Progressivism and Urban Reform, 1890–1915

Abstract

This chapter speaks of Judge Murray F. Tuley and the Municipal Voters' League who sought to save the city from the Chicago City Council and their conspirators, the elected city aldermen. It analyzes how the Chicago City Council allegedly degraded the city by means of what Chicagoans called boodle, which was the selling of municipal favors or privileges by politicians for personal profit. It also describes Tuley's sense of a noble crusade of righteousness that was typical of Progressive Era reformers, who sought to purge their cities of corruption, dishonesty, and bad government. The chapter highlights the Progressive movement that swept America, manifesting itself in the reform of both national and local politics between 1890 and 1915. It explores the Progressive Era reforms that accompanied America's transition from a nation of farmers and artisans to a nation characterized by immigration, industrialization, and urbanization.