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The Progressive Era History

1. background.

In the late 1800s, the United States went through a dramatic change that took the country from an agrarian society into an industrial powerhouse. This time of economic and social change is what the book "The Progressive Era" is all about. Mowry's purpose in this book was to show that the Progressive Era was a direct result of major social and economic change and explain how the political climate and diplomatic contributions to the era revolved around there being a great domestic shift in the U.S. The time frame Mowry researched for this book was from 1890-1914. The main points revolve around social changes that were brought on from immigration, the rise of urban culture, and he states that the main contributor for political change was the shift from state authority to national state and from competitive government to more oriented democracy. "The shift from agrarian to an urban-industrial society and from local competitive politics to national administrative politics are keys to the era" (Mowry, pg. 3). Mowry used statistics from that era that showed US population shifted from a majority rural to a majority urban and it was mainly due to Western and Southern European immigrants. From 1890-1910, some 14 million immigrants entered the US. Western European immigrants entered the factory workforce while Eastern and Southern immigrants flooded lower paying jobs. The temptation of economic prosperity led bosses to believe that the American way was success and nothing was considered to be more American than the hustle of business and the free market, but the major ethnic diversity led to divided communities and conflict. Mowry states that many believed that rejuvenation of the political system was the only way to end scattered corruption and disgraceful city conditions. He explains that this is what emphasized national growth in the early 20th-century politics and inspired more "service-minded" men to seek office.

1.1. Social and Economic Conditions

Introduction 1.1 Social and Economic Conditions 1.2 Political Climate 1.3 Reform Movements The Progressive Era marked a time of transition and instability, as well as a time for progression and positive change. This was a time of economic and social revolution; a time where America went from an agricultural to an industrial society. The progressive movement was caused by labor, immigrants, and urbanization due to the dramatic changes in the social and economic conditions. It was evident that the previous systems were not working effectively and that America needed change. People were suffering on a massive scale. They were working unreasonable hours in horrible conditions and were not getting paid enough to sustain themselves or their families. Many health risks were posed in the workplace, disease was prevalent, and death was a common occurrence. It was said that conditions for the average man were worse than conditions for slaves before the Civil War. There was a tremendous gap between the rich and the poor. The rich minority held all the power and wealth, and the poor majority were left high and dry with nothing. The middle class was extremely small. This was a new concept for America, with its previous state being a collection of workers, farmers, and slaves. The rich were out to maximize profits and were taking no pity on their workers or the conditions in the workplace. This profit-hungry mentality was a trademark of the new industrial era. While it had its positive effects on America, it left a lot of people suffering and was cause for the need of change.

1.2. Political Climate

The political climate during the Progressive Era was about tension between two kinds of groups who wanted to reform the role of the government in American life. On one side, progressives, who were mainly middle-class business people who were tired of increasingly high corruption, wanted to clean up the process of politics and create a more efficient government that was more responsive to the people. On the other side were populists and socialists, who were often working-class citizens who wanted to increase public participation in government. Progressives had mixed feelings about public opinion. Some viewed it paternalistically and thought that society needed leadership from intelligent expert-trained leaders to guide the public to the best solutions, while others still thought that public opinion was essential and government should still cater to the needs of the people. Populists tried to increase participation by calling for greater use of direct democracy such as initiatives, referendums, and recalls, which allow citizens to vote on proposed legislation, amend state constitutions, and remove elected officials from office. Despite the differences between many progressives and populists, the existence of people wanting reform and to purify politics was evident. This push for change in the way politics were conducted was essential to the development of the American welfare state, especially with regards to legislation pertaining to food and drug safety and working conditions.

1.3. Reform Movements

Certainly the United States had a long history of reform campaigns and movements, but the Progressive Era was particularly rich in this aspect. Muckraking magazines - in this case, not an insult but a term of art from the period - such as McClure's, Everybody's, and Cosmopolitan, were written to appeal to a literate, urban middle class, and succeeded in doing so. Some of the best writing of the period is to be found in their pages, and a number of them employed some of the leading social scientists of the day. The magazine fiction and nonfiction of the day was a natural lead-in to the "Social Gospel" movement, which started at approximately the same time. This movement fused religious doctrine with reform, and it is best exemplified in the creation of the National Association of Colored Women in 1896. A great milestone in the early Progressive Era was the "Shame of the Cities" (1904) by Lincoln Steffens. Steffens was a muckraking reporter who launched a series of articles in McClure's that were later published together in a book. His articles unmasked the corrupt alliance between big business and municipal government. He concluded that the only way out of this morass was expert, disinterested governance, and the best point of entry for this was the city manager system, a topic taken up by political scientists of the era and the progressives who eventually managed to install this innovation in a number of cities. The years between 1900 and 1920 were perhaps the most auspicious time for sociological research in American history. Many of the earliest American sociologists were reform-minded and were allied with the progressives; their research was used for reform purposes. Upton Sinclair's account of the stockyards in The Jungle was facilitative of the first of two milestone pieces of legislation during this period. The first was the Meat Inspection Act of 1906, and the second was the Pure Food and Drug Act. The last and most enduring reform movement of the Progressive Era was that of conservation. Although conservation had been on the national agenda at one time or another for over 30 years, the movement reached its apogee in the first two decades of the 20th century. The inherent paradox in the movement was that its protagonist, Gifford Pinchot, was President Theodore Roosevelt's chief forester and a longtime confidant. It was the agriculture professor and fiery polemicist Liberty Hyde Bailey who once labeled the effort to reconcile conservation and use of natural resources "the struggle for the public right". On one side of the movement were those, including Pinchot and later President Taft, who wished to rationalize the use of resources through scientific management and still keep much public land. On the other side under the leadership of John Muir was a wilderness-preservation effort, which was the exact opposite in that it sought to set aside public lands as national parks. Such a dichotomy was due to the differing values held by the utilitarian Gilded Age generation and the rising generation of new values during the early 20th century. It was the Hetch Hetchy dam affair, however, that rendered the conservation movement a failure. Although the national park was created by act of Congress, it allowed the dam to be built in the park's borders and its reservoir flooded the valley.

2. Progressive Legislation

Progressive leaders felt that their democratic convictions required a more direct attack on economic and social abuses. During its national political phase from 1900 to 1918, the progressive movement produced wide-ranging legislation at the local, state, and national levels. The purpose of this legislation was to destroy corrupt political bosses, democratize the political system, eliminate business monopolies, and disperse and decentralize wealth and power. The most noteworthy progressive legislation focused on strengthening the national government, and it came during the two terms of President Woodrow Wilson. Heavily influenced by Democratic Senator Benjamin Ryan Tillman of South Carolina, Wilson tirelessly pursued a more democratic society in the US through aggressive domestic policies. "New Freedom" was the title Wilson bestowed upon his dynamic progressive program. Wilson's focus on reducing the tariff schedule was an effort to lower prices in US markets and provide lower-income families with sorely needed relief. Primarily, this legislation was centered on abolishing the free list of 122 items (which were mostly raw materials and foodstuffs) and reducing tariff rates on goods to an average of 26 percent. Although Wilson achieved great successes by finally setting rates for certain goods at levels lower than they had been during the Civil War, these measures were not as effective as they might have been, primarily because the Underwood Act was greatly altered by special interest lobbyists who had tremendous influence over Congress. However, the act did introduce a better administrative tax law with the creation of a sixteenth amendment. This amendment permitted a graduated income tax which was to be 1-6 percent depending on annual income. This was an extremely significant piece of legislation, which would later lead to financial independence for the government and away from big businesses. It is now the most important source of federal revenue and is paramount in the distribution of wealth in the US.

2.1. Antitrust Laws

One of the major fears of the American people during the Gilded Age was the consolidation of power into the hands of a few wealthy elite. This fear was not unfounded - in 1904, 1% of corporations controlled 44% of the wealth in the United States. Price fixing, over-regulation of industry, and political corruption were irritants to the public but it was the existence of monopolies that caused the most concern. In a pure monopoly, one firm controls the entire market for a product. This meant that the firm could raise prices without fear of losing customers to another firm, as there existed no other firm. When the market was nearing monopoly but another firm still existed, it was common for the two firms to form "trusts" where the firms agreed not to compete with each other and in effect combine to control prices and production of their respective firms. This was seen by the public as an attack on free enterprise and consumer welfare and was to be remedied by the passing of antitrust acts. President Teddy Roosevelt had always disliked the idea of concentrating wealth, whether it was in his days at Harvard or in his two terms as president. He was the first president to show compassion for the poor, the working class, and the middle class. Therefore, he did not have to think long to decide to act when in 1902, a rate dispute between the Northern Securities Company and the Western states led to them sue the company for a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. They had done this without the consent of Roosevelt, who saw this as a mockery to the authority of the federal government. He ordered his attorney general Philander Knox to bring forth a case against the Northern Securities. In 1904, the case was taken to the Supreme Court where the Northern Securities were found guilty and it was ordered that they be deconsolidated. This victory gave both Roosevelt and his still young administration a boost.

2.2. Labor Laws

On 5 April 1908, the government enacted a law by passing the Federal Employers Prohibition Act, which prohibited the use of child labor under 14 in factories producing goods for interstate commerce and to states selling these goods. The purpose of the Act was significant as previously it had not been established that Congress had any authority to regulate working conditions for children. However, the language of the Act was too vague to be effective. This legislation also defined an employment relationship between common carriers and handlers of interstate commerce and their workers, which was considered to be different from the common law relationship between employer and self-employed servant. This was done so that the government could exert constitutional power over certain employers. Unfortunately, this intention was unsuccessful (Stason, E B., The Labour Clauses). In the years following the War, both anti-war and pro-war opinions continued to influence various State legislatures to enact additional restrictions on child labor. This was often supported by speculative propaganda that claimed child labor was contributing to the high rate of casualties among soldiers. However, these laws were often ineffective. During the War, President Wilson called on Congress to pass federal legislation prohibiting all labor by individuals under the age of 21 in industries producing goods for military use. He particularly emphasized the need to protect Boy Scouts during the war. However, no law was passed and this call was largely ignored (Hoffman, A E, The Child Labour Amendment to the Constitution). During the War, the federal government's enforcement of laws limiting child labor in industries, under Secretary Negro Russell of the Department of the Interior, was more aggressive than in the past. They often pressured industries to voluntarily comply with the laws and tried to avoid litigation over the constitutionality of these laws (Silvey, R W, The Agitation Against Child Labour).

