to define

. Generally middle class reformers

. Promoted active change in society, often using tools of government

. Incorporated members of both political parties

Progressive Party

(a.k.a. Bull Moose Party)

. Third party headed by Theodore Roosevelt in 1912

. Attempted to make Progressivism into independent political force

. Essentially organized around Roosevelt's personality; when he lost in 1912, party fell apart

. All members of Progressive Party were Progressives, but not all Progressives were in Progressive Party

CONCEPTS

Muckrakers

. Investigative journalists

. Term coined by Teddy Roosevelt

. Attempted to bring foul conditions of American industrial society to light

. Tended toward sensationalistic exposés; rarely promoted specific solutions

Economies of Scale

. Gains in production or savings of cost produced by integration of large scale processes

. In plain English, the money you save when you do something on a larger scale and become more efficient.

Vertical Integration

. When a company takes over all stages of production in the making of its product

. Allows economies of scale and higher profitability

Horizontal Integration

. When a company forces out or takes over its competitors, building a monopoly over an entire industry

. Many companies endured temporary cuts in prices to drive competitors out of business, creating monopoly conditions and generating high profits

Conservationism

. Environmental movement driven forward by Thoreau, Roosevelt and John Muir

. Attempted to protect beauty and majesty of America's natural landscapes

. Angered industrialists and others who wanted to use natural resources for economic development rather than preserving them

PLACES

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, New York City

. Overcrowded garment sweatshop

. Site of tragic 1911 fire that killed many workers, mostly young girls