APUSH: Period 7 Concepts (Progressivess)

Nineteenth President. Served 1877–1881. While a Civil War veteran and a Republican, he ended Reconstruction as part of the Compromise of 1877 to resolve the disputed 1876 election. Enacted modest civil service reform. Ordered federal troops in to break up the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. Pledged not to run for reelection and returned to Ohio.

 Twentieth President. Served from March 4, 1981 until his death on September 19, 1881. He was shot on July 2, 1881, but unsanitary medical treatment caused a fatal infection to take root. Otherwise unnotable.

 Twenty-first President. Served 1881–1885, but only assumed office after President Garfield’s assassination. Mainly remembered for the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which encouraged a merit-based system for the civil service. Declined to run for reelection in 1884 due to poor health. He died in November 1886 from a cerebral hemorrhage.

A form of political corruption where a political parties rewards its supporters with favors, often posts to public office.

 A period from the 1870s to 1900. While marked by massive economic growth due to industrialization, it also led to equally massive economic inequality. Backlash to this period manifested in the reforms of the Progressive Era.

An authoritarian or oligarchical political organization that commands political influence, voting blocs, and corporate influence in such a way that they can decide (or strongly influence) the outcome of elections. Often corrupt and prone to political patronage. Usually active at the city level, but sometimes extends statewide. A target of reform during the Gilded Age.

A term for a faction of the Republican Party that supported the party patronage (spoils) system during the Gilded Age.

A term for a faction of the Republican Party opposed to the party patronage (spoils) system during the Gilded Age

A term for a faction of the Republican Party neutral in regards to party patronage (spoils) system during the Gilded Age, but who still advocated modest reform of it.

Twenty-second and twenty-fourth President. Only president to serve non-consecutive terms, in 1885–1889 and 1893–1897. The first Democratic Party president since before the Civil War. Supported the gold standard. His second term was defined by the Panic of 1983, which caused a severe depression. Sent federal troops in to break up the Pullman Strike. His resolution of the Venezuelan crisis of 1895 began the reconciliation between the United States and British Empire.

A reform which encouraged a merit-based system for the civil service over the then-predominant party patronage (spoils) system.

 Twenty-third President. Served 1889–1893, and was bookended by Cleveland’s two non-consecutive terms. Harrison supported the passage of the Sherman Antitrust Act but did little to enforce it. His attempt at securing voting rights for African Americans was unsuccessful. Modernized the U.S. Navy with new warships.

An alliance of farmers in several states. The Alliance gained membership, successfully seated senators and governors in several midwestern states, and eventually morphed into the Populist Party.

Also known as the People’s Party. Their 1892 policy platform advocated for a silver standard, a graduated income tax, direct election of U.S. senators, and ownership of railroads, telegraph, and telephone lines. While the Populists won five Western states in the 1892 election, the Democrats absorbed their policies thanks to William Jennings Bryan

 An economic depression caused by the failure of the Reading Railroad company and by over-speculation artificially inflating the price of stocks. The market did not recover for almost four years. Investors began trading in their silver for more valuable gold, depleting the already dangerously low supply of gold.

Also known as General Coxey. He led “Coxey’s Army” into Washington, D.C. in 1894 and 1914 to demand that the Congress create jobs for the unemployed. His ideas would contribute to the development of the Social Security Act.

 A term for pro-gold standard Democrats, such as Grover Cleveland.

Nicknamed “The Great Commoner.” An outspoken Christian fundamentalist and anti-imperialist, Bryan served as the Democratic Party’s nominee for President on three separate occasions. He saved the party from being overtaken by the insurgent Populist Party by co-opting its progressive policies and rhetoric. Later served as the prosecutor in the Scopes Monkey Trial.

A famous speech delivered by William Jennings Bryan at the Democratic National Convention in 1896. In it, Bryan savaged the gold standard in favor of bimetallism. The speech concluded with the line “you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.” It won Bryan, a dark horse, the Democratic nomination for President. Considered one of the greatest works of American rhetoric.

 Twenty-fifth President. Served 1897–1901. A proponent of the gold standard and a moderate between business and labor interests, McKinley was assassinated six months into his second term by an anarchist. McKinley oversaw U.S. involvement in the Spanish-American War, as well as the subsequent extension of American control over Cuba and the Philippines.

