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Difficulty: MediumProgressive Era Reforms and Influences

Source: David Graham Phillips, "The Treason of the Senate," *Cosmopolitan*, 1906

"The Senate is the eager, resourceful, indefatigable agent of interests as hostile to the American people as any invading army could be... It is the stronghold of the plutocracy, the barrier against democracy."

The political sentiments expressed in the excerpt most directly contributed to which of the following Progressive Era developments?

  1. The ratification of a constitutional amendment establishing the direct election of United States senatorsAnswer
  2. B
    The consolidation of agrarian support behind the platform advocating for a bimetallic silver standard
  3. C
    The enforcement of laissez-faire policies by the federal government to shield large corporate trusts from public scrutiny
  4. D
    The ratification of Reconstruction-era constitutional amendments to protect civil and voting rights

Answer

The ratification of a constitutional amendment establishing the direct election of United States senators
The correct answer is the option focusing on the direct election of senators. David Graham Phillips was a muckraker whose articles in 1906 exposed the influence of wealthy industrialists over state legislatures, which then elected U.S. senators. This criticism directly mobilized public support for the Seventeenth Amendment (ratified in 1913), which bypassed state legislatures to establish the direct popular election of U.S. senators.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the source text for key arguments and historical context.
The text is from David Graham Phillips's 'The Treason of the Senate' (1906), a famous muckraking work criticizing the U.S. Senate as a 'stronghold of the plutocracy' and a barrier to democracy due to corporate influence.
Understanding the muckraking nature of the text identifies the political corruption it targeted.
2
Connect the criticisms of the Senate to the political reforms enacted during the Progressive Era.
At the time, senators were chosen by state legislatures, which were frequently dominated by corporate bosses. The public outcry led to the Seventeenth Amendment, providing for the direct election of senators by popular vote.
This establishes the direct causal link between the muckraking critique and the resulting policy change.

Key Concept

Progressive Era political reforms aimed at expanding democracy and curbing the influence of corporate wealth in government.
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Topics

Progressive Era Reforms and Influences

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