History: The Progressive Movement
The Progressive Era was a movement from the late 19th century to the early 20th century where many people in the United States tried to reform political, social, and economic injustices. This might sound like a good thing, but most of the movement was filled with corruption and ulterior motives. The Progressive movement was not entirely clean; while there were selfless reformers, many reformers only wanted reform if it suited them. Using the historical interpretations of George Mowry, Joseph Huthmacher, and James J. Connolly, I will explain who the progressives were and what their reformed society entailed. I will also state what historian is most persuasive and why. The identity of the progressives has been defined by each historian differently. …show more content…
George Mowry uses a quote from a Democratic Progressive to describe their reformed society. He quotes, “‘There is nothing ethical about the labor movement’” (Mowry 261). Mowry says that Progressives wanted a society without unions. The quote he used also said that unions were just as bad as industrial monopolies. Even though reformers wanted to improve the conditions of the average working men, they were more prone to aid the corporate monopolies. Joseph Huthmacher contradicts Mowry when he states, “[..]indicates the basis for urban lower-class interest in the many types of social welfare and labor measures” (Huthmacher 13). He says that because the lower-class was mostly immigrants they did not care about the politics of the United States of America. The ideal society for reformers in Huthmacher’s eyes was a society where the blue collar workers were treated as equals to the white collar ones. They wanted there to be no visible line between rich and poor. James Connolly believes that the progressives were Irish, Italian, and Jewish peoples. So it makes sense that he believed that these people wanted a society that favored them. Interestingly, he writes, “[...]many ethnic leaders found in Progressivism and its assault on city politics an formula with which to pursue their own ends” (Connolly 172). Connolly believes that ethnic leaders were only trying to benefit themselves through the facade of Progressivism. Each historian described the progressive’s reformed society
What Are The Politics Of The Late 19th Century Robber Barons Dbq
762 Words | 4 PagesThe National Labor Union (NLU), the Knights of Labor, and then the American Federation of Labor (AFL) all strived for a better workers’ condition. Specifically, Samuel Gompers, the founder of AFL, demanded “a reduction of the hours of labor,” “adequate wages,” etc. (Doc G) The labor unions took actions against the relentless business owners: the Railroad Strike, the Homestead Strike, and the Pullman Strike were examples that attempted to ameliorate working conditions by refusing to work. Similarly, the southern and western farmers formed organizations that asked for legislations that would benefit them.
Compare And Contrast Franklin And Hoover
1686 Words | 7 PagesHe strongly upheld the belief that the standard of living had been controlled by corporate enemies that sought to pre-determine the fate of Americans. It is apparent that the public would have agreed with this sentiment because they did, in fact, feel exploited. In 1936, Chairman of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, John L. Lewis, represented the collective view of millions. In this radio address, one can automatically notice how his language parallels Roosevelt’s. They both used terms such as dictatorship and tyrant to describe the oppressive employers.
Similarities Between Roosevelt And The Progressive Era
830 Words | 4 PagesThese fixes came in way of individual and group actions, as the economy changed in America, the progressives were hard at work responding to the change in political system. A book titled “The Jungle” led to President Roosevelt’s creation of the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act of 1906. It wasn’t enough to have words that described the conditions in which people worked in, so a photographer name Louis Hines, began taking pictures. The photographs that Hines took, led to American being face to face with over two million children under 15 working in mines for wages. Workers began organizing unions to get corporations to raise their wages, ultimately leading to employers opening their eyes to the fact that a great way to mitigate the problems associated with industrialism is to pay their workers more (Mayhew, 1998).
What Are Some Historians Views On The Progressive Reform Movement
645 Words | 3 PagesHuthmacher conveys that liberalism of Americans made the type of political system they were wanting. He asserted that the government got involved because of how the lower class portrayed their rights and voted for legislation. The low class was looking for improvement for working conditions. He provided job security, better wages and working conditions, and gave some benefits of production to consumers. “As a result, we find urban lower-class representatives introducing a large variety of business regulatory measures on the local and state levels during the Progressive Era”(Huthmacher 13).
Quality Of America
1066 Words | 5 PagesA mass body of people pointed out what they liked and disliked. Throughout history, one can clearly see change is made through citizen’s inputs that eventually makes an impact on the quality of life. During the Progressive Era, America was portrayed as the “best country” in the world. However, no one bothered to bring up the fact that one out of three people were starving to death or only six out of ten children were attending school due to financial instability in American households. The government was well aware of the poverty issues but they did not make an effort to help the people.
Jacksonian Democratic Ideals
468 Words | 2 PagesThroughout the early 19th century, changing politics and an evolving society in America impacted all classes of people, specifically the white working class. Jacksonian Democratic ideals was influenced by the working class, and the white working class benefited from President Jackson’s decisions. During the year of Jackson’s presidential election, the Workies, which consisted of working men, wanted to protect individuals who earned money from arduous labor, but failed to make payments punctually. Jacksonian Democrats realized the Workies language was valuable in the fact that beliefs of the Workies group echoed through Jackson’s party.
