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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