The Progressive Era, a time in which many laws and implementations were put in place to benefit the average person, allowed for many wonderful opportunities for farmers, machine workers, women, and children alike. These changes allowed for the rights and opportunities of the people to expand. Prior to these changes, America was in the midst of a dirty, unfair life, thriving on the misfortune of the overworked lower class. Many people were not able to exist past that of the workplace due to the unfair wages and ridiculous work hours. Living conditions were cramped and filthy. The government had not granted the right to many things for those who were not a white male. The Progressive movement was preceded by poor living and working conditions …show more content…
and few rights to the people, but action is taken to make changes for the benefit of the people.
The Progressive movement aided in the advancement of the perturbing working and living conditions. The working conditions of the average factory worker: six day workweek, sixty to seventy hours a week, and pay so low survival was difficult. Oftentimes children had to work in factories from an age as early as four in order for the family to survive (Document 4). The average factory worker had been dehumanized due to the harsh conditions under which they were expected to work. Upton Sinclair discussed the brutal conditions that occurred daily in a meatpacking plant in Chicago: “These rats were nuisances, and the packers would put poisoned bread out for them: they would die, and then rats, bread, and meat would go into the hoppers together” (Document 6). The unsanitary conditions of the factory made food coming out of said factory very unsafe to consume. The Progressive movement …show more content…
implemented many acts to ensure safe working conditions, hours, and fairness in applying for jobs. Workers in the city would not get a break from these unfortunate conditions when they got home. Tenement houses were prone to “dark and unhealthy rooms, often over wet cellars, where extreme overcrowding is permitted” (Document 1). The people who lived in these houses breathed in soot and ash from factories, had no fire escape, and no proper disposal system, so their trash was thrown out into the streets. Horse dung, sewage, and waste lurked through the streets, causing many diseases. Tenement houses were reinvented to include a fire escape, better ventilation, and more space, and a proper health regulations cleaned the city from sludge with efficient trash and water systems.These health and working issues accompanied political issues as well. Political battles for equality reined prominent in the Progressive Era. Womens suffrage, or the right for women to vote, was a battle between political powers that lasted for seventy-two years. Women fought for this right for so many years due to the fact that they knew they were citizens of the United States, therefore they deserved to be treated as such. As stated by Senator Robert Owen, “The great doctrine of the American Republic that ‘all governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed,’ justifies the plea of one-half of the people, the women, to exercise the suffrage” (Document 9). The government denied citizens the right to vote, despite the fact that women made up half of the work force, half of the population, and would easily double the voting power of states. Rose Schneider, an advocate for women’s rights, stated, “Women in the laundries stand for 13 and 14 hours in the terrible steam and heat with their hands in hot starch. Surely these women won’t lose any more of their beauty and charm by putting a ballot in the ballot box” (Document 7). Women were treated as citizens as far as making them do as much work as men, but basic rights lacked for them. Women fought very hard for their rights, and in 1919, women were granted the right to vote. Farmers were denied many rights as well, thus the Populist party was born in order to fight for the support of the government. The farmers were producing so much food that the prices were low for the goods and the goods were being taxed so heavily by the shipping industry that the farmers were unable to live on how little money they received. The Populist party attacked the horrible condition in which America resides: We meet in the midst of a nation brought to the verge of moral, political, and material ruin. Corruption dominates the ballot-box [...] The people are demoralized [...] The newspapers are largely subsidized or muzzled, public opinion silenced [...] The fruits of the toil of millions are boldly stolen to build up the fortunes for a few [...] From the same prolific womb of governmental injustice we breed the two great classes — tramps and millionaires. . . . (Document 8) The lack of morals of the people and the dehumanization of society allowed the robber barons to walk all over the government as well as the average worker. The Populist party influenced many changes such as graduated income tax, eight hour workday, and restrictions on immigration, but the party fell apart when William Jennings Bryan lost the presidential election against William McKinley. A call to action was needed, and many people provided that opportunity. Political leaders and common men alike fought for the rights of the people, attacking the corruption of the time.
