More handpicked essays just for you.
Social effect of the great depression on the American society essay
The great depression: social, psychological, and cultural effects
Social effect of the great depression on the American society essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
During the late 1800s, a new reform was in the process to eliminate the corrupt government that had evolved. The progressive movement was not a simple cause-effect era, it had several working components that were brought about by broad social changes. Progressivism varied over time and from several different perspectives. It was a period of extensive social activism and political reform across the country. It was an effort to cure the sickness that the American society had come down with during the industrial revolution in the 19th century. Social reformers in this era worked toward answering the economic, political, and cultural questions that had come about from the quick changes brought with the industrial revolution and the growth of capitalism. …show more content…
The progressives (footnote- Members of the Republican and Democrat political parties, Well educated middle-class Americans, Poorer Americans, often union activists, Crusading Journalists, photographers and authors, also known as Muckrakers, Teachers and Educators, Members of the clergy-from American historama) believed that these changes marked the end of the old America and a beginning to a new one. The forces that led up to the Progressive movement were unarguably alcohol, labor conflict, and urbanization. Urbanization[1] was one cause of the progressive movement because people became more attracted to the city because of the rise of factories and industries, new technologies in “construction, particularly the use of steel during the urbanization in America” (Alchin), small businesses bloomed, there were more job opportunities, and income increased.
The cities overflowed with people. One reason the cities became overcrowded was due to a rise in immigration, “millions of immigrants came to the United States during this era, seeking a better life for themselves and their families” (Ohio History Central). The immigrants were pouring in from Europe because America was the “land of opportunity” (footnote explaining the land of opportunity meant that people from europe saw job opportunities, freedom, and …) This was a problem because there were not many sewer systems or clean water for all of the people because of pollution and poor sanitation . The roads were unpaved, disease was spreading from all the different people and animals coming to the United States. There was separation by class and Also, The United States became the nation of city dwellers, “By 1900, 30 million people, or 30 percent of the total population, lived in cities” (Library of Congress). Although everything was flourishing, there was a lack of planning that led to dirty, cramped living conditions. All of this led to a “rise of crime due to poverty and lack of control” (American Historama). Overall it was …show more content…
unpleasant, unhealthy, and dangerous living conditions. All of the effects of urbanization caused social unrest so, as a result, Progressives began to pressure for urban reforms. To try to help solve the poverty, homelessness, and poor living conditions, progressives organized settlement houses to provide help for immigrants and the urban poor. They supported passage of laws that would improve living conditions and would reduce the power and corruption of city government and politics. Although the progressives did not solve all of the problems of urbanization or poverty, the reforms improved life drastically in cities. Labor conflict ultimately led up to the Progressive Era.
Progressives attempted to make working conditions better for laborers, but they had mixed results. Workers' own actions sometimes proved more effective than the Progressive reforms enacted in their names. Working conditions were horrible. Child labor was at a high, “The 1890 census revealed that more than one million children, ten to fifteen years old, worked in America. That number increased to two million by 1910. Industries employed children as young as five or six to work as many as eighteen to twenty hours a day” ( Laborers worked on railroads, in coal and oil mines that fueled the trains. the textile factories of the South, they typically worked seven days a week, twelve hours each day, some enduring 24 straight hours of intense labor every other Sunday on what was known as the "long turn." They They hardly had any breaks or rest from work. Although children had been servants and apprentices throughout most of human history, child labor reached new extremes during the Industrial Revolution. Children worked long hours in dangerous factory conditions for very little money and were useful because their size allowed them to move in small spaces in factories or mines where adults couldn’t fit, children could be paid less than adults, child laborers often worked to help support their families. Nineteenth century reformers and labor organizers sought to restrict child labor and improve working conditions. They formed