 Twenty-sixth President. Served 1901–1909. A reformist New York governor, Roosevelt was kicked upstairs by party bosses to the vice presidency, which was seen as an unimportant office. After McKinley was assassinated, Roosevelt became president at 42, the youngest ever. He pursued a progressive domestic agenda called the Square Deal. In terms of foreign policy, he forced through construction of the Panama Canal. He brokered an end to the Russo-Japanese War, which secured him the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize. He unsuccessfully attempted to run for a third, non-consecutive term in 1912.

An era of social and political reform that began with the swearing in of Theodore Roosevelt in 1901 and lasted until the beginning of U.S. involvement in World War I in 1917. Antitrust legislation and labor reform were key aspects of this era, along with support for women’s suffrage, direct election of U.S. senators, and prohibition of alcohol.

An influential Protestant social justice movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It stated that Christians had an obligation to improve the lives of those less fortunate, especially the poor. Its leaders encouraged many middle-class Protestants to join reform efforts, such as those calling for laws banning child labor and making school compulsory for children. Essentially, it was the religious wing of the Progressive movement.

A pioneer of yellow journalism in the 1880s and rival to William Randolph Hearst. He was associated with the Democratic Party in New York. Today best remembered for establishing the Pulitzer Prize, an award for achievements in journalism.

A pioneer of yellow journalism in the 1880s and rival to Joseph Pulitzer. Owned a media empire. He was associated with the progressive movement. Today, he is best remembered for helping kick off the Spanish-American War with his news coverage, as well as for the thinly veiled portrayal of his biography in the 1941 classic Citizen Kane.

A nickname for investigative journalists who seek to spur reform and expose corruption. Originated during the Progressive Era. The term comes from Theodore Roosevelt, who said: “. . . the men with the muck rakes are often indispensable to the well being of society; but only if they know when to stop raking the muck.”

Governor and later U.S. Senator of Wisconsin. A notable Republican from his party’s progressive wing, he forced the introduction of direct primaries in his state, campaigned for child labor laws, a minimum wage, and women’s suffrage. He opposed U.S. entry into World War I. Ran for president as the Progressive Party candidate in 1924, but won only his home state and roughly 17 percent of the national vote.

A process by which state voters nominate their own slate of candidates as opposed to selection of the party ticket by the state legislature. While standard in the present day it was first adopted by Wisconsin in 1906.

Progressive Era reform that required the direct election of U.S. senators by the people of their home state. Passed in 1913. Beside the pro-democratic arguments for its passage, state legislatures favored the amendment due to the protracted gridlock that selecting and confirming U.S. senators was increasingly causing them.

 A progressive policy platform advocated by President Theodore Roosevelt. It involved breaking up trusts, increasing government regulation of business, pro-labor laws, and promoting environmental conservation. The New Deal took its name from it. See: Hepburn Act, Meat Inspection Act, National Conservation Commission, Northern Securities Company.

An example of progressivism during Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. The railroad monopoly fought the president by taking its case all the way to the Supreme Court. The court, however, upheld the president’s position. Roosevelt’s victory gave him a reputation as a champion “trust buster.”

 Passed in 1903, it allowed the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to prohibit rail companies from giving rebates and kickbacks to favored customers.

 A 1906 law that allowed the ICC to regulate what rates railroad lines could charge, ending the long-haul/short-haul price gouging that had been the bane of farmers.

A 1906 piece of progressive legislation. It ensured the safety and accurate labelling of food and drug products. Inspired in part by Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel The Jungle, a story illustrating the poor conditions at a Chicago meatpacking plant

A law passed in 1907 to ensure that meat sold in the U.S. is properly preserved, chemically unadulterated, and generally unspoiled.

A conservation committee established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908.

Twenty-seventh President. Served 1909–1913. Tenth Chief Justice (1921–1930). While a trust-busting Republican in Theodore Roosevelt’s mold, he also had some sympathies with the party’s conservative wing. Split the vote with Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party in the 1912 election, allowing Woodrow Wilson to win the White House. Later appointed to the Supreme Court, becoming the only person to have led both the executive and judicial branches.

A law passed in 1910 that placed the regulation of communications directly under the ICC.

