A hurricane the previous year ( Figure 21.4) had led to the collapse of the old city government, which had proved incapable of leading the city through the natural disaster.
Progressives sought to change this corrupt system and had success in places like Galveston, Texas, where, in 1901, they pushed the city to adopt a commission system. Progressives in large cities were particularly frustrated with the corruption and favoritism of machine politics, which wasted enormous sums of taxpayer money and ultimately stalled the progress of cities for the sake of entrenched politicians, like the notorious Democratic Party Boss William Tweed in New York’s Tammany Hall. In addition to making government more directly accountable to the voters, Progressives also fought to rid politics of inefficiency, waste, and corruption.
William Jennings Bryan, the 1896 Democratic presidential candidate who received significant support from the Populist Party, was among the leading Progressives who championed this cause. The Seventeenth Amendment replaced the previous system of having state legislatures choose senators. Constitution, which mandated the direct election of U.S. Congress, they lobbied for approval of the Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. In an effort to achieve a fairer representation of state constituencies in the U.S. Progressives also pushed for democratic reform that affected the federal government. It has only been used successfully a handful of times on the statewide level, for example, to remove the governor of North Dakota in 1921, and, more recently, the governor of California in 2003. By 1920, twelve states had adopted this tool. While this measure was not as widely adopted as the others, Oregon, in 1910, became the first state to allow recalls. The recall permitted citizens to remove a public official from office through a process of petition and vote, similar to the initiative and referendum. The third element of this direct democracy agenda was the recall. Currently twenty-four states allow some form of initiative and referendum. The second innovation allowed voters to counteract legislation by holding a referendum-that is, putting an existing law on the ballot for voters to either affirm or reject. By 1920, twenty states had adopted the procedure.
In 1898, South Dakota became the first state to allow initiatives to appear on a ballot. The first permitted voters to enact legislation by petitioning to place an idea, or initiative, on the ballot.
Levels in politicats series#
states.Īnother series of reforms pushed forward by Progressives that sought to sidestep the power of special interests in state legislatures and restore the democratic political process were three election innovations-the initiative, referendum, and recall. It is the method currently used in three-quarters of U.S. South Carolina adopted this system for statewide elections in 1896 in 1901, Florida became the first state to use the direct primary in nominations for the presidency. This was the beginning of the current system of holding a primary election before a general election. Direct primaries allowed party members to vote directly for a candidate, with the nomination going to the one with the most votes. Prior to this time, the only people who had a hand in selecting candidates for elections were delegates at conventions. The first law involved the creation of the direct primary. Grassroots Progressives pushed forward their agenda of direct democracy through the passage of three state-level reforms. This shift, they believed, would ultimately lead to a system of government that was better able to address the needs of its citizens. They felt, quite simply, that Americans needed to exert more control over their government. One of the key ideals that Progressives considered vital to the growth and health of the country was the concept of a perfected democracy. No matter what the cause, Progressive campaigns often started with issues brought to the public’s attention by muckraking journalists. Different groups prioritized banning the sale of alcohol, which, they believed, was the root of much of the trouble for the working poor. Others sought out safer working conditions for factory workers. (“Fighting Bob”) La Follette, one of the most Progressive politicians of his day, fought hard to curb the power of special interests in politics and reform the democratic process at state and local levels. Describe the more radical movements associated with the Progressive EraĪ wide variety of causes fell under the Progressive label.Identify specific examples of grassroots Progressivism relating to the spread of democracy, efficiency in government, and social justice.By the end of this section, you will be able to:
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