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Congress and the Progressive Era

From the 1890s to the 1920s, a period known as the Progressive Era, the United States experienced dramatic social, cultural, and political change. Confronted with domestic and international challenges, Congress reexamined the government’s role in the economy and the environment and the nation’s place in the world.

Prominent investigative journalists––called “muckrakers”––and citizen activists pushed Congress to pass landmark legislation, and states ratified new amendments to the Constitution. This period of dynamic reform forever altered the democratic process, the notion of “We the People,” and the everyday lives of all Americans.

Exploration

Congress shall have the power to....promote the Progress of Science
Map
Tertiary History of the Grand Cañon District with Atlas, by Clarence E. Dutton, 1882
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Representative Abram S. Hewitt of New York, photograph by Matthew Brady, ca. 1875
Document
Hearings . . . on New Panama Canal Company, . . . and the Nicaragua Canal Company, by the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, 1899
Poster
Panama Canal, poster, 1913

Common Defense

Congress appropriates funds for national defense and has the power to declare war. By approving international agreements and the appointment of ambassadors, Congress also supports efforts to resolve conflict through diplomacy. Congressional contributions to matters of war and peace throughout the nation's history are registered in these documents.
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The Great Naval Battle off Cavite (Manila Bay), color lithograph by Kurz & Allison, ca. 1898
Document
The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783, by Alfred Thayer Mahan, 1890
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“A Plea for Cuba,” color lithograph by Victor F. Gillam, Judge, October 19, 1895
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Report of the Secretary of the Navy to Congress, by Secretary of the Navy Benjamin F. Tracy, October 15, 1889
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USS Oregon, photograph by I. West Taber for Detroit Publishing Company, May 6, 1896
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USS Maine wreckage in Havana Harbor, Cuba, photograph, 1898

Unity

E pluribus unum—Out of many, one—expresses the ideal of our Union: many states, one nation. Representing all of the states, Congress has promoted national unity through a process of inquiry, debate, compromise, and consensus. These documents record the continuing legislative efforts to meet the broadest needs of the people.
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Frances Willard, photograph, ca. 1889
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House of Representatives amendment to S. 222, An Act to provide a government for the Territory of Hawaii (Organic Act of 1900), April 5, 1900
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Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, delegate for Hawaii, photograph by Harris & Ewing, 1914
Map
Map of the Philippine Islands, map compiled by Casper W. Hodgson and engraved by A. Briesemeister, 1908
Document
S. 956, A Bill providing for the election of a Delegate to the House of Representatives from the district of Alaska, December 7, 1905
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New citizens sign naturalization papers in judge's chambers, photograph by Bain News Service, n.d.

Freedom

The desire for freedom and the quest for individual liberty are American ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. In each era, Congress has debated and enacted measures to secure and expand freedom for all Americans, as demonstrated in these historical documents.
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Petition from the Patrons of Husbandry, State Grange of Illinois, January 1, 1898
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H.R. 5442, A Bill to impose a tax on corporate and individual incomes . . . , January 24, 1894
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65th Congress (1917–1919) in front of the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., photograph, ca. 1918
Document
H.J. Res. 1, Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution extending the right of suffrage to women, May 28, 1919
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“Uncle Sam’s ‘Wild West’ (East and South) Show”, cartoon by William A. Rogers, Harper’s Weekly, April 9, 1887
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“1826–1912,” cartoon by Guy R. Spencer, The Senate, 1789–1989, 1912

General Welfare

Congress is charged by the Constitution with providing for the general welfare of the country's citizens. Historically, this has meant improving transportation, promoting agriculture and industry, protecting health and the environment, and seeking ways to solve social and economic problems. These documents reflect Congressional actions to ensure "the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity."
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Mount McKinley, photograph, ca. 1915
Document
Petition from 300 members of the United States Daughters of 1812, February 10, 1904
Document
S. 3057, A Bill appropriating the receipts from the sale . . . of public lands . . . for the reclamation of arid lands (Newlands Reclamation Act), February 28, 1902
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Representative John F. Lacey of Iowa, photograph by B. M. Clinedinst, ca. 1903
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“Look before you eat . . . ,” chromolithograph by Frederick Burr Opper, Puck, March 12, 1884
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S.J. Res. 40, Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, June 28, 1909

Knowledge

Knowing that democracy flourishes best in an open environment with an educated citizenry, Congress has promoted public education, supported the arts and sciences, and funded extensive research, as illustrated in these documents. In that same spirit, it established the Library of Congress, now the world's largest library, with unparalleled collections in every field of human endeavor.
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S. 1, An Act to protect trade and commerce against unlawful restraints and monopolies (Sherman Antitrust Act), May 13, 1890
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Ida B. Wells-Barnett, photograph by Oscar B. Willis, n.d.
Book
The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, 1906
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Senate Filibusters . . . , by the Legislative Reference Division, Library of Congress, 1917
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Lewis Hine photographing children, photograph, ca. 1910
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Senator Justin S. Morrill of Vermont, photograph by the Brady-Handy Studio, ca. 1860
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Senator Robert M. La Follette Sr. of Wisconsin, photograph, ca. 1911
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