John Spargo, the author of The Common Sense of the Milk Question, fights for government control of the pasteurization and sale of milk: “What I want to do is to place before the American public a calm and dispassionate statement of certain curable ills as a basis upon which to rest an earnest plea for action; to waken, if possible, all those dormant and neglected powers and impulses for good which need to be called into active cooperation in order that the evils may be remedied” (Document 3). Babies and children were getting very sick due to poor regulations of milk pasteurization. Spargo’s book assisted in the correction of this. In Woodrow Wilson’s first inaugural address, he declared, “We see that in many things (our) life is very great…but…evil has come with the good…With riches has come inexcusable waste [...] At last a vision has been (shown to) us of our life as a whole. We see the bad with the good…With this vision we approach new affairs. Our duty is to cleanse, to reconsider, to restore, to correct the evil” (Document 2). Wilson advocates for change, and in his presidency, he attacks the corruption of the Triple Wall of
Privilege. The Progressive Era allowed for many changes, but not all that needed changed had the opportunity to be corrected. Working and living conditions improved due to the Progressive Era. The rights of women were improved, but the Populist party did not achieve all they desired. Both political leaders and authors like influenced changes in various ways. The Progressive era was a very beneficial time for many.
Roosevelt and Wilson were both strong believers in Progressivism. The Progressive movement was time of eliminating corruption and reform. Roosevelt wanted a stronger central government to help the people. He used his position as president as a “bully pulpit”, in that he would influence public opinion through his popularity. Roosevelt often took a more aggressive approach to domestic policy in that he would go against the Old Guard Republicans, whereas Wilson was one to speak directly in front of congress in order to gain their support. Roosevelt became president towards the beginning of the progressive movement, and so he had a harder time trying make reforms than Wilson did. Also, by telling the public that he was only going to run one term, his chances of running for a second term was greatly diminished, which is one of the reasons why Wilson came ahead in the election of 1912. Roosevelt promoted New Nationalism, while Wilson promoted New Freedom. They were very popular presidents in the eyes of the American people. Especially Roosevelt, who liked to vocalize his opinions and open up his private life to them. Throughout the early 1900s, Roosevelt and Wilson both were leaders in the progressive movement, with their own spin on how it should be done. The two presidents altered labor and large businesses, civil rights, and ultimately the role of the federal government.
In the colonization period, the urge to conquer foreign territories was strong, and many lands in the Western Hemisphere were conquered. With the colonization of these areas, a mercantilist relationship was formed between the conquered civilization and the maternal country. A major part of this was the restriction of exportation of native resources only to the mother country as well as the banning of trading with colonies of other countries. In turn, there was an increasing in the number of smuggling activities during the time. According to a British sailor named William Taggart in 1760, the illegal smuggling of goods into these areas had a positive impact because it brought prosperity to the people in Monte Christi, as there were only one hundred poor families. Likewise, Dominica governor John Orde praised the trading because it created prices much lower than with its maternal country. However, British admiral David Tyrell, Roger Elletson, Dominica governor John Orde, and a 1790 Bahaman newspaper report all had similar views on the harmful effects and corruptness present in smuggling. Despite this, physician George Lipscomb and British Lieutenant Governor Thomas Bruce had neutral opinions on the matter, and only stated what they witnessed in the process.
Capitalism underwent a severe attack at the hands of Upton Sinclair in this novel. By showing the misery that capitalism brought the immigrants through working conditions, living conditions, social conditions, and the overall impossibility to thrive in this new world, Sinclair opened the door for what he believed was the solution: socialism. With the details of the meatpacking industry, the government investigated and the public cried out in disgust and anger. The novel was responsible for the passage of The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. With the impact that Sinclair must have known this book would have, it is interesting that he also apparently tried to make it fuction as propaganda against capitalism and pro-socialism.
Around the same time, journalists started to go undercover to experience first hand just how corrupt the system had become. One of the most influential mudruckers is Upton Sinclair, who went undercover in a meat packing factory and recorded his analysis of the conditions. Built off of the backs of immigrants, it is the very same people that are poorly mistreated but are the reason for the country's booming economy. Yet, a century ago, these migrant workers who devoted their health and time to the factories received a poor man’s salary. They worked long, strenuous hours in horrible conditions and would often get injured during the process.
In order to have a better America, The Progressive Era was a time where activist and reformers from various backgrounds, had various agendas and reacting to challenges which faced the country. These challenges were rapid urban sprawl, immigration, corruption, industrial working conditions, growth of large corporations, women’s rights, surging anti-black violence and white supremacy (KKK) in the South. Some positive results of progressive movement were for women given the right to vote, to remove alcohol from communities and the establishment of the democratic voting process. In addition, Progressive activist took up a cause for legislation to address some of the troubling industries in America such as child labor, anti-trust, big business break ups and health and
After looking closely at all four documents, the Progressive Era ended child labor, improved working conditions, and brought victory to women suffrage. Goals of the movement and people who took part in it have also been highlighted. It is concluded that Progressivism movement was effective and changing American values and lifestyles.
