Sonny An

US History Honors October 20th, 2012

Chapter 8, Section 3 Textbook Notes Section 3: Progressive Agendas Spring 1901: Robert La Follette, Fighting Bob, Wisconsin governor, fought to loosen the railroads control of state government. o In legislation, no bread is better than half a loaf. 1903: Wisconsin legislature passed railroad tax hike. William Allen White: Newspaper editor, anti-political machines. September 8th, 1900: Storm at Galvenston, Texas. Killed 6,000 people. City between 7 and 17 feet underwater. o March 1901: Legislature approves of new charter, putting power of city government to five commissioners. o 2 elected, 3 appointed by governor. 4 were prominent local business leaders. More effective than previous government with Plunkitt-style politicians. 20 years later, 500 cities across the U.S. adopted a commissioner system. 158 others adopted city-manager system. Electing city council members at large reduced the power of each local ward poss. Holding nonpartisan elections (individuals instead of parties) reduced power of parties. 1903: Direct primary, as pressured by La Follette, established. o ^An election open to all voters within the party. Initiative: Allowed citizens to introduce a bill into the legislature and vote on it. Referendum: A procedure by which voters cast ballots for or against proposed laws. Recall: Gave citizens a chance to remove an elected official from office before the persons term ended. Early 1900s: Charles Edward Russell, muckraker, charged that Senate had become only a chamber of butlers for industrialists and financiers. 1912: Congress proposed direct-election amendment to Constitution. o 1913: Ratified as 17th Amendment. 1848: Womens rights conference in Seneca Falls, New York. 1893 to 1910: National American Woman Suffrage Association: 13,000 75,000 members. 1912: 9 states west of Mississippi River allowed women to vote in all elections. 1920: 19th Amendment for womens suffrage. 1|Page

Sonny An
US History Honors October 20th, 2012

1902: Maryland passes state law requiring employers to buy insurance that would compensate workers injured on the job. o 1916: Workmens Compensation Law passed by Congress, two-thirds of states required companies to have some type of workers compensation program.

1903: Oregon passed a law that prohibited employing women to work for more than 10 hours a day. o o Curt Muller: Portland laundry owner, broke the law. Appealed to United States Supreme Court. Muller vs. Oregon: Louis Brandeis, prominent Boston lawyer, Peoples Lawyer, to defend Oregon law. Supreme Court upheld Oregon law. Illinois, Virginia, Michigan, Louisiana, and other states quickly passed similar laws.

1870 to 1920: Improved education, 20% 6% illiteracy. John Dewey, philosopher: Education to be used for social progress and reform, not just rote learning. 1914: Margaret Sanger, New York nurse, tried informing women of birth control. o Violated New Yorks Comstock Act of 1873. 1916: Charges dropped.

1874: Womens Christian Temperance Union (UCTU) founded. o o 1900: Had 300,000 members. 1879 to 1898: Led by Frances Willard. Slogan: Do everything.

Tl;dr 1. Power of political machines and parties lowered through: a. Direct primary b. Initiative c. Referendum d. Recall 2. Womens suffrage

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