Progressive Era Dbq

In the first two decades of the twentieth century the national political scene reflected a growing American belief in the ideas of the Progressive movement. This movement was concerned with fundamental social and economic reforms and gained in popularity under two presidents. Yet Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson espoused two different approaches to progressive reform. And each one was able to prevail upon congress to pass legislation in keeping with his own version of the progressive dream. These two people, although they had different principles in mind, had one goal: to make changes to the nation for the better of the people and the country. Setting out to reach this goal, Roosevelt came to be a president of the common man while

Progressivism came to the forefront of our national politics for the first time in the election of 1912. The two leading candidates after the votes were tallied were both Progressives: the Democratic Party’s Woodrow Wilson, who won the presidency, and the Progressive Party’s Theodore Roosevelt. The election was truly transformative. It challenged voters to think seriously about their rights and the Constitution and marked a fundamental departure from the decentralized republic that had prevailed since the early 19th century. The 1912 election did not completely remake American democracy, but it marked a critical way station on the long road to doing so. In a very real sense, Theodore Roosevelt won the 1912 election: The causes he championed

People do bad things in a group setting for numerous reasons falling under the category of social influencing. In many cases people tend to succumb to “deindividuation” in which they let go of their individual morals and mimic group behavior.

Enslaved people resisted their enslavement by refusing to do work, running away, and fighting back, this is historically significant because it affected millions of people and is still relevant today. Did you know that in 1619, over 12.5 million western Africans were captured to be owned by their masters, dehumanized, and tortured for not obeying? Some ways slaves would resist their enslavement are they worked slower, misunderstood orders, broke tools, sabotaged crops, stole from their enslavers and learned to read and write. This information is found in the “What is the context?” section of the DBQ packet.

From 1880s-1930s mechanization has increased in both Japan and India. More machines had started to be used than using one’s hands which produced more cotton than hand spinning would have. Female workers were overworked in the cotton factories that favored using machines instead of hand spinning to increase the production of cloth and yarn.

The Industrial era, starting after the Civil War and ending at the end of the 19th century, was a significant time in American history. To determine the discontent of farmers, all aspects of the Industrial era must be analyzed. Socially, the farmers represented the widening of the classes taking place at the time. Economically, they were the embodiment of the struggling lower and middle class. Politically, the farmers discontent did not go unnoticed as the two party system was disrupted by a surging new third party, the populists. The farmers discontent affected many parts of the American society at the time, and had a major effect on politics.

of the citizens and developing the country as a whole. To improve the lives of the American

The progressive leaders led the reform process of the nation’s industrial economy in the early years of the 20th century. Through the antirust acts, inspection acts, and regulations on trading, progressive reformers reshaped the way the economy ran. In a political cartoon by the Washington Post in 1907, President Roosevelt is on a dead raccoon with the words “bad trust” shaved into it. The political cartoon does over exaggerate the effectiveness of Roosevelt’s policies regarding trusts, but it does represent the way Roosevelt started the new regulation policies. In his second presidency, he started the “square deal.” This deal first passed Hepburn Railroad Regulation Act of 1906 which put regulations on the industry.

The Progressive Era was a period in American history between 1890 and 1920. During this period the United States underwent dramatic cultural, social and political changes. Global influence, the industrial revolution, urban growth, and immigration, created unexpected impacts on society. The rapid changes questioned the Nation’s constitutional ideals of individualism and small non-intrusive federal government. Many now felt that a large interventionist government would be more responsive to the needs of the people. Progressivism was born in the confusion of this era. It was not a unified movement with a singular definition but a combination of several similar but often contradictory goals. The term “Progressive” meant to advocate for social

During the Progressive Era, pressure from labor, suffrage, and conservation movements profoundly changed the course of American history. Many of the reformers' ideas clashed with the male-dominated, capitalist economic structure present at the turn of the century. Some of the intended reforms opposed the current system, but the level of social unrest necessitated change. Businessmen and activists alike initiated the reforms during the Progressive Era. Government, due to the intention of calming the common man and quieting the seemingly more and more vocal middle class, supported them. In the final analysis, from the year 1900 to 1920, Progressive Era reformers were successful in bringing about reform to the United States.

What helped shape and create society today? Four Philosophers, John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith, and Mary Wollstonecraft, during the late 1600’s through the late 1700’s all had at least had one similarity. That was that they believed in to change one’s perspective on the rights and freedom on different race, gender, or class. All of the philosophers ideas benefit the society and helped build courage for individuals.

“I could not more see misery and death come to the great masses of the people in our large cities, and sit by idly, because under ordinary conditions a strike is not a subject for interference by the President, than I could sit by idly and see one man kill another without interference because there is not statutory duty imposed upon the President to interfere in such cases.” These words were the words spoken by Theodore Roosevelt on the reason for his involvement in a coal workers’ strike in Pennsylvania in 1902. Ideas such as the one Theodore Roosevelt expressed in his statement characterized a new type of ideology at the time, Progressivism. Progressivism was a political movement that strove to ameliorate the circumstances of the average citizen, especially workers, by governmental business regulation, shared various aspects with Populism, and seen in Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas and actions.

Theodore Roosevelt declared in a 1910 speech that the government should be “the steward of the public welfare.” Efforts of the progressive movement were 3 fold. The first was to make government cleaner, less corrupt, and more democratic. The 2nd was attempts to amend the effects of industrialization. The last were efforts to rein in corporate power. Progressivism grew out of dismay and a desire to fix what many saw as a broken system. (Swinth).

The Progressive reform benefited a lot of different types of people and groups. The groups that benefited the most were women in America and African Americans. Women in America benefited because after the Progressive Era had ended, which was roughly in the 1920’s, women rights were a lot different and better. The National American Woman Suffrage Association, (NAWSA), had a goal which was to pass woman suffrage rights at the state level. It also had another goal, which was to promote the right for women to vote in the United States. In 1919, the National American Woman Suffrage Association pushed toward for a constitutional amendment that would give the women of America the right to vote, and in 1920 it ended up working out and they won the ratification of the Nineteenth

Theodore Roosevelt, while delivering his speech at The New Nationalism brought out the idea that hard labor should be rewarded by good income and the uplift of humanity is based on the provision of all the rights of equal payment to the common man. Theodore Roosevelt would react to the unequal payment issues in such a way that he would declare that the advance of humanity happens to be in the major conflict between those who