Progressive Reforms: Urban, State, and Constitutional
Core Concepts
Covers the concrete political and social reforms achieved by Progressives at the local and state levels, as well as the major constitutional amendments that reshaped American democracy.
Progressive Reforms: Urban, State, and Constitutional
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What was the 'Wisconsin Idea,' championed by Governor Robert M. La Follette?
It was a model for state-level progressivism that involved using university experts to help draft legislation and run regulatory commissions, aiming to create a more scientific and impartial government.
What three electoral reforms gave citizens more direct power in lawmaking and holding officials accountable?
1. The Initiative: allows voters to propose a law directly.
2. The Referendum: allows voters to vote on a proposed law.
3. The Recall: allows voters to remove an elected official from office.
What major change to the U.S. Constitution was enacted by the 17th Amendment?
Ratified in \(1913\), the 17th Amendment established the direct election of U.S. Senators by popular vote, ending the previous system where they were chosen by state legislatures.
What was the function of settlement houses, such as Jane Addams' Hull House in Chicago?
Settlement houses were community centers in poor, immigrant neighborhoods that provided social services like education, childcare, healthcare, and job resources. They became hubs for social reform advocacy.
The tragic 1911 fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory led to what kind of progressive reforms?
The fire, which killed \(146\) garment workers, spurred a wave of reforms in workplace safety, including stricter fire codes, mandatory fire drills, and laws improving factory working conditions.
What form of municipal government, which placed power in a board of experts, grew popular after a hurricane devastated Galveston, Texas in 1900?
The 'commission system' of city government, where each commissioner was an expert in a field like public safety or sanitation, was adopted to rebuild Galveston efficiently and without political corruption.
What did the 18th Amendment, ratified in 1919, prohibit?
Driven by the temperance movement, the 18th Amendment prohibited the 'manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors' within the United States, ushering in the era of Prohibition.
What was the goal of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and what was its key state-by-state strategy?
NAWSA's goal was to secure the vote for women. Under Carrie Chapman Catt, its primary strategy was to win suffrage at the state level, building momentum for a federal constitutional amendment.
How did Alice Paul and the National Woman's Party (NWP) differ in tactics from NAWSA?
The NWP used more militant tactics, including picketing the White House, engaging in hunger strikes, and focusing exclusively on passing a federal constitutional amendment for women's suffrage.
What right was finally guaranteed by the 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920?
The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, stating that the right to vote 'shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.'
Despite its successes, Progressivism largely failed to address the needs of what group in American society?
The Progressive movement largely ignored the plight of African Americans, as segregation and racial violence continued and, in some cases, worsened. Presidents like Wilson even oversaw the segregation of federal offices.
Compare the approaches of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois regarding civil rights.
Washington advocated for gradual equality through vocational training and economic self-sufficiency (the 'Atlanta Compromise'). Du Bois demanded immediate political and social equality and helped found the NAACP to fight for civil rights through legal action.
