Progressive Era Reforms Flashcards

Grade 11 · Social Studies · Flashcards

Key terms for the Progressive Era — muckrakers, legislation, reformers, and constitutional amendments.

Flashcards

Muckrakers

Investigative journalists (Sinclair, Tarbell, Riis, Steffens) who exposed industrial and political corruption to drive Progressive Era reform.

The Jungle (1906)

Upton Sinclair's novel exposing meatpacking conditions; directly led to the Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act.

16th Amendment (1913)

Authorized the federal income tax; gave Congress a progressive revenue tool not dependent on tariffs.

17th Amendment (1913)

Direct election of US senators by popular vote; reduced corporate control of the Senate.

19th Amendment (1920)

Granted women the right to vote; culmination of 70+ years of suffrage organizing.

Initiative, referendum, recall

Direct democracy tools letting citizens propose laws, approve legislation, and remove officials — Progressive response to machine politics.

Jane Addams

Co-founder of Hull House (Chicago, 1889); leader of the settlement house movement; Nobel Peace Prize 1931.

Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)

Prohibited adulterated food and drugs; foundation of the modern FDA; triggered by Sinclair's The Jungle.

Federal Reserve (1913)

Central banking system created to stabilize currency, prevent panics, and regulate credit — Wilson's New Freedom achievement.

Trustbusting

TR's aggressive use of the Sherman Antitrust Act to break up monopolies (44 suits, including Standard Oil and Northern Securities).

Settlement houses

Community centers in poor urban neighborhoods (Hull House model) where middle-class reformers lived and provided social services while documenting conditions driving legislative reform.

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