The Progressive Era was the time between 1890 and 1920, a period during which American lifestyle and culture went through many changes. Although it has been in constant advancement, society in the United States progressed more drastically during this era—which is how it got its name. A lot of innovations were brought to light during this time period, especially in the areas of entertainment and consumption. It was a time when people rejoiced the end of the Reconstruction, which had been detrimental to both the economy and society of the United States. The inventions that were created during the Progressive Era made life easier and more efficient, and in doing so they helped shape modern society as we know it today.
Paper towels, for instance,
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are used in almost every American household to this day, yet we often disregard their functionality. Have you ever thought about the inconvenience of using cloth towels instead of paper towels? Before paper towels were popularized, people used cloth towels to clean counters, wipe stuff off the wall, dry their hands, and so forth. This meant that they had to wash and dry the towels repeatedly, and replace them every time they got too damp or grimy. Interestingly, the invention of this practical cleaning tool was the result of a serendipity that originated from bath tissue. In 1907, the president of the Scott Paper Company in Pennsylvania, Arthur Scott, was informed that “an entire railroad car was filled with paper that was simply too thick to be used as toilet tissue.” After pondering how to make use of this “unusable” paper, Scott came up with a brilliant solution. He “determined that the unusable paper in the railroad could be cut into individual sections and sold as an alternative to the cloth towels commonly used in households.” The Scott Paper Company advertised their paper towels as a sanitary alternative to “over germ-filled cloth towels” (Pollick 1). The versatility and practicality of paper towels helped make cleaning easier and more time efficient, giving people more free time. The success of this product led to its mass production and therefore making it an important invention of the Progressive Era. Perhaps the most beneficial invention from the Progressive Era, air conditioning is a system for controlling man-made weather that “humans use to make sure that what we expect and what we get resemble each other” with regard to humidity and temperature. As residents of Florida, most of us can agree that a hot and humid climate is the recipe for absolute misery. Not only is this weather unpleasant, but it reduces productivity by making people sleepy. In an article from the blog Divine Caroline, Vicki Santillano wrote that “when the air’s more moisture-rich than usual, it feels even hotter than it really is, making us that much more tired” because the humidity in the air prevents sweat from evaporating and therefore inhibits homeostasis. The first AC system was designed by an American engineer named Willis Carrier in 1902. Carrier’s goal was to create a “solution to keep muggy air in a printing plant from wrinkling magazine pages,” and he succeeded when he efficiently “used coils to both cool and remove moisture from the air.” The young engineer “eventually [established] the first mass manufacturing plant for air conditioners” (Steinmetz 1). By the 1940s, the majority of big businesses and corporations used air conditioning to increase the productivity of their employees and, by 1993, 68% of American housing units had AC (“Air,” 2011, 1). The introduction of AC into the daily lives of the American population resulted in migration to warmer areas that had been previously avoided due to their unfavorable weather conditions. Air conditioning became essential because it enhanced productivity and simply made life more pleasant in areas with warm and humid weather. In addition to innovative consumer goods, the Progressive Era is also known for the new art that was born during that time period.
Jazz music “was the first American music style to influence music worldwide” (“All That Jazz,” 2). The genre emerged in the late 19th century but it was popularized at the end of the Progressive Era. It was developed by former African American slaves and influenced by “European harmonic structure and African rhythms,” yet it was more closely akin to blues and ragtime (Schuller 1). In retrospect, the Progressive Era was a time of jubilation and enjoyment as well as cultural advancement and progress. “The youth of the 1920's was influenced by jazz to rebel against the traditional culture of previous generations”. Moreover, despite its competition from classical music, jazz rose in popularity and helped to generate a cultural shift (Boundless, …show more content…
1). In like manner, art in the form of Cubism was also introduced during the Progressive Era. It was a “highly influential visual arts style of the 20th century that was created principally by the painters Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in Paris between 1907 and 1914.” Although Cubist paintings typically exemplified concrete objects or portraits of people, they appeared to be more abstract than realistic. These paintings had this effect because “Cubist painters were not bound to copying form, texture, colour, and space.” Conversely, they intended to give their paintings a new reality by depicting objects that were “radically fragmented,” and who’s different sides “were seen simultaneously”, giving them a kaleidoscopic effect (Moffat 1). Cubist artists intended to illustrate the modern age, but this could not be done using the mundane and “trusted traditions that had served art for the last four centuries” (“Cubism” 1). The new abstract style reflected the cultural shift that helped defined the Progressive Era. However, the Progressive Era was not only a period of technological advancement; several social reforms also took place during this time.
