Populists and Progressives: what reformers changed

Grade 11 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   What reformers changed, from Oregon to the Constitution

   Columns Problem | Who pushed for change | Law or result | Date. Row 1: Laws hard for citizens to propose or check | Direct Legislation League and Oregon voters | Initiative and referendum added to Oregon's constitution | 1902. Row 2: Party leaders choosing candidates | Direct Legislation League and Oregon voters | Direct primary law in Oregon | 1904. Row 3: Officials hard to remove between elections | Direct Legislation League and Oregon voters | Recall added to Oregon's constitution | 1908. Row 4: No federal income tax after the Court struck one down | Farm groups, the People's Party and progressives in Congress | The 16th Amendment | February 3, 1913. Row 5: Senators chosen by state legislatures | Oregon System states and reformers in Congress | The 17th Amendment | April 8, 1913. Data: Oregon Secretary of State Blue Book, National Archives, US Senate Historical Office. Source card "Why the 17th Amendment passed, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Before 1913 state legislatures chose senators. In some states the legislatures deadlocked and left Senate seats empty for months or years, and in some places powerful interests or party machines dominated the legislature. Oregon developed a method in which a state primary showed the voters' choice and candidates for the legislature promised to honor it. In 1910 and 1911 the House passed versions of the amendment with a race rider meant to bar federal action against racial discrimination among voters. Supporters said the rider protected state sovereignty; opponents said it was a way around the 15th Amendment's protection of Black voters. Senator Joseph L. Bristow of Kansas offered a version without the rider. When Connecticut approved on April 8, 1913, three-fourths of the states had ratified the amendment. The next year, 1914, was the first time all Senate elections were held by popular vote. Data card "Choosing senators before 1913". Columns: What was counted; Count. Deadlocks in state legislatures, 1891 to 1905: 45 deadlocks in 20 states. Bribery cases brought before the Senate, 1866 to 1906: 9. States electing senators by party primary or general election, by 1912: as many as 29. Data: US Senate Historical Office, the Seventeenth Amendment. Arizona became the 48th state on February 14, 1912.

2. 1.

   Jun weighs why the 17th Amendment passed. Which explanation do the cards support best?

   • The race rider was the main cause, since the House added it in 1910 and 1911 to win votes
   • The Oregon System was the main cause, since it showed that popular choice could work in a state
   • Bribery of legislators was the main cause, since nine cases reached the Senate between 1866 and 1906
   • Several pressures worked together: deadlocks, machine control, the Oregon model and wide state use

3. How the 19th Amendment won, in brief

   Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Woman suffrage supporters used several strategies. Some won state laws: nine western states had woman suffrage by 1912. In November 1912 Arizona's male voters approved the vote for women by a direct vote, and Arizona became the tenth state to give women full voting rights. By 1916 most large suffrage groups had united behind an amendment to the Constitution. New York gave women the vote in 1917, and in 1918 President Wilson switched to support a national amendment. The House passed the amendment on May 21, 1919, and the Senate followed two weeks later. Arizona ratified on February 12, 1920, and Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify, on August 18, 1920.

4. 2.

   Pia weighs why the 19th Amendment passed in 1919. Which explanation does the card support best?

   • Tennessee's ratification in 1920, which supplied the thirty-sixth state and settled the matter
   • State victories, the unity of suffrage groups by 1916, and Wilson's switch in 1918
   • The nine western states, since they showed that women's voting could work before 1919
   • Wilson's switch in 1918, since Congress passed the amendment within a year of it

5. The Jungle on speeding up, 1906

   Who made it: Upton Sinclair, novelist. When: 1906. Where: New York. For whom: general readers. Why: to tell a made-up story of immigrant workers in a Chicago meatpacking district. Excerpt (Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, chapter 5; p. 67; checked word for word against three printed editions): "Jurgis saw how they managed it; there were portions of the work which determined the pace of the rest, and for these they had picked men whom they paid high wages, and whom they changed frequently. You might easily pick out these pace-makers, for they worked under the eye of the bosses, and they worked like men possessed. This was called "speeding up the gang," and if any man could not keep up with the pace, there were hundreds outside begging to try." Source card "The Jungle as a source, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Upton Sinclair's The Jungle (1906) is a novel. The House of Representatives history site describes it as a made-up version of seven weeks that Sinclair himself spent living and working in the Chicago stockyards. President Roosevelt had a report made on the stockyards and sent it to Congress on June 4, 1906, as House Document 873. Source card "Muckrakers, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: A muckraker was a writer who investigated and exposed wrongdoing in business and government. President Theodore Roosevelt used the word in a speech on April 14, 1906, and he meant it as a criticism, not as praise. Ida Tarbell's 19-part series on the Standard Oil Company ran in McClure's Magazine from November 1902 to October 1904. Upton Sinclair published his novel The Jungle in 1906.

