The Promotion of Diversity in Post Civil War America

This essay examines the efforts to promote unity and diversity in Post Civil War America, highlighting the roles of the Progressive and Agrarian Populist Movements. It discusses how these movements aimed to address social issues, economic inequality, and political corruption, ultimately contributing to the concept of America as a melting pot. The Progressive Movement, spanning from 1890 to 1920, sought to eradicate social evils and address issues related to immigration, economic disparities, and political corruption, achieving successes in areas such as suffrage and labor rights. The Agrarian Populist Movement of the 1890s focused on the problems faced by farmers during the Great Depression, advocating for fiscal and agricultural policies to protect their interests. The essay also notes the influence of the Progressive Era on subsequent civil rights movements, such as those led by Martin Luther King. The essay concludes that both movements were crucial in shaping the American society post-Civil War.

Running head: PROMOTION OF DIVERSITY IN THE POST CIVIL WAR PERIOD
Promotion of Diversity in the Post Civil War Period
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1PROMOTION OF DIVERSITY IN THE POST CIVIL WAR PERIOD
Slavery, Sectarianism, a growing sentiment of having more rights for the states were the
prime reasons behind consolidating the secessionist forces in America, which finally led to the
four year Civil War from 1861 to 1865 (Porter 2017). In the Post Civil War period, the primary
concern was to instill the spirit of unity and diversity in the country. It was during that the idea of
America being a melting pot of cultures gained currency, and efforts both at the societal and the
political level were undertaken for the purpose. The concern herein is to discuss the role of the
Progressive and the Agrarian Populist Movements in forging the spirit of unity in the country.
The Progressive Movement spanned from 1890 to 1920 (Porter 2017). It was basically a
civil society movement which aimed at the eradication of certain social evils which was deemed
as detrimental to the harmonious co-existence of various ethnicities that resided in the country.
The movement harped upon launching attack on several social issues which involved, the
removal of economic inequality induced by rampant industrialization and the consequent swift
urbanization; devoting a deep insight into the problems caused by immigration which basically
concerned itself with tackling issues like assimilation and naturalization; and also forcing the
government to give up on the corrupt political practices which sought to divide people, vested
with selfish interests (DeWitt 2017). The movement had achieved success in terms of universal
adult suffrage, bridging the problem of gender inequality, and in bringing about an improvement
in the living and working conditions of the labour class by introducing unionization and putting
an end to child labour (Porter 2017). Despite having a noble motive, the movement was highly
fragmented and full of contradictions which caused the political leaders to be pitted against each
other. The movement had incorporated too many agendas to be addressed which was why it had
failed to address the problem of racialism and the tension between the Africans and the Whites

2PROMOTION OF DIVERSITY IN THE POST CIVIL WAR PERIOD
(Porter 2017). Nevertheless, the movement did prove to be watershed moment for the entire
nation, and a basis for demand for civil rights and equality for future generations.
It would not be unjustified to say that the Agrarian populist movement of the 1890s had
derived inspiration form the Progressive Movement in tackling the specific problems that
persisted in the agricultural sector, namely, the economic problems that the farmers were facing
as a result of the Great Depression (McCarty, Poole and Rosenthal 2016). The Movement had
been successful in making the government pass several fiscal and agricultural policies that
ensured, that the farmers got the due share of their sale price; regulation of the banks and the
corporations so that the negative cascading effects of the Great Depression does not affect them
(McCarty, Poole and Rosenthal 2016). The movement had thus been significant as under the
headship of the People’s Party it had effected a betterment of the conditions of the farmers in the
country (DeWitt 2017). Similarly, the civil rights of the Blacks, spearheaded by Martin Luther
King was also a legacy of the Progressive Era (DeWitt 2017). This demonstrates the fact that the
Progressive Movement had inspired quite a lot of issue-specific, autonomous movements in the
country which had eventually restored unto the people the rights they deserved.

3PROMOTION OF DIVERSITY IN THE POST CIVIL WAR PERIOD
References
Porter, K., 2017. Press Coverage of Internal Divisions Over Reform Judaism, 1905-1920: A
Classic Tale of the American Progressive Movement. Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara
University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II, 22(1), p.11.
DeWitt, B.P., 2017. The progressive movement: A non-partisan comprehensive discussion of
current tendencies in American politics. Routledge.
McCarty, N., Poole, K.T. and Rosenthal, H., 2016. Polarized America: The dance of ideology
and unequal riches. mit Press.