“During the late 1800s and early 1900s, women and women's organizations not only worked to gain the right to vote, they also worked for broad-based economic and political equality and for social reforms” (“Women’s Suffrage in the Progressive Era” 1). There was a turning point in the late 1880s and early 1890s, during which “the nation experienced a surge of volunteerism among middle-class women.” The previously separate wings of women’s rights movement united to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Their relentless effort was finally rewarded in 1917, when “President Wilson (a convert to the suffrage cause) urged Congress to pass a voting rights amendment. Another crowning achievement also occurred that year when Montana’s Jeannette Rankin (elected two years after her state enfranchised women) was sworn into the 65th Congress on April 2, as the first woman to serve in the national legislature.” Although these were great leaps on the way to gender equality, the 19th amendment was not passed until 1920, “providing full voting rights for women nationally” (“The Women’s Rights Movement, 1848-1920”
3). In addition to suffrage movements, women also fought for the Birth Control Movement. This was a very important cause because it entailed greater independence and freedom of choice for women. Margaret Sanger helped organize the National Birth Control League in the U.S. in the year 1917. She also opened first U.S. birth control clinic in Brooklyn, N.Y., but it was closed by the police and she received a 30-day jail sentence. However, she later permanently established a clinic in New York City in 1923. The Birth Control Movement concluded when the Supreme Court finally legalized contraceptives in the U.S. in 1965 (“infoplease” 2012). Four amendments to the Constitution were passed during the Progressive Era. The 16th amendment gave the federal government the power to impose an income tax on all American citizens. This was done in order to provide the general population with public roads, education, healthcare, and other benefits. The 17th amendment provided for the election of Senators by popular votes as opposed to votes by state legislatures; it was a socialist movement with the goal of people’s democracy. The 18th amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale, import, or transport of alcohol. Due to this, many people found ways to obtain alcohol illegally, creating a bigger problem than before it was prohibited. The 19th amendment, as mentioned previously, gave women the right to vote. In essence, the Progressive amendments exemplified the people’s dire need for change, which resulted in a more democratic country.
During America's early history, women were denied some of the rights to well-being by men. For example, married women couldn't own property and had no legal claim to any money that they might earn, and women hadn't the right to vote. They were expected to focus on housework and motherhood, and didn't have to join politics. On the contrary, they didn't have to be interested in them. Then, in order to ratify this amendment they were prompted to a long and hard fight; victory took decades of agitation and protest. Beginning in the 19th century, some generations of women's suffrage supporters lobbied to achieve what a lot of Americans needed: a radical change of the Constitution. The movement for women's rights began to organize after 1848 at the national level. In July of that year, reformers Elizabeth Cady Stanton(1815-1902) and Lucretia Mott (1793-1880), along with Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) and other activists organized the first convention for women's rights at Seneca Falls, New York. More than 300 people, mostly women but also some men, attended it. Then, they raised public awar...
Women throughout the suffrage act were faced with many challenges that eventually led into the leading roles of women in the world today. Suffrage leaders adopted new arguments to gain new support. Rather than insisting on the justice of women’s suffrage, or emphasizing equal rights, they spoke of the special moral and material instincts women could bring to the table. Because of these women taking leaps and boundaries, they are now a large part of America’s government, and how our country operates.
The Progressive Era was a period in which the federal government increased its legislation and its grasp of the nation. There were three distinct pieces of federal legislation that seem to stick out, The Meat Inspection Act The Federal Reserve Act,, and The Hepburn Act. All of this legislation gave the government an extremely large amount of power to regulate business and industry as well as the people of the United States of America.
By the time period of 1900-1920 America was almost fully industrialized. At this time, America was going through a Gilded Age where everything looked good on the outer perspective however on the inside, there were many issues within society. The Progressive Era consisted of people who wanted to reform society politically, socially, and economically. Progressive reformers and the federal government were successful in bringing about reform at the national level by gaining some women's rights as well as African Americans trying to better their reputation in society, improving working conditions, and fixing the American economy.
