Alexandra Garceau Moral Outrage and Amendments

Paper 2 topic1

The Progressive Era was a massive grassroots movement to revolutionize and purify all aspects of society. Progressives wanted it all: to oust corrupt government officials, to up break trust, reform environmental regulations, stop exploitation of child labor, right social injustices and restore sovereignty to the people. The 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th amendments illustrate how powerful and nation wide the movement to cleanse America really was. The second and third thing is the progressives were fairly very successful in correcting social injustices and reforming national government. Progressives were not an isolated few nor did they instantly appear at the turn of the century. The beginnings of the Progressive movements could be seen in Labor unions such as the Knights of Labor, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) which protected workers rights and pushed for decent pay and hours. However these unions were met with hostility from both the business front and the government. They found themselves being prosecuted because they were in violation of Sherman Antitrust Act (which was meant to regulate corporations not unions) and were put in hostile legal situations. Union strikers found police, National Guardsmen and private security forces (hired by companies) bearing down on them causing blood soaked picket signs to fall limply to the ground. Ludlow massacre was just one of these instances, but it had national coverage and it outraged America. The progressive movement was a righteous anger stroked and fueled by the yellow journalism and the writings of muckrakers. Muckrakers such as Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens and Upton Sinclair emphasized the horrors and corruption of America, which shocked and compelled America citizens into motion. American outrage and demand for purification continued to expand engulfing the

White House in its growth. Progressives banded together and saw that a new strong federal government and new legislation was the best way to help them fix all of the social injustices. Ousting corrupt politicians, reforming the whole federal government to A government for the people, and pushing though legislation was by no means easy. Political machines which guaranteed re-election were snuggly in place and brought fame, grafts, bribery and economic security to the happily endowed machine bosses. State and federal courts struck down many reform laws regulating works hours. The U.S. Supreme Court was very opposed to the progressive movement and, in 1905; it ruled that a New York state law limiting bakery employees to a 10-hour day was unconstitutional. But slowly the corrupt politicians were replaced with new outspoken progressive leaders such as Robert La Follette, Charles Evan Hughes who started bringing hope and results back to middle and lower class Americans. However legislative and judicial branch stood steadfast in their ways the 17th Amendment which reformed the senate was not ratified till 1913. Change had to come down from the executive branch. Former Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson placed themselves at the front of the new revolutionary train and finally rammed though progressive legislature such as the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th amendments. Roosevelt stood up to heavy weights such as J.P. Morgan and industrialists such as George F. Bear of Reading Railroad. He supported the Hepburn Act, Pure Food and Drug Act, and Meat Inspection Act which continued progressive reform. Wilson pushed though even more legislation such as the Kern-McGillicuddy Act (workmens compensation), the Keating-Owen Act (outlaws child labor) and the Adamson Act (gives workers eight hour days). The 16th amendment was ratified and forced wealthy Americans to pay greater percentages on their income. Wilson also nominated Louis Brandeis, an

active progressive, and got him placed in the Supreme Court. A strong centralized federal government was now leading the nation into a new era of social progress. The people themselves continued to support the movement and demand more legislation. It was normal to be forced to have a 60 hour work week and many steelworkers were forced to work 72-89 hours per week just so they can keep their jobs. Families had to have two or three members working and rent out rooms just to make ends meet. Sewers and running water were very slowly coming into middle and lower-class neighbor hoods. Social reform was on the move though, now with new legislation the standard of living was improving for many Americans. Now progressives turn their eyes toward two major social reforms, prohibition and feminism. Women such as Jane Addams, Florence Kelly, Alice Hamilton, Julia Lathrop and Ellen Gates Starr were leaders in social progressive reform. The helped any in need; the poor, the handicap, delinquent, children, and immigrants. More than four hundred Hull houses were their nationwide base of operations. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were the leaders in woman suffrage and the National America Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). However the 19th amendment was slow in coming and did not get ratified till 1920. The 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th amendments depict three major things about the Progressive movement. One is how national and powerful the movement was. Two is the focus on cleansing and major reformation of federal government and three is the Social progress the movement established. The Progressive movement was a change for and by the people.

Bibliography

Murrin, John. Liberty, Equality, Power. A History of the American People. 5th ed. The Thomson Corporation. MA.2008.