American Progressivism

Ronald J. Pestritto is Charles and Lucia Shipley Chair in the American Constitution at Hillsdale College and author of Woodrow Wilson and the Roots of Modern Liberalism and Woodrow Wilson: The Essential Political Writings.William J. Atto is assistant professor in the department of history at the University of Dallas.

Pestritto and Atto have pieced together an excellent collection of essays. The progressives—from Wilson and Roosevelt to Addams and Rauschenbush—emerge clearly in this superb set of primary source essays. We can see in these essays the goals of the progressives to circumvent the Constitution and to try to centralize political power in the hands of the few. I do not know of a better collection of essays on the progressives.

• Chapter 1 Table of ContentsChapter 2 Preface and AcknowledgementsChapter 3 Introduction to American ProgressivismPart 4 I The Principles of ProgressivismChapter 5 A. Who is a Progressive?Chapter 6 B. Excerpr fromThe New Freedom, Chapter 2Chapter 7 C. The American Conception of LibertyPart 8 II Progressive Interpretations of HistoryChapter 9 A. The Significance of the Frontier in American HistoryChapter 10 B. Excerpt fromAn Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States, Chapter 1Part 11 III Social Justice, Social Gospel, and EducationChapter 12 A. Subjective Necessity for Social SettlementsChapter 13 B. Social Christianity and Personal ReligionChapter 14 C. The Socializing of PropertyChapter 15 D. My Pedagogic CreedChapter 16 E. Father Blakely States the IssuePart 17 IV Leadership and the American PresidencyChapter 18 A. Leaders of MenChapter 19 B.Excerpt from Constitutional Government in the United States, Chapter 3Chapter 20 C. Inaugural Address, 1905Chapter 21 D. Excerpt from An Autobiography, Chapter 10Part 22 V National AdministrationChapter 23 A. The Study of AdministrationChapter 24 B. The New NationalismPart 25 VI Parties & Direct DemocracyChapter 26 A. Excerpt from La Follette's Autobiography, Chapter 8Chapter 27 B. Excerpt fromProgressive Democracy, Chapters 12 and 13Part 28 VII The Election of 1912Chapter 29 A. Progressive Platform of 1912Chapter 30 B. Excerpt fromProgressive Democracy, IntroductionPart 31 VIII Progressivism, War, and PeaceChapter 32 A. War Message to Congress, April 2, 1917Chapter 33 B. Opposition to Wilson's War MessageChapter 34 C. Fourteen PointsChapter 35 IndexChapter 36 About the Editors