6. 3.

   Zee wants to check the novel's picture of stockyard conditions. Which source would check it best?

   • Roosevelt's speech of April 1906, since it came from the President who ordered the inquiry
   • Another chapter of The Jungle, since Sinclair saw the stockyards for himself
   • The 1906 stockyards report, made apart from Sinclair and sent to Congress
   • A newspaper cartoon of 1906 mocking the packers, since many people saw it

7. A resolution on electing senators, 1892

   Who made it: the People's Party, in its first national convention. When: July 1892. Where: Omaha, Nebraska. For whom: the voters of the country. Why: to say what the delegates favored, apart from the platform. Excerpt (The People's Party platform, Omaha, July 1892, supplementary resolutions; p. 82; checked word for word against two printed editions): "Resolved, That we favor a Constitutional provision limiting the office of President and Vice-President to one term, and providing for the election of … Senators … by a direct vote of the people." Source card "How the convention adopted these lines, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The People's Party convention adopted its platform and then separately adopted a list of resolutions. The compilers of 1896 and 1900 both print the resolutions after the platform and describe them as expressing the sentiment of the convention, apart from the platform itself. Source card "The People's Party on income, 1892". Who made it: the People's Party, in its first national convention. When: July 1892. Where: Omaha, Nebraska. For whom: the voters of the country. Why: to state one of the party's demands. Excerpt (The People's Party platform, Omaha, July 1892, Finance; p. 169; checked word for word against two printed editions): "We demand a graduated income tax."

8. 4.

   A note says the Omaha platform demanded direct election of senators. Kira reads the cards. What should the note say?

   • It is right as written, since the convention adopted the resolutions and the platform together
   • It is wrong, since the idea reached the People's Party from the Oregon System, which began in 1902
   • The convention favored it in a resolution adopted apart from the platform
   • It is wrong, since the platform's income-tax plank was the sole change it proposed to the Constitution

9. What reformers changed, from Oregon to the Constitution

   Columns Problem | Who pushed for change | Law or result | Date. Row 1: Laws hard for citizens to propose or check | Direct Legislation League and Oregon voters | Initiative and referendum added to Oregon's constitution | 1902. Row 2: Party leaders choosing candidates | Direct Legislation League and Oregon voters | Direct primary law in Oregon | 1904. Row 3: Officials hard to remove between elections | Direct Legislation League and Oregon voters | Recall added to Oregon's constitution | 1908. Row 4: No federal income tax after the Court struck one down | Farm groups, the People's Party and progressives in Congress | The 16th Amendment | February 3, 1913. Row 5: Senators chosen by state legislatures | Oregon System states and reformers in Congress | The 17th Amendment | April 8, 1913. Data: Oregon Secretary of State Blue Book, National Archives, US Senate Historical Office. Source card "The Grange, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: On December 4, 1867, Oliver Hudson Kelley and six co-workers from the federal Bureau of Agriculture started the Grange, formally the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. It was both a social group for farm families and a group that argued for change. Kelley's articles criticized railroads for high freight rates and monopolies for fixing prices unfairly. By the end of 1873 the Grange had about 9,000 chapters and almost 700,000 members across the country. In the 1870s state legislatures in the West and South controlled by Grangers acted against railroad monopolies, and the Supreme Court upheld state controls in Munn v. Illinois (1877). Source card "The Oregon System, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In 1902 Oregon voters approved the initiative and referendum, which let citizens put laws on the ballot and vote on laws the legislature passed. The Direct Legislation League, founded in 1898 by William S. U'Ren, led the effort. Voters passed a direct primary law in 1904, and a change to the constitution in 1908 allowed the recall of public officials. Together these tools became known nationally as the Oregon System. The state's own history page traces the reformers back to farm groups: the Grange was established in Oregon in 1873, the Farmers' Alliance appeared in 1891 and the People's Party in 1892.

10. 5.

    Ren compares the Grange of the 1870s with the Oregon System. Which statement shows both continuity and change?

