Progressivism Dbq

Due to the rise of industries, a vast amount of jobs became available, especially for the working class, which paved the way for many issues among employers, their employees, the public and the government. In the early twentieth century, these issues started to affect the middle class’s views on the working class because they were concerned with the consequences of industrialization. The creation of the Social Gospel—a movement made up of middle-class Protestants—was meant to bridge a gap between the middle and working class. Many middle-class people were evolving new views on the causes of these social problems such as realizing that poor people weren’t poor due to sin, but due to circumstance. Not only were they concerned with the working-class and immigrants, but

themselves as well because they believed, “…their status was threatened by the rise of big business” (Eric Foner 693).

This movement resonated with young women who felt that they should have a say in government due to the labor problems many working class women, children and families were experiencing at the time. The need for reform caused the new ideology of Progressivism to emerge. Therefore, one candidate, Theodore Roosevelt, was chosen to represent the Progressive ideals by running as a Third-Party candidate in the Presidential election of 1912. Although Roosevelt lost the presidential election, his speech, “The New Nationalism”, presented ideas that permeated with the American public due to his discussion of corporate corruption, government regulation, labor reform, and concerns over the public welfare, which reflected progressive ideals.
One of the first major points covered throughout Theodore Roosevelt’s speech was corporate corruption. During the nineteenth to the early twentieth century, corporations had control over the government by using their wealth to obtain votes that favored their own needs. Many politicians helped to support big business and, for that reason, Progressives had to construct new laws that

would significantly decrease the power that was allowing corporations to get what they want. In doing so, the Progressive’s reorganization of power would benefit the community with electric lighting, new forms of public transportation and many other reforms. In Roosevelt’s speech, he addresses how the government is taken over by special interests which stems from man’s desire for profit at the expense of the public. He points out how Americans have the right of suffrage, and how the constitution doesn’t state that corporations had a right to vote. He addresses this because of how the corporations are voting through politicians. He also mentions how special interests have ruined the political integrity of America through cotton and slavery. This example would resonate with the public because many of the middle-class people were increasingly sympathetic towards immigrants, workers, and the poor. During this time, many poor white farmers weren’t doing well due to the decline of cotton prices, which was the reason for the Populist Party that ended around the time that progressivism emerged in popularity. The way Roosevelt and the Progressive’s decided to fix the issue of corporate corruption was through—publicity of the corporation’s affairs so that the public could be aware and do something about the corporations if they weren’t following the laws, and prohibiting corporation’s ability to use their funds for political purposes. The use of certain laws and prohibitions towards corporate corruption was just the start, Roosevelt believed that not only corporations but other areas of business should be regulated as well.
Government regulation was another main idea in Roosevelt’s speech that was idealistic to Progressives. As covered in the previous paragraph, corporations were a threat to the public because they only cared about the profit they made over the well-being of others which made it necessary to set up laws to control what they could do. Roosevelt believed that not only did corporations need supervision but other areas of business, such as—corporations doing interstate business; public-service corporations; the industries dealing with meat, oil and other necessities; the use of wealth in the public interest; and the terms and conditions of labor—due to their impact on the public and how they could worsen the issues with corruption because these businesses weren’t being overseen by anyone. The regulation of terms and conditions of labor was one of the most significant problems of the time because women and children were also working and the workplace conditions were horrendous.
The terms and conditions of labor were significant to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century because many men, women and children were suffering in poor working conditions, working for twelve hours a day and for very little wages. Due to extremely low wages, whole families would have to work, and due to corporate corruption, they didn’t have a say in how they were treated, how much money they received and what conditions they worked in. Due to terrible working conditions, Theodore Roosevelt called for reforms such as the “…workman’s compensation act, both State and national laws to regulate child labor and work for women…”, and “…enforce better sanitary conditions for…workers and to extend the use of safety appliances for workers in industry and commerce…” (Roosevelt 3). These reforms reflected the interests of the American middle and working-class people who made up a majority of the population. Because politician would succumb to the needs of big business, Roosevelt believed that for these reforms to take place, “The New Nationalism”—where the National Government would protect and uphold the interest of the American people—should be enacted.
Theodore Roosevelt’s idea of “The New Nationalism” reflected what the Progressives saw as ideal because it regarded helping and protecting the interests of public welfare. The New Nationalism would deal with the problems that were occurring at the time such as labor reforms, and corruption in the government and in corporations. Not only would the National Government help the American people, but the idea was for the needs of Americans to come before their own personal needs. The idea of working in the interest of the people should have secured Roosevelt’s place as president, however, his ideas were too intimidating to some people and Wilson was a safer choice being more conservative in his views.
Even though Roosevelt lost the election, Wilson still adopted some of his views which did adhere to the wishes of the public. As time passed, many reforms to improve working conditions and minimize corruption were enacted, however, the relationship between corporate interest and the American government today still intertwine when it comes to the economy, which is necessary for its stability. The corruption in big business today still exists, but due to current laws, they are greatly subdued from the reigning power they once were in the nineteenth century.