Also known as the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties, the American people felt that they deserved to have some fun in order to forget the emotional toll and social scars left from the war. The Jazz Age was appropriately named due to the illegal activities and good times, which included music, parties, and flapper girls. Jazz was a new style of music that originated out of the New Orleans area, where one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time – Louis Armstrong – began his career. The energy of jazz was a very new and almost uncomfortable style for the very traditional, rigid family of the 1920s. Young people in particular seemed to enjoy this new music the most, as it made them feel carefree. The energy of jazz was symbolic of the era’s trans...
The word “jazz” is significant to America, and it has many meanings. Jazz could simply be defined as a genre or style of music that originated in America, but it can also be described as a movement which “bounced into the world somewhere about the year 1911.”. This is important because jazz is constantly changing, evolving, adapting, and improvising. By analyzing the creators, critics, and consumers of jazz in the context of cultural, political, and economic issues, I will illustrate the movement from the 1930’s swing era to the birth of bebop and modern jazz. As the 1930’s began, the effects of the Great Depression still ravaged the United States, which in turn caused a dramatic change in the music industry.
Reformers known as Progressives attempted to undo the problems caused by industrialization. The Progressive movement sought to end the influence of large corporations, provide more rights and benefits to workers, and end the control possessed by party leaders. At the national level, Progressivism centered on defeating the power of large businesses. The Progressive Era was a period in American history in which improving working conditions, exposing corruption, improving the way of life, expanding democracy, and making reforms were the objectives at hand. With the emergence of the Progressive Era, two important figures gradually emerged as well.
The turn of the century was marked by a movement known as the Progressive Era, during which many groups sought to reshape the nation's government and society in response to the pressure of urbanization and industrialization. Progressives were mainly members of the Post-Civil War generation that made an attempt to master a world much different then that of their parents.
Jazz music prospered in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Jazz was created by African Americans to represent pain and suffering and also represented the adversity that racial tension brought. (Scholastic) African American performers like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie “Bird” Parker came to be recognized for their ability to overcome “race relati...
The entire Women’s Movement in the United States has been quite extensive. It can be traced back to 1848, when the first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. After two days of discussions, 100 men and women signed the Declaration of Sentiments. Drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, this document called for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women. This gathering set the agenda for the rest of the Women’s Movement long ago (Imbornoni). Over the next 100 years, many women played a part in supporting equal treatment for women, most notably leading to the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which allowed women the right to vote.
Jazz is referred as “America’s classical music,” and is one of North America’s and most celebrated genres. The history of Jazz can be traced back to the early era of the 20th century of the U.S. “A History of Jazz” presents From Ragtime and Blues to Big Band and Bebop, jazz has been a part of a proud African American tradition for over 100 years. A strong rhythmic under-structure, blue notes, solos, “call-and response” patterns, and
Throughout history, women have always fought to gain equal political rights, but conventional roles kept women from getting enough political representation. Many suffrage groups founded by women challenged the conventional roles of women during 1840 to 1968 with the dream of obtaining equal political representation. In 1919, the nineteenth amendment, drafted by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton was passed. The 19th amendment has been desired by many women for years. Although the 19th amendment passed and women thought that they were able to be equal in politics, many women did not get equal political representation due to their conventional roles at the time period. Women were not able to achieve high roles in politics, shown through the fact that there has never been a woman president in the history of the United States. The presidency of women did not occur due to the perceptions that generally, women should be protected and hidden, not out in the open and leadin...
For countless years, women in the United States lived without basic rights, such as the right to vote. Over a decade, thousands of women marched, petitioned, and spoke out for equal rights. One of the most outspoken supporter for women’s right to vote was Jeannette Rankin. Rankin was the first woman to serve in the U.S. Congress. She helped pass the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote, and was a committed pacifist and suffragette. She had a great compassion for the veterans of war and she always said that men and women are like the left hand and the right hand; both are needed to promote cumulative change in society. Rankin was an extreme pacifist, refusing to vote to support both World War I and II. Her vote made no impact on the
Now a days, many believe that jazz is not that important of music genre, but with our history, jazz plays a big role. “Jazz does not belong to one race or culture, but it is a gift that America has given to the world.”, quoted by Ahmad Alaadeen. Jazz in the 1920’s opened the eyes of whites and invited them into African American culture; it evolved Americans to where we are today since it brought a change to the music scene, an acceptance of African Americans, and a change of lifestyles.
The progressive era was a time of great change, the way people thought and what they did began to change quickly. Industry and business also changed a great deal in this era, with the many new inventions and strong businessmen things where rapidly changing.