The Progressive Era: A Period of Social and Political Reform

The Progressive Era was a period of social and political reform in the United States from 1890 to 1920. It was a response to social and economic problems and aimed to address issues such as corporate greed, political corruption, and inequality. Progressives, including protestant church leaders, union leaders, African Americans, and activists, believed in the power of government to bring about change. They advocated for reforms such as suffrage, consumer protection, and workers' rights. The movement also saw the active participation of women, who fought for political and social equality. The legacy of the Progressive Era includes the strengthening of the national government and the enactment of laws that protect consumers and workers.

The Progressive Era
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The term progressivism is recognized as a response to social and economic problems. The
progressive era was a period of communal engagement and political restructuring which
spanned from the year 1890 to 1920s. It originated as a social measure and turned into
political reform when introduced into the United States. These reforms have fetched key
changes in American politics and government. Progressives are the reformers which include
protestant church leaders, union leaders, African Americans, and activists. These people have
taken the first inclusive effort within the American context to report the problem faced after
the occurrence of urban and industrialized society. They believed that the problems faced by
people can be eliminated by educating people and creating a safe and efficient workplace.
They were the powerful voices of progressivism and believed that government is the best tool
to address the problems faced by the American people. They mainly lived in the cities and
were college educated (DeWitt, 2017).
The major concern of the progressives was to strengthen the national government and make it
more responsive to the communal, political and economic difficulties of the country. They
believed that the opportunities are not equally accessible in the United States and has
increased the business power which has endangered the liberty of the individuals to earn their
living. The reformers believed in exposing the evils of corporate greed and combatting the
fear of immigrants. They encouraged the public to fight for the vote and fight political
corruption (Sadovnik and Semel, 2016).
To address the concerns, the progressives encouraged a new leading philosophy it stressed on
shared responsibilities and obligations. The progressives called for the rebuilding of
American politics to develop a direct link between government officials and community
opinion. They commanded a restoring of governing organizations so that the authority of
state governments and Congress could be subordinated to autonomous executive power that

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can be more responsive and address the fluctuating social and monetary conditions of the
country (Sadovnik and Semel, 2016).
The intellectual basis of the movement was to breakdown the control of the privileged groups
such as extended suffrage, direct election of the politicians, direct primaries and referendum
process. The economic reform was undertaken to balance the control of business and fight the
discrimination measures. The policies were designed by the reformers because the country
suffered various economic depressions, low wages, unsafe consumer products, lack of
collective bargaining power, tenement living, poor working conditions, and rising poverty
(Reese, 2013).
In the late nineteenth and twentieth century, the participation of females in the progressive
era increased. Women’s from all backgrounds including black and white, immigrants and
native-born Americans joined the national organizations. This lead to the growth of the
organizations such as the National American Woman Suffrage Association, National
Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage and National Association of Colored Women. The
woman became leaders in a variety of political and social actions from the year 1890 to 1920.
The women have participated in the movement to end the political corruption, increase
government intervention and improve the life of the individuals (Reese, 2013).
The two examples of women reformers include Jane Addams and Margaret Sanger. Jane
Addams is considered as a prominent reformer who was a co-founder of Chicago’s Hull
house and is awarded a Nobel peace prize. She addressed the issues faced by the mother such
as the wants of the children, world peace and health of the local community. She focused on
the involvement of the government to provide proper sanitation and schooling to the children.
She focused on uplifting the community and providing the voting right to the women’s
(Featherstone et al, 2012).

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Another example of successful women reformer is Ida B. Wells-Barnet is considered as a
prominent journalist and activist who battled against racism, sexism, and violence. She
focused on the conditions of African Americans throughout the south. She focused on
promoting equality and investigates the reasons why black people are not treated equally. She
joined African American leaders to refuse the Worlds Columbian Exposition. She focused on
providing equal justice to the blacks also focused on providing rights to the women’s
(Milkman, 2013).
The movement of progressivism into politics focused on enhancing the power of the
government so as to reduce the power of the corporate and regulated the actions of the
industries. It involves the protection of the workers and the consumers by passing the
substantive legislation and amendments in the US constitution. It strengthened the protection
of consumers and workers by the application of various laws (Milkman, 2013).
The specific political reformer includes Theodore Roosevelt who considers himself as a
Republican reformer. He is well recognized for consumer protection, protection of resources
and regulator of corporations. He is admired for handling the 1902 coal strike and was
influential in ending the Russo-Japanese war. He is considered as the greatest US president
and has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Another politician reformer is Charles Evans
Hughes who was an American statement and has accomplished many positions degrees in
lives such as he was the 11th chief justice of the United States, the 44th United States
secretary and 36th governor of New York (Featherstone et al, 2012).
After the completion of the progressive era, the progressives did not address all the evils of
the twentieth century. The problems of minorities in America was not resolved by the
suffrage advocates, political leaders and the labor reformers who are bringing change to the
life of Americans. The color line in America is the most frustrating issue but the leaders were

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not able to resolve it due to lack of help from progressives. The minority right and race
relation became the prominent exception to the progressive push for reform (Schuh et al,
2012).
In the southern States of America, various laws and regulations were used to prevent black
citizens from registering to vote. The progressives in the southern part pushed for
disfranchisement because the whites purchased the votes from blacks. In North America, the
Oregon system was followed under which the progressives focused on involving government
and being more responsive to the needs of the individuals (Garver, 2016).
The legacy of the progressive movement is reflected when the life of the individuals get
better in America and the role of government was higher. The power was shifted from the
businesses to the government and has enacted various laws that provide protection to the
consumer and the labor. It improved the lifestyle of humans and provides the right to vote. It
started with social reform and got converted into political reform (Schuh et al, 2012).
The progressive movement has helped in redefining the US by developing the laws and the
policy that controls the actions of the business and lessen their power. The intervention of the
government increased and various efforts are being taken by the active progressives to
provide justice to all. The women got the opportunity to vote and showcased the active
participation in the movement. It created a balance between the powers and helped in
providing quality life and uplifting of the community. The progressive movement developed
various sanitation facilities and laid greater emphasis on the education of the people (Garver,
2016).

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References
DeWitt, B.P., (2017) The progressive movement: A non-partisan comprehensive discussion of
current tendencies in American politics. Routledge
Featherstone, D., Ince, A., Mackinnon, D., Strauss, K. and Cumbers, A., (2012) Progressive
localism and the construction of political alternatives. Transactions of the Institute of British
Geographers, 37(2), pp.177-182
Garver, L., (2016) Hulme among the Progressives. In TE Hulme and the Question of
Modernism (pp. 141-156). Routledge
Milkman, R., (2013) Women, work, and protest: a century of US women's labor history.
Routledge
Reese, W.J., (2013) In search of American progressives and teachers. History of
education, 42(3), pp.320-334
Sadovnik, A. and Semel, S. (2016) Founding mothers and others: Women educational
leaders during the progressive era. Springer
Schuh, C., Burchardt, M. and Wohlrab-Sahr, M., (2012) Contested secularities: Religious
minorities and secular progressivism in the Netherlands. Journal of Religion in Europe, 5(3),
pp.349-383