Industrialization and Progressive Reform in 1920s America

676 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What is the impact of industrialization on the family

The beginning of the 1920s brought forth a major increase in American population. This rapid growth was the product of industrialization and migration. During this period, progressive reforms were happening in all areas of society. Although this sudden increase in urbanization proved to be problematic for many Americans. However, many of these changes were brought on by average citizens. Industrialization contributed to grow in American cities across the nation. Advancements in manufacturing meant people moving to cities in record numbers. This changed American life by widening the gap between rich and poor. “.... Atlanta was the poorest lighted city of her size in the country but this evening the bands of darkness will be broken, and a flood Poverty had worsened with the swelling of migrants. “Within the narrow limits of one-half square mil were crowded together thirty-five thousand people, living tier upon tier, huddled together until the very heavens seemed to be shut out (H).” However, “They would institute all necessary measures to stamp out unnecessary disease and to prevent unnecessary death (H).” Americans responded with reform of the boss system. “... the manager of the street railway went to the boss, and the street department became reasonable...And now for ten years there has been a district movement among the American people (I).” Journalism impacted the progress of reform in corrupt business such as the factory inspector. “While the Smoke Inspector will claim his work has made a change, it is probably the moral suasion of the newspaper agitation that has been the direct cause of the measure of reform… Industrialization brought about technological advancement which would change the lives of citizens. For example in New York was the creation of the sewer system. Migration to the north from the south was to find employment and the glamourous life. However many African Americans still faced hostility and women left home to either live in the fame or be consumed by the truth of the city. Progressive reform came about through the end of the boss-manager system in urban society. Yet, poverty worsened with the influx of citizens from around the nation and basic living suffered. Largely changed by reformers of the decades, journalism fought to showcase to the public the corruption in certain areas of

Show More
Related

  • Urban Political Machine In New York: Tammany Hall

    1100 Words  | 3 Pages

    Roosevelt led the reform committee that brought Tammany to its knees – by the 1960s, the once glorious machine had been destroyed. The urban political machine was a force that provided stability and growth for the “out-of-control” urban population. Cities grew at uncontrollable rates and organizations like Tammany Hall instituted public improvements and created millions of jobs because of the torrential flow of immigrants into Ellis Island. It can even be argued that Tammany and other political machines made the transition easier for these immigrants, without whom the cities would not have been able to prosper to the extent that they did. The political machine created a type of politics that was purely practical in nature, and although it allowed for an immoral amount of corruption, the contributions it made to growth, stability, and production cannot be understated.

    Read More

  • Social Dichotomy of the 1920s

    673 Words  | 2 Pages

    As a nation coming out of a devastating war, America faced many changes in the 1920s. It was a decade of growth and improvements. It was also a decade of great economic and political confidence. However, with all the changes comes opposition. Social and cultural fears still caused dichotomous rifts in American society.

    Read More

  • Gilded Age Dbq Essay

    1434 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the late nineteenth century known as the Gilded Age (or the Reconstruction period) and the early twentieth century known as the Progressive era, the nation went through great economic growth and social change. Beginning in the 1870s, there was rapid growth in innovations and big businesses. This could be because there was population growth and when there is population growth, there is a high demand for products and other necessities in order to strive in society. Many immigrants from Europe, mostly from the eastern and southern Europe, and Asia moved to American cities. Additionally, farmers from rural America desired to increase economic growth and since corporations ruled and political problems occurred, they decided to move into the cities.

    Read More

  • The Effects of American Reform Movements in the 1900s

    2279 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Progressive Era and Working Conditions

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cities grew in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As specialized industries like steel and meat packing improved, jobs also increased in the cities. These factories work lured former farmers, immigrants, and American workers moved into the cities. These people lived in tenements and ghettos and were unable to earn an authentic living due to unreasonable wage cut. Progressivism is an umbrella label for a wide range of economic, political, social, and moral reforms. The early twentieth century acted as the Progressive Era, when Americans find solutions to resolve problems that were engendered by industrialization. Predicated on the documents, Progressive Era were effective because of child labor, working conditions, and women's suffrage.

