The Progressive Era reform movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was part of an international response to the excesses and inequities of industrial capitalism. Essentially, it was a campaign for social democracy in the form of the regulatory state, that is, an effort to provide citizens with a measure of economic security and protection against the fluctuations of the business cycle. Such protections, including old-age pensions and government inspection of hospitals and childcare facilities, gained increasing public attention in Europe, New Zealand, and the United States during this time, giving momentum to social democracy in the Western world. In America this reform impulse occurred during an upswing in the business cycle in the Progressive Era, rendering this a period of prosperity nationwide. In California, prosperity was enhanced by maritime trade that stood to grow even further by the opening of the Panama Canal. More importantly, Golden State progressivism bore the imprint of Pacific leanings.
In the United States progressivism operated at the national, state, and local levels. In each of these political arenas, urban reformers addressed the unchecked power of corporations, the corruption of politics by railroads and private-sector utilities companies, the exploitation of women and children in the workforce, the demand of women to vote, the need to supply cities with clean water, and more. During this period government assumed increasing responsibility for the public welfare, particularly of middle-class whites. In California and the rest of America, this new role for government marked a departure from the unregulated capitalism of the late 1800s. Hiram Johnson, the Golden State's progressive governor and later U. S. Senator, attained legendary status for his leadership in cleaning up politics and modernizing governance.
Pacific Eldorado: A History of Greater California, First Edition. Thomas J. Osborne. © 2013 Thomas J. Osborne. Published 2013 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Timeline
1907 California’s Republican reformers create the Lincoln-Roosevelt League to break the grip of the Southern Pacific Railroad on politics
Hawaiian surfing legend George Freeth (who had taught writer Jack London to surf on Oahu) moves to the Golden State, introducing wave-riding in southern California
1907-8 President Theodore Roosevelt negotiates a Gentlemen’s Agreement whereby all over-age children of foreign background and those unable to speak English will be sent to segregated schools, and Japan will no longer permit its workers to immigrate to California
1910 Angel Island Immigration Station is established in San Francisco Bay to limit Asian immigration to America’s Pacific Coast
Revolution erupts in Mexico, resulting in tens of thousands of Hispanic border-crossers entering California and the American Southwest
An explosion destroys the Los Angeles Times building
Hiram Johnson, a progressive Republican, is elected governor
1911 The Stetson-Eshleman railroad regulation bill is passed into law, empowering the Railroad Commission to set railroad passenger and freight rates, subject to judicial review
Constitutional amendments extend the Railroad Commission’s authority over utility companies as well
The Public Utilities Act is passed, activating the Commission’s new authority to regulate public utilities companies
The State Board of Control is established to conduct audits of government agencies, cut waste, and improve efficiency
A workers’ compensation law goes into effect
Constitutional amendments establish the initiative, referendum, and recall processes Voters can directly elect their U. S. Senators Male voters ratify a women’s suffrage constitutional amendment 1913 A state law establishes a minimum wage for women
A constitutional amendment providing for cross-filing goes into effect
The Alien Land Act prohibits land ownership and leasing acreage for more than three years to persons ineligible for U. S. citizenship
The Raker Act, a federal law, authorizes San Francisco to use the Hetch Hetchy VaUey as a reservoir and electric power-generation site
The Owens Valley-Los Angeles Aqueduct is completed
Fullerton Junior College, the first public two-year institution in the state, is founded in Orange County
The California legislature passes the Red Light Abatement Act criminalizing pimping and allowing police to padlock brothels
1914 John Muir, world-renowned environmentalist and mountaineer, dies
1915 The Panama Pacific Exposition, a world fair, is held in San Francisco, showcasing that city’s Pacific trade and recovery from the 1906 earthquake
Made entirely in California, David W. Griffith’s pro-Ku Klux Klan film The Birth of a Nation is released, sparking protests from blacks
1916 A World War I preparedness parade in San Francisco is marred by a terrorist bombing that kills nine people and injures 40; Warren K. Billings and Thomas J. Mooney are convicted and sent to prison despite evidence that prosecution witnesses committed perjury
1918 Frederick M. Roberts, California’s first black assemblyman, is elected in Los Angeles’ 74th District
Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson settles in Los Angeles, shortly afterward founding the Four Square Gospel Church that eventually becomes international
1919 The southern branch of the University of California (later renamed UCLA) is founded in Los Angeles
World History
