20th Century Muckrakers

People thought that they were destined and supposed to make advances and progress with society (477). Progressivists were mainly middle class Americans, experts, and women. They pushed for honest and responsive government, an efficient economy and government, and protection to the vulnerable. Progressivists are known to have instated a new boldness and confidence for the American people and wanted to be the best they could be. They were also concerned with poor people. They wanted to ease poor living conditions and protect them and help them. Women played a huge role in progressive reform. The Progressive Era was the time of one of the largest movements in American history, women’s suffrage (483). During this time, women pushed for equal rights as men, especially the right to vote. Women slowly started to gain ground in the movement and finally gained the right to vote in 1920 when the 19th amendment was

“Drawing support from the urban, college-educated middle class, Progressive reformers sought to eliminate corruption in government, regulate business practices, address health hazards, and improve working conditions.” Each American had their own ways of incorporating the upper class train of thought and applying it to their tactics of forced change among industrial and political governments. Progressives eventually formed their own political party in order to advance their ideas. Women were also active within the Progressive Era. The Progressive Era was the time that women began to push forward for the right to vote, and also advocate for their families. “At the end of the nineteenth century, women were considered the ‘Moral Guardians’ and protectors of the home.” In a literal sense, Progressives wanted to turn America into a Middle-class heaven, where civility, health, education, and economic security flourished. Without the influence of the almighty Rockefeller, and the rest of the 2% upper class, America may not have transitioned into the Progressive Era as

“Compare and contrast women’s suffrage movements of the late nineteenth and early centuries with the European feminist movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s.”

The Women's Rights Movement was a significant crusade for women that began in the late nineteenth century and flourished throughout Europe and the United States for the rest of the twentieth century. Advocates for women's rights initiated this movement as they yearned for equality and equal participation and representation in society. Throughout all of history, the jobs of women ranged from housewives to factory workers, yet oppression by society, particularly men, accompanied them in their everyday lives. Not until the end of the nineteenth century did women begin to voice their frustrations about the inequalities among men and women, and these new proclamations would be the basis for a society with opportunities starting to open for

Looking back on the Progressive Era, we see many women activists and their roles in the fight for women’s rights. With the arrival of a new century also came many changes. Society was adjusting to industrialization, urbanization, a growing and powerful economy, and, of course, immigration. As a result of these changes, many people became fearful that traditional values would change as well. Progressive Reform in America began in the late nineteenth century, and an expanding job market as well as changes to the American lifestyle lead to women’s want for change in their public roles. Women activists began fighting for issues such as more opportunities for education and jobs, health advancements, and of course, voting rights. In doing so, women made great advancements in suffrage during the Progressive Era, and without a doubt, changed the nation for the better.

4. Analyze the roles that women played in Progressive Era reforms from the 1880s through 1920. Focus your essay on TWO of the following.

After the Civil War, the movement of women’s suffrage had a new inspiration, as they used African American suffrage as a stepping stone towards women’s suffrage. Organizations, such as the National Association Women’s Suffrage Association and Women’s Christian Temperance, had clear goals to reform the urban areas with women’s suffrage. As this empowering reform took place, women of the late 19th and early 20th centuries started to question their own roles within society. As women faced opposition and had diminished roles within society, the women of the late 19th century sought equality.

Throughout history, political, social, and economical issues have erupted and caused society to reform. These reform movements are created in order for the people of America to have the ability to resolve the issues they see in their communities. Some of the movements that have been most prominent in the united States during the early 19th century are the Women’s Reform Movement, the Prison Reform and the Education reform. All of these developments allowed awareness to be created about the problems that everyday citizens were experiencing and how they were going those change problems into resolutions.

Americans were fed up and started to react to the problems; progressives wanted to end the power of the government and businesses. The movement mostly affected men and women of the middle class. Their goals were to protect social welfare, moral improvements, and economic reforms and promote growth. This era brought changes to the federal government by putting them accountable by passing laws, regulations on business, transportation, farmers, and workers. Woman played a role in the awareness for inequality, woman’s rights, child education, and woman’s suffrage.

The Women’s Suffrage Movement of the 1920’s worked to grant women the right to vote nationally, thereby allowing women more political equality. Due to many industrial and social changes during the early 19th century, many women were involved in social advocacy efforts, which eventually led them to advocate for their own right to vote and take part in government agencies. Women have been an integral part of society, working to help those in need, which then fueled a desire to advocate for their own social and political equality. While many women worked tirelessly for the vote, many obstacles, factions, and ultimately time would pass in order for women to see the vote on the national level. The 19th Amendment, providing women the right to vote, enable women further their pursuit for full inclusion in the working of American society.

Before the 1900s, women were not being treated the same as men. Women wanted the government to do something about this, but they refused to. These women wanted to be heard and wanted to fight against many things and organize for change. It wasn’t until around 1950 when birth control was first active in the human body. In 1920, women were finally able to have a say in society and got the right to vote.

The history of the muckraker’s started when a group of reporters and Journalist uncover and reveal unformal and discrimination of wrong doing so serious that it made the peoples blood over flow,1902 started the strike of Lincoln Steffens that was published in the McClure’s Magazine call “Tweed Days in ST. Louis”. Steffens uncover how city officials work in large business to keep their contract and power, taken money from the public treasure, while other article began to emerge, so Steffens wrote a book call “The Shame of the Cities”. The Muckraker’s came up with the truth fact about the Socio – economic, and political problem that was happen in American. There were many changes far as social and politics across the board from the19th century to the start of the 20th century raising the public opinion by the way of sickness that were brought on by industrial revolution for examples; the arrangement between large organization, political machines, and bad working conditions. There were four main muckraker’s who started it all, Ida Tarbell, Thomas Lawson, Ray Stannard and Steffens. The Muckraker’s was famous about doing wrong and telling on very important people in the society, they were call dirt and grime because they would stool to their lowest about political corruption, business, and government problem, they also put an end to advertising by boycotting, while the magazines fell into

In the 1890s, American women emerged as a major force for social reform. Millions joined civic organizations and extended their roles from domestic duties to concerns about their communities and environments. These years, between 1890 and 1920, were a time of many social changes that later became known as the Progressive Era. In this time era, millions of Americans organized associations to come up with solutions to the many problems that society was facing, and many of these problems were staring American women right in the face.

During the historical period commonly regarded as the Progressive Era in the 1900s, began with the First World War in which women joined the political field in extraordinary amounts. Women were incorporated in leading positions in an array of social reform endeavors, comprising of suffrage, equality, child welfare, and nonviolence (Haman, 2009). Women in the ear started to establish conferences; spoke at gatherings, petitioned government representatives, led marches and protests. Women were also involved in a multiple policies that, for the first time in U.S. history, provided them with a visible presence on the political arena (Haman, 2009). The lines that divided women’s household and public existence became distorted as women joined the

“If one compares a woman in 1900 with her counterpart in 2000, the gains have been significant. There were the obvious changes, such as the right to vote and other governmental policies supporting women in the 1960s and 1970s. The results were women successfully engaging in certain jobs for the first time. Where women were once a minority, or excluded entirely, by 1980, they accounted for more than half of all undergraduate students”,