Essays on The Progressive Era

Thesis Statement: Although progressives responded to the ills of inner cities and working-class immigrants with significant reforms, they mostly failed to address the horrors of Jim Crow rule in the South. The first set of reforms, which sought to curb the social problems that plagued the United States during the Progressive Era, revolved around an understanding of the communities as a key component in providing the necessary solutions. According to Eric Foner, part of the changes encompassed improving the democratic government by not only “weakening the power of city bosses” but also giving the ordinary citizens more influence on ...

During the period in the US from 1890 to 1920, the so-called Progressive Era contributed to an enormous amount of social change. Because of Progressivism, unregulated capitalism came to a grinding halt, and governmental regulations began to help alleviate poverty, especially in large, industrialized urban areas. Nearly one hundred years after the Progressive Era has ended, it appears more than ever that the people need strong governmental regulations to help keep many of the negative effects of capitalism, such as environmental pollution, in check. The Progressive Era ushered in a new role for government in America. For example, many ...

Book Review – New York Exposed: The Gilded Age Scandal that

New York City in the late 19th-century has been shown through scholarly research and historical investigation to be a den of vice, with police-sanctioned brothels and unchecked political graft taking place on a large, systemic level. This matrix of criminal protections and laissez-faire attitude toward criminality led to the origins of the New York mob, and is a considerably important subject for historical scholars. Daniel Czitrom’s latest account of this early corruption, New York Exposed: The Gilded Age Police Scandal that Launched the Progressive Era, demonstrates the forces that began to identify the Gilded Age as one of ...

The time period between the 1890-s and the World War I, known as the Progressive Era, was difficult and controversial in American history. It was the time of industrial and urban development, political changes, economic growth (Frankel, and Dye 1). At the same time racial discrimination was prominent in the South, regardless of the legislation which abolished slavery and promoted equality between white and black members of the society. ‘Jim Crow laws’, or rules, applied mostly in Southern states, introduced segregation. Its beginning is associated with the Plessy vs. Ferguson case of 1896 (Williams). The progressives managed to bring ...

Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt is widely regarded as one of the best presidents in United States history. He is known for his cowboy persona and his widespread representations of traditional masculinity. Many Americans today remember him as a rope-swinging, outdoorsman who would not be content sitting inside the Oval office. In fact, he was once observed jumping off a horse into a pit of wild dogs and slaying a mountain lion. Roosevelt changed the course of the presidency and did many things that presidents had never done before, such as riding in a submarine, being identified by his initials, being ...

The African American population had endured a long struggle for justice and equal rights. Having arrived in the United States as slaves, their struggle for equality in an all-white nation became a daunting task. The liberation and rights that are now enjoyed by the contemporary African-American population did not come at a low price. The focus of this essay is comparing some of the ideas espoused by the liberators of the African American people with those of Marcus Garvey. The Progressive Era was a crucial period in the quest to advance the rights of African-Americans. However, many of the ...

The period between the 1890 and 1915 is frequently referred to as the Progressive Era. During this period, it was very hard for the African Americans to progress. Inequality that was mostly in the form of racism was one of the main challenges that affected many African Americans. The white people saw the African Americans as inferior people and therefore did not want to be associated with them. Racism was supported by many white leaders like Jim Crow, who had earlier introduced segregation laws. To bring equality during this period, many courageous leaders like Marcus Garvey, Washington, W.E.B. Du ...

The Progressive Era was meant to improve the economic, social and political issues affecting America. However, one of the most critical areas that needed reform was the plight of the African Americans, which was overlooked by most of the white progressives. The issue of racism affected many aspects of the American’s society. For example, the blacks were denied the opportunity to participate in the voting process. The progressive movement did little in terms of improving the lives of African Americans. The white progressives supported segregation as they believed that African Americans were inferior and in some instances they ...

The progressive era took place under different presidents, and every president had some reforms that would make the Society of America better. In some cases, there are similarities in both the new dealers and the progressives. It is evident that many of the new deal leaders drew their inspirations from the progressive leaders on how to reallocate the economic and political sectors of America (Ferguson 89). One of the similarities of the progressives and the new dealers is that they both had the same goal to ensure that there is social justice, security and to preserve democracy to the ...

The end of the 19th Century as well as the early years of the 20th Century saw the rise of the progressive era in the United States of America. The progressive era was mainly characterized by the need for change in different sectors of the American way of life. There was the need to change the education system, reduce monopolies through the formation of the anti-trust laws as well as the general reduction in corruption among many other activities. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft and Woodrow Wilson were seen as the main campaigners of the progressive era. Theodore Roosevelt ...

