The Progressive Era

The Progressive Era Was a time of reform and change in the United States that went on from 1890 to 1920. Progressivism was a group of different ideas concerning how to fix the problems In American society. The major goals of the progressives were to promote morality, economic reform, efficiency and social welfare. Progressives did have different beliefs but they all looked for change and that is what kept them together.

Muckrakers were a big way for people to stay informed about the wrongdoings in society. Muckrakers were Progressives writers who exposed the corrupt politicians and also pressured them into introducing new reforms. Some of the most famous muckrakers of the Progressives Era were Jacob Riis and Upton Sinclair who wrote books on the way people lived in poverty and the conditions in factories. Some differences that progressives had were that some wanted government to become more efficient by applying the principles of scientific management. Robert La Follette the governor of Wisconsin was one of the people who wanted more democracy and pressured his state to require political parties to hold a direct primary.

Another big movement during the Progressive Era was the women's suffrage movement which began to get attention in the early 1900s. Women began protesting and also would go on hunger strikes to get recognized. Alice Paul the leader of the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was one of the leaders of these types of protest. The senate finally took women seriously by passing the 19 th Amendment on August 26, 1920 which guaranteed the right to vote for women.

Other movement that happened during the progressive era were some like social welfare. The people who agreed with this were people who wanted to stop child labor and to put regulations on the big business. A temperance act was also created in this time and many new laws were put in use to make sure that many problems in the community were fixed. Women helped enforce these laws after gaining their right to vote.

Theodore Roosevelt was a big leader in the Progressive movement. Roosevelt moved through offices very quickly because of his fame as a war hero and then moved to the presidency after the assassination of president Mickinley in 1901. Roosevelt was known for braking up company trusts like Northern Securities, a railroad trust. Roosevelt was known as the trust- buster among the business owners. In 1902 a coal strike began with the United Mine Workers which left the people of America freezing and desperate for heat, Roosevelt had to intervene for the best of the country and created federal arbitration between unions and employers. After the book "The Jungle" was published, Roosevelt pushed congress to pass many new reforms like the Meat Inspection Act, The Pure Food Act, Drug Act and also created new departments of commerce like the interstate commerce commission (ICC) and also the labor with a Bureau of corporations that could investigate corporations. Teddy Roosevelt also conserved over 50 wildlife sanctuaries and park that are still her today and he also set many new foreign acts. Roosevelt made the U.S. the police of the Americas and made sure that no foreign countries would try to take over or enforce any rules on any country of the Americas. Roosevelt built the Panama Canal during his time in office as well. The Panama Canal allowed the U.S. to transport supplies from coast to coast.

The Progressive Era changed the U.S. in many ways that are still used today. The American society and welfare of people are better because progressives fought to establish rights for workers and women and to make sure that child labor was ended. Theodore Roosevelt also established many wildlife sanctuaries and parks. Roosevelt not only conserved our natural treasures but also made sure that the U.S. became a great power in the world. In the Progressive Era not much is mentioned about African Americans but there was some people fighting for their rights like Booker T. Washington who was an educator, author and a leader spokesperson for African Americans during this time. Without progressives and the Progressive Era this country would not be as great as it is today.

Sources

1)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/progressive_era

2)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/theodore_roosevelt