United States History Progressive Era Political Reform

University:
Concordia University Wisconsin
Course:
HIST 1215 | American Civilization II
Academic year:

2021
Views:

419

Pages:

1
Author:

Alessandro Nelson

Progressive Era Political Reform Laws such as initiative, referendum, recall, direct primary, and secret ballot progressives attempted to increase participation in government by citizens and to involve voters more directly. ● th Direct Election of Senators: Established by the 17 amendment. Citizens directly voted on who would represent them in the Senate in order to make the Senate more responsive to the people. ● Civil Service Exams: Laws were passed requiring individuals to pass tests before obtaining government jobs in order to eliminate patronage and corruption in government hiring (prevent the people in the government from hiring their friends or accepting bribes). This was a reaction to the Spoils System (officials rewarding their supporters with government jobs).