The Progressive Era was one of the most important stages in the development of American society. Social, economic and cultural changes of this period made the United States one of the most developed countries of that time. Progressivism united different sections of society in the face of the threat of economic and political domination of corporations. The whole nation has benefited from the reforms of the Progressive Era. The Progressives achieved the greatest progress in the field of political reforms. The XVII amendment to the Constitution, 1913 which transferred the right to elect senators from the legislature of states ...

During the Progressive Era, 1890 to 1917, some of the significant reforms in the history of America were experienced (OpenStax College 504). For example, there were some amendments to the Constitution of America. In 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. It stated that “the Congress had the power to collect income tax from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration” (The Armory Show at 100). Previously, the Constitution stated that the amount of income collected should be divided among the states according to the population. The ...

The progressive era is a historical period of political and economic reforms from 1900 to 1918, which transformed the American society. The various movements during the Progressive era focused on major areas, such as equality, individual rights, economic justice and many others. In the gilded age, there was inequality in many segments of the American society, such as the African Americans, women and immigrants. Advocates of the Democratic Party, Republican Party and members of the third parties focused on specific issues of the country and developed various political, social and economic reforms, which have been influencing the American society until ...

The history of American economy has been a long battle since the time of the Gilded Age through the Progressive era and into the Great Crash or Depression of October 1929. During these years, from 1877 to 1929, class conflict was largely observed. The Gilded Age and the Great Crash were the notorious periods in which poverty and economic inequality skyrocketed reaching all-time highs in the American economy. The Gilded Age came at a time when there was widespread greed, corruption in the political systems, and speculative elements of the market. Of great interest is the absence of government restriction in ...

Question One

The Progressive Era denotes the period of attempts to address reform both in the economic as well as social sphere between the years 1900-1918. The name obtained from the forward thinking or the progressive goals that were the subject of advancement by supporters of the movement. Its supporters were advocates from both sides of the political divide mainly Democrats, Republicans as well as other third parties’ members whose focus was on certain specific issues. Among the concerns that the movement targeted at reform included direct and indirect results of the significant wave of immigration and industrialization witnessed at the ...

The period between 1900 and 1918 was known as the “Progressive Era” in the American history. This was a positive tide of events for America. It was during this brief time that America was completing its quick change from an agrarian to an urban society. For most Americans of this generation, early 20th-century America was the start to a relationship between a democratic government and its masses. So this had a very positive impact on them and the whole nation. The progressives as they called themselves worked for a revival in the working conditions in factories and argued for better living conditions in the ...

Introduction

Liberalism is a political doctrine based on the ideas of liberty and equality for every individual. Liberalism espouses the idea that the government is in place to protect the citizens. The fundamentals of liberalism include free elections; freedom of worship; freedom of the press, and freedom of speech. Liberalists also believe in equality for all races, and the right to due process. In modern times, liberal politics has evolved to include environmental justice, civil rights and the right to adequate standards of living. The government has the responsibility of providing equal education, adequate social infrastructure and healthcare in order to ...

Between the 1890s and the 1920s, the state of American society motivated a time of social reform and political activism within the country focused on driving corruption out of government by exposing political machines for what they were and setting up additional paths for direct democracy to work. The progressives also wanted regulation of corporations through the use of antitrust laws, which reformers saw as a way to develop fair levels of competition for consumer benefit. The national leaders of this movement included Robert M. LaFollette, Charles Evans Hughes and Theodore Roosevelt from the Republicans and Woodrow Wilson, Al Smith and ...

Introduction

The Gilded Age, as it came to be known, was a period between 1870’s and early 1900’s. It spanned three decades of the late nineteenth century and was characterized by one of the most contentious, volatile and dynamic scenes in the American history. The word “Gilded” was lifted from a book by Mark Twain immediately after the civil war. This was as a result of the widespread greed that was evidenced at the time as well as speculative nature that the markets had coined. Further, there was rampant corruption that pervaded politics and Mark Twain together with his colleagues employed ...

1. Why was the term “gilded” an accurate description for the last quarter of the 19th century? Mark Twain is credited with using the term ‘gilded’ to describe the last quarter of the 19th century America, particularly the years from 1870 to 1900. Twain had used the term ‘gilded age’ in a satirical manner. He draws an analogy with the thin covering of gold on various artifacts that provides a shiny veneer to the object and hides the baseness of the material used to make it. This is an apt description because towards the end of the 19th century, United ...

In the United State of America, during 1890s to the 1920s, there was a period of social activism and political reform that was successful and it was called the progressive era. It was successful in many ways because first, it was able to eliminate corruption in the country through exposing political machines and their bosses by undercutting them. It further managed to establish a means of direct democracy. In addition, the progressive era was responsible for being in quest of the monopolistic trust corporation regulations through antitrust laws that led to fair competition among the consumers which benefited them a great deal. ...