    • The Grange and the Oregon reformers shared one aim, lowering the rates that railroads charged
    • Both won their aims at once, since the Grange got Munn and Oregon got three reforms
    • The Oregon reformers began fresh, since their tools of voting differed from the Grange's methods
    • Farm-group activism fed the Oregon reformers, but the aim shifted from rates to voting tools

11. What reformers changed, from Oregon to the Constitution

    Columns Problem | Who pushed for change | Law or result | Date. Row 1: Laws hard for citizens to propose or check | Direct Legislation League and Oregon voters | Initiative and referendum added to Oregon's constitution | 1902. Row 2: Party leaders choosing candidates | Direct Legislation League and Oregon voters | Direct primary law in Oregon | 1904. Row 3: Officials hard to remove between elections | Direct Legislation League and Oregon voters | Recall added to Oregon's constitution | 1908. Row 4: No federal income tax after the Court struck one down | Farm groups, the People's Party and progressives in Congress | The 16th Amendment | February 3, 1913. Row 5: Senators chosen by state legislatures | Oregon System states and reformers in Congress | The 17th Amendment | April 8, 1913. Data: Oregon Secretary of State Blue Book, National Archives, US Senate Historical Office. Data card "The election of 1892". Columns: Candidate; Party; Electoral votes; Popular votes. Grover Cleveland: Democratic: 277: 5,554,617. Benjamin Harrison: Republican: 145: 5,186,793. James B. Weaver: People's: 22: 1,029,357. Data: National Archives, 1892 Electoral College results (444 electoral votes in all, 223 needed to win); American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara, popular votes Source card "The People's Party on income, 1892". Who made it: the People's Party, in its first national convention. When: July 1892. Where: Omaha, Nebraska. For whom: the voters of the country. Why: to state one of the party's demands. Excerpt (The People's Party platform, Omaha, July 1892, Finance; p. 169; checked word for word against two printed editions): "We demand a graduated income tax." Source card "The 16th Amendment". Who made it: Congress, then the states. When: ratified February 3, 1913. Where: Washington. For whom: the nation. Why: to change the Constitution. Excerpt (The 16th Amendment to the Constitution; Article XVI; checked word for word against three printed editions): "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration."

12. 6.

    Luz judges whether the People's Party succeeded. Which conclusion do the cards support best?

    • It cannot be judged, since a party that lost the election left no results that can be traced
    • It failed, since Weaver's 22 electoral votes show that voters rejected its program in 1892
    • It succeeded, since the 16th Amendment gave it the graduated tax that its platform demanded
    • Its 1892 candidate lost, but it helped push for the income tax the 16th Amendment later allowed

13. What reformers changed, from railroads to the right to vote

    Columns Problem | Who pushed for change | Law or result | Date. Row 1: Railroad rates across state lines | Farmers and shippers, after years of public demand | Interstate Commerce Act and the Interstate Commerce Commission | February 4, 1887. Row 2: Trusts that controlled whole industries | Reformers in Congress, with Senator John Sherman | Sherman Antitrust Act | July 2, 1890. Row 3: Standard Oil's secret railroad rebates | Ida Tarbell's series in McClure's Magazine | The Supreme Court ordered the Standard Oil Trust broken up | 1911. Row 4: Drinking blamed for harm to families | Temperance groups, including the Anti-Saloon League | The 18th Amendment, enforced by the Volstead Act of October 28, 1919 | January 16, 1919. Row 5: Women denied the vote on account of sex | The woman suffrage movement | The 19th Amendment | August 18, 1920. Data: National Archives, Yale energy history project, Allegheny College, US House of Representatives history pages. The date for the Standard Oil row is the year of the Court's order. Source card "The 16th Amendment". Who made it: Congress, then the states. When: ratified February 3, 1913. Where: Washington. For whom: the nation. Why: to change the Constitution. Excerpt (The 16th Amendment to the Constitution; Article XVI; checked word for word against three printed editions): "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration." Source card "The 17th Amendment, first paragraph". Who made it: Congress, then the states. When: ratified April 8, 1913. Where: Washington. For whom: the nation. Why: to change the Constitution. Excerpt (The 17th Amendment to the Constitution; Article XVII; checked word for word against three printed editions): "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures." Source card "The 18th Amendment, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Congress passed the 18th Amendment on December 18, 1917, and the states ratified it on January 16, 1919, about 13 months later. Prohibition took effect one year after ratification. The amendment banned making, selling and moving intoxicating liquors, but it did not define the term or say how to enforce the ban. Congress passed the Volstead Act on October 28, 1919, over President Wilson's veto, to supply the details. The 21st Amendment repealed the 18th when it was ratified on December 5, 1933. Source card "The 19th Amendment". Who made it: Congress, then the states. When: ratified August 18, 1920. Where: Washington. For whom: the nation. Why: to change the Constitution. Excerpt (The 19th Amendment to the Constitution; Article XIX; checked word for word against two printed editions): "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

14. 7.

