Progressivism : Improving Society One Step At A Time

Progressivism was a social movement before it was a political movement. The words that best exemplify this are by John D. Rockefeller whom stated that, “Failures which a man makes in his life are due almost always to some defect in his personality, some weakness of body, mind, or character, will, or temperament.” This statement will eventually lead to become an ironic statement for the middle-class workers of the 19th century. It seemed to echo in the minds of many as people would watch the rich leave behind frugality, self-discipline, and charity within their separate lives full of care-free, enticing enjoyment. It would seem that the beginning of the Progressive era began with John D. Rockefeller and his “observation” of the causes of human

Our discussion revolves around the Progressive Era of American history, dated in the early 1900’s. Richard M. Abrams author of The Failure of Progressivism, and The Progressive Era: American Society 1900-1914’s Wynn, are two scholars who gave their humble opinion to the question of was progressivism a failure. Abrams believed progressivism failed simply because American society was still scarred from heinous acts committed towards certain groups and refusal to deal with this held back any progress to be made; whereas Wynn believed that society was more prosperous due to social upheaval for almost all minuscule groups by those groups in American society—almost all. Abrams was correct in his analysis, progressivism did fail simply because to achieve something would be to make sure all of your goals are met; progressives strived to ensure certain goals were met but failed because they did not incorporate disenfranchised groups such as the African Americans and immigrants, while claiming mass success for those who fit the ideals of a typical American as Wynn did in his analysis.

America by far is the most diverse country on the face of the earth. America today is known for freedom, equality, democracy, and a defender against tyranny. The foundation of American values lay in a belief of independence, nationalism, capitalism, and religion. However, many conflicts have arisen over these values in the past. Capitalism and other characteristics have made America great, but they have brought about their own set of inequalities. Those inequalities have deep roots in race, culture, gender, and wealth. In the 1800s two of the biggest conflict lies with the issue of slavery and women’s rights.

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.

One common misconception is to view the Progressive movement as a unified core of reform-minded crusaders dedicated to improving the social welfare of American society. While this viewpoint is not entirely incorrect, it is only a partial and thereby misleading assessment of the movement that categorized the early part of the nineteenth-century. What some may fail to appreciate is the duality of the period-the cry for social welfare reforms juxtaposed against the demand for optimum efficiency through scientific controls.

The Progress movement or as many refer to as the Progressive era, was a time frame where Americans joined in varying groups to advocate reform across the United States. To elaborate, Progressives believed in widespread change for child labor, industrialization, government, racial reform, and women’s rights. Countless stories of corruption in these areas were brought to light in the Progressive era mostly due to the published writings of Muckrakers. Muckrakers, were journalists who wrote for popular magazines that attempted to expose corrupt political activities from their investigative journalism. Furthermore, I will discuss and compare these groups and their attempts for changes in the rights of child labor, women, acknowledgment of corrupt government practices, racial relations, and industrialization reform.

While some citizens of the United States, between 1825 and 1850, believed that reform was foolish and that the nation should stick to its old conduct, reformists in this time period still sought to make the United States a more ideally democratic nation. This was an age of nationalism and pride, and where there was pride in one’s country, there was the aspiration to improve one’s country even further. Many new reformist and abolitionist groups began to form, all attempting to change aspects of the United States that the respective groups thought to be unfair or unjust. Some groups, such as lower and middle class women and immigrants, sought to improve rights within the county, while other reformers aspired to change the American education

In the time period of 1900’s throughout the 1920's, the governmental system and economic with social rapid industrialization conflicts were introduced to America. Progressivism initiated as a social movement with elite women and cultivated into a political evolution.Their initial goals were regarded as with the concerns society encountered: class warfare, poverty, greed, racism, and clashes within genders could best be attempted by proffering a dynamic workplace excluding discrimination, a healthy environment, and political innovation.

The period between Reconstruction and World War I was a time of tremendous social, economic, and cultural change in the United States. The end of the Civil War, the shrinking of the frontier, the rise of immigration, and the rapid growth of industry that characterized this time period brought many issues of race, class, and status to the forefront of politics. Many different opinions came to light about what it means to be an American and the dynamic between the American individual and American society. The differing answers to these questions created both divisions and unifications between different races, classes, and political parties. Through careful analysis of historical documents from the period, it is evident that society owes all individuals basic civil rights and the ability to make a living through harnessing their skills in the workplace. Conversely, the individual owes society work that benefits society as a whole and participation in government through suffrage.

The Gilded Age was one of the most dynamic and controversial periods in American history. With the growth of factories in the north, America’s economy increased at an unbelievable rate. This growth created a series of new opportunities for some but also left many workers and farmers to struggle in poverty and harsh conditions. As one groups continued to grow more and more wealthy, the other continued to grow poorer and poorer. This created a huge disparity between the rich and the poor. As this phenomenon continued it created many problems such as monopolies, racist and sexist laws, filthy city conditions, and child labor. To try to remedy these problems, the Progressive Movement was started. By initiating reforms in many aspects of American

In 1958, a man named George Mowry explains s economic, social, and political divisions of the progressivism movement. The progressivism movement ties in a lot with our society today and shows how history does indeed repeat itself. Mowry describes the good, and bad of progressivism, but emphasizes the bad. Mowry is really trying to exhibit the differences between capitalism and socialism in his essay and explain why progressivism is not good for the well being and future of America, which can be proven today but our economic instability and division as a nation. More importantly however Mowry displays how progressives try to create, “heaven on earth” by their moral actions.

The Progressive movement was based mainly on the improvement of human nature and businesses were treating many workers badly. Many muckrakers worked to end the terrible conditions that many workers

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 great Chinese philosopher Confucius stated, “ Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” When observing the transformation the United States has undergone over centuries, great reforms have been made. Pinpointing a specific time is from 1890 to 1916. This period marks the transformation from the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era. The Progressive Era arrived as a result of the social, political, and economic turbulence brought by the industrialization that occurred during the Gilded Age. The imperative topics addressed during the transformation were the relenting labor question, political corruption, and gender roles within American society. These matters jointly brought many reformers, social groups,

In the late nineteenth century, America was a country in its prime of industrialization and immigration influx. Known as the Gilded Age, this period defined the United States as the bustling powerhouse it is today, but at the cost of many social and political injustices that lay underneath the guise of the “American dream”. Among the urbanization and booming industry, there was national and racial discrimination, gender inequality, child exploitation and labor,