Proffesor

Political ideologies and in the progressive era For all the benefits that we live in today, in an America with democracy and freedoms; an America that allows for different ethniv groups to intergrate and work together, we have the progressives to thank among other activtists. The progressive era had a series of ideological and intellectual conflicts, which led to direct democracy reforms and the continued development of America. A famous newspaper journalist, William White branded the progressives as a “populist who had just shaved his whiskers, put on a different shirt and a derby hat.” This is because the progressives shared the ...

During the first half of the 20th century, USA was riddled with political and economic injustices, perpetrated by the political class and big businesses. For instance, malfeasance was rife in municipal governments and big corporations pursued their activities unchecked. Pushed by the desire to expose the ills in the American society, reform-minded investigative journalists swung into action and unearthed some of most serious dirty tricks. For example, Upton Sinclair published an expose of the horrifying realities of the meatpacking industry. In response to the investigative piece, Theodore Roosevelt came up with the label “muckrakers.” He ridiculed such journalists ...

During the Progressive Era and the Great Depression, there were a lot of turning points. The Women’s Right Movement and the Stock Market Crash of 1929 are the two major turning points that stood out during that time. It was clear that women were the ones that played a vital function in bringing reformation reforming the nation. Women were well educated college graduates and worked outside of the home during the late nineteenth century. The traditional social norms were no longer followed by traditional women. With the formation of the Women's Political and Social Union (WSPU) for the right to ...

For decades, identity politics have played an important role in the contemporary American art. Minority groups who are seeking for their cultural identity are developing arts as the basis for establishing self-identity, cultural identity, gender issues and socio-economic status. They search for deeper meaning through participation in cultural work and they see art as a representation of their cultural and national identity. Identity politics is important in the contemporary American art because it allows minority artists to express their cultural heritage and influence people to acknowledge their existence as well as understand their beliefs and behavior and appreciate their cultural ...

Introduction

The Progressive Era extended from the Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency in 1901 up to the time the United States entered into World War 1. This period was characterized by massive changes in the American labor sector. There were concerns about industrialization, increased urbanization, government influence in the private sector and generally the manner in which America was to take off in Socio-Economic issues. This period saw the emergence of strong labor unions such as the American Federation of Labor (IFL-founded in 1886) and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW-founded in 1905). These labor unions had points of convergence or ...

‘Instructor’s Name’

The Gilded Age The period that immediately followed the American civil wars is famously termed as the ‘Gilded Age’, a name coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner. The period roughly starts from the year 1870 and ends with the turn of the twentieth century. This age was marked by the brisk industrialization, erection of huge transcontinental rail connectivity and the enormous growth of commerce. This economic growth however showed a slump during the great depressions of 1873 and 1893. Most of this expansion and prosperity were concentrated on the Northern and Western part of the country, while the ...

Summary of an Essay

The essay was written by Neil Maher in the year 2002. It mainly revolves on issues to do with the conservation of nature, from the reclamation of bare land to the preservation of the existing vegetation cover. He opens his writing with the story of young man in April 1963, who climbs without a shirt on a tall tree at the George Washington National forest. The young man prunes the branches of the tree from the top and then he uses the plant as mast to host the United States flag. This event and many more were at Camp Roosevelt (Neil ...

Introduction

The Progressive Era gains its name dating back to the era of the Progressive party in 1912–1924. The concept of progressive era is also rooted to the general feeling witnessed at the period and in successive histories which the early years of the 20th century were fixated on a comprehensible body of reforms on democracy which brought about tremendous changes on the American political system. The Progressive Era has experienced numerous changes in its interpretations. Early histories and autobiographies emphasized the return to prevalent control over partisan actions and the regular shift from local authority to state and finally ...

The Progressive Era and the New Deal would lead to a changed, expanded role of Government in the United States. During the Progressive Era, support for worker’s rights movements and unions would lead to limiting child labor and the number of hours a worker was allowed to have to work, for example. Upton Sinclair’s landmark work “The Jungle” would lead to stricter food regulations. In the wake of disasters such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire, stronger fire regulations were introduced. The gradual progress of the Progressive era eventually gave way to the need for wide-sweeping and swift changes ...

ABSTRACT

In the years 1870 to 1900 the U.S. had become the leading industrial power in the world, with more railroad mileage and a larger steel industry than the rest of the world combined. As it became an urban, industrial society with a rapidly growing population and millions of immigrants, it faced new social and economic problems, which were addressed by an expanding government at all levels. In the Progressive Era of 1900-20, some limited gains were made in the regulation of capitalism, as well as granting voting rights to women, passing constitutional amendments for an income tax and the direct election ...