2.3. Consumer Protection Laws

When it comes to consumer protection laws during the Progressive Era, one company comes to mind, and that is the meatpacking industry portrayed in The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair. This book brought about the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act of 1906. Sinclair had intended to bring about socialism, but what he did bring about was the regulation and legislation of the food industry. His description of diseased, rotten, and contaminated meat shocked the public and the president into taking action. The Pure Food and Drug Act prohibited the sale of misbranded or adulterated food and drugs in interstate commerce. It also prohibited the transportation of these commodities across state lines. The Meat Inspection Act required the Department of Agriculture to inspect all meat products that were intended for interstate commerce. This also required the labeling of meat products to include the ingredients. These two laws helped to prevent the manufacture and sale of unwholesome food and drugs. This was the first time that any type of consumer protection laws were enacted in the United States, and they are aimed to protect the public health and safety. Another example of consumer protection legislation during the Progressive Era is the establishment of the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC was created in 1914 with the enactment of the Federal Trade Commission Act. This was an independent agency of the United States government, established by Woodrow Wilson. Its purpose was to promote consumer protection and the elimination and prevention of anticompetitive business practices, such as coercive monopoly. It was designed to prevent business practices that were deemed anticompetitive, deceptive, and unfair to consumers; to ensure that a healthy competitive environment was maintained; and to advance economic understanding through monitoring, investigating, and reporting to Congress. Although the FTC does not strictly regulate big business very much anymore, its main principle is still consumer protection today.

3. Key Figures

Theodore Roosevelt is known for an extraordinary array of events and accomplishments. He was, among other things, an author, a cowboy, a soldier, a hunter, and a president. The twenty-sixth president of the United States, he held the nation's highest office from 1901 to 1909, being the first president to serve in the twentieth century. Roosevelt is also known for his "trust busting." It was during his presidency that he dedicated himself to the elimination of monopolies, or "trusts," harmful to the public. In 1902 he took on the Northern Securities Company, a huge railroad monopoly. The suit was a long battle, but in the end the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the U.S. government. This victory helped to bolster Roosevelt's reputation as a "trust buster." Another lasting legacy of his presidency was his conservation policies. In 1908 he hosted the Governors' Conference to the White House to discuss the conservation of natural resources, and at the end of his term he was responsible for conserving 230 million acres of land.

3.1. Theodore Roosevelt

If you were poor, Roosevelt believed, even the law worked against you. "This is not a republic," he concluded, "if we permit class to build up a monopoly." Roosevelt was also haunted by the fear of revolution. To "enlightened" social legislation and responsible trade unionism, he was well disposed, and he invariably sought to distinguish, whether right or wrong, between "good" and "bad" trusts. But these were the "conspiracy against the public" and the ambitious leaders of the wage earners, for whom he thought that they were but pawns, that he largely identified with the movement towards the transformation of free America into social democracy and of industrial capitalism into state socialism, the portents of which he believed he saw in Europe. Inexorably given to facing eventualities, he diligently attempted to quantify the American people's aversion to "class interest" in labor controversies and the soundness of the Progressive prediction that the mere fact of absence of regulation always means sooner or later, the ruin of public by special interest in any dangerous enterprise. Yet he was much more inclined to action against manifest abuses than to the initiation of new policy by statutory regulation. Always looking for the "working law" which could effectively supervise, guide, and control the force of business energy, he was led to believe that it was to be found in the coming judicial administration of the executive and by the increasing portrayal of society as a moral unit with equality of opportunity its aim. In the end, he was disappointed, but he was responsible for much sane home making of a federal and municipal kind, for the stipulation of concrete safeguards to public interest, and for the definite talk of better government. Too systematically suspicious of politicians and political organizations allied to industrial interests in their neutral's attitude towards great social issues, he took a longer view on consumer's sovereignty by hoped in swinging business and public opinion to a hopeless attitude of altruistic service. At the same time, the preaching of peace and war both in the progress of civilization were never far from his thoughts. Hence the two most dramatic acquisitions of his presidency, the prosecution of the Northern Securities Company and the sending of the four home admirals on their famous cruise around the world, brought him into international over domestic. But the excitement in the still slumbering special conscience was the result of the third and last phase his effort, to enter a large life made up of many events which had originally drawn him from the natural history study and conservation of his early years.

3.2. Jane Addams

Born into a well-to-do Illinois family, Addams enrolled as one of the first female students of Rockford College in 1881. Due to illness, she was forced to take time off from school, and upon returning to her studies, Addams found that she was no longer interested in obtaining a degree. She decided instead to engage in a variety of charitable activities in Chicago. Her first major involvement was to organize social services for the urban poor. Her work there was an effort to become involved with the people; she was not offering charity from a distance. This was typical of Addams' attitude towards virtually every issue she was to tackle: justice could not be delivered unless the deliverer was in some sense an advocate of the recipients and was working in or near the situation in which the injustice occurred. Addams was moved to establish Hull-House in September of 1889. She and her college friend, Ellen Gates Starr, moved into a large house in a dilapidated Chicago neighborhood inhabited by recently arrived European immigrants. Addams judged that the neighborhood and its residents could benefit from some kind of community center that would act as a focal point for the largely unstructured lives of the poor. Hull-House was to have an open-door policy, and would seek to improve life in the community through social and civic action. By 1911, there were 400 such centers in the United States. This achievement was due in no small part to the personal force of Addams' leadership. In 1920, she helped to found the American Civil Liberties Union, an organization to which she contributed a great deal of time and energy. Hull-House had thrived despite a constant need to raise funds and a steadily increasing burden of administrative duties which could have, at any time, drained it of its vitality and reduced it to mediocrity. Addams' indomitable spirit and her eagerness to escape administrative duties with direct involvement in various community actions sustained the House at a high level of creativity and effectiveness. By the time of her death in 1935, Addams was widely recognized and respected. She was a frequent public speaker and lecturer, and her efforts were to earn her the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.

3.3. Upton Sinclair

Sinclair was commissioned to write about the harsh conditions surrounding workers in the meatpacking industry. After doing extensive investigative research, Sinclair decided to write a novel which would ruthlessly expose the truth about the industry and its workers. In 1906, "The Jungle" was published in a socialist newspaper. The Jungle turned many popular conceptions of the time on their head. People had known of the conditions of factories, but had especially praised the meatpacking industry for having the most advanced and sanitary factories in America. Sinclair's descriptions of what the workers had to endure, both with the meat and the corrupted political system, were vivid, painful, and shocking to most readers. He intended to demonstrate the effect of capitalism on a world where people had to struggle merely to survive, and the book disgustingly illustrated it. The effect of The Jungle on the meat trust was immediate and far-reaching. There were nationwide recalls of meat products and the government's regulation of the industry was expanded. Though Sinclair had not achieved his stated goal with The Jungle, it is certain he did achieve the second, more immediate goal of his novel. He was lauded as a hero by the public and received much credibility. The book is still widely read today and is accepted for its realistic expose of the industry during that time period. Although Sinclair's momentum sparked from a reputation he never wanted, he was now a major player in muckraking and had already selected his next target, the American system of healthcare and the reaction of a hopeful, penniless peasant family.

3.4. Susan B. Anthony

Anthony was ridiculed and ignored publicly because she spoke in front of a group of men. The treatment by her school prompted her to teach elsewhere. She initially taught for a short time in Eunice Kenyon's Friends Seminary, in New York City. She then taught for two years at Robert E. Cochran's high school for girls in Canajoharie, New York. Her career as a teacher ended early because her family was going through difficult times and her father disappeared to avoid selling some of his belongings to settle his debts. This prompted Susan to obtain a better education to prepare for another occupation. She, like other women, was not allowed to attend most colleges and universities. A few all-female institutions were founded, but their main goal was to educate men. Anthony and her friend Emily Howland collected petitions for equal rights of education for both genders, using verbiage of the New York state law that allowed for the establishment of normal schools if there weren't enough institutions for the education of women. During this time, Anthony continued to have many problems at home in addition to having to provide for herself. She felt she had no true calling, and she learned that in 1849, the state teacher's convention allowed women to speak on the floor. This discovery made Anthony aware of possible careers in teaching or public speaking. Taught by this experience, in 1852, Susan B. Anthony decided it was time to act on women's rights. Two years later, she was an agent of the American Anti-Slavery Society. She was employed to promote the society's position in the state of New York, but she was subjected to continuous threats and extreme acts of violence for her outspoken position. She was not protected by these attacks by the authorities or the man who employed her, William Lloyd Garrison. This job was Anthony's first true experience in the public eye.

4. Impact and Legacy

The transformation of the United States into a more active foreign power happened gradually throughout the 1890s and early 1900s. The Progressive period is essentially a people's movement, a time when concerned Americans sought to bring about significant change. Social welfare history project. This war, specifically the Battle of Santiago, is a noticeable event in the United States becoming a global power. Before the war, America had opened trade routes and broke barriers with other countries, it now had countries that it was involved with as an imperial power. America had taken control and had annexed the Philippines, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. The annexation of these countries into the United States met with great opposition from American Anti-Imperialists, who saw it as an act of betrayal of American values. For the Progressives though it did open an opportunity to export American Traditions to the annexed countries and that perhaps these new territories would contribute to a new enlightened form of American Governance. The United States' progressive ideals were translated into international terms with the help of its new territories. It was believed that America's traditions would act as a guide or a tutor in international affairs. One of the first significant bureaucratic changes brought about by the Progressive era was the establishment of the first independent executive agency. The 1906 Bureau of Corporations was designed to be an investigatory force which would report to the President and recommend prosecution of violators. Another effort made to eliminate corrupt influences from politics was the 17th Amendment, which called for the popular election of Senators. This was a blow to political machines by eliminating their control of senate elections.