unions, “union membership rose sharply over the next two decades encompassing 16.3 percent in America in 1920, and there were many more work stoppages (strikes and lockouts) in the United States with many more workers participating” (Einhern). Alcoholism (footnote of A chronic disease characterized by uncontrolled drinking and preoccupation with alcohol.) was a huge problem before the Progressive Era. People relied on alcohol to relieve the stressful day they had working. It was what most people did as a social activity, everyone went to saloons, “to expand the sale of beer, brewers expanded the number of saloons.Saloons proliferated. It was not uncommon to find one saloon for every 150 or 200 Americans, including those who did not drink. Hard-pressed to earn profits, saloon keepers sometimes introduced vices such as gambling and prostitution into their establishments in an attempt to earn profits” (Shelton). It got out of control and affected society ultimately led to prohibition[2] “The prohibition movement's strength grew, especially after the formation of the Anti-Saloon League in 1893” (Shelton). The 18th amendment was soon (footnote: Passed by Congress December 18, 1917. Ratified January 16, 1919. Repealed by the 21st Amendment, December 5, 1933) passed which prohibited the sale and and manufacture of alcohol. Alcohol abuse led up to the Progressive movement because people were abusing alcohol and it as getting out of hand so the government had to do something to control people and it worked, “The best evidence available to historians shows that consumption of beverage alcohol declined dramatically under prohibition.” (Shelton). Progressivism was a period of peace, prosperity, and progress. Theodore Roosevelt was the most influential leaders during the progressive movement because he focused on efficiency and fairness. It was a “middle class urban social reformer movement and was rooted in the belief that man was capable of improving society” (Alchin). The goals of the progressive movement were to restrain the power of the trusts, big business, and corporations, and regulate business. Also to bring about political reform, social injustice, inequality, and ultimately to eliminate bribery and corruption in the government.
...’s suffrage and more social welfare programs. Progressivism focused on eliminating practices harmful to farmers, workers, tenement dwellers, and consumers by expanding government regulation over the economy. They wanted to government to help make it easier for people have more control over their lives. Without the populist the progressive movement would have never been able to complete so many accomplishments. Progressive party did not last but its goals, similar to the populist goals, become influential in the future. The progressive movement was overall a more overcoming movement. It took the populist ideals and influenced them in order to become successful during the progressive movement rather then in the populist. If the populist had an expanded argument rather then just based on farmers then they could have been more successful and setting out their goals.
The Progressive Movement that occurred during the early 20th century was a time of major reform in the United States of America. During this time, there was a group of activists that referred to themselves as the Progressives, and they sought to change society for the people. The way that they intended to do this was change through their ideals of democracy, efficiency, regulation, and social justice. With this movement came the election that changed the course of America’s history “…demonstrating a victory for progressive reforms as both Progressive candidates accounted for 75 percent of all the votes” (Bowles). The candidates in this election were Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.
The Effects of American Reform Movements in the 1900s Living in the United States of America is all about opportunity. The opportunity to get a good job, make money, and lead a life of good quality; in other words, the opportunity to live, live, and live the Pursuit of Happiness. However, the opportunity for many people was not around throughout the 1800s. Certain groups of people did not hold the basic rights that were guaranteed by the Constitution. In fact, most of the people that had opportunity were the wealthy white men, and few other people ever had any chance to lead a good life.
The term Progressivism implies a philosophy that promotes change/reform in the current political, economic, and social aspects of society while conservatism stresses gradual change in society but promotes tradition rather than change. The Progressive movement from 1901 to 1917 worked to improve aspects of society that grew out of problems which occurred during the Industrial Age. The goals of the "Progressives" were to stop monopolies, corruption, inefficiency and social injustices. Both progressive acts and amendments were being passed to deal with social ills, corruption in politics and corporate America. The period from 1901-1917 was more a victory for liberalism, mainly "modern liberalism", than a triumph of conservatism due to the fact that multiple reform movements were occurring in this era changing political, economic, and social aspects in society to protect the rights of the common man.