Upton Sinclair's Effect On The Progressive Movement
1184 Words | 5 PagesA progressive is someone who was a part of the progressive movement during that time period whose main goal was to promote change and better life for all Americans. As we know, Sinclair wanted to change the progressive class by making shorter work hours and earn higher pay by writing his book The Jungle. While he didn’t reach that goal he certainly did fix the quality of consumable items. This surely struck change in the lives of Americans not only in those days but it extends all the way until present
Similarities Between Populist And Progressives
1117 Words | 5 PagesAs the United States advanced as a nation the Populist and Progressives sought out each other’s differences, but also found significant similarities regarding the rights of the American people and the working class citizen. The Populist Party, established in 1891, signified a radical form of agrarianism that was more in favor of wanting demands met such as direct election of senators, working conditions, and public control of government action. Whereas the Progressive movement believed in problems that society faced as a whole such as government control, and equality in workplaces. The Populist and Progressives are indeed different, however without the Populists, Progressives would not have the structure to have created their movement. All reforms that the Populist desired were listed under the Omaha Platform, even though many requests were denied the
The Progressive Movement In The Early 20th Century
842 Words | 4 PagesAfter the Civil War, our country was battered and beaten, but it rebuilt itself over time and spread its policies, as well as manufacturing practices, throughout our country. Early in the 20th century, members of our nation started to look at some of these practices and policies and began to question their merit and whether they assisted our population or not. Many people were involved in the progressive movement in America from the presidents to a slew of popular authors and photographers. The one thing that they had in common was that they saw problems with how various industries in our nation performed that they knew needed to be fixed. They did not always agree on everything, such as immigration, but they always had the nation’s best interest at heart.
During The Progressive Era
1029 Words | 5 PagesThroughout the ages women have faced varying degrees of sexism and during the progressive era this was a very prominent issue, women had finally had enough of being treated as second class compared to white males and simply males in general. They weren’t allowed to vote, own property if married, they were extremely restricted in what types of jobs they could get and often encouraged to just stay home, not to mention the large wage gap between white males and white females ensuring that on their own women would be hard pressed to survive. In many of the divorce cases the women were still required to take care of the children even though the male technically had custody. Sexism all though not as prominent today is still a very big issue, ranging
Women's Role In The Progressive Era
1091 Words | 5 PagesThe progressive era which lasted from 1890-1920 in American society was the institution of radical reforms brought about by the millions of Americans involved in volunteer organizations across the country. During this time Americans worked to create solutions to the problems caused by the rapid industrialization and urbanization of the country. The progressive era was not a single movement, but rather a collection of movements all of which were intended to improve the lives of Americans. This was a truly remarkable time for women and the end of the era would see almost universal women’s suffrage with the passing of the nineteenth amendment in 1920.
The Pros And Cons Of Progressivism
1484 Words | 6 PagesProgressivism was a reform movement that began during the end of the 19th century and continued through the first couple decades of the 20th century. During this time, many writers, politicians, and social welfare advocates came forward as leaders of the Progressive movement and sought to solve societal problems that were caused by capitalism and the Industrial Revolution. While these Progressives often differed in what they saw as America’s main problem and how it could be fixed, they shared the common belief that in order for the reforms to work, the government needed to take the lead, be actively involved in the reforms, and be more democratic. All citizens, similarly, were to take responsibility for their society as well. What follows is
Progressive Era Assessment
631 Words | 3 PagesThe pre-assessment I chose to give for this unit consists of forty questions of various types that mainly deal with vocabulary and key ideas surrounding the Progressive Era. The first eight questions require student to match historical figures to their impact or historical importance. The next seventeen questions are multiple choice and test students’ ability group individuals and ideas, recall key legislation and reforms desired by progressives, and so on. There are six true/false questions which check for comprehension even further.
Jane Addams In The Progressive Era
1024 Words | 5 PagesJane Addams The Progressive Era, 1890-1920, accomplished great change in the Unites States of America. Many reformers and activits demanded for change in education, food and drug policies, and most importantly the govermenet. The goal for the movement was the purify the nation. One of the main activits during this time was Jane Addams. Jane Addams is often refered to as a social and political pioneer.
Progressive Reform Movement Essay
997 Words | 4 PagesWiebe displays the reforms of the Progressive Era and the changes they were seeking. Wiebe describes the progressive reformers as, “the new middle class” (Robert H. Wiebe 80). Ultimately, this new middle class was looking to reorder the government by themselves. A major reoccurring theme was the focus on the children based on Wiebe’s view of the progressives. This is shown when Wiebe writes, “He united the campaigns for health, education, and a richer city environment, and he dominated much of the interest in labor legislation” (Robert H. Wiebe 82).
More about History: The Progressive Movement
What Are The Politics Of The Late 19th Century Robber Barons Dbq
762 Words | 4 PagesCompare And Contrast Franklin And Hoover
1686 Words | 7 PagesSimilarities Between Roosevelt And The Progressive Era
830 Words | 4 PagesWhat Are Some Historians Views On The Progressive Reform Movement
645 Words | 3 PagesQuality Of America
1066 Words | 5 PagesJacksonian Democratic Ideals
468 Words | 2 PagesUpton Sinclair's Effect On The Progressive Movement
1184 Words | 5 PagesSimilarities Between Populist And Progressives
1117 Words | 5 PagesThe Progressive Movement In The Early 20th Century
842 Words | 4 PagesDuring The Progressive Era
1029 Words | 5 PagesWomen's Role In The Progressive Era
1091 Words | 5 PagesThe Pros And Cons Of Progressivism
1484 Words | 6 PagesProgressive Era Assessment
631 Words | 3 PagesJane Addams In The Progressive Era
1024 Words | 5 PagesProgressive Reform Movement Essay
997 Words | 4 Pages