4.1. Social and Political Changes

The foundation of the Progressive Era was constructed on social and political discontent. A small collection of reform-minded intellectuals who identified themselves as progressives initiated these ideas. Many progressives sought to generate a stronger role for themselves in the public in order to implement their ideas more efficiently. They sought to change the governing structure by getting rid of what the Governor of Wisconsin, Fighting Bob La Follette, called the "muckrakers" to clean up the government. These changes led to dramatic social and political change. Should generate text only for section "4.1. Social and Political Changes". During the Progressive Era, political and social changes were inevitable. This, in turn, restored the government to being more useful and doing more for the people. With newfound changes and modernizations of the time, the American people were beginning to expect more from their government. The progressive movement was, for the most part, a middle-class movement in that its leaders and its active members were primarily middle-class people, and it was the middle class who largely benefited from the changes that the progressive movement helped to bring. The settlement house movement and the labor movement were two important outgrowths of the awakening of social consciousness stimulated by the depression of the 1890s. These and much more in the way of organizing the poor and working class into a more effective voice in the political arena led to a rapid rise of class consciousness in America. This, in turn, brought the working class to forming alliances with the middle-class progressives in many instances to help bring about reform. On the eve of the First World War, and as an aftermath of the presidential campaign of progressive Theodore Roosevelt, progressivism was at its apex. The "Great War" and the resurgent business progressivism in the 1920s proved a momentary hiatus. Then, with the Great Depression of the 1930s, the reform movements of the progressives left a more permanent stamp on the American government and its actions. Although they were not directly part of the New Deal, the progressives of the earlier twentieth century would be pleased with the newfound strength of government and its agencies and its greater role as an instrument of the people.

4.2. Women's Suffrage

The issue of women's suffrage had always been an issue of social and political changes. For centuries, women had been fighting for equality in a world that has been predominantly governed and run by men (Ms. Milligan). The progress of women during the era towards their goal was notable. With WWI breathing on their backs, they pulled the stunts to get their point across. The picketing of the White House, silent sentinels, the lawlessness it was labeled as, was a powerful form of protest. Women were arrested for obstructing traffic, the treatment they received from authorities and prison only aided the cause further (McLaren). For the opposition of the war and the president, this was a bad image for the rest of the world to see. It was clear to the nation that women could take a militant stand given the right to vote, only then afterwards they received more dire abuse. Hunger strikes, force feeding, and being sent to mental hospitals were only another form of realization for Wilson to start looking more towards a war out of his own country. The turning point for the vote at the end of the day came from the notions of male Progressives. With a war in power and the need to change saving their own face, not only Wilson but themselves. They no longer thought of women as allies or enemies, but an equal force to be contended with, and it would be ridiculous to deny them a vote after trying to regenerate a nation. The original catalyst was derived from anxiety of foreign voters swaying the "dry" (prohibition) states away from their cause. The fear of the political tactic of wet votes in the party directly led to the crystallization of enough Congressmen to pass a suffrage amendment. In 1917, New York passed suffrage legislation and by 1918, Wilson succumbed to the pressure and released a statement to Congress pushing for a suffrage amendment. After ratifying resolutions passed in the House and Senate in 1919 and 1920, the 19th amendment was adopted on August 26, 1920, with the decision of Tennessee. This act of unequivocal equality for both sexes in the sheet of the vote would set women up for more political changes in years to come. Coming a long way from being idyllically accepted.

4.3. Continued Influence on Reform Movements

The progressives reshaped America to some extent. The Progressive Era led to a number of lasting changes to the political system of the United States. The desire to eliminate corruption and modernize government led to many significant changes at the federal level. This period of American history produced a fundamental shift in the role of the national government in American life. These changes are very evident in the three amendments added to the Constitution during this time. One of the final impacts of progressivism at the national level came during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson from 1913 to 1921. Wilson was a member of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, and he embraced a large number of progressive causes during his presidency. In 1912, the Democrats took control over Congress and they were able to carry out a number of progressive reforms. With the Democrats controlling Congress in 1913, the pace of reform accelerated. In his first term, Wilson persuaded Congress to lower the tariff, to create the Federal Reserve System, and, with the passage of the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Clayton Antitrust Act, to provide regulation of business and the economy. In 1914, a constitutional amendment to collect income tax was made law by the Wilson administration. This occurred as part of the Revenue Act of 1913 and was made a permanent fixture for the country with the ratification of the 16th amendment three years later. The 17th amendment was also passed under Wilson, which called for the direct election of US senators by the population of each state.

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Course: US history   >   Unit 7

  • Introduction to the age of empire
  • The age of empire
  • The Spanish-American War
  • Imperialism
  • The Progressives

The Progressive Era

  • The presidency of Theodore Roosevelt
  • Progressivism
  • The period of US history from the 1890s to the 1920s is usually referred to as the Progressive Era , an era of intense social and political reform aimed at making progress toward a better society.
  • Progressive Era reformers sought to harness the power of the federal government to eliminate unethical and unfair business practices, reduce corruption, and counteract the negative social effects of industrialization.
  • During the Progressive Era, protections for workers and consumers were strengthened, and women finally achieved the right to vote.

The problems of industrialization

The ideology and politics of progressivism, the dark side of progressivism, what do you think.

  • For more, see H.W. Brands, The Reckless Decade: America in the 1890s (Illinois: University of Chicago Press, 2002).
  • For more on the Progressive movement, see Michael McGerr, A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005).
  • For more on Progressive ideology, see Shelton Stromquist, Reinventing “The People”: The Progressive Movement, the Class Problem, and the Origins of Modern Liberalism (Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2006).
  • See Walter Nugent, Progressivism: A Very Short Introduction (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010).
  • For more on Wilson’s racial policies, see Eric S. Yellin, Racism in the Nation’s Service: Government Workers and the Color Line in Woodrow Wilson’s America (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2016).
  • Daniel J. Tichenor, Dividing Lines: The Politics of Immigration Control in America (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2002), 3-4.
  • For more on eugenics in the United States, see Paul A. Lombardo, A Century of Eugenics in America: From the Indiana Experiment to the Human Genome Era (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2011).

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Incredible Answer

Progressive Era Essay

progressive era essay thesis

Progressives And The Progressive Era

The progressive Era was times in History were local state and federal government took a leap forward in power and activism. In addition, the progressive era, was a time of development of new reforms and changes for America. Progressivism handles a wide range of problems and struggle for America. Such problems were created by unstructed industrialization, urbanization and immigration. As well as, the unfavorable distribution of power and wealth. Progressives believed strongly that problems such as

The Progressive Era Of The Era

shaped the United States throughout all of history. The most important of these changes, however, occurred during America’s progressive era. The Progressive era is defined as the time period of 1890 to 1920. Even though, progressive presidents were not in office during that entire time period, the ideals that they enacted and developed throughout the United States. The Progressive Era saw the expansion and contraction of political and economic freedoms through pure democracy. Socially, the new consumer

The Progressive Era

The Progressive Era was a time period between the years 1900-1920 and it marked a time in American history in which society was bursting with enthusiasm to improve life in the industrial age by making political and social changes through government action that ultimately led to a higher quality of life for American citizens. Progressives were known for their beliefs in limiting the power of big business, strengthening the power of the states, and were advocators against corruption and social injustice

Progressive Era

The progressive movement is a middle class response to take on the problems that was caused by the industrialization in the rapid social change that took place during the civil war. It is a collection of reform movements. The progressive era was when reformers or activists who were working to solve the problems in the American society and the government were trying to end the laissez-faire. The root of progressive started during the glided age. This era started in 1890 and ended in 1920. A solution

The Progressive Era was a period of economic and social struggle which cause rapid industrialization in America. A Widespread of social activism and political reform across the United States. The Progressive Era was addressing the problems of economic and social problems. The progressivism started as a social movement and later grew into a political movement. The reformers of the Progressive Era were young, college educated, and in the middle-class. Although many laws were passed to regulate better

Progressives were groups of people that worked to reform social and political problems in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were primarily well-educated middle-class people who lived in cities. As mentioned in A People’s History of the United States, progressives were fighting off the socialism “intelligently and seek to remedy the abuses and conditions upon which it thrives” (Zinn 207). During progressive era, there was a huge economic gap between rich and poor (Class Notes). Few wealthy

The progressive era was a time period in America after reconstruction that took place from 1900 to 1920. The progressive era focused mainly on social and political reform, trying to fix America's economy by working towards equal conditions for individuals, stopping political corruption and increasing government intervention on social and economic issues. Progressivists were social activists and political reformers working to improve conditions and the treatment of the American people. They believed

Through a multitude of significant changes physically, conceptually, economically, and more, the societal reformation of cities in the Progressive Era had set themselves as the foundations of American civilization. The juxtaposition between the rich and poor statuses in these urban areas show the drastic separation within developing cities. Through this division caused a wide variety of living conditions, the majority of which held the overcrowded sections of cities where the population mostly stayed

In the 1920s, America began to become more democratic after World War I. Why? The Progressive Era occurred between the 1890s to the 1920s and included the cleanness of government and tried to expose and undersell political machines. This was also the time of the women's suffrage. The emphasis on female freedom and empowerment encouraged women to exercise their newly won right to vote. (Of the People pg. 674). The main adjustments were to industry, education, and family. Huge improvements took place

1--Discuss, in detail, the main overall goals of the Progressives. The Progressive Era was mainly a retaliation to numerous changes and social effects that were happening in America. The era emerged in the 1800’s from complications with the latest industrial order, which included workers who protested about how their jobs were unsafe and exhausting. They also focused on byproducts such as immigration, urban growth, growing corporate power, and widening class divisions. They were also known as humanitarians

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Understanding the Progressive Era

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It can be difficult for students to understand the relevance of the period we call The Progressive Era because society before this period was very different from the society and the conditions we know today. We often assume that certain things have always been around, like laws about child labor and fire safety standards.

If you are researching this era for a project or research paper, you should begin by thinking about the way things were before government and society changed in America.

American Society Once Very Different

Before the events of the Progressive Era occurred (1890-1920), American society was much different. The federal government had less of an impact on the lives of the citizen than we know today. For example, there are laws that regulate the quality of food that is sold to American citizens, the wage that is paid to workers, and the work conditions that are endured by American workers. Before the Progressive Era food, living conditions, and employment was different.

