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Progressivism During The Progressive Era

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In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, America struggled with finding comfort and equality through mass industrial maltreatment, political duels, and hypocrisies; this point in time is what historians named Progressive Era (1890- 1920). In this era, it was believed that America was in dire need of improvement in areas such as the economy, government, and social justice. Progressivism contributed in changing how people viewed government and inspired many to fight for their right to be; however, progressivism was subject to bias, being influenced by Christian morals, which featured racial, ethnic, and class prejudices. Still the people took action and ignited reforms across the nation that changed the texture of American society …show more content…

In this period of time, the only voices that could be heard were those who could afford to be heard. Politicians were chosen by inner circle party leaders, which makes the selection process look like a political game of king of the hill; however, with the rise of direct democracy and the expansion of federal power, progressives were able to get their foot in the door and voices heard, with some of the voices coming from the unsanitary and unsafe depths of factories. Imagine being anywhere between ten and fifteen years old, being sent by your parents to work after a day at grade school (953); this is what children understood as normal, even though the work conditions were dangerous and tedious. Since then, the National Child Labor Committee have established laws that prohibit the employment of children (953). Children were not the only ones to have their work schedules adjusted though; women also saw a regulation in work, due to pregnancies and leaving their children at home unsupervised. What progressives continued to supervise was income tax. There was an economic inequality in tax rates, so an idea came about stating that a two percent tax on incomes of more than $4,000 should be established to evenly distribute wealth. William Howard Taft, following Theodore Roosevelt’s public support, got the idea passed by Congress which was later ratified …show more content…

Sadly, Roosevelt was still subject by the racism of the time. Roosevelt, whether ignorance or cowardice, chose to ignore the topic during his presidency; however, he invited Booker T. Washington, one of the country’s most influential black leaders at the time, to the White House to discuss appointments (963). After he ended his term, Wilson was elected and repaired the economy with the acts that he passed but assured Americans that the actions he took regarding minority groups and women were out of ignorance. Wilson, being a southerner, already had a disposition for African Americans, as far as supporting more segregation in the workplace. In fact, he tried his hardest to disfranchise black voters and went on to express his opposition towards the Fifteenth Amendment, which grants voting rights to every American citizen despite race, ethnicity, and religion (978). Wilson also redirected the right of women’s suffrage toward the states as opposed to the presidency, claiming that it was up to the states to designate a voting right for women and not in an amendment

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