Ratified in 1913, it authorized the federal government to collect an income tax.

A short-lived third party formed by Theodore Roosevelt to support his 1912 run for President. Officially named the Progressive Party, its common name stems from a quote by Roosevelt that he was still “fit as a bull moose” following an assassination attempt.

Twenty-eighth President. Served 1913–1921, although a series of near-fatal strokes in late 1919 incapacitated him for the rest of his life, and the remainder of his presidency was essentially run by his wife Edith. The first Southern president since before the Civil War. When healthy, Wilson supported a number of progressive reforms, such as the Federal Reserve Act and the Clayton Antitrust Act. Implemented segregation throughout the executive branch offices, including the Navy, which had never been segregated. Internationally, he is famous for the Fourteen Points as well as his brainchild, the League of Nations. Died in 1924.

A policy proposal by Theodore Roosevelt in the election of 1912. In contrast to Wilson’s New Freedom agenda, it proposed a smaller federal government with less big business influence. It also sought to support entrepreneurs and small businesses.

A policy proposal by Woodrow Wilson in the election of 1912. In contrast to Roosevelt’s New Nationalism agenda, it proposed that the government take a larger role in regulating business. It also sought to grant women voting rights and to support various federal assistance programs.

A 1913 reform that significantly reduced tariff rates and protected consumers by keeping the price of manufactured goods low. To offset the loss of federal revenues from the lower tariff, President Wilson used the power of the Sixteenth Amendment to have Congress enact a graduated income tax.

 A financial crisis triggered by a stock manipulation scheme involving the copper market, causing a panic and run on the banks. An economic depression was averted by the intervention of banker J. P. Morgan, who essentially bailed out the American banking system. Led to the creation of the Federal Reserve System.

Passed in 1913 in reaction to the Panic of 1907. It created the Federal Reserve System.

Created in 1913, it consists of 12 regional banks that are publicly controlled by the Federal Reserve Board but privately owned by member banks. The system serves as the “lender of last resort” for all private banks, holds and sells the nation’s bonds, and issues Federal Reserve Notes—otherwise known as dollar bills—for consumers to purchase goods and services.

A 1914 law which strengthened provisions for breaking up trusts and protected labor unions from prosecution under the Sherman Antitrust Act. Labor leader Samuel Gompers hailed the bill as labor’s “Magna Carta.”

Created in 1914, the FTC is a regulatory agency that monitors interstate business activities and forces companies who break laws to comply with government’s “cease and desist” orders.

Author of the 1911 book The Principles of Scientific Management, an influential book on scientific management (Taylorism). His ideas were adapted by Henry Ford.

He applied Taylor’s principles of scientific management to make factory production faster and more efficient, specifically with his automobile factory assembly lines. This led to the creation and production of the Ford Model T, the first affordable car.

Twenty-ninth President. Served from 1921 until August 2, 1923. Initially popular, various scandals (such as Teapot Dome) uncovered after his death destroyed Harding’s reputation. Oversaw the Washington Naval Conference.

A nickname for President Warren Harding’s cabinet, as it was mostly made up of old friends from the president’s home state who were knowledgeable in the areas in which they served. Had a well-earned reputation for corruption.

 Thirtieth President. Served 1923–1929. Assumed the presidency following Warren G. Harding’s death. Elected in 1924. Nicknamed “Silent Cal” for his tight-lipped nature. He was a small-government conservative and supported laissez-faire economics. Unsuccessfully called on Congress to make lynching a federal crime.

A 1921–1922 arms control conference that reflected the antiwar mood of the 1920s. It attempted to limit battleships. Belgium, Britain, China, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United States all attended. The Soviet Union was not invited due to its ongoing ostracization from the international system during this period. Unintentionally contributed to the development and popularization of the aircraft carrier, the key naval weapon of World War II.

A loan program crafted by Charles Dawes that enabled Germany to pay its war reparations, thus lessening the financial crisis in Europe. It was successful until the program ended with the U.S. stock market crash in 1929.

Thirty-first President. Served 1929–1933. A Quaker and humanitarian, he famously led famine relief efforts in Europe after World War I, as well as oversaw the response to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. However, his response (or lack thereof) to the Great Depression destroyed his popularity. Homeless encampments were dubbed Hoovervilles as a mocking honor. Signed the Smoot–Hawley Act into law and supported Prohibition.