In an era of addressing social issues and inequality, many African Americans were segregated and divided; they fought for justice but racial tensions still formed. The Progressive Era: a time of major movements of the American population. During the decades between the 1890s and 1920, Americans were faced with many challenges and in turn, they entered a modern era of change. The states and cities were experiencing a newly diverse and urban society. There were new technological advances and industrial economics were growing rapidly since the Civil War. Although, not all innovations made during this time were beneficial. With the large innovations in society and the progressive mindsets, the lives of African Americans dramatically changed. The
Many impoverished people immigrated to America in hopes of achieving the American Dream but instead were faced with dangerous working conditions while the factory and corporation owners increased their wealth and profit by exploiting this cheap means of labor. Upton Sinclair succeeded to show the nature of the wage slavery occurring in America in the beginning of the twentieth century. People felt distressed and unimportant in the community because they were being used by the wealthy to generate capital leading the industry for the future success and efficacy in the market. Upton Sinclair was an American journalist who incorporated his personal research of the meatpacking industry conditions and people’s life, as well as the structure of the present business into the novel under analysis. Thus, real facts and data were incorporated into this literary work, which helps the audience to feel involved in the work and understand the overall atmosphe...
The causes of the Progressive Era can be good and can be bad.The causes of the Progressive Era is the Bribery and corruption in politics and political machines. It resulted to very poor working conditions and poor living conditions. They had discrimination against women.They also had a rise of crime in the cities during the urbanization in America, and child labor and the need for improved education.
The Progressive Area was a period of time when working Americans were working in poor conditions, unhealthy living situations, and under a corrupt government.
In the early 1900s, America was going through a Progressive Era that forever transformed the lifestyles of the middle and lower class citizens around the country. Reformers, usually politicians or writers, strived to improve the welfare and status of the United States locally and nationally. While some of the reforms, like the Drug and Food Act and the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, tremendously improved the life and well being of American citizens, others fell drastically short. The federal government’s political, economic, and social efforts to reform the lives of American citizens were successful in theory, but often times were executed poorly and had little impact on the country as a whole.
Even the hardest working ward boss could only help individuals on a local level in very limited ways. Workers began rising up to strike against the overshadowing power of their employers demanding better wages and working conditions. The issue of fair living wage came to dominate the Progressives thinking. Making them wondered if they could really afford the products they are making at work. The depression transformed American politics, the farm foreclosures, and rail road bankruptcies were indicating economic distress. The public began blaming hard times on political
The progressive era in America was a time of fear and conservatism. Progressives wanted to conserve what was already in place, by changing it a little so that, the previous values would remain in place. By trying to do this, progressives created issues such as poor working conditions and child labor, during industrialization, along with, racism, classism, and many other things during all aspects of the period. The progressive era had many other issues, but these are a few which impacted the segregation of the American people the most. The progressives essentially created all the issues between the different groups in American society. They progressed to the idea of racism, forcing the blacks to continue to be segregated from the whites, and were also anti-immigrant, creating problems with American imperialism in order to preserve the ideas of the past. Progressives also enforced the idea of classicism, which again affected industrialization, and the different races in the American community. The gap between rich and poor started to widen during this time as business owners became wealthier, and most others were “struggling to get by as wage laborers” (Bacon). The progressives helped segregate the American community during this time, in order to preserve the American values already put in place by their
During the Progressive Movement, the working class received more attention and more protection at the factories. Child labor laws were now passed by the law and children could no longer work, a lot of the states passed this law around 1910. Minimum wages were also appearing in the businesses for women, which helped lower the income gap between men and women. Worker's compensation also came into appearance during the era, allowing injured employees to still receive a secure income for their families while recovering from injuries. All these were major achievements for the working class throughout the Progressivism Movement .
The Industrial Revolution in the U.S would forever change American life. Not only did the Industrial Revolution create jobs in cities (that would motivate many foreigners to immigrate to America), but it also brought about many new technologies and new transportation methods that made American life much simpler and easier than it had been before. Although industrialization and urbanization seemed to have a positive effect on the U.S, it actually caused many problems that would last for decades. Beginning in 1890, the Progressive Era began as a way to solve these problems. The era brought out many different reform groups that would challenge monopolies, corruption in government and social injustices brought on by the Industrial Revolution. Not