Characteristics of the Progressive Era

  • Children were employed in factories
  • Wages were low and unregulated (with no wage minimums)
  • Factories were crammed and unsafe
  • No standards existed for food safety
  • No safety net existed for citizens who couldn't find employment
  • Housing conditions were unregulated
  • The environment was not protected by federal regulations

The Progressive Movement refers to social and political movements that emerged in response to rapid industrialization from which caused societal ills. As cities and factories emerged and grew, quality of life declined for many American citizens.

Many people worked to change the unjust conditions that existed as a result of the industrial growth that took place during the late 19th century. These early progressives thought that education and government intervention could ease poverty and social injustice.

Key People and Events of the Progressive Era

In 1886, the American Federation of Labor is founded by Samuel Gompers. This was one of many unions that emerged toward the end of the nineteenth century in response to unfair labor practices like long hours, child labor, and dangerous working conditions.

Photojournalist Jacob Riis exposes deplorable living conditions in the slums of New York in his book How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York . 

Conservation of natural resources becomes a matter of public concern, as the Sierra Club was founded in 1892 by John Muir.

Women's Suffrage gains steam when Carrie Chapman Catt becomes president of the National American Women's Suffrage Association. 

Theodore Roosevelt becomes president in 1901 after the death of McKinley. Roosevelt was an advocate for "trust busting," or the breaking up of powerful monopolies that crushed competitors and controlled prices and wages.

The American Socialist Party was established in 1901. 

Coal miners strike in Pennsylvania in 1902 to protest their terrible working conditions.

In 1906, Upton Sinclair publishes "The Jungle," which portrayed the deplorable conditions inside the meatpacking industry in Chicago. This led to the establishment of food and drug regulations.

In 1911, a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, which occupied the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors of a building in New York. Most of the employees were young women aged sixteen to twenty-three, and many on the ninth floor perished because exits and fire escapes were locked and blocked by the company officials. The company was acquitted of any wrongdoing, but the outrage and sympathy from this event prompted legislation concerning unsafe working conditions.

President Woodrow Wilson signs the Keating-Owens Act in 1916, which made it illegal to ship goods across state lines if they were produced by child labor .

In 1920, Congress passed the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

Research Topics for the Progressive Era 

  • What was life like for children who worked in factories? How was this different from the work of children who lived on farms?
  • How did views on immigration and race change during the Progressive Era? Did the legislation of this era effect all people, or were certain populations most affected?
  • How do you suppose the "trust busting" legislation affected business owners? Consider exploring the events of the Progressive Era from the point of view of wealthy industrialists.
  • How did living conditions change for people who moved from the country to the cities during this time period? How were people better off or worse off during the shift from country living to city living?
  • Who were the major figures in the Women's Suffrage movement? How was life impacted for these women who came forward?
  • Explore and compare life in a mill village and life in a coal camp.
  • Why did the concern for environmental issues and natural resource preservation emerge at the same time as concern and awareness for social issues like poverty? How are these topics related?
  • Writers and photojournalists were key figures in Progressive Era reforms. How does their role compare to changes that have taken place due to the emergence of social media?
  • How has the power of the federal government changed since the Progressive Era? How have the powers of individual states changed? What about the power of the individual?
  • How would you compare the changes in society during the Progressive Era to changes in society during and after the Civil War?
  • What is meant by the term progressive? Were the changes that took place during this time period actually progressive? What does the term progressive mean in the current political climate?
  • The Seventeenth Amendment, which allowed for the direct election of US Senators, was ratified in 1913 during the period known as the Progressive Era. How does this reflect the sentiments of this period?
  • There were many setbacks to the Progressive Era movements and campaigns. Who and what created these setbacks, and what were the interests of the parties involved?
  • Prohibition, the constitutional ban on the production and transportation of alcoholic beverages, also took place during the Progressive Era. How and why was alcohol the subject of concern during this period? What was the impact of Prohibition, good and bad, on society?
  • What was the role of the Supreme Court during the Progressive Era? 

Further Reading

Prohibition and Progressive Reform

The Fight for Women's Suffrage

  • African Americans in the Progressive Era
  • Progressivism Defined: Roots and Goals
  • Who Were the Muckrakers in the Journalism Industry?
  • The Three Historic Phases of Capitalism and How They Differ
  • African-American Organizations of the Progressive Era
  • Overview of the Second Industrial Revolution
  • The Bracero Program: When the U.S. Looked to Mexico for Labor
  • The History of Sociology Is Rooted in Ancient Times
  • Florence Kelley: Labor and Consumer Advocate
  • African-American Men and Women of the Progressive Era
  • Grace Abbott
  • History of Government Involvement in the American Economy
  • Josephine Goldmark
  • Frances Perkins: The First Woman to Serve in a Presidential Cabinet
  • Sociology of Work and Industry
  • A Brief Look at the U.S. Department of Labor

The Progressive Era: a Catalyst for Social Reform and Change

This essay will discuss the Progressive Era in American history as a catalyst for social reform and change. It will cover the key movements, figures, and legislative achievements of the era, focusing on issues such as labor rights, women’s suffrage, and governmental reform. The piece will examine how these reforms shaped American society and the lasting impacts of the Progressive Era on modern-day policies and social attitudes. PapersOwl showcases more free essays that are examples of Child Labour.

How it works

The Progressive Era was known as a large reform movement. The progressive Era was a period widespread social activism and political reform across the United States from the 1890’s to the 1920’s. The main objectives of the Progressive Era movement were eliminating problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, immigration and political corruption. Progressive reacted to problems caused by factories and cities. The progressive Era was effective because of child labor, working conditions and women’s suffrage.

The meat-packing industry capitalized when the growth of livestock farming in the midwest started to grow much faster.

Meat-packing companies and industries such as the “ Armour Meat-packing Company ” was one of the five leading firm companies in the meat industry. The Armour Meat-packing Company was founded in Chicago in 1867 by the Armour brothers. The Armour Meat-packing Company handled the slaughtering, processing, packaging and distribution of animals that’s including pigs, cattles, sheep and other livestock animals.

Although the meat-packing industry created jobs for people, working in a meat-packing company was not the best job to have nor was it luxurious. The meat-packing factories were super unsanitary, unregulated and dangerous to people’s health. In “ The Neill-Reynolds Report” president Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 was suspicious of sinclair’s socialist attitude and concussion in “ The Jungle. ” The Jungle was a novel written by Sinclair to expose the working conditions in the meat-packing industry. He described the meat as diseased, rotten and contaminated.

After Sinclair’s novel “ The Jungle “ was written it changed the way Americans looked at the food industry. Americans no longer trusted that the food industry had the best interest of consumers in mind when they prepared or handled food. This shocked Roosevelt and led to new federal food safety laws. The novel served as a wake up call that led to a series of improvements in the industry to make our food safer and to provide better conditions for factory workers. . He sent labor commissioner’s Charles P. Neill and social worker James Bronson Reynolds to visit meat-packing facilities.

Neill and Reynolds were revolted from what they have seen and by the conditions at the factories. Meat scraps were found being shoveled into receptacles from dirty floor. Meat was left to lie on dirty floors. These floors were damp and soggy. Employees in utter ignorance of cleanliness or danger to health. Neill and Reynolds witness meat being shoveled from filthy wooden floors, piled on tables that were rarely washed. In all of which the meat was being process it was gathering dirt, splinters floor filth even expectoration of tuberculosis and other diseased workers.

Shocked at the fact that the lack of concern of the managers of these meat-packing facilities of being cleaned and properly maintain is so low. Tables and floors should be disinfected. All utensils being used should be and must be properly cleaned. All workers must use gloves and hair neets. Meat-packing factories should not have an issue with their maintenance because that is the main thing that should be taken care of. The meat in these factories is being sold to people, there should be no reason on why the meat is not properly processed and packaged. Americans should be able to trust the meat industry in the way there food is being handled and sold to them.

Although much of this has changed today such as how meat is processed now everything is much more sanitary and safer it still crazy to say all of these problems happened only a little over a century ago.

Another major factor in The Progressive Era were that influential journalist wanted to expose the government and big business of their flaws to American citizens with using factual and proven evidence against them. There was this one group of people who lead the change when it came to exposing the corruption in politics and the unsafe work conditions millions of American workers faced in American society. These people were called “ muckrakers. “ The name muckrakers was given to them by Theodore Roosevelt, they got this name because they would go and investigate everything that the American people should know about. They were early day investigative journalists.

Muckrakers were showing the American public just what was going on in the countries government and in the large companies that most of the people were buying their food and other supplies from. Also the use of children in the coal mines, or the monopoly of the standard oil company. These journalist just wanted to let the American citizens know the real deal behind big companies and their lack of work. The muckrakers, seek out the truth of corruption among the government.

Muckrakers did the right thing of letting the American people know what was going on in big companies and created public awareness of corruption, social injustices and abuses of power. They changed the perspective of how people would see big companies especially the meat companies. The best thing about the muckrakers is that they used actual factual and prove evidence so everything they told was absolutely beliveble.

In the Progressive Era factories were utilizing children to the hard work because of such young age they had more strength and power to do much more than the older people. They employed children as young age as five to six to work almost twenty hours a day. Child labor in the United States in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. Families had to find someone to work or they wouldn’t survive so they got their young ones to work because they could work more hours and do more.

They had children doing work that was physically and mentally dangerous. They made them do work which interfered with there chance of going to school and learning. In “ The Spirit of Youth and The City Streets “ spoke about how children should not be employed at such young age. People wanted children to work for them supposedly to have a good mind set in working rather than getting an education. How should kids work before learning, that does them no good. Going to school will help their income-earning potential as adults. Jane Addams argues in “ The Spirit of Youth and The City Streets “ about the importance of providing practical education for young men and women. Jane Addams rejects that children should not work at such young age or will the children start to become a different person rather than typical children. Addams wanted what was right for children which was for them to go to school than work. She wanted to make sure children went to school to get their education than them going out and causing them selves danger at work. Many laws restricting child labor were passed as part of the progressive movement. Hammer vs. Dagenhart was a United States supreme court decision involving the power of Congress to enact child labor laws. In this case the supreme court wanted to band the shipment across state lines of goods made in factories by children that were employed under the age of 14.

