Week 2_Group C Analysis of the Progressive Era

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1 Analysis of the Progressive Era Jasmin Colvin, Aida Labrada, Samantha Mitchell & Evan Neal Master of Social Work, Our Lady of the Lake University SOWK-6321-FTB3-SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY&SERVICES Professor Parker July 8, 2022

2 The Progressive era received its name from the forward-thinking, or “progressive,” reformers who addressed a variety of social, economic, and political ills ("Introduction to the Progressive Era (1890–1930) | Encyclopedia.com", 2022). The Industrial Revolution brought great changes in Western Europe and America with industrialization, urbanization, and a rise in immigration and poverty. The creation of factories gave the idea of more jobs being created and individuals leaving their rural farm areas to go work in the city for more money and a better living. Unfortunately, cities were not equipped to handle so many new residents migrating, looking for work and housing, which caused individuals to be unemployed and unhoused. Some of these laborers went from city to city looking for work to no avail. Overly populated cities had public sanitation issues, which in turn created public health issues. Some families to afford the cost of living in the city, had everyone working including women and children. Later there would be reforms regarding child labor laws and state-level mothers’ pension laws (Chapin, 2017). Major religions and spiritual practices of these cultures and societies require their adherents to care for people who are poor (Chapin, 2017). The theory of Social Darwinism, natural selection of who would be poor and who would be rich and adding the Protestant belief of having a work ethic, created the idea of the worthy poor and unworthy poor. Due to the union of social Darwinism and Protestant work ethic, individuals who fell upon hard times were unable to receive assistance or benefits (Chapin, 2017). Poverty began to grow and as it was seen as a religious and moral duty of families to provide for their less fortunate family members, the powerful members of the ruling elite were careful to maintain the social and economic barriers that oppressed the poorest people and protected their own privileged positions (Chapin, 2017). These barriers created workhouses, where unhoused individuals could go for employment and

3 housing. It was in these workhouses that social work was founded. Professional workers moved into these workhouses creating reforms for the individuals and paving the way for programs and public work projects of the New Deal era (Chapin, 2017). During the Progressive Era, the activists, progressive movement included four major goals, which are protect social welfare, promote moral improvement, create economic reform, and foster efficiency. The progressives believed to improve the government, it was necessary to make elected bureaucrats more reactive and accountable to voters. Progressive reformers sought to regulate private industry, strengthen protections for workers and consumers, expose corruption in both government and big business, and generally improve society. It is believed due to the discriminatory natures they were up against such as Ku Klux Klan, corrupt businesses, and political officials and most importantly the spread of disfranchisement and segregation of African Americans in the South and federal government. The risk the progressive took in making social change to achieve a higher level of social justice was exposing and decomposing monopolies due to violation of federal law, corruption and abuses in politics, consumer safety and working conditions. The New Deal aimed to provide immediate economic relief and bring reforms to stabilize the economy. The environment benefited by the new trees, hiking trails, fire lookouts, soil conservation, flood control, etc. The New Deal were to control agricultural productions, stabilize wages and prices and create a public works program for the unemployed. However, it created air water and land pollution. The New Deal, also, taxes destroyed jobs and prolongs unemployment, which means higher taxes meant less money for growth and jobs. Much of our social welfare history overlaps with employment and working conditions because it is a social workers duty to look at not only the individual, but the environment they

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