Political Changes In The Progressive Era

The Progressive Era ( 1890’s- 1920’s) was a period of political reforms and social activism within politicians, and radical groups. Some politicians were also known as “Political Progressives”, this group made great changes in the effort to sooth the anger of many industrial workers, and to make their jobs a little less rigorous, however the changes put into effort by political progressives would do little to aid the concerns such as those of the radicals groups (women, blacks, Mexican-Americans).

In the early 20th century, the Progressive Era would dominate for nearbly two decades in the United States and its system. This Progressive Era would be a result of Anarchism. Anarchy actions would take over in the U.S. ,and Anarchism would arrive in the nation, in 1901 during the attempted assassination of President McKinley. Little did they know the assassin’s name would be Leon Czolgosz, who investigators would later discover that Czolgosz would be apart of anarchism. Anarchy propagated the idea that governments and laws only served to restrict the freedom of individuals, and prevented them from practicing their own liberty; therefore this anarchists would act with violence in order to reform or shape the system differently. “Anarchist violence had claimed the pro-business president of the U.S. Worse, anarchism represented only the tip of the

radical iceberg heading straight for the capitalist ship-of state called the U.S”.( Lecture 18, Professor Reyes)
Throughout the Progressive Era, political politicians and varieties of radical groups would attempt to preserve or reconstruct the system to “change people’s lives”.

The Political Progressives, believed it was essential to use government power to forcefully make owners to treat workers better, and also used their capacities to preserve the industrial capital system ; in other words money was what they spoke about and what spoke for them. On the other hand, Radical groups such as Blacks, women,and Mexican-Americans sought to completely reconstruct the system for better in order to improve the lives of suffering

individuals.
In 1905, Lucy Gonzalez-Parsons became know to be a Mexican-American radical who helped to organize the IWW( Industrial Workers of the World). She would then embrace the idea of socialism as a striker to perceive the idea to improve the lives of the poor, sometimes through the use of violence. Other socialist would advocate changes throughout the polls as well as by violent actions. Another socialist was, Eugene V.Debts, who ran for president several times during this era, yet lost the elections against Woodrow Wilson. However, as Debts gained popularity, more people would come to a realization that the U.S. would have nothing to offer to the working classes, and that no matter how hard they would work the businesses would never comply with the wishes of workers to live a healthier, safer,and a better financial and stable live. The socialist had the idea that “the world is not what it is, it is what we make it”, therefore, they would fight to create 4 hour work days to workers so they could enjoy a comfortable live in which they could have extra time to live. Despite this, the radicals would only inspire for one century of the Progressive Era, then the wealthy would begin to act upon the radicals and socialist ideas.
One example of the wealthy political progressives would be Theodore Roosevelt. T.Roosevelt was the man who would replace Mckinley after his death. Roosevelt would make a use of his position as the president of the U.S to persuade the public that industrial capitalism certainly was a worthwhile system which could be a beneficial system for the majority of the U.S. citizens. Roosevelt's objective was to improve the economic system ,the one that had impoverished the radicals. Roosevelt and other political Progressives believed that the only way to make the industrial capitalism platable was by using the government's power to force businesses to treat workers appropriately better. In result, laws would be passed to make the jobs of industrial workers, safer, with better paying wages, and to ensure that the food they consumed were safe and nutritious rather than spoiled and unhealthy. Political Progressives would also eradicate child labor, and also created the 8 hour workday which is in use today. It's debatable, but Progressives sought to improve the conditions for many individuals, but only for some. This idea of Political Progressives would exclude radicals( women, Blacks, and Mexican-Americans). In result radicals would do what was obtainable to obtain equality.
One member of the Black radicals, Booker T.Washington who became a great intellectual mind of the Progressive Era. Washington would grow perturbed by the troubles,and inequality that Blacks faced in the U.S. In response he sought to improve the living conditions of the Blacks population. He would present a speech during the 1985 Cotton states and International Exposition meeting. In his speech he would address that the Black progress did not have to signify a threat to whites. “No race can prosper till it learns that there's as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem. It is at the bottom of life we must begin,and not at the top. Nor should we permit our grievances to overshadow our opportunities” (Booker T.Washington). He would argue that more Blacks should devote themselves to skills and vocational work so in the long run they would earn their equality with whites. With this idea he would pursue to teach vocational education skills to Blacks in the Tuskegee Institution in 1881.
An additional Black radical was, W.E.B. Du Bois who rather than supporting Washington's idea, he argued that Blacks should not have to wait any longer for some racial equality. Du Bois was the first Black to graduate from Harvard, and he would initially pursu his life as a writer, but later adopted to the creation of the nation's oldest civil rights organization, the NAACP. He claimed that the 20th century would be dominated by the question of race, and he also realize that a problem existed in the capitalist system, since the system had created a separation between classes. As a result, Du Bois would embrace the idea of socialism, and would become a member of the American Communist Party when he met the Chinese Communist leader, Mao Tse-Tung. In conclusion, Du Bois believed racial equality could not be obtained before creating economic equality.
While radicals intended to create racial equality, a Jamaican immigrant Marcus Garvey opposed their idea, and believed that Blacks were incapable of achieving racial equality ,so he proposed to send all Blacks “back to Africa”. He would attempt to put his idea into action, however he would be convicted to a minor charge and imprisoned for his idea. Yet his intentions to send Blacks back to Africa served to influence Blacks. It would be clearly that Black culture and history cannot be overestimated.
In addition to Black radicals, there was women Progressives, the National American Women’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA). This group would would aim to obtain gender equality in the 20th century, by fighting against some religious forces unleashed in the Bible stories. Stories such as the one of Eve, Lot’s wife, and Salome, this stories who opposed their drive for equality. Leaders like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton would be women who would advocate “grassroots measures to win support for women's suffrage, seeing it as a first step towards gender equality”. However Suffragettes from the NAWSA would be harassed for seeking the right to vote for women, they would sometimes be imprisoned and women would strike by adopting the strategy of hunger strikes. Women would continue to be tortured for any sort of action to seek to alter gender roles. A women who experienced this was Margaret Sanger, who believed that if a women could take control of her reproductive life then it would help them towards racial equality to that of males. Yet her action would lead her into being persecuted for contraception.
Finally where the Mexican-Americans in the early 20th century, came to a realization that the U.S had nothing to benefit them. They thought about returning back home, but unfortunately they were home so individuals like, Plan De San Diego, Aniceto Pinzon and Luis de la Rose would put a plan into action to improve Mexican- American lives. This individuals sought to improve their lives by chasing Anglos out of South Texas by using military actions. This plan would result into nothing, but the U.S leader became feared by the widespread of Mexican-Americans uprising. Then Texas Rangers would operate for the benefits of wealthy landowners, the rangers would engage in bloodthirsty rampages in Mexican-American communities, and executing people who were know as “los rinches” who were part of the communities.