Comparing The Progressive Era And The New Deal Era

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Thesis The Progressive Era and the New Deal Era had a significant amount of similarities with policies and programs to reform the American society and improve lives and fight poverty in America. Although the Progressive and New Deal Era had many similarities there were still differences between them. Both the Progressive and the New Deal Era’s main goal was to improve American society. Both of the Progressive and New Deal’s accomplishments were rooted from the economic depression and the need of change before the era, the Guilded age in the 19th century for the Progressive era, and the Great Depression for the New Deal era. As the Guilded Age was ending, and the Progressive Era was emerging, most American families had to live with the harsh He did this by increasing the power of the presidency, “by taking the position that the president could exercise any right not specifically denied him by the Constitution.” Theodore Roosevelt saw the president’s role to defend the citizens by regulating businesses and breaking up trusts that had gained too much power, defend the very resources of the country by establishing 50 wildlife sanctuaries, 5 national parks, 18 national monuments, and placing more than 230 acres of American soil under federal protection, and lastly increased the role of president in foreign policy by heavily engaging in foreign affairs. Before Theodore Roosevelt Congress was the most powerful branch of the government but with the help of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency it helped establish an influential and reliable executive branch. During both the Progressive Era and New Deal Era many American citizens faced low pay. To deal with this, workers from both eras fought unfair labor practices by creating unions and strikes. During the Progressive Era employers soon realized better paid workers are better able to afford the products they were selling. Henry Ford was one of the first employers to realize this, in result he raised the pay of worker to an average of $5 per day. This resulted in Ford’s annual input increasing from 34,000 cars to 730,000 cars from 1910 to Although the economy during that time was booming companies wanted costs low and profits high in competitive markets, so wages were kept low with long hours and terrible work conditions for men, women, and children. Upton Sinclair exploited this by writing “The Jungle,” describing the work condition workers had to face and the filth in the meat packing plants, photography also became a use of documentation showing child laborers and lastly a 1911 garment factory fire in New York City killing 126 worker dead contributed to exploiting this problem. Jacob Riis wrote a first hand experience of the harsh life in the slums; Jane Addams was able to help this problem by cofounding a settlement house. This started more settlement houses and hull houses to develop to provide a community center for neighbors and citizens. Ida Tarbell described the tactics used by big businesses to eliminate competition and Lincoln Steffens exposed corruption in city governments. Through muckraking they were able enlighten the people of the need for change, and with the help of the people demand and support

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