Kids should not be able to have jobs as young as the age of fourteen because they’ll have to work harder and work long hours. Kids should be able to enjoy life and be in school or even be active in school activities. Kids at the age of fourteen or even younger should not have to worry about going to work .Their main priority should only be school and their grades. They should stay on task on their school work. If kids are going to be stress it should honestly be because of school not because of a job. They are way too young to stress over a job, there should be no need for that. Kids should have the chance to live and grow. The best time to start working is after school so, they can only have to worry about one thing at a time.

The Progressive Era witnessed the formation of initiatives to fight political and commercial corruption and find solutions to social problems in areas such as public health, labor and education. Although suffrage constituted just one part of the wider efforts of women reforms in the Progressive Era, it was considered symbolic of the broader struggle for the recognition of women’s rights.In the 1890’s Most states in Eastern and Central U.S held restrictions on voting for women, it was said that federal action in the form of a constitutional amendment would be first step in getting women the recognition as equal citizens. Congress then upheld the 19th Amendment in ninety-twenty.It gave women the right to vote and it ended the women’s struggle for equality and the beginning of a new era in human rights.

Women’s rights are so much better now, these rights include, to live free from violence, slavery and discrimination. Women are now given the chance to be educated, able to own property, to vote and to earn a fair equal wage. Women should always be treated as equal as men. A women makes no difference to a man both a man and women can both do the same. Women could always do the same job a man does probably even more and also do it better. Women should never be underestimated just because they are women. Never underestimate the power of woman. Woman will prove you wrong and work hard for what they want just like they did for their rights.Women have went through so much to get the rights they have now. Woman had no freedom what so ever. They couldn’t go out unless they were escorted by a man or their father. They could not be out in public without a man. Woman’s job where to stay home and take care of the family. The Progressivism implies a philosophy that promotes change or reform in the current political, economic,and social aspects of society while conservatism stresses gradual change in society but promotes tradition rather than change. The Progressive movement from 1901 through 1917 worked to improve aspects of society that grew out of problems which grew during the Industrial Age.

The goals of the Progressives were to stop monopolies, corruption, inefficiency and social injustices. Progressive acts and Amendments were being passed to deal with social ills, corruption in politics and corporate America. All the Progressive Era wanted to do was to make society better. To make everything fair towards everyone and one another. Wanted to fix all the problems and get rid of drama.

Before the Progressive Era the federal government became more involved and responsive to the public and implemented many revisions and reform. The federal government made political changes on a national level with the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments. The Sixteenth Amendment imposed an income tax. The Seventeenth Amendment allowed for the direct election of U.S. Senators. The Eighteenth Amendment established the prohibition of alcoholic beverages and the Nineteenth Amendment prohibited any U.S. citizen from being denied the right to vote based on sex. During the Progressive Era, social reform and cultural changes also occurred. Consumerism was at an all time high. It became a time of economic prosperity. With the introduction of electricity came household appliances. Movies, automobiles, radios, telephones, magazines, and advertising were in the forefront. Radios were a huge change. Radios became a new way to help people communicate and even became new entertainment . Radios played all different kinds of music and even had talk shows. Radios also became a new way in staying in touch with news. People no longer had to read newspapers all they had to do was turn the radio on and listen.

The progressives were successful in part because they were able to rally the better part of a generation to their ideas about reform. Although not all progressives agreed with some progressive reforms the movement still made a big change. After the Progressive Era there was now active governments that would take the initiative in reform. There was now the right of labor to have a decent salary and safe working conditions to des who worked in big factories such as the meat industry. There has been more economic and political rights for women other than having the right to vote. Women could own property now. There has also been regulations of child labor in which kids should not work at such a young age and have to work long hours.

.Progressives were in all levels of society, some were very wealthy, very poor, the middle class or in the minority group. Progressives were politicians, businessmen, workers, artists and professionals.Progressives helped America to become stronger and a better place. For example Roosevelt, taft, and Wilson, these three men made many changes in terms of making society and our environment better. They passed child labor laws and helped unions.

If there had not been no progressive era, no income would have been passed, it would have taken women longer to earn the right to vote, our meat for all we know would have dirt, wood shavings, even be contaminated with diseases from lying on the floor at the slaughterhouse. The progressive has done so much improvement to America and has helped many people. Without the progressive era i do not know what America would be like today.

America would have probably been worse today than it was before the progressive era if it wouldn’t had happened. Women would still not be able to vote nor get a job , kids would be working long hours instead of being in school, and our meat would be disgustingly dirty, the world would be upside down.

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Home — Essay Samples — History — Progressive Era — Major Achievements of the Progressive Era in America

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Major Achievements of The Progressive Era in America

  • Categories: Progressive Era The Progressive Era

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Published: Feb 8, 2022

Words: 1070 | Pages: 2 | 6 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, the achievements of the progressive movement.

  • American-historama.org. (2021). Theodore Roosevelt. https://www.american-historama.org/1901-1929-early-20th-century-era/theodore-roosevelt.htm
  • Hansan, J. E. (2021). Child Labor and the Building of America. Federal Judicial Center. https://www.fjc.gov/history/timeline/child-labor-and-building-america
  • Khan Academy. (n.d.). Industrialization and the Progressive Movement. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/rise-to-world-power/1920s-america/a/industrialization-and-the-progressive-movement
  • Library of Congress. (2021). The Conservation Movement and the Progressive Era. https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/progress/conserve/
  • National Women's History Museum. (2021). The 19th Amendment. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/19th-amendment
  • ProCon.org. (2021). Minimum Wage - ProCon.org. https://minimum-wage.procon.org/
  • U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2021). A History of the FDA and Drug Regulation in the United States. https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/fdas-evolving-regulatory-powers/history-fda-and-drug-regulation-united-states

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progressive era essay thesis

progressive era essay thesis

The Progressive Movement DBQ

Use this Lesson with

  • Students will be able to examine the principles of the progressive movement and those of the American Founding by analyzing primary source documents using historical thinking skills.
  • Students will evaluate the extent to which the progressive movement diverged from the Founding in terms of the purposes, scale, and scope of government by writing a thesis statement.

Expand Materials Materials

Handout A: Student Document Packet

  • Document 1: The Declaration of Independence, 1776
  • Document 2: Constitution of the United States, 1787
  • Document 3: “The Author and Signers of the Declaration of Independence,” by Woodrow Wilson, 1907
  • Document 4: “Who is a Progressive,” by Theodore Roosevelt, April 3, 1912
  • Document 5: An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States by Charles Beard, 1913
  • Document 6: “Speech on the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence,” by President Calvin Coolidge, 1926

Expand More Information More Information

The document excerpts in this activity are longer than what students will encounter on the AP Exam. As such, this lesson recommends extended time beyond what is provide on the AP Exam to read and answer the questions associated with each.

Expand Warmup Warmup

a. Have students count off 1 to 4. Assign students the following roles:

1) Alexander Hamilton

2) Thomas Jefferson

3) James Madison

4) George Washington

b. Have students write, from their assigned point of view, what the role of government is in three or fewer sentences.

Have students share their ideas with the class and lead a brief discussion. Taken as a whole, can students generalize what the Founders believed the role of government to be? Is there any disagreement in like groups? Between different individuals?

c. Transition to the DBQ by telling students that throughout U.S. history, the purpose and role of government have been debated by individuals. Many in the Progressive Era offered their own interpretations of the role of government. Students will examine this in the following documents.

Expand Activities Activities

Have students read and complete the questions in the student document packet .

Expand Wrap Up Wrap Up

Have each student write a thesis statement to the DBQ prompt: To what extent did the progressives diverge from the Founding in terms of the purposes, scale, and scope of government?

You may solicit volunteers to share their thesis and workshop several using the following questions, or have students share with a partner and provide feedback on the following questions:

  • Does the thesis answer the question without restating the prompt?
  • Does the thesis make sense?
  • Is the thesis historically accurate?
  • Does the thesis provide clear and cohesive reasoning?
  • Does the thesis provide a road map or “table of contents” for an essay?

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Progressive Era Essays (Examples)

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Progressive era through the great depression.

Era through the Great Depression The goal of this essay is to discuss the Progressive Era through Great Depression and for this purpose; two major events that changed the face of American history during this period would be discussed extensively. Furthermore, detailed and comprehensive light would be shed on the historical events that had been successful in changing the face of United States and its society, politics, culture and economy. The goal of this essay is to discuss the Progressive Era through Great Depression and for this purpose; two major events that changed the face of American history during this period would be discussed extensively. Furthermore, detailed and comprehensive light would be shed on the historical events that had been successful in changing the face of United States and its society, politics, culture and economy. Furthermore, this paper would concentrate on discussing the status of women in United States and how….

Bruce, Kyle and Chris Nyland. (2001)."Scientific Management, Institutionalism, and Business Stabilization: 1903 -- 1923" Journal of Economic Issues, Vol. 35.

Daniel T. Rodgers. (2000). Atlantic Crossings: Social Politics in a Progressive Age

Mowry, George E. Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Movement. (2001).

Sage, H.J. (2010). The Progressive Era: The great age of reform. Academic American.

Progressive Era Happened Progressive Era

Era What Would the U.S. Have Been Like without a Progressive Era? What would have happened had there been no Progressive Era at the end of the 19th and early 20th century? The period between 1890 and 1920 saw the mobilization of several various platforms erected under social, economic and political banners -- all promoting progress in their respective fields. Had there been no Progressive Era, there would have been no women like Ida B. Wells, who became famous in the 19th century when she sued the railroad which made her give up her seat so a white man could sit in it. Wells later went on to write the editorial activist piece "Lynch Law," which drew attention to unjust and violently racist laws in effect in the post-War South. Had there been no Progressive Era, there would have been no voice for social equality, social fairness, and a new social….

Progressive Era Work Environments

Era Worker Exploitation in the Progressive Era The Progressive period was not as progressive as it sounds right off the bat. Employers were much different in the Progressive Era than today and often exploited vulnerable working class poor to stuff the pockets of a select few elite millionaires. Workers had very few rights and were treated as other minorities with little protection under the law. Ultimately, this caused much of the public to become disillusioned with the way capitalism had created a monster, For one, many were uninterested in their workers' safety or welfare. Workers enjoyed very little freedoms and rights within their harsh work environments. Employers fought against legislation that would require them to pay minimum wages or enforce an eight hour work day. Thus, workers were often forced to work incredibly long hours with no days off and for very little. This caused employers to exploit the manual laborer of….