During the Progressive Era, pressure from labor, suffrage, and conservation movements profoundly changed the course of American history. Many of the reformers' ideas clashed with the male-dominated, capitalist economic structure present at the turn of the century. Some of the intended reforms opposed the current system, but the level of social unrest necessitated change. Businessmen and activists alike initiated the reforms during the Progressive Era. Government, due to the intention of calming the common man and quieting the seemingly more and more vocal middle class, supported them. In the final analysis, from the year 1900 to 1920, Progressive Era reformers were successful in bringing about reform to the United States.
In the beginning of the twentieth century, the economy was booming, new technology flourished. The rapid industrialization brought achievement to the United States, however, it also caused several social problems. Wealth and power were concentrated in the hands of a few, and poverty and political corruption were widespread. As people became aware of these problems, a new reform group was created. Unlike populism, which had been a group of farmers grown desperate as the economy submerged into depression, the new reform movement arose from the educated middle class. These people were known as the progressives. The Progressive Movement was a movement that aimed at solving political, economic, and social problems. The Progressives were people from the middle class who had confidence that they could achieve social progress through political reform. The Progressives sought after changes and improvements in the society through laws and other federal actions.
While some citizens of the United States, between 1825 and 1850, believed that reform was foolish and that the nation should stick to its old conduct, reformists in this time period still sought to make the United States a more ideally democratic nation. This was an age of nationalism and pride, and where there was pride in one’s country, there was the aspiration to improve one’s country even further. Many new reformist and abolitionist groups began to form, all attempting to change aspects of the United States that the respective groups thought to be unfair or unjust. Some groups, such as lower and middle class women and immigrants, sought to improve rights within the county, while other reformers aspired to change the American education system into a more efficient way of teaching the county’s youth. Still other reform groups, particularly involved in the church and the second great awakening, wanted to change society as a whole. This was a time and age of change, and all these reforms were intended to contribute to the democratic way our country operated.
Within the period of 1900-1920, many national reforms were rising to the top as Progressive Era reformers and the federal government heard the voices of the people. The effectiveness of Progressivism is a controversial subject for some, but the future was changed through the events of any actions a president made, the rights of people, and unfair treatment and conditions. This era brings changes to our society that also changes the future of it. These two decades brought forth successful times in bettering America.
The Progressive Movement The progressive movement of the early 20th century has proved to be an intricately confounded conundrum for American historians. Who participated in this movement? What did it accomplish, or fail to accomplish? Was it a movement at all? These are all significant questions that historians have been grappling with for the last 60 years, thus creating a historical dialogue where in their different interpretations interact with each other.
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.
Reform provides permanent programs to avoid another depression and to protect citizens against an economic disaster. The Progressive Movement which targeted urban complications, there was a massive disparity between the wealthy and the poor and the goal was to bring equality into the nation. The movement aimed towards removing corruption and including American citizens into the political process. Additionally, to encourage the government to solve the social issues that were occurring in the late 1800’s and early 20th century, all while balancing impartial treatment into the economic matters.
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.
Imagine waking up at five in the morning to walk over a mile to a factory where you work until noon where you get a half hour break for lunch, then it’s back to work until nine or ten at night, when you are finally allowed to go home and you are only eight years old. Today that seems unimaginable, but during the early 19th century it was the everyday life of thousands of children whose ages range from as young as five until you died. During the Industrial Revolution many children were required to work dangerous jobs to help their families.
The Industrial Revolution restructured the employer-employee relationship into an impersonal association exhibited by indifference to the quality of life of the worker. Children were especially exploited because they could be hired for lower wages and were made to work equally long days (Miller). Around the 1830s, children constituted about one-third of the labor in New England (Illinois Labor History Society). The conditions of workers as a whole necessitated action on behalf of the rights of laborers.
The source I have selected for my research paper is an article published by The Chicago Daily Tribune on September 4, 1912 entitled “Real Progressivism.” The article described Progressive movement as an idea of genuine human betterment, carrier of measures, national, state and municipal, for the protection of the health and efficiency of people, as well as conservation of people’s health and strength. One main goal of the Progressive movement was to end corruption in government by revealing and undermining corrupted political machines and their bosses and making policies that are relevant to direct democracy.