    Tala notes that the last amendment before these was ratified in 1870. What do the dates of the four amendments best support?

    • The four amendments came from the People's Party, which began in 1892 and demanded them
    • Reformers turned to the Constitution after 1913, having failed in the states before then
    • Each amendment caused the next, since the four followed one another within a few years
    • Reform pressure reached the Constitution in a burst from 1913 on, though dates do not show causes

15. The election of 1892

    Columns: Candidate; Party; Electoral votes; Popular votes. Grover Cleveland: Democratic: 277: 5,554,617. Benjamin Harrison: Republican: 145: 5,186,793. James B. Weaver: People's: 22: 1,029,357. Data: National Archives, 1892 Electoral College results (444 electoral votes in all, 223 needed to win); American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara, popular votes Source card "How electoral votes were won in 1892". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In most states in 1892 the candidate who came first in the state won all of that state's electoral votes. A candidate who came second in a state won none of them.

16. 8.

    Noah's note says Weaver's 22 electoral votes show he had 22 percent support. What should the note say?

    • 22 is a share, and it matches his support once the votes are weighted by state
    • His support was about 5 percent, the same as his popular share of the three-way vote
    • His support was about 15 percent, because 22 votes is compared with Harrison's 145
    • 22 is a count of electoral votes; his support was about 9 percent of the popular vote

17. Arizona and the recall of judges, 1911 to 1912

    Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Arizona's draft state constitution let voters recall judges. On August 15, 1911, President Taft vetoed the resolution admitting Arizona and New Mexico because he objected to that provision. Congress then passed another resolution, which Taft approved on August 21, 1911, admitting both territories on the condition that Arizona voters adopt an amendment removing the judicial recall provision. The voters of the territory did so in December 1911. New Mexico became the 47th state on January 6, 1912, and Arizona the 48th on February 14, 1912. After admission, Arizona voters reinstated the provision.

18. 9.

    Esme's note says Taft vetoed Arizona's admission over the recall of judges, so judges could never be recalled there. What should the note say?

    • The note is right, since Arizona's voters accepted the condition and kept the provision out
    • Arizona was admitted in August 1911, right after the veto, with the provision removed
    • Arizona's voters removed the provision in December 1911 to be admitted, then restored it
    • Congress removed the provision from Arizona's constitution itself, then admitted the state

19. The 19th Amendment

    Who made it: Congress, then the states. When: ratified August 18, 1920. Where: Washington. For whom: the nation. Why: to change the Constitution. Excerpt (The 19th Amendment to the Constitution; Article XIX; checked word for word against two printed editions): "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." Source card "What the 19th Amendment left unsettled, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The National Archives says ratification of the 19th Amendment did not ensure full enfranchisement. Discriminatory state voting laws kept many African American women and other minority women from voting long into the twentieth century. Source card "How the 19th Amendment won, in brief". Who made it: historians and textbooks writing today. When: today. Where: the United States. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what is known. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Woman suffrage supporters used several strategies. Some won state laws: nine western states had woman suffrage by 1912. In November 1912 Arizona's male voters approved the vote for women by a direct vote, and Arizona became the tenth state to give women full voting rights. By 1916 most large suffrage groups had united behind an amendment to the Constitution. New York gave women the vote in 1917, and in 1918 President Wilson switched to support a national amendment. The House passed the amendment on May 21, 1919, and the Senate followed two weeks later. Arizona ratified on February 12, 1920, and Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify, on August 18, 1920.

20. 10.

    Ari's note says the 19th Amendment gave all American women the vote in 1920. What should the note say?

    • It gave the vote to women in states that had not yet allowed it, since nine had already done so
    • It barred denial on account of race as well as sex, ending state barriers in 1920
    • It barred denial on account of sex, but state laws kept many minority women from voting
    • It gave women the vote everywhere, and laws kept some from voting by breaking it