VIDEOTAPE LECTURE #11 OUTLINE
[00:00] Bars, Tone, and Countdown
[01:30] Intro
[03:30] Preamble with LaFollette bust
[04:40] "The Dawn of Liberalism"
[04:50] When was the Progressive Era?
[05:09] Teddy Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson
[06:00] The urban counterpart to Populism?
[08:00] "Liberalism"

• government should be more active
• social problems are susceptible to government action
• throw money at the problem

[49:00] National Municipal League
[55:50] Conclusion

Some questions to keep in mind:

1. What social, economic, and political factors fostered the Progressive movement?
2. Compare the goals and accomplishments of the Progressives and the Populists. Which was more successful?
3. Why might Progressivism be considered the "Dawn of Liberalism?" Why might it not?

Definition of Liberalism:

• Government should be more active
• Social problems are susceptible to government legislation and action
• Throw money at the problem

"Definition" of Progressivism:

Progressives themselves were never a unified group seeking a single objective or a single set of objectives. They had many different, even contradictory goals, including:

1. End to "white slavery" (prostitution and the sweat shops)
2. Prohibition
3. "Americanization" of immigrants
4. Immigration restriction legislation
5. Anti-trust legislation
6. Rate regulation of private utilities
7. Full government ownership of private utilities
8. Women's suffrage
9. End to child labor
10. Destruction of urban political machines
11. "Taylorism"
12. Political reform

Types of Progressive Reform

There were four basic types of Progressive reform, and each reform corresponded to a key word, repeated time and again in the rhetoric of Progressives:

• Economic--"Monopoly"
• Structural and Political--"Efficiency"
• Social--"Democracy"
• Moral--"Purity"
  

Basic Goals of Progressives

Even though they were not a unified group, Progressives shared five basic characteristics or beliefs:

1. Moralists
2. Government, once purified, must act
3. Weakest element of society must be protected
4. Never challenged capitalism's basic tenets
5. Paternalistic, moderate, soft-minded

Origins of Progressive Thought and Action:

1. "Discovery" of poverty
Of course poverty had always existed in American society, but in the late 1870s and early 1880s a number of urban reformers called for new legislation to help the poor.
2. Charity movement
Prior to the late 1870s, there was no systematic method for social welfare, just individual charity groups funded by private donors. In 1877 in Buffalo, NY a citywide coordination of charity organizations began. This type of system eventually spread to other US cities.
3. Emancipation of Women
The 1880s saw the first generation of women--mostly white and middle- or upper-class--to graduate from college in large numbers. These women graduated from college full of enlightenment and enthusiasm, but for the most part were still shut out of professions in medicine, law, science, and business. So they used their energies to battle social injustices.
4. The "Social Gospel Movement"
Up until the 1880s most Protestant ministers had not concerned themselves with the problems of industrial society, but rapid urbanization and industrialization convinced many Protestant clergymen of the need for social justice. The goal of the movement was to make Christian churches more responsive to social problems like poverty and prostitution. Some ministers became known nationally as spokesmen for Social Gospel, including Washington Gladden and Walter Rauschenbusch.
5. Social settlement movement
The social settlement movement was formed as a ministry to immigrants and the urban poor. University-educated men and women (such as Jane Addams) would settle in working-class neighborhoods where they could both help the poor and learn something about the real world. Most settlement houses started with clubs and classes, then moved outside their neighborhoods to campaign for housing and labor reform. As they aided people, settlement houses also tried to instill middle-class values, often betraying a paternalistic attitude toward the poor.
6. Good Government movement
In the 1880s clubs were organized in several American cities in an effort to streamline government, to clean up corruption, and to turn city government into a model corporation.

The National Conference for Good City Government took place in Philadelphia in 1894. This was the starting point for many reformers who identified themselves with the Progressive movement. The keynote speaker was future U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who at the time was Chief of Police for New York City. In his speech, Roosevelt preached morality and efficiency in city government.

The founding of the National Municipal League was one important result of the National Conference for Good City Government. The League was a training ground for Progressives. It became an exchange network for various reform movements and still exists today.

The Progressive Movement and National Politics

Bull Moose Party--Nickname for the Progressive Party of 1912. The bull moose was the emblem for the party, based on Roosevelt's boasting that he was "as strong as a bull moose."

William Howard Taft (1857-1930)--Republican President of the US 1909-1913.
The United States' most corpulent chief executive, Taft stayed close to the policies of Theodore Roosevelt at the beginning of his term. Later in his presidency Taft turned to more conservative measures, such as a high protective tariff, and lost popularity.

Robert M. "Fightin' Bob" LaFollette (1855-1925)--Progressive Era political leader who served as US Congressman 1885-1891, governor of Wisconsin from 1900-1905 and U.S. Senator 1905-1925. In 1924 he ran as an independent Progressive candidate for President, polling nearly 6 million votes out of some 30 million cast, but won only Wisconsin's electoral votes.

The enthusiasm so characteristic of the Progressive Movement inspired a generation of reformers, who eventually began to transfer their domestic ideals of efficiency, morality, and positive government to a world view. As the US stepped onto the world stage in the early twentieth century, the influence of the domestic Progressive movement on foreign policy was very significant. The story of this new foreign policy is highly fascinating; so fascinating, in fact, that we will take it up in the next lecture: Lecture #12: "Policemen of the World."

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