A belief articulated by Herbert Hoover, which stated that anyone could become successful in life through hard work. Influenced his response to the Great Depression.

 A 1928 pact which sought to foster world peace by making offensive wars illegal throughout the world. Unfortunately, the pact did not have any teeth: it did not prohibit defensive warfare or provide for punishment of countries that disobeyed the pact.

A foreign policy initiative by FDR. Centered on Latin America, it saw the withdrawal of American forces from Nicaragua and the establishment of normalized relations between the United States and the nations of Latin America. Its non-interference, non-interventionist doctrine lasted until the start of the Cold War.

The name for the worst stock market crash in U.S. history, which occurred on October 29, 1929. A common starting point for the Great Depression.

An ill-considered 1930 response to the Great Depression. It raised the tariff on imported goods from 30 to 50 percent, sparking a global trade war that worsened the economic crisis. Over a thousand economists signed a petition opposing its passage.

A 1932 response to the Great Depression, created by Congress during the Hoover administration. The corporation was eventually given authority to issue loans to assist railroads, banks, and municipalities to prevent them from collapsing. However, the RFC benefited only the wealthy instead of those truly in need.

A group of World War I veterans, who marched on Washington in 1932 to demand the early release of bonuses Congress had promised to pay in 1945. The Bonus Bill, however, was not passed by Congress. Soldiers used tear gas and tanks on the unarmed protesters. The U.S. Army also burned the encampment, driving away the veterans.

Thirty-second President. Served 1933–1945. Elected to four terms, and the only president to do so. FDR oversaw the response to the Great Depression in the New Deal, led the U.S. through most of World War II, approved the Manhattan Project, and laid the groundwork for the postwar international system. Paralyzed after a 1921 bout with polio, FDR carefully hid his disability with the help of the press. Died in office; succeeded by Harry Truman.

The “noble experiment” in banning alcohol in the United States. This period was known as Prohibition. In practice, narrow exemptions were made for medical necessity or for religious rites that required sacramental wine. Took effect in 1920. Repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment in December 1933.

First Lady of the United States (1933–1945). United States Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly (1945–1952). First chair of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights (1946–1952) and oversaw the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. A vocal supporter of civil rights. Died 1962.

A group of economists, professors, and politicians that advised FDR on matters of economic and political policy. Comparable to Andrew Jackson’s Kitchen Cabinet.

A series of domestic policy initiatives and social welfare programs proposed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It sought to alleviate the suffering of the Great Depression with massive government spending, thus avoiding a potential communist or fascist revolution.

Passed on March 3, 1933, it reopened solvent banks after the nationwide Bank Holiday. Announced by FDR in the first of his fireside chats.

Weekly radio addresses intended to inform and reassure the American public. Started by FDR in 1933, and maintained by all presidents since then. George W. Bush adapted the practice to podcasting. Barack Obama adapted it to streaming-video, a practice continued by Donald Trump.

A New Deal program established during the FDR’s first hundred days. The PWA employed thousands of Americans to rebuild the country’s infrastructure.

A program of the First New Deal, the TVA worked to electrify the impoverished Tennessee Valley with hydroelectric power.

A program of the First New Deal, the TVA worked to electrify the impoverished Tennessee Valley with hydroelectric power.

A program of the Second New Deal, the WPA encouraged more public works projects and the employment of nontraditional workers—artists, writers, and young people—to build bridges, refurbish parks, write plays, and paint murals.

Passed in 1935, the SSA guaranteed income for retirees, the disabled, and the unemployed. Unfortunately, the law was biased—it did not apply to millions of agricultural and service workers, such as domestics, nannies, and janitors, who were largely African American. A major U.S. social safety net program.

An economic policy that states that governments should spend that which it does not have—in other words, resort to deficit spending. By the government increasing spending, it would “prime the pump” by spurring an increase in demand that would eventually increase the need for employees.

