U.S. History / Unit 6: The Progressive Era and World War I
6.1 Progressives and Muckrakers
Notes
The Progressive Era (about 1890 to 1920) was a movement to fix problems caused by industry and city growth, often by using government.
- Muckrakers were journalists who exposed abuses.
| Muckraker | Exposed |
|---|---|
| Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (1906) | filthy, dangerous meatpacking plants |
| Ida Tarbell | Standard Oil's business methods |
| Lincoln Steffens | corrupt city governments |
- The Jungle led to the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906).
- The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire (1911) killed 146 garment workers, many young immigrant women, behind locked doors. It led to new factory safety laws in New York.
- Democratic reforms gave voters more power: the initiative (citizens propose laws), referendum (citizens vote on laws), recall (remove officials) and the 17th Amendment (1913): direct election of senators.
- Many states passed limits on child labor and working hours.
Practice
Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle most directly led to:
Readers were horrified by conditions in meatpacking, and Congress acted in 1906.
Citizens in a state collect signatures to put a proposed law on the ballot. This reform is called the:
The initiative lets citizens propose laws; the referendum lets them vote on laws.
Why was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire significant?
Locked exits and no safety rules killed 146 workers, building support for reform.
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