American History: A Survey (Brinkley), 13th EditionChapter 20:
THE PROGRESSIVESMain themes of Chapter Twenty: - The growth of progressivism as a reaction to the problems caused by the rapid industrialization and urbanization of the United States in the late nineteenth century
- The nature of the progressive impulse, particularly the optimistic vision shared by all progressives that an active government and human intervention could solve problems and create an efficient, ordered society
- The desire of progressives to reduce the influence of party machines on politics and foster instead rule by "experts"
- The crusade-like nature of many progressive movements, including prohibition, immigration-restriction, and women's suffrage movements
- The guiding ideology, domestic interests, and foreign entanglements of Theodore Roosevelt's administration
- The troubled succession of William Howard Taft to the presidency, and how it paved the way for the ascension of Woodrow Wilson
- The administration of Woodrow Wilson as both a conservative and progressive leader
A thorough study of Chapter Twenty should enable the student to understand the following:- The origins and complexities of the progressive impulse
- The progressive emphasis on scientific expertise, organizational reform, and professionalism
- The role of women and women's organizations in promoting reform, and vice versa
- The success and significance of the women's suffrage movement
- The desire of the progressives to limit the role of political party organizations, and the measures they advocated to accomplish this goal
- The prohibition movement and its relationship to other progressive reforms
- The origins of the NAACP and the importance of W. E. B. DuBois
- The movement to restrict immigration and its relationship with other avenues of "reform"
- The alternate approaches to the problems of the trusts: socialism, regulation, or trust busting
- The historical debate concerning the origin and nature of progressivism
- The nature and extent of Theodore Roosevelt's "square deal" progressivism
- The similarities and differences between the domestic progressivism of William Howard Taft and of Roosevelt
- The distinction between conservation and preservation, and why this distinction ultimately triggered the split between Taft and Roosevelt
- The consequences of the split in the Republican Party in 1912
- The philosophical and practical differences between Roosevelt's New Nationalism and Wilson's New Freedom
- The differences between Woodrow Wilson's campaign platform and the measures actually implemented during his term
- The social limits of Wilson progressivism, particularly with regards to women's suffrage and segregation
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