The Case Of Jesse Washington

The Progressive era was a massive turning point in America’s history. The suffrage movement, Scopes Monkey Trial, and prohibition all had a large impact on America. Each event had a unique effect on the future and we still see the effects of these events today.

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.

They also thought the disreputable events that were publicized by Muckrakers and the “antibusiness emotion” made progressivism prosper. Link and McCormick go on to explain we must differentiate each reform in the progressive movement and examine its reasoning and outcomes afterwards. Like Abrams, they too believe science affected the reforms and referred to the new knowledge of social science. Link and McCormick stand by the multiple failures of the progressive movement by stating, “the effort to change so many things all at once, and the grandiose claims made for the moral and material betterment which would result, meant that disappointments were bound to occur." Backing up their reason for not entirely blaming the reformers for the failure of progressive movement because they had attempted alternative methods. Link and McCormick also remind us that the progressives published their failures for others to see and remark upon. The progressives recognized each cultural group in the U.S. had different interests, hindering the collaboration of the nation as a whole. Abrams thought similarly except that our nation was forcing the different cultures to be more Anglo-Protestant. Link and McCormick acknowledge the progressives failed to remove social clash and their reforms did not complete the intent that they were made for. But the progressives had small accomplishment and “brought major innovations to almost every facet of public life in the United States." The

Although the Progressive Era managed to solve much of the backwater left over from Industrialization, it failed in regards to discrimination. America would have to wait decades later for the issue of civil equality to truly be addressed. Due to the apathy of the politicians during that time, the desperate need for a scapegoat, and the hypocrisy people displayed when confronted with the topic, the movement that was intended to achieve “progress” in society completely forgot about equality.

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

Women made substantial progress during this era, but African Americans were severely limited in their fight for civil rights. The black population saw little to no advancement in their fight for civil rights, as progressives were known to share the prejudices of the time and considered other reform movements more important and beneficial to society. A leader in the African American community, W.E.B. Dubois pointed out in The Crisis that progressive reforms had failed short in its ideals for civil rights equality, as blacks were still oppressed and segregated. (DOC I) Black men were being drafted into war and serving gladly for their country, yet only saw further segregation under the Wilson presidency. However, the women’s rights movement was a powerful and the driving force of the progressive era. The phrase “New Women” was created to describe the young, college educated women who were pursuing careers and looking for equality. It was primarily middle class women who drove the reforms of this time, and it was through groups such as The National American Women Suffrage Association and the National Women’s Party that they fought for equal rights, like the right to vote.

Progressivism is a political movement and what it caused was rights that everyone deserved. Strikes happened because there were no rights to protect and make employees comfortable in their working environment. Progressive reform on the other hand made it so Capitalists could no longer suppress the problems that they produced. These unimaginable injustices toward the people by capitalists and government is what really sparked the progressive reform movement and lead to things like strikes. Desperation for change became critical in the new progressive era. John Spargo, a progressive muckraker and an active socialist, focused his reform efforts on improving lives of poor children. A quote from a book he wrote in 1908 advocated government controls over the distribution and pasteurization of milk to protect the health of babies and children. What spargo said in this quote was “...plea for action; to waken...dormant and neglected powers and impulses...need to be called into active cooperation in order that evils may be remedied.”(doc 4) Spargo, like many other Americans, wished to fix ills and asked for action to change the way of life for the better. This shows how

Prior to the Progressive Movement, there were a lot of problems across the United States. People didn’t have proper living conditions, children had to work, the government chose whoever they wanted as senator, and monopolies controlled almost the whole industry. Before the Progressive Movement happened, people across the United States were suffering because of the condition they were in.

The Progressive Era cannot be characterized by one single event or person, but it certainly experienced multiple events and people who swam with high velocity in the sea of reformation. People such as Jane Addams, Teddy Roosevelt, and W.E.B DuBois led the progressive movement with their outspoken ideas and impact on the era. Events and works such as The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, Muller vs Oregon, and the Clayton Antitrust Act stand out as important and pivotal to the era. Between 1900 and 1920, many successful attempts at progressive legislature were led to enact overall moral and social reform throughout the United States, as evident in the growth of democracy, regulation of business, as well as the growth of women’s and worker’s rights. While many successful outcomes are believed to have come about during this era, the clear outlier is that of the livelihood of the African Americans, and how the government turned its back on an entire race for the better part of the 20th century.

The Progressive Era was a thirty year period in which the United States was completely reformed. Actions were taken to improve working conditions for laborers, create a sexually unbiased work system and regulate the economy. President Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson both helped create a more direct democracy in which the people would have a voice. During those thirty years, amendments 16 to 19 were ratified to regulate and reform the country. Muckrakers were writers who worked for the printing companies exposed the public to all of the corruption that was occurring both openly and behind closed doors. By exposing the public to the corruption, American society was enlightened and inspired to reform itself.

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

Throughout America's history, there have been numerous social and political movements that have had a profound and lasting impact on American culture. Movements such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Women's Suffrage Movement have influenced and shaped American ideals and beliefs. These movements were typically driven by a cause. From the 1890s to the 1920s, a period of social and political reform flourished in America. This was driven by the desire to eliminate corruption in the government. People wanted to have a positive impact on society and they wanted to speak up for what they believed in. This era was a pivotal turning point in the history of the United States. This era was known as the Progressive Era.

The Progressive Era was a term used to describe a time period that had numerous reforms to correct the problems of the country. The origins of this time period was created from the lower class aiming to, “eliminate corruption in government, regulate business practices, address health hazards, and improve working conditions.” Not only did the lower class support reform, but middle class workers too because they were in competition with immigrants for jobs or they were women struggling for the same rights that men had. Another reform Progressives wanted was the right to a direct say in the primaries of elections so the public had more control within government. With more control in the government, this would allow the power of big corporation to be limited and prevent future problems that the middle and lower classes could endure. These goals the reformers had in the Progressive Era, led to a plethora of movements and actions in

In November 1917, Carrie Chapman Catt, leader of National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), gave an address to the United States Congress expressing her belief that woman’s suffrage was inevitable, and requesting that Congress see it as such and vote to pass the amendment. Catt’s speech was based on facts and figures (ethos) from our own country’s history, logic, reasoning, and common sense (logos); it was hard for any man to argue with, which was her goal. Catt had given hundreds of speeches in her life, and in this case, she planned her approach to be factual and unemotional to get through to those that thought of women as

During this time, lynching was used to control, intimidate, and manipulate a certain group of people, striking fear into their hearts.