Kelly, Florence. (1905). "Speech Against Child Labor."

Hofstadter & Progressivism the Progressive Era Was

Hofstadter & Progressivism The Progressive Era was one of change in the United States. It appeared during a time where individuals were fed up with the status quo and instead wanted drastic changes to occur in their world. ichard Hofstadter is best known for the role that he played during this era of reform. In his famous claim, Hofstadter speaks on the truth about Progressivism and offers an explanation as to how and why this occurred. He offered social, political, and financial explanations for a phenomenon that very few understood at the time. Hofstadter believed in liberal values that very few agreed with at the time. It was this precise belief that allowed him to become a pioneer during the Progressive Era and become a representative of economic mobility. However, despite his seemingly progressive beliefs, his main thought was that Progressivism was guided by the loss of status of numerous men….

References:

Brinkley, A. (1985). Review: Richard Hofstadter's the Age of Reform: A Reconsideration. Reviews in American History. 13(3), 462-480.

Social Reforms The Progressive Era

The party only existed for a few years, and never really had much effect on national politics. The Progressive women reformers worked for social change, as well. They wanted women to have the right to vote, and that was one of their major causes. Ultimately, they helped create the Nineteenth Amendment, on August 26, 1920 that gave women the right to vote. They were also largely responsible for the Eighteenth Amendment, passed on January 19, 1919, that prohibited alcoholic beverage sales and distribution in the country. The women also worked for other Progressive social reforms, like housing and safety conditions. Some of the most famous women reformers were social worker Jane Addams, who advocated for settlement houses and social reforms for women and families, Charlotte Gilman, a feminist and writer who wrote about new roles for women, and Margaret Sanger, an advocate for birth control and women's rights. The changing….

One of the biggest reformers was Teddy Roosevelt, who ran for the Progressive Party for president in 1912. He helped craft legislation that guarded against monopolies and trusts to ensure that huge corporations could not drive out all their competitors and create monopolies. He took several corporations to court as a result of that legislation. Another was William Jennings Bryan, Democratic presidential nominee and lawyer who worked to defend many labor protesters who were arrested for being "Socialists" and attempting to organize labor unions to protect workers from employer abuses.

Their goals were different from the Populists, who wanted to return to the silver standard, and were largely from the central part of the country. The Populists wanted more power against monopolies and trusts like the Progressives did, but they wanted their party to be a "People's Party," and their issues were largely geared to agriculture and its' pricing, rather than sweeping social changes. The party only existed for a few years, and never really had much effect on national politics.

The Progressive women reformers worked for social change, as well. They wanted women to have the right to vote, and that was one of their major causes. Ultimately, they helped create the Nineteenth Amendment, on August 26, 1920 that gave women the right to vote. They were also largely responsible for the Eighteenth Amendment, passed on January 19, 1919, that prohibited alcoholic beverage sales and distribution in the country. The women also worked for other Progressive social reforms, like housing and safety conditions. Some of the most famous women reformers were social worker Jane Addams, who advocated for settlement houses and social reforms for women and families, Charlotte Gilman, a feminist and writer who wrote about new roles for women, and Margaret Sanger, an advocate for birth control and women's rights. The changing roles for women and African-Americans during this time were growing just about every day. Women were taking a much more active role in politics and government, and in influencing reform. They were working in greater numbers, and taking on an active role in society. African-Americans were becoming more vocal about their role in society too, and beginning to demand change. The Harlem Renaissance helped form some of the best African-American writers and artists, like W.E.B. Du Bois a Black intellectual and writer who called out for civil rights and action, and Booker T. Washington, a black academic and leader who fought for African-American education. Both women and Blacks were fighting to be treated equally and with respect, and they began interacting with society even more during the Progressive Era, in an attempt to create change and equality in the country.

The Role of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson in the Progressive Era

Era: Aspirations and Accomplishments Progressives and their accomplishments The reform movement of Progressivism ran from the late 19th century all through to the first decades of the 20th century. During this period, leading intellectuals and the social reformists sought to address cultural, economic and political questions arising from the rapid Industrial Revolution and modern capitalism growth in America. The progressives shared common views that the at every government level, they need to be involved actively in societal reforms. Historians concur that Progressivism methods and spirit came from the urban middle, upper-middle classes, and native-born who are engineers, doctors, journalists, social workers, lawyers, college professors, ministers, and college professors. Despite the support of progressivism movement by immigrant working class, rural Americans and the top leaders in finance and business, the ethos of the movement are rooted in Protestantism. At the time, the constitutional system that was in place was outdated and needed to….

Bibliography

Media Rich Learning. The Progressive Era. YouTube. Accessed October 23, 2015.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFlOLyMwnjU 

West, Thomas, and Schambra William. "The Progressive Movement and the Transformation of American Politics." First Principles Series Report #12 on Political Thought. The Heritage Foundation. Last modified July 18, 2007.  http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2007/07/the-progressive-movement-and-the-transformation-of-american-politics

20th Century American Culture Progressive Era

Attitudes Towards Work in Progressive America The Progressive Age in the United States was a time of redefinition in American thought and politics. During a time of global restructuring in which European imperialism was entering the first phase of its death throes, American imperialism was beginning to rise. This imperialism took a different form, at least outwardly, from that which typified the preceding centuries. Instead of colonies with rigidly enforced governments imposed by the colonizers, American imperialism ostensibly had the will and desire to spread democracy and self-rule at its heart. This new kind of imperialism was a direct outgrowth of Progressive-era thought. Perhaps most notable among the figures who made the connection from Progressive philosophies to advocacies of certain international actions was President and former Rough Rider Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, whose speech entitled "The Strenuous Life" attempts to draw a comparison between the success that labor and active involvement brings to….

Progressive Movement in America Changed the Way America Worked and Lived

Progressivism began as a social movement and evolved into a political movement, according to materials published by George Washington University (www.gwu.edu). Early in the social movement progressives were concerned about poverty, racism, greed and "class warfare," and they believed that those problems could be best addressed through education, a safer environment, and a workplace that was fair and safe (www.gwu.edu). Who were those considered to be progressives? The George Washington University narrative explains that they live "mostly in the cities," they had graduated from colleges and universities, and their beliefs included the belief that "…government could be a tool for change" -- and among the most vocal and visible social reformers / progressives were Jane Addams and journalists Jacob Riis and Ida Tarbel (www.gwu.edu). Progressive journalists wrote investigative pieces that exposed "the evils of corporate greed" and they presented a balanced view of immigration and ethnicities, all the time "…urging….

Era Through the Great Depression_ the Economy

era through the great depression_ The economy of the United States was faced with fair share of challenges towards the close of the 19th century that had to be mitigated lets they got out of control. Other than the economic woes, there were also widespread social injustices. There was eminent war between capital and labor. Progressive era was realized in the very last years of the 19th century up to 1917 (Sage, 2010). The progressive era was a dawn of new ideas and progressive reforms. Some of its advantages are enjoyed to date. Some of the major events that characterized the progressive era were the birth of the American oil industry in 1901 and the initiation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909. The first American oil was prospected in Texas' Spindletop and this set precedent for evolution of the nation's oil sector. The Texan oil….

References Bridgen, K. (2012). The war on women: Women's right to vote. Retrieved March 14, 2013 from  http://www.examiner.com/article/the-war-on-women-women-s-right-to-vote .

Commercial Laws. (2012). What is the Hepburn Act 1906? Retrieved March 14, 2013 from  http://commercial.laws.com/hepburn-act .

Grossman, J. (1973). The origin of the U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved March 14, 2013 from  http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/dolorigabridge.htm .

NAACP. (2012). National Association for the Advancement of Colored

People Victories. Retrieved from  http://www.naacp.org/pages/our-mission .

Era Can Be Considered to

Theodore Roosevelt in this sense tried to tackle the issue by intervening for the miners, for instance. However, an essential idea is related to the desire of the government to increase its power and intervention possibilities in order to better control the corporations that were created as a result of the industrialization process. These were sources of constant impoverishment for the population (Pease, 1962, 163-5). However, the population reacted in a different way than expected by the political actors. Indeed, from the point-of-view of the labor unions, their number increased and a certain collective mentality was formed, one which allowed them to further fight for the rights of the employee (Pease, 1962). Even so, there were individuals who reacted negatively considering that the Progressive Era was in fact a socialist perception of the economy, rather than a means to create progress for the population in the country. The forces which shaped….

Browne, Gregory M. The Progressive Era. N.d. 14 May 2008.  http://www.yorktownuniversity.com/documents/progressive_era.pdf 

Jenkins, P. A history of the United States. New York: Palgrave, 1997.

Pease, Otis. The Progressive Years: The Spirit and Achievement of American Reform. George Braziller. New York. 1962.

Warde, William F."The Rise and Fall of Progressivism." International Socialist Review, Vol. 18, No. 3, Summer 1957, pp. 83-88. Available at http://www2.cddc.vt.edu/marxists/archive/novack/works/1957/x01.htm

Era According to Lecture Which

S. led colonial expansion in the area. One impact of the treaty was that it gave the United States the rights to Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. Both Guam and the Philippines were critical additions because they signaled the beginning of U.S. involvement in the Pacific. It also marked a significant change in how America was viewed in the global arena, because almost all of Europe was sympathetic to Spain, and did not wish to see the decline of a fellow colonial power. However, with the treaty, the U.S. entered into the global arena and poised itself to emerge as a superpower. This status also brought about an atmosphere of economic, population, and technological growth that lasted for more than a century. Furthermore, the Spanish-American War helped repair the rift between the North and the South, and helped establish better relations between blacks and whites during that time….

Era -- Shift in Philosophy

In the settlement houses, American women taught immigrant women about "American" culture and government and also educated Americans about the various cultures of the immigrants. These settlement houses also offered childcare for working parents, health care, English classes, community theater, and many other social outlets These settlement houses were perceived as "hotbeds of progressive reform" and "spearheads for reform." eformers during the Progressive Era aimed to resolve the problems of American society that had developed during the major growth of industrial growth that was seen in the U.S. (USHistory.com. 2002). The frontier had been tamed, great cities and businesses had blossomed, but not all American citizens shared in this new wealth and optimism. The majority of social problems during this era were addressed by professional social workers, most of which were female, who ran settlement houses in an effort to protect and improve the living and working conditions of the poor. Before….