Part of the First New Deal, the NIRA was the most proactive legislation to date (circa 1933) in protecting the rights of workers and organized labor. Its board set maximum work hours, minimum wages, and price floors. It was also responsible for setting production quotas and inventories to prevent overproduction or price gouging. Later ruled unconstitutional in 1935. Importantly for organized labor, the NIRA guaranteed labor the right to organize and collectively bargain. In re Debs,

 Also called the Wagner Act, it strengthened the language of the NIRA. It still stands as the foundation of U.S. labor law, and created the National Labor Relations Board.

A group composed mainly of skilled workers who did not agree that unions should protect all workers. Members of the AFL who wished to extend union membership broke away to form the Congress of Industrial Organizations.

 The CIO organized laborers in America’s heavy industrial sector such as steel, automobiles, and mines. By 1938, the CIO was completely independent of the AFL, which it had split from. Led by John L. Lewis of the United Mine Workers.

A law passed during the Second New Deal. It established a federal minimum wage and set the maximum hours for workers employed by interstate businesses. It also ensured an end to child labor.

 A group of anti-FDR Democrats who opposed the New Deal on grounds that it was socialist. They promoted the concerns of big business and advocated for small government. Tried unsuccessfully to unseat FDR during the 1936 election.

Under the protections provided by the Fair Labor Standards Act, the UAW organized a sit-down strike of assembly line employees at General Motors in 1936 and 1937. When the government refused to intervene between labor and management, the companies reluctantly went to the bargaining table and formally recognized the UAW as an official party with which to negotiate worker contracts.

Louisiana Senator and demagogue. He advocated for a “Robin Hood” plan to take from the rich and give to the poor called Share Our Wealth. His plan would impose heavy taxes on inheritance and estates to fund a minimum salary of $2,000 a year for every American. Long argued that the New Deal was not enough to aid the country’s most needy citizens. Assassinated in September 1935.

 The name for a global economic depression that took place from 1929 and lasted until the outbreak of World War II. The massive social and political disruption it caused due to the loss of wealth and a spike in unemployment contributed to instability throughout the world, and led to the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany.

A severe drought that hit the Great Plains in the 1930s, killing most of its crops. The topsoil turned to a fine, powdery dust that blew away with the hot winds. Many of these farmers and their families flocked to California and earned the pejorative nickname “Okies,” as many came from the panhandle regions of Oklahoma or Texas.

 A 1934 law that replaced the Dawes Act of 1887, returning lands to the tribes and giving support to Americans Indians to reestablish self-governance.

An infamous sweatshop fire in New York City on March 25, 1911. 146 out of 500 women and girls, some as young as 15, either died in the blaze or from jumping from the top floors in a desperate bid to escape. While the factor owners were acquitted of any wrongdoing, despite knowing the exits and fire escapes were locked, it led to massive reforms in factory conditions.

 Born Mary Harris Jones. A female labor activist who traveled the country, even after she lost her ability to write and walk unassisted. Coordinated major strikes. Co-founded the Industrial Workers of the World. Died in 1930 at age 93.

A women’s suffrage organization founded in 1890.

Became leader of the National American Woman Suffrage Association in 1900. An outspoken advocate of women’s suffrage, she believed that women could only guarantee protections for themselves and their children through voting.

American suffragist and women’s rights activist. In 1920, she founded the National Woman’s Party, a splinter group of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), which she led for the next fifty years. Argued for the inclusion of women as a protected category in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

A splinter group of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, led by Alice Paul. Founded in 1916, disbanded in 1997. It focused on the ratification of a constitutional amendment securing women’s suffrage nationwide. Later sought to secure equal rights for women, such as with the Equal Pay Act of 1963.

Ratified in 1920, it granted women the right to vote.

 An organization founded by Carrie Chapman Catt after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. It exists to assist female voters.

An African American activist who argued that his people needed the skills necessary to work within the white world. In essence, he argued that blacks needed to make themselves economically successful before they could become equal to whites. This view came to be known as accommodation.

An African American intellectual who believed that his people should demand nothing less than social and political equality with whites; only then would blacks gain economic success.

A 1905 meeting at Niagara Falls organized by W. E. B. Du Bois. It discussed possible forms of protest and formulated a plan of action to advance the cause of African American equality. It is a direct precursor to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The NAACP was founded on February 12, 1908. It seeks to end all racial discrimination, segregation, and disenfranchisement.