Changes During The Progressive Era

The progressive Era was times in History were local state and federal government took a leap forward in power and activism. In addition, the progressive era, was a time of development of new reforms and changes for America. Progressivism handles a wide range of problems and struggle for America. Such problems were created by unstructed industrialization, urbanization and immigration. As well as, the unfavorable distribution of power and wealth. Progressives believed strongly that problems such as these needed immediate action. Progressives existed in churches, organized labor, local political life, organizations and progressives of high education. Progressives wanted to make America better through inniatives, arranged action, idealism and social scientific research. Progressive had a tendency to expect the best possible outcome of situations. By, the 1920’s, progressives put in effect, changes of all aspects of society and government. Nevertheless, progressives had unhonorable qualities as well. They were biased of class and prejudiced against races.

“What was the Progressive Movement?”[1] Historian Peter G. Filene presents this question in his article, “An Obituary for ‘The Progressive Movement’”, in order to introduce the reality that for decades scholars struggled to propose an answer to this question. They have and still do struggle because there are many ways to consider this question and qualify the Progressive Era: such as its definition, time frame, significant turning points and important people, goals, successes, and failures. Given these ways of explaining the Progressive Era expressing its ideas appears to be a daunting task.

Strength and courage, the two key sources that make a movement, were used in a very important time period that many study today. It takes the ability to stand up and withstand the backlash to succeed within a movement. The Progressive era, one of the most important era’s in history, helped mold a country we call the United Sates with these two factors. This era was a time of renovation, a time of change, a time of equality, but how did this era shape the functionality of everyday lives in today’s world? The moral purpose of the progressive era was to remove all ills of society. While a ‘perfect society’ free of wrong doings is sadly impossible, many of them were removed during this time and shaped what we call home. In many ways this era

2. Progressives believed that government should protect the people and promote the social welfare of people through which means?

Bounded by the end of the nineteenth century and the American entry into World War I, there was change everywhere, both home and abroad; Progressive Era brought rapid changes to the nation’s economic, political, and social sectors. There was an awaken of government, the presidency and congress awake from their late nineteenth century institutional inactivity. There was a move to reform national, state and local government.

The progressive era occurred throughout the early 1900s. It main purpose was to improve everyday life in our nation during the industrial age by moderating the political, social, and economic aspects that were involved. Many progressive goals were created to reform and limit the power of big businesses and corporations, giving our people more of a say in government, and strengthen social justice in the nation. The progressive era reformers and the federal government were highly effective in bringing about reforms at the national level, but it had its flaws as well.

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, there were many problems in America which needed to be solved. During this time, there were a group of people who worked to solve these problems. These people were called the Progressives. There were many issues and topics the Progressives worked towards fixing. These problems included child labor, political corruption, and industrial abuse. There were also many reforms that were proposed in order to address these problems.

America has been plagued with the “American Dream” since its citizens first started spreading out westward in search of wealth and fame. Along with this American ideal came the concept of being un-American and not standing for what was considered “true” American. With the emergence of Populists, Progressives and Radicals came a vast difference between what was thought as American. All groups claimed to be trying to make the US a better place however each differed vastly in their ideas of going about it. During the age of uncertainty between 1890 and the 1920’s a new movement called the Progressives emerged in parts of the Unites States. They emerged as part of a long tradition of reform aimed at correcting the issues of the country.

Before the Progressive Era, many aspects of American society weren’t up to safe and fair standards. Progressives fought for higher standards in society to improve people’s safety and health in the workplace and in their own homes. They also fought to help more people gain an equal voice in the government. Progressives helped to pass several amendments to address changes needed to reform and better the society. Before the Progressive Era, personal income tax was not a thing.

Many industries like the railroad, steel, and oil industries transformed American society in the early 20th century. The railroad industries was one of the most important since thanks to it, the costs of products decreased and the population increased because food was available in a large variety and quantity. Along with the increase of these industry, also came the rise of urbanization. This is called industrialized or the rize of many industries. Industrialization impacted urbanization by crating economic growth and job opportunities that drew people into cities included european immigrants. Although everything was not quite bright. Some of the consequences of urbanization were poor housing conditions, sanitation problems, disease, and overcrowding. Three issues that Americans addressed in the Progressive Era were women suffrage, public health reform, and child labor. Reformers attempted to solve these problems by forming organizations and raising government awareness.

During the Progressive Era, people were rising against the power of massive corporations and huge industries for their rights. There were business conflicts with big corporations, laborers weren’t getting the rights they deserved, and we were using up all our natural resources. Although the people did fight well on their own, most of those fights would have lost without the help of Roosevelt. While all of the presidents worked to correct the problems during the Progressive Era, President Theodore Roosevelt was the most progressive president because he controlled corporations, fought with the working class, and he avoided environmental destruction. Roosevelt had always made it clear that he was against big trusts and unfair corporations.

During the Progressive Era many changes came to America, such as abolishment of child labor and changes to the living and working conditions. Workers were given fewer working hours and were paid a fair salary for the work that they did. As for living conditions, tenements were fixed for more suitable living. Progressives also ended, and worked to prevent, child labor. Furthermore, poor living and working conditions did, eventually, lead to changes that benefit Americans in the Progressive Era.

The Progressive Era began in 1890 and came to a close around the end of World War I in 1919. As the name suggests, it was an era of modernization and change for Americans. “America was growing, expanding, booming, and providing opportunities to join forces with industrialism and commerce and to grow along with the country” (Anderson, David 6). However, the rapid speed of population growth in cities magnified problems of poverty, disease, violence, and corruption. With an increase in jobs, competition also arose amongst citizens who believed that “both wealth and happiness [would] inevitably come to the moral and industrious” (White 1). Despite being characterized by reform, urbanization, and industrialism, the Progressive Era saw the loss of individualism; workers struggled for autonomy, skilled craftsmen were replaced, and mass culture eclipsed small, intimate towns, showing that in order to move forward, there needed to be a step back.

The progressive era was not the first reform America faced, but it is perhaps one of, if the most important. It was a time that stretched roughly from 1890 to 1920. It was a time of “progress”. A time where the American people wanted to make America a better country. The people wanted to do away with political corruption; they wanted to fix all problems, especially those economic, social, and political. Progressivism was considered to be an “umbrella”. Under this “umbrella” fell labor issues, unsafe work conditions, child labor, no work man’s comp, and the issue of poverty. There was one group of people who truly lead the charge when it came to exposing the corruption in politics and the unsafe work conditions millions of American workers faced.

The Progressive Era was an era of reforms to bring the United States up from its corrupted and poverty-stricken condition. In light of these reforms, new ideas were formed, challenging tradition. Of these, the early women’s civil rights movements of the late 1890’s to late 1910’s stood as one of the most prominent. In 1917, towards the end of the era and right before President Wilson ratified the 19th Amendment, feminist and journalist Alice Stone Blackwell responded to possible outcomes if women were allowed the right to vote. Blackwell’s response towards anti-suffrage ideals is significant to the Progressive Era due to her deconstruction of the arguments against women’s suffrage, essentially revealing its acceptance would not present a