Progressivism

Skyscrapers began to be built. 1885 - Highest building in U.S. : Home Insurance Building in Chicago (10 stories) Otis Elevator Co. made safe elevators.- 1889 Elevators and a proliferation of steel production made skyscrapers possible.

1888 the 1st electric street cars were installed in Richmond, VA suburbs began to grow because people no longer had to walk to work

Late 1800's immigrants came to America from S and E Europe. Ellis Island in NY and Angel Island were places where immigrants were processed. Melting Pot - place where cultures blend assimilation - the process of blending into society Americans began to fear that immigrants were taking jobs. 1882 - Chinese Exclusion Act - established no Chinese immigration for 10 years.

Cities became overcrowded. Tenements were crowded, unsafe and unsanitary apartments. Slums were neighborhoods of tenements.

Settlement Houses were established by Christians believing in a "Social Gospel." At Settlement Houses people were given: basic health care childcare education

Political Machines - groups of people that set about to influence and bribe citizens for political positions, power and money. Good and bad. They were illegal, but established roads, parks, gave immigrants jobs, etc.

Leisure Time For the first time workers had an 8 hr. work day and a weekend. Spectator sports (baseball was the most popular) and entertainment venues became popular. Vaudeville shows - variety shows (song, dance, jokes) were popular Rag Time music - Scott Joplin - lots of pianos and sheet music sold World Fairs - inventors would show off their latest achievements


 * Progressive Era.**

Progressivism - reform movements established to attack the problems of the late **1800's**. (poverty, slums, corrupt political machines, robberbarrons, trusts) They believed in democracy and the basic goodness of people. Progressive reformers had three basic goals: 1.reform government and expand democracy 2. promote social welfare 3. create economic reform

Muckrakers - a group of writers about 1900 that began to expose corruption.

Corruption plagues the government. Congress passes the Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883) - required people to take civil service exams for certain government jobs. Prevented elected officials from firing civil service workers for political reasons.

1900 - William McKinley elected president. Roosevelt - vice president. 6 months later McKinley shot. Theodore Roosevelt becomes president. Roosevelt breaks up trusts (Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 - made it illegal for corporations to gain control of industries by forming trusts), establishes "square deal"(fairness for workers, consumers and big business) and advocates national parks "teddy bear"

Abuses in industry, politics, business and labor are widespread.

Congress passes the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) - banned the sale of impure foods and medicines.

progressive amendments, Federal Reserve Act (1913) - created the modern banking system Clayton Antitrust Act (1914) - laid down rules forbidding business practices that lessened competition

Women lack social justice and equality. Women work to establish settlement houses, fight for woman suffrage(Susan B. Anthony) and gain the 19th Amendment

Amendments

16th - 1913 - gave Congress the power to create income taxes

17th - 1913 - Provided for the direct election of U.S. senators by voters in each state (before this senators were elected by state legislatures)

18th - 1919 - Prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages "Prohibition"

19th - 1920 - gave women full voting rights. (suffrage)