Florida History Unit 8 Review: The Progressive Era and World War I

Key Figures and Movements

• Theodore Roosevelt championed progressive causes as president (1901-1909) including trust busting, consumer protection, and conservation
  • Established numerous national parks and forests
  • Signed the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) which regulated food and drug industries
• Woodrow Wilson continued many progressive policies as president (1913-1921) such as establishing the Federal Reserve System and supporting women's suffrage
• The Populist Party advocated for reforms to help farmers and workers in the late 19th century
  • Called for a graduated income tax, direct election of Senators, and regulation of railroads
• Muckrakers were journalists who exposed corruption, social injustices, and poor living conditions to push for reforms
  • Examples include Upton Sinclair (The Jungle) and Ida Tarbell (The History of the Standard Oil Company)
• The Women's Suffrage Movement fought for women's right to vote
  • Led by figures such as Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul
  • 19th Amendment granting women's suffrage ratified in 1920

Social and Political Reforms

• Progressive reformers aimed to address problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, and political corruption
• Settlement houses provided social services, education, and assimilation for immigrants in cities (Hull House in Chicago)
• Temperance movement pushed for prohibition of alcohol to combat social problems
  • 18th Amendment enacting prohibition ratified in 1919, later repealed by 21st Amendment in 1933
• Civil service reform aimed to end political patronage and establish a merit-based system for government jobs
  • Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act (1883) created a merit-based system for federal jobs
• 17th Amendment (1913) established direct election of U.S. Senators by popular vote
• City manager system replaced corrupt political machines in many cities
  • Trained professional appointed to manage city administration rather than elected politicians

Economic Changes

• Antitrust laws aimed to prevent monopolies and promote competition
  • Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) prohibited monopolies and restraints of trade
  • Clayton Antitrust Act (1914) strengthened antitrust laws and exempted labor unions from antitrust prosecution
• Federal Reserve System established in 1913 to provide a more stable and flexible financial system
  • Consists of 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks and the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C.
  • Serves as the central bank of the U.S. and conducts monetary policy
• Progressive reformers supported labor unions and workers' rights
  • American Federation of Labor (AFL) focused on skilled workers and collective bargaining
  • Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) advocated for unskilled workers and radical change
• 16th Amendment (1913) authorized a federal income tax
  • Provided a new source of revenue for the federal government and enabled a more progressive tax system
• Underwood Tariff (1913) lowered tariff rates and included a graduated income tax

Progressive Era in Florida

• Governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward (1905-1909) supported progressive reforms in Florida
  • Everglades drainage project aimed to create new agricultural land
  • Improved public education and established the University of Florida in Gainesville
• Florida passed laws regulating railroads, insurance companies, and child labor
• Cities such as Jacksonville and Tampa grew rapidly and faced challenges of urbanization
  • Mayor of Jacksonville implemented city commission form of government in 1917
• Women's clubs in Florida advocated for social reforms and women's suffrage
  • Florida Federation of Women's Clubs founded in 1895
  • Women gained right to vote in Florida primary elections in 1920
• African Americans in Florida continued to face discrimination and segregation during the Progressive Era
  • Segregated public facilities and schools under Jim Crow laws
  • Race riots occurred in several Florida cities (Ocoee in 1920)

U.S. Entry into World War I

• U.S. initially remained neutral when war broke out in Europe in 1914
• Factors leading to U.S. entry into the war in 1917:
  • Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare threatening U.S. shipping
  • Zimmermann Telegram proposing German alliance with Mexico
  • U.S. economic and cultural ties to the Allies (Britain and France)
• President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress for declaration of war in April 1917
  • Argued that the U.S. needed to fight to make the world "safe for democracy"
• American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) led by General John J. Pershing sent to Europe
  • Over 2 million U.S. troops served in France by the end of the war
• Selective Service Act of 1917 authorized a military draft
  • Around 2.8 million men drafted into the armed forces during the war

Florida's Role in the War

• Over 42,000 Floridians served in the U.S. armed forces during World War I
  • Most were drafted through the Selective Service system
  • African American soldiers from Florida served in segregated units such as the 92nd Division
• Florida became an important training center for the U.S. military
  • Camp Joseph E. Johnston near Jacksonville trained quartermaster troops
  • Naval Air Station Pensacola expanded to train naval aviators
• Florida's agricultural production increased to support the war effort
  • Citrus fruits, vegetables, and sugar were important crops
  • Beef cattle industry expanded to provide meat for the military
• Shipbuilding industry in Florida grew to produce vessels for the war
  • Merrill-Stevens Shipbuilding Company in Jacksonville built submarine chasers and minesweepers
• Floridians on the home front supported the war through Liberty Bond drives, Red Cross work, and rationing

Impact on Florida Society

• Economic boom in Florida during the war due to military spending and agricultural demand
  • Higher prices for crops and increased production
  • Growth of industries such as shipbuilding and lumber
• Increased urbanization and population growth in Florida cities
  • Jacksonville and Tampa experienced significant growth due to wartime industries
• Social changes and tensions in Florida society
  • Women took on new roles in the workforce and public life
  • African Americans faced discrimination and violence, including the Ocoee Massacre of 1920
• Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919 affected Florida
  • Thousands of Floridians infected and hundreds died
  • Public gatherings and schools closed to prevent spread of the disease
• Postwar economic downturn and challenges for returning veterans
  • Decline in agricultural prices and demand after the war
  • Unemployment and readjustment difficulties for some veterans

Legacy and Long-Term Effects

• 19th Amendment ratified in 1920, granting women the right to vote nationwide
  • Culmination of decades-long struggle by women's suffrage movement
  • Increased women's participation in politics and public life
• Prohibition enacted through 18th Amendment, leading to rise of organized crime and bootlegging
  • Florida became a major center for smuggling illegal alcohol from the Caribbean
  • Prohibition repealed by 21st Amendment in 1933
• Great Migration of African Americans from the South to northern cities accelerated
  • Seeking economic opportunities and escaping discrimination and violence
  • Demographic and cultural changes in both the North and South
• Economic boom of the 1920s followed by the Great Depression
  • Florida experienced rapid growth and real estate speculation in the 1920s
  • Severe economic downturn and hardship during the Depression of the 1930s
• Progressive Era reforms laid the foundation for later expansion of government role
  • New Deal programs of the 1930s built on Progressive Era precedents
  • Growth of federal regulation and social welfare programs in the 20th century