Unit VIII: "Waves of Reform" ca 1880s to 1921

Question/Problem 1: What were the political, economic, and social reforms that shaped America?

Directions: Read the following excerpt to get an idea of the problem addressed by the reform movement.

In 1901 President Theodore Roosevelt spoke to Congress about the growth of big business:

The tremendous and highly complex industrial development which went on with everą accelerated rapidity during the latter half of the nineteenth century brings us face to face, at the beginning of the twentieth, with very serious social problems. The old laws, and the old customs which had almost the binding force of law, were once quite sufficient to regulate the assimilation and distribution of wealth. Since the industrial changes which have so enormously increased the productive power of mankind, they are no longer sufficient.

The growth of cites has gone on beyond comparison faster than the growth of the country, and the upbuilding of the great industrial centers has meant a startling increase, not merely in the aggregate of wealth, but in the number of very large individual, and especially of very large corporate, fortunes. The creation of these great corporate fortunes has not been due to the tariff nor to any other governmental action, but to natural causes in the business world, operating in other countries as they operate in our own....

There is a widespread conviction in the minds of the American people that the great corporations known as trusts are in certain of their features and tendencies hurtful to the general welfare. This... is based upon sincere conviction that combination and concentration should be, not prohibited, but supervised and within reasonable limits controlled; and in my judgement this conviction is right.

From Henry Steele Commager, ed., Documents of American History, pp. 20-21.

Directions: Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

Part I: In your own words, describe the problem being addressed by this excerpt.

Part II: Research the following terms and individuals to learn more about the specific people and actions involved with this reform.

	Federal Reserve Act	Meat Inspection Act
	Pure Food and Drug Act	Federal Trade Commission