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Lesson 2.03
Progressive Reform

OBJECTIVE - In this lesson, you will learn about how the progressive reforms changed the culture of America.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

What was the response of immigrants and middle-class reformers to the effects of the urban political machines?
What were the key beliefs of the Social Gospel Movement? How does it differ from Social Darwinism? According to the Social Gospel Movement, who is responsible for fixing the social, economic, and political evils created by the Industrial Revolution?
How did political programs, the Populists, and Progressives work to solve many of the problems of the Gilded Age?

DISCUSSION

The Gilded Age has been characterized as a time when glamour and prosperity hid corruption and poverty. While some American’s experienced unheard of wealth and affluence the overwhelming majority of the population was barely able to survive. The Robber Barons, motivated by Social Darwinism, saw the masses as merely an extension of the industrial machinery of the era. If the machinery breaks, you simply replace it. In their minds, to blame them for the problems of the period was absurd. They were merely the most “fit” and thus were destined to succeed.

Eventually some citizens, often led by some of the wealthiest families, began to take an interest in the plight of the less fortunate. According to the Social Gospel movement it was their obligation to use their prosperity to assist those who could not care for themselves. These Progressives pushed for some of the most sweeping social changes in the history of the United States. Some of these changes came rapidly, others took more time, and some are still with us today…but none came without a price.

Here are some of the key people of the Industrial Revolution.

1. Andrew Carnegie

2. J.D. Rockefeller

3. J.P. Morgan

4. William Vanderbilt

5. Herbert Spencer

6. Thomas Edison

7. Alexander Graham Bell

8. Robert La Follette

9. Florence Kelley

10. Booker T. Washington

11. Samuel Gompers

12. Margaret Sanger – “Comstock Act”

13. Billy Sunday

14. W.E.B. DuBois

15. Ida B. Wells

16. Ida Tarbell

17. Upton Sinclair – The Jungle

18. Lincoln Steffens

19. Jane Addams – “Hull House”

20. Dwight L. Moody

21. Eugene Debs

22 William Howard Taft

Here were some of the key events/organizations of the Industrial Revolution.

1. Industrialism

2. Populists

3. “Robber Barons”

4. Trusts

5. Tammany Hall

6. Melting Pot

7. Monopoly

8. Settlement Houses

9. Social Gospel Movement

10. Urbanization

11. Tenement (dumbbell tenements)

12. Mergers

13. Americanization

14. Nativism

15. Political Machines

16. Initiative

17. Referendum

18. Recall

19. Progressives

20. Ragtime Music

21. National Urban League

22. Direct Primary

23. Meat Inspection Act

24. WCTU

25. National Consumers League

26. AFL and IWW

27. NAACP

28. Muckrakers

29. Federal Arbitration

30. Tariffs

31. 16^th Amendment

32. 17^th Amendment

33. Gilded Age

34. Anti-Trust Laws

THE ASSIGNMENT

For this assignment you will be working to complete a chart to graphically show the contributions of many of the Progressives. You will use the names and terms from above to insert into the "reformer chart" below. Copy and paste the format below into a Word document to complete the chart. Choose at least 20 people and at least 20 terms to complete the "reformer chart." Put the people first and be sure to number each entry. You should have a total of 40 entries.

REFORMER CHART FORMAT (List people first and terms/organizations second).

*Name of Person, Organization or Proposal:*	*What was the problem that needed to be addressed:*	*Was this problem social, political or economic (or a combination of all three)? Explain:*	*How did this person, organization, or proposal seek to fix the problem:*	*Are there any long lasting effects of this still felt today?*
1. Upton Sinclair	Unclean and unsafe standards in the meat packing industry.	Social and economic. Many poor workers were only able to afford the cheaper meat which posed health problems.	Sinclair wrote The Jungle, which exposed the corruption to people who didn’t realize it was happening.	Today we have very strict standards to ensure that the foods we eat are safe.
2. Recall	Many politicians of the Industrial Era were controlled by big business.	Political	The recall was an law that allowed voters to remove corrupt politicians.	The “Governator!” in California.
3.
4.
5.

Assignment 2.03 - "Reformer Chart"

To complete this assignment, you need to:

Copy and paste the “Reformer” chart into a Word document. Add rows to complete.
Choose 20 people and 20 terms from the list above.
Complete the chart (you will have a total of 40) .
Attach your completed Word document in the assignment area.