Introduction

The American people from the 1877s found themselves living in an era characterized by instability and transition. The society experienced changes in lifestyle and traditional values and views were being challenged. The response to this period of transition and instability resulted into a movement towards reforms and an ever-increasing need for control and order amongst people. During this period, American journalists, politicians, professionals, and volunteers mobilized on behalf of reforms aimed at dealing with a variety of social problems associated with industrialization. The major focus of this paper is on women’s participation in the progressive movement, starting from 1901 towards ...

The national alliance for the advancement of colored people is a party (NAACP) formed in 1909 to fight for the rights of the black people in America. This party’s main goals were to ensure that Afro-Americans had quality education, social and economic rights and most importantly eliminate cases of racial discrimination against the black people. The formation of the NAACP was huge landmark in the fight to give the black Americans their rights. The fight for the freedom of the black Americans was not easy. The journey from slavery to freedom was difficult because most of the whites ...

Interest groups and factions have existed since the beginning of the United States, as James Madison recognized, and political parties throughout American history have been coalitions of interest groups. Corporations and lobbyists representing the upper classes and various big business interests have always been a major influence on Congress and the entire political system, particularly since the nation began to industrialize after the Civil War. They have been well-represented by the Federalist, Whig and Republican Parties for over 200 years, while in the past the Democratic Party was led by the Southern slaveholding interests and also claimed to represent lower-class ...

The Progressive Era (loosely defined as the period between the 1890’s and 1920’s) was a political, social and religious movement that sought to cure many perceived social ills, such as child labor, spousal and child abuse and neglect, poverty, crime, political corruption and inebriation, among others. It also sought to apply a “scientific” approach toward curing those ills, as well as applying scientific principles to industry, medicine, the social sciences and economics, among other fields of endeavor (Gould). The end of the nineteenth century saw the rapid growth of industry and industrial power in the United States. The ...

Public Relation is a Communication Business and the Ideal Practitioner is a People’s Person

Introduction Public relation involves managing information that flows between an organization and a target segment of the public. Through public relation, an organization gets exposure to the public by the use of topics of interest to the public. The main focus or aim of public relation therefore is to persuade the public, stakeholders and interested parties of an organization to develop a certain perception about the organization, its products, decisions, management and leadership. This implies that public relations is basically involves business and corporate communication. The success and failure of businesses, corporate, and other organizations depend on the public. It ...

HIS-105

America's Post-Civil War Growing Pains Introduction Between 1865 and 1900 in USA there was speedy progression in economic, industrial, and agricultural supremacy. Barney, (2006), estimated that the income of employees rose by 75% in the same period. 1865 is seen as the era where the country was united and dominant, having a strong federal government. Therefore, the turning point periods that would be selected for analysis in this paper are the reconstruction and gilded age. In their analysis highlights of why the eras were a turning point would also be explained.

The Reconstruction Era

It was a very important era symbolizing the unification of ...

In the first half of the course, we covered the "woman's sphere" and women's work voluntary reform. How is the work of women during the Progressive Era a continuation of this theme in American history? Describe the work of Hull House and the Women"??s Christian Temperance Union. Women in the progressive era worked extremely hard to influence changes in legislation to allow them the vote and other basic human rights. In America the movement in favour of women was quite strong and worked on several fronts which were not just focused on women’s rights. These included the issue ...

Progressive era happened in 1890s to the 1920s in the United States and was a time of political improvement and community activism. The main aim of the group was to purify the government by abolishing bribery through undercutting and revealing political machines and bosses. Achieving effectiveness in every region was the other aim of the progressive era in the United States. This was done by modernizing, application of scientific, remedial and engineering solutions in the older sectors. During this era Progressives worked hard to renew improvement in schools at the regional level. There was a dramatic increase in the number of ...

Women have always been somewhat downtrodden in the field of work but one cannot not argue that huge leaps and bounds have been made in this area, largely thanks to the movement for more equality in the Progressive era. Moccio (1993) in Back to the Future 1. argues that there was a substantial and dramatic transformation in the Progressive Era where women and work was concerned. He explains that the women of the YWCA realised that affirmative ledership actually translated into mutial activism gave concrete results in the areas of advocacy and public policy, both areas where women were ...

HOW CULTURE AND ECONOMY WERE AFFECTED BY PRESIDENCY

In the period between 1920 and 1930, four presidents ruled America. It is during this period in history that significant events occurred, which later shaped the lives of the Americans in one or the other. These events include the great depression, the new deal, and the progressive era among others. The presidents are seen to have influenced the economy in a number of ways, as they will be discussed especially on their individual contribution. Woodrow Wilson, a democrat, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover, all republics are the greatest personalities who steered America during this era. It is necessary ...