Campbell, Diance. Dore, Janice. (2002). The Nile of New England: A Study of the History of a Connecticut River Valley Town Over Three Centuries. Unit 3: The Progressive Era 1880-1920. Frontier Regional School District.

Encyclopedia of Chicago. (2002). Social Services. Retrieved from the Internet at  http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1160.html .

Muncy, Robyn. (2003). Women and the Progressive Era. University of Maryland -- College Park. Retrieved from the Internet at http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/pwwmh/prog.htm.

USHistory.com. (2002). The Progressive Movement. Retrieved from the Internet at  http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1061.html .

Reforms Who Were the Progressives and What

eforms Who were the Progressives and what were they trying to reform? How and why did the Progressive era end? Several different Progressives include: Upton Sinclair, Teddy oosevelt, David Thelen, ichard McCormick and Samuel Hayes just to name a few. Their basic goals were to rectify many the social ills that were occurring from the rapid industrialization of the nation. This was creating a tremendous shift in the population, with more people leaving the country and moving to the cities. As a result, there were a number of different problems that emerged in the wake of these transformations. Most notably: unsafe working conditions, the use of child labor, wages and the number of working hours. The combination of these objectives was to give the people a voice in issues of government and society. This would limit the influence of the special interests during this process. (Sage) (Gilmore F-42 -- F-68) (Devine) What….

Divine, Robert. The American Story. New York: Pearson, 2007. Print.

Gilmore, Glenda. Who were the Progressives? Boston: Bedford Publishing, 2002. Print.

Harris, Richard. A History of the U.S. Political System. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2009. Print.

Murphy, Robert. The Great Depression and the New Deal. Washington: Regenry Publishing, 2009. Print.

Motivated Progressives and How They Began to

motivated progressives and how they began to use the government as a moral agent for change and the impact of Progressivism upon society and government during the early decades of the 20th century. The central question that will be addressed will be to answer to what extent he Progressive Era was actually progressive. In particular, we will pay attention to the limits of progressive reforms in the history of the United States. Progressives fought for such issues as women's suffrage and better labor and health regulations (Rodgers, 1982, 115). Progressivism in America was a broad-based movement for reform that reached its apogee in the early 20th century. hile reformist in nature, it was middle class. It grew in response to the changes brought on by industrialism, modernization (for example the rise of the railroads) and corruption in American politics. Largely, it grew in response to tragedies such as the Triangle….

Works Cited

Muckrakers. (2011). Retrieved from  http://www.ushistory.org/us/42b.asp  .

Rosa, P. (2010). The triangle shirtwaist fire. Retrieved from http://www.historybuff.com/library/refshirtwaist.html.

Rodgers, D.T. (1982). The promise of american history. Reviews in American History,, 10(4), 113-132.

The Gilded Era and Immigration

How does the growth of (relatively unregulated) industrial corporate capitalism have on peoples lives and on crime?During the Gilded Age businesses began to grow. During this time there was a lot of racial tension and fear because these businesses would try to pay as little as possible to their employees and thus favored recent immigrants. Recent immigrants could work hard for very little and directly competed with the Americans who were impoverished looking for a decent paying job. The great fear back then was that America would be swallowed by immigrants. A good example of this were Chinese railroad laborers. ith increased wealth stratification in cities thanks to the industrial revolution, the wealthy were very wealthy, and the poor had to live in slums.Examples of the wealthy homes were Astor Mansion and Vanderbilt. However, poor people were in such dire straits, some slept outside huddled together. If they lived in….

What is Progressivism? How does it fit with the history of the Gilded Age? The Progressive Era began in 1900 and ended in 1919. Progressives were often not a unified movement but were religiously driven with majority being women. They were Anti-Trust and Anti-Big Business and aimed to end government corruption as well as improve social welfare. While the Progressives aimed to reform, they ignored specific segments of the population like farmers and minorities. Furthermore, they had to contend with differing viewpoints regarding immigration. Businesses loved the cheaper labor immigrants brought, but labor did not want immigration because worker competition created lower wages. During the Gilded Age there was a lot of racial tension with 90% of the 5,000-people lynched being black. Along with the tension from the Gilded Age, the Progressive era brought with it an increase in race riots from fear of immigrants taking jobs and soldiers frustrated after retuning home post-war. Many blacks were killed during the 25 race riots that occurred across the country in 1919. The most notable one was in East St. Louis 1917. They estimated around 250 blacks were killed by angry whites. The whites also burned the “Negro Section” of St Louis attempting to destroy their ‘competition. One man, Leo Frank, was a Jewish man accused of murdering Mary Phagan (13 years old). He was not found guilty and an angry mob lynched him. From this event, the KKK resurged. The film, “The Birth of a Nation”, represented the KKK’s frustrations and desire to preserve their race and themselves. Various branches of the KKK emerged from this and led to an era where whites would freely pose in pictures with innocent black men they killed. This heinous and atrocious behavior was seen in the Gilded Age and demonstrates how the Progressive movement may have sparked the fire for continued and widespread racial hatred in the U.S..

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I. Introduction A. Background information on the history of America B. Thesis statement: The study of American history is important to understand the development and progress of the country II. Early American history A. Exploration and early colonization B. The founding of the thirteen colonies C. The American Revolution and the establishment of the United States III. The expansion of America A. Westward expansion and the frontier B. The Civil War and its impact on the nation C. The Reconstruction era and the struggle for civil rights IV. The United States in the 20th century A. The Progressive Era and the rise of....

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American History

Era through the Great Depression The goal of this essay is to discuss the Progressive Era through Great Depression and for this purpose; two major events that changed the…

Era What Would the U.S. Have Been Like without a Progressive Era? What would have happened had there been no Progressive Era at the end of the 19th and early…

Article Review

Era Worker Exploitation in the Progressive Era The Progressive period was not as progressive as it sounds right off the bat. Employers were much different in the Progressive Era than…

Family and Marriage

Hofstadter & Progressivism The Progressive Era was one of change in the United States. It appeared during a time where individuals were fed up with the status quo and instead…

Sports - Women

The party only existed for a few years, and never really had much effect on national politics. The Progressive women reformers worked for social change, as well. They wanted…

Era: Aspirations and Accomplishments Progressives and their accomplishments The reform movement of Progressivism ran from the late 19th century all through to the first decades of the 20th century. During…

Research Paper

Black Studies - Philosophy

Attitudes Towards Work in Progressive America The Progressive Age in the United States was a time of redefinition in American thought and politics. During a time of global restructuring in…

Progressivism began as a social movement and evolved into a political movement, according to materials published by George Washington University (www.gwu.edu). Early in the social movement progressives were…

era through the great depression_ The economy of the United States was faced with fair share of challenges towards the close of the 19th century that had to be…

Theodore Roosevelt in this sense tried to tackle the issue by intervening for the miners, for instance. However, an essential idea is related to the desire of the…

S. led colonial expansion in the area. One impact of the treaty was that it gave the United States the rights to Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.…

In the settlement houses, American women taught immigrant women about "American" culture and government and also educated Americans about the various cultures of the immigrants. These settlement houses…

eforms Who were the Progressives and what were they trying to reform? How and why did the Progressive era end? Several different Progressives include: Upton Sinclair, Teddy oosevelt, David Thelen,…

motivated progressives and how they began to use the government as a moral agent for change and the impact of Progressivism upon society and government during the early…

How does the growth of (relatively unregulated) industrial corporate capitalism have on peoples lives and on crime?During the Gilded Age businesses began to grow. During this time there was…

The Progressive Era in the United States Essay

During the Era of Progressivism, which lasted approximately from 1890s to1920s, some reforms were made to deal with the socio-economic crisis which the United States faced at that time. Among the most prominent political figures of that period are the two presidents, Theodore Roosevelt of the Republicans and Woodrow Wilson of the Democrats. In our paper, we will consider the situation that America was in and elaborate why those reforms were needed. After that, we will compare the policies of the named two presidents.

The United States of America faced numerous problems related to poverty, social injustice, and corruption in the government. The degree of social injustice was despicable; workers had to labor in terrible conditions, enclosed in small, dark factories. The fire in one of the factories of the Shirtwaist Company in 1911 and the resulting deaths of ≈150 workers were symptomatic (Foner 681). Major political and grassroots movements such as the Knights of Labor, populists, feminists, anarchists’ IWW, and socialists emerged to fight the inequality and promote social progress (Foner 627, 632, 642, 662, 693, 695, 702). The inequity and the deep class conflict were a result of monopolization, total domination of major businesses in the political life of the country, and their interpenetration with the government (corruption) (Foner 708).

The political representatives of the Era of Progressivism were forced, therefore, to deal with the economic issues of monopolization and corruption in order to alleviate the social tension and address the newly emerged political ideas.

Theodore Roosevelt, the president in 1901-1909, as it was stated at his time, “didn’t believe in democracy; he believed simply in government” (qtd. in Foner 709). Fortunately, he was able to address the adverse situation of social inequity. He attempted to implement progressive reforms via strengthening the influence of the government. It is interesting that Roosevelt believed that two types of corporations existed: the good ones, which “served the public interest”, and the bad ones, which only cared about profit (Foner 715). His fighting with monopolies brought many victorious moments to the antitrust movement (Foner 715).

Noteworthy, President Roosevelt was perhaps the first president not to side automatically with employers in labor conflicts (Foner 715). During his presidency, a number of progressive laws that e.g. forced businesses to control the quality of their products were also adopted; for instance, the Pure Food and Drug Act or the Meat Inspection Act (Foner 716); these were a direct influence of the journalists (dubbed by Roosevelt as “muckrakers”) who exposed the corruption and the terrible conditions of workers and industrial production (Foner 685-686).

