Deck 22: The Progressive Era 1890-1920

Question 1

The chapter introduction tells the story of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire to make the point that

A) the time known as the Progressive Era was when modern city services such as police and fire departments spread across America.
B) reformers of the day sought to use government to curb abusive corporations and establish a good society.
C) industrial society increasingly had to face the negative consequences of decades of wrenching economic change.
D) economic depression was not the only harsh reality faced by anxious Americans at the turn of the century.

Answer 1

reformers of the day sought to use government to curb abusive corporations and establish a good society.

Question 2

The New England Kitchen was typical of the pattern of progressive reform in all of the following ways EXCEPT that

A) scientific expertise was enlisted for social uplift.
B) lower- or working-class community standards became the norm.
C) reform-minded women were integral to reform efforts.
D) reformers used both volunteerism and political action.

Answer 2

lower- or working-class community standards became the norm.

Question 3

Which one of the following ideas should NOT be associated with progressivism?

A) a belief in efficiency and planning
B) moral overtones that could be expressed as a desire to restore moral purity
C) a commitment to using government to curb the influence of "special interests"
D) a skeptical view of human nature and American potential

Answer 3

a skeptical view of human nature and American potential

Question 4

The ideology of progressivism, insofar as it had one, generally

A) mixed a liberal concern for the poor with a conservative wish to control social disorder.
B) called for redistribution of incomes from wealthy to poor, and a socialist approach to government.
C) was rooted in firm and fixed standards of morality and truth.
D) stressed trying to meet the special needs of each identifiable private interest.

Question 5

Which of the following is the best statement of the relationship between progressives and business?

A) Business and progressive leaders shared a commitment to progress through efficiency and modern managerial techniques.
B) Businessmen organized and funded political opposition to progressive political leaders.
C) Progressives agreed on the need to control big business by breaking up "the trusts."
D) When progressives gained political power, they eliminated the influence of the businessman and the boss.

Question 6

McClure's magazine pioneered a new style of journalism featuring, among others, writer Lincoln Steffens, who

A) scientifically analyzed social problems and proposed solutions.
B) provided voter information to reveal where candidates stood and whose money they accepted.
C) employed a gritty realism that portrayed life in the slums.
D) presented carefully-researched exposés of corporate and government abuses.

Question 7

Which of the following best describes why progressives had difficulty enacting reform at the city level?

A) There was a lack of interest in reform at the city government level.
B) City charters had limited powers.
C) The city-manager form of government was not conducive to reform.
D) It was difficult to recruit leaders.

Question 8

Which of the following statements about political progressivism at the local and state levels is most true?

A) Urban reforms strengthened middle-class control and improved efficiency.
B) Big-city mayors, controlled by corrupt political machines, were the main obstacles to progressive reform of municipal government.
C) Municipal reformers sought to replace traditional forms of city government like the commission or city manager.
D) In their quest for efficiency and expert rule, progressives tried to invent alternatives to direct democracy.

Question 9

What social welfare activist served as the first head of the new federal Children's Bureau in 1912?

A) Jane Addams
B) Margaret Sanger
C) Julia Lathrop
D) Florence Kelley

Question 10

Which statement does NOT accurately describe Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson?

A) Both ran for president in 1912.
B) Both used presidential power to promote pragmatic change.
C) Both took significant symbolic steps to break down barriers of racial segregation.
D) As his re-election campaign neared, Wilson began advocating programs that fit Roosevelt's "New Nationalism" ideas.

Question 11

On consumer protection matters such as regulating the food processing industry, Roosevelt __________; in conservation he ______.

A) refused to support legislative action; sought protection for natural resources
B) came slowly to support moderate regulatory reform; showed aggressive leadership
C) proposed creation of a federal regulatory agency; opposed any action that would lock up the nation's resources
D) asserted presidential power; deferred to congressional action

Question 12

Which of the following did NOT occur during the Wilson administration?

A) creation of the Federal Trade Commission
B) creation of the Federal Reserve System
C) passage of the Clayton Antitrust Act
D) passage of the Pure Food and Drug and Meat-Packing Acts

Question 13

Theodore Roosevelt's preferred approach to handling antitrust issues was to

A) "speak softly and carry a big stick" by prosecuting all offenders.
B) follow Supreme Court distinctions between commerce and manufacturing.
C) regulate rather than prosecute whenever possible.
D) encourage private, rather than public, lawsuits-filed under existing laws.

Question 14

Many historians consider the ________ the most important reform of the early twentieth century because it established the means for expanded federal action.

A) Sixteenth Amendment permitting income taxes on individuals and corporations
B) Seventeenth Amendment providing for direct popular election of senators
C) Eighteenth Amendment authorizing prohibition
D) Nineteenth Amendment granting women's suffrage

Question 15

What is an accurate description of the two competing brands of political progressivism in the 1912 presidential campaign (Theodore Roosevelt's "New Nationalism"and Woodrow Wilson's "New Freedom")?

A) The New Nationalism accepted concentrations of capital, labor, and government, but the New Freedom stressed competitiveness among small business and reduced government power.
B) The New Nationalism supported business and ignored social justice concerns, while the New Freedom held to the reverse emphasis.
C) Both welcomed assertive federal power and encouraged business growth.
D) Neither was truly progressive.

Question 16

As an effort to end prostitution, the ________ Act of 1910 prohibited the interstate transport of women for immoral purposes.

Question 17

After the turn of the century some black critics rejected the accommodation of Booker T. Washington's ________ Compromise.

Question 18

Off-year election losses in 1914 pushed Wilson toward the social reforms of the New ________ he had once criticized as paternalistic and unconstitutional.

Question 19

In what ways was the Triangle Shirtwaist fire and its aftermath a case study of progressivism in action?

Question 20

What were the three main beliefs on which progressivism rested, where did they come from, and how did the "Brandeis Brief"reflect them?

Question 21

What was the progressive method?

Question 22

Who were the "muckrakers,"and what role did they play in promoting progressive reform?

Question 23

What were the commission and city-manager plans? How did they illustrate progressive approaches to reforming city government?

Question 24

What was the "Wisconsin idea"and how did it work? Discuss two ways in which it was progressive.

Question 25

How was Theodore Roosevelt a conservative? In what ways was he a reformer?

Question 26

In what ways did Woodrow Wilson bring progressivism to high tide?

Question 27

Why did progressivism flower in the first two decades of the twentieth century?

Question 28

How did progressives redefine poverty? Why was that important? Where and why did progressive solutions for the problems of poverty fall short?

Question 29

What role did women play in progressive reform, and how did their participation shape the movement?

Question 30

In what ways were immigration restriction, prohibition, and attacks on vice "progressive"reforms?

Question 31

Theodore Roosevelt has been called the "conservative as reformer."How accurate is that description?

Question 32

Compare and contrast the New Nationalism and the New Freedom. In your view, which was a more realistic approach to the concentration of corporate and industrial power?

Question 33

Compare and contrast progressives and populists. Why were progressives more successful reformers?

Question 34

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of progressivism.