Woodrow Wilson of the Democrats, the president in 1913-1921, on the other hand, did not like the idea of a powerful government, and attempted to strengthen the democracy by promoting free market economy and stimulating small companies, at the same time eliminating the influence of big businesses on the government (Foner 720). His version of free market economy, however, included antitrust views, and did not perceive labor unions as a hindrance to the “market freedom”, allowing for the right to create such unions and fight for laborers’ rights (Foner 720). Among notable documents adopted during his presidency are the Underwood Tariff Act, which lowered import duties and “imposed a graduated income tax on the richest 5 percent of Americans”, and the Clayton Anti-Trust Act, which gave workers more rights to protect themselves (Foner 721).

To compare the two presidents, some of the events that took place during their presidency could be discussed. We have already mentioned Roosevelt’s fighting against monopolies; the Northern Securities Company was one of them. This major railroad company established by J. P. Morgan controlled three large western railroads, monopolizing the means of transport between the Pacific Ocean and the Great Lakes. Roosevelt prosecuted the Northern Securities under the Sherman Antitrust Act, and, as a result, the company was dissolved in 1904 by the Supreme Court (Foner 716).

Furthermore, in 1906 the Hepburn Act was adopted by the Congress. It allowed the Interstate Commerce Commission to control railroads’ rates and set the maximum prices on transportation, which was a step for the government to influencing the market economy (Foner 717). The 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, as well as the Meat Inspection Act, also adopted during Roosevelt’s presidency, were the result of the activity of the “muckrakers” (Foner 685-686, 716).

On the other hand, Wilson’s Clayton Anti-Trust Act (1914) “exempted labor unions from antitrust laws” and gave them more rights to strike (Foner 721). Further, the 1916 Keating-Owen Act prohibited child labor in some areas of economy (the Supreme Court later decided the law was contradictory to the Constitution); the Adamson Act introduced the workday of 8 hours for railroad workers; the Warehouse Act gave some privileges to farmers who kept their crops in warehouses licensed by the federal government (Foner 721).

It is also noteworthy that Wilson, despite having initially been against the initiative, referendum, and recall, the three powers given to the voters that allow them to make petitions, influence the adoption of some laws, or remove elected officials from their position, later changed his position. During the 1912 presidential campaign, he favored these powers and stated that they should be given to the population.

As it can be seen, both presidents had to deal with the adverse socio-economic situation, political corruption, and acute class conflict. However, their methods were different; Roosevelt made stress on the governmental intervention into business, focusing on anti-trust initiatives and controlling business activities, whereas Wilson did not believe in the strong government, also attempting to make the influence of big corporations on the government impossible, to stimulate small companies, to give more freedoms to people and to provide them with some rights to fend for themselves.

Works Cited

Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History . Vol. 2. 4th ed. 2013. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. Print.

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Biden Administration Releases Revised Title IX Rules

The new regulations extended legal protections to L.G.B.T.Q. students and rolled back several policies set under the Trump administration.

President Biden standing at a podium next to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

By Zach Montague and Erica L. Green

Reporting from Washington

The Biden administration issued new rules on Friday cementing protections for L.G.B.T.Q. students under federal law and reversing a number of Trump-era policies that dictated how schools should respond to cases of alleged sexual misconduct in K-12 schools and college campuses.

The new rules, which take effect on Aug. 1, effectively broadened the scope of Title IX, the 1972 law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding. They extend the law’s reach to prohibit discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and widen the range of sexual harassment complaints that schools will be responsible for investigating.

“These regulations make it crystal clear that everyone can access schools that are safe, welcoming and that respect their rights,” Miguel A. Cardona, the education secretary, said in a call with reporters.

The rules deliver on a key campaign promise for Mr. Biden, who declared he would put a “quick end” to the Trump-era Title IX rules and faced mounting pressure from Democrats and civil rights leaders to do so.

The release of the updated rules, after two delays, came as Mr. Biden is in the thick of his re-election bid and is trying to galvanize key electoral constituencies.

Through the new regulations, the administration moved to include students in its interpretation of Bostock v. Clayton County, the landmark 2020 Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination. The Trump administration held that transgender students were not protected under federal laws, including after the Bostock ruling .

In a statement, Betsy DeVos, who served as Mr. Trump’s education secretary, criticized what she called a “radical rewrite” of the law, asserting that it was an “endeavor born entirely of progressive politics, not sound policy.”

Ms. DeVos said the inclusion of transgender students in the law gutted decades of protections and opportunities for women. She added that the Biden administration also “seeks to U-turn to the bad old days where sexual misconduct was sent to campus kangaroo courts, not resolved in a way that actually sought justice.”

While the regulations released on Friday contained considerably stronger protections for L.G.B.T.Q. students, the administration steered clear of the lightning-rod issue of whether transgender students should be able to play on school sports teams corresponding to their gender identity.

The administration stressed that while, writ large, exclusion based on gender identity violated Title IX, the new regulations did not extend to single-sex living facilities or sports teams. The Education Department is pursuing a second rule dealing with sex-related eligibility for male and female sports teams. The rule-making process has drawn more than 150,000 comments.

Under the revisions announced on Friday, instances where transgender students are subjected to a “hostile environment” through bullying or harassment, or face unequal treatment and exclusion in programs or facilities based on their gender identity, could trigger an investigation by the department’s Office for Civil Rights.

Instances where students are repeatedly referred to by a name or pronoun other than one they have chosen could also be considered harassment on a case-by-case basis.

“This is a bold and important statement that transgender and nonbinary students belong, in their schools and in their communities,” said Olivia Hunt, the policy director for the National Center for Transgender Equality.

The regulations appeared certain to draw to legal challenges from conservative groups.

May Mailman, the director of the Independent Women’s Law Center, said in a statement that the group planned to sue the administration. She said it was clear that the statute barring discrimination on the basis of “sex” means “binary and biological.”

“The unlawful omnibus regulation reimagines Title IX to permit the invasion of women’s spaces and the reduction of women’s rights in the name of elevating protections for ‘gender identity,’ which is contrary to the text and purpose of Title IX,” she said.

The existing rules, which took effect under Mr. Trump in 2020, were the first time that sexual assault provisions were codified under Title IX. They bolstered due process rights of accused students, relieved schools of some legal liabilities and laid out rigid parameters for how schools should conduct impartial investigations.

They were a sharp departure from the Obama administration’s interpretation of the law, which came in the form of unenforceable guidance documents directing schools to ramp up investigations into sexual assault complaints under the threat of losing federal funding. Scores of students who had been accused of sexual assault went on to win court cases against their colleges for violating their due process rights under the guidelines.

The Biden administration’s rules struck a balance between the Obama and Trump administration’s goals. Taken together, the regulation largely provides more flexibility for how schools conduct investigations, which advocates and schools have long lobbied for.

Catherine E. Lhamon, the head of the department’s Office for Civil Rights who also held the job under President Barack Obama, called the new rules the “most comprehensive coverage under Title IX since the regulations were first promulgated in 1975.”

They replaced a narrower definition of sex-based harassment adopted under the Trump administration with one that would include a wider range of conduct. And they reversed a requirement that schools investigate only incidents alleged to have occurred on their campuses or in their programs.

Still, some key provisions in the Trump-era rules were preserved, including one allowing informal resolutions and another prohibiting penalties against students until after an investigation.

Among the most anticipated changes was the undoing of a provision that required in-person, or so-called live hearings, in which students accused of sexual misconduct, or their lawyers, could confront and question accusers in a courtroom-like setting.

The new rules allow in-person hearings, but do not mandate them. They also require a process through which a decision maker could assess a party or witness’s credibility, including posing questions from the opposing party.

“The new regulations put an end to unfair and traumatic grievance procedures that favor harassers,” Kel O’Hara, a senior attorney at Equal Rights Advocates. “No longer will student survivors be subjected to processes that prioritize the interests of their perpetrators over their own well being and safety.”

The new rules also allow room for schools to use a “preponderance of evidence” standard, a lower burden of proof than the DeVos-era rules encouraged, through which administrators need only to determine whether it was more likely than not that sexual misconduct had occurred.

The renewed push for that standard drew criticism from legal groups who said the rule stripped away hard-won protections against flawed findings.

“When you are dealing with accusations of really one of the most heinous crimes that a person can commit — sexual assault — it’s not enough to say, ‘50 percent and a feather,’ before you brand someone guilty of this repulsive crime,” said Will Creeley, the legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

The changes concluded a three-year process in which the department received 240,000 public comments. The rules also strengthen protections for pregnant students, requiring accommodations such as a bigger desk or ensuring access to elevators and prohibiting exclusion from activities based on additional needs.

Title IX was designed to end discrimination based on sex in educational programs or activities at all institutions receiving federal financial assistance, beginning with sports programs and other spaces previously dominated by male students.

The effects of the original law have been pronounced. Far beyond the impact on school programs like sports teams, many educators credit Title IX with setting the stage for academic parity today. Female college students routinely outnumber male students on campus and have become more likely than men of the same age to graduate with a four-year degree.

But since its inception, Title IX has also become a powerful vehicle through which past administrations have sought to steer schools to respond to the dynamic and diverse nature of schools and universities.

While civil rights groups were disappointed that some ambiguity remains for the L.G.B.T.Q. students and their families, the new rules were widely praised for taking a stand at a time when education debates are reminiscent to the backlash after the Supreme Court ordered schools to integrate.

More than 20 states have passed laws that broadly prohibit anyone assigned male at birth from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams or participating in scholastic athletic programs, while 10 states have laws barring transgender people from using bathrooms based on their gender identity.

“Some adults are showing up and saying, ‘I’m going to make school harder for children,” said Liz King, senior program director of the education equity program at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “It’s an incredibly important rule, at an incredibly important moment.”

Schools will have to cram over the summer to implement the rules, which will require a retraining staff and overhauling procedures they implemented only four years ago.

Ted Mitchell, the president of the American Council on Education, which represents more than 1,700 colleges and universities, said in a statement that while the group welcomed the changes in the new rule, the timeline “disregards the difficulties inherent in making these changes on our nation’s campuses in such a short period of time.”

“After years of constant churn in Title IX guidance and regulations,” Mr. Mitchell said, “we hope for the sake of students and institutions that there will be more stability and consistency in the requirements going forward.”

Zach Montague is based in Washington. He covers breaking news and developments around the district. More about Zach Montague

Erica L. Green is a White House correspondent, covering President Biden and his administration. More about Erica L. Green

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