    Read More

  • Jazz and The Charleston in The 1920's

    1664 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lindop, Edmund, and Margaret J. Goldstein. America In The 1920s. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group Inc., 2010. Print.

    Read More

  • Progressive Era Vs New Deal

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Prisoner Of Poverty Summary

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the industrializing era in the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century, unskilled laborers and skilled blue-collar men struggled to even put food on their tables; the emerging middle class struggled greatly as well, but had little trouble feeding themselves in this time period. It was the wealthy elite who prospered in this period, dining and living lavishly. Labor leaders and reformers tried to used many tactics to persuade prosperous Americans to concern themselves with the issues of the day; the main tactic used was the manipulation of emotion to get others to join the reformers’ cause. This trend was part of a greater global pattern of economic insecurity in the United States, which only heightened during the Great Depression in the decades to come.

    Read More

  • Industrial America: Growth and Change in the 19th Century

    1682 Words  | 4 Pages

    The late 19th century was a time where cities in the United States experienced dramatic growth. The increase in population during this time was a result of the expanding commercial aspects. Migrant immigrants from various parts of the world accounted for an additional 15 million civilians among townships, cities and bureaus in the United States. Industrial America, as this time period is often referred to, was owed the radical change of the nation. The mass influx of people had their demands, which helped the boom of music, technology, and motor vehicles. With all the advancements occurring so rapidly in The States, important issues still lingered and were addressed throughout the lifetime of a woman named Jane Addams. Throughout this paper

    Read More

  • The Great Depression And The Cold War

    1688 Words  | 4 Pages

    The 20th century brought about many changes, with several events molding society in the way we know of it today. With the Great Depression, World War 2 , and the Cold War, America faced many internal and external threats, that endangered the American way of life and forced the country to reshape it’s views to move past events that seemed, at the time, to be the lowest points.

    Read More

  • Explaining The Twenties

    1263 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1920, for the first time, the United States census revealed that more Americans lived in cities than in rural areas. This fact speaks to a dramatic cultural shift that had taken place. The older ethnically homogenous white Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) culture, characterized by their traditional religion and farm life fell into decline. Overtaking its influence was a new, secular, urban mass culture rooted among diverse ethnic groups. It was a culture that provided more opportunity for equal participation to women and minorities than did the older traditional culture. Like all periods of change, however, the Twenties were accompanied by a reaction against these changes, as the older culture tried to reassert itself as the dominant group. The result was a decade marked by striking cultural conflict. Those who considered themselves traditional Americans, committed to traditional ways of life, launched a cultural war against those who presented a threat to it. There were many common themes that connected the three essays, “Sacco and Vanzetti”, “The Scopes Trial and the American Character”, and “Rural-Urban Conflict in the 1920’s”. Together they present an accurate interpretation of the Roaring Twenties.

    Read More

  • Industrialization in 19th and 20th Century

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    America was a time of rapid growth for people all across the country. The Industrial Revolution began a few years after the Civil War with the invention of steam powered machines. From there, America faced a time of massive expansion and modern industrialized cities popped up across the United States. While there was much success across the nation, such as manual labor becoming easier and a huge population growth, the negative effects of industrialization outweigh the positives. A few of the issues that made industrialization an atrocious time for many was the racism and segregation towards immigrants and unsafe and unfair working conditions/the deprivation of a regular childhood for kids across the nation.

    Read More

  • Industrialization and Immigration

    2270 Words  | 5 Pages

    As the continuation of industrialization and urbanization sparked an increasing demand for a larger and cheaper labor force; an influx in immigrants from all over Europe, migrated in pursuit of higher wages. As the industrial revolution progressed, the country evolved from a rural agricultural society into an urban industrial nation. Capitalists now dominated the economy, sparking dramatic social, political, and economic tensions for immigrants. Although, the progressivism movement assisted immigrants by alleviating work conditions, immigrants were still left to face social and economic tension as they became the new competition for low wage earners and were ostracized for religious differences.

    Read More

  • Changes in America Between 1920 and 1960

    1408 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the years between 1920 and 1960, America saw change in many aspects of life. The United States was a part of two major wars and a crash of the banking system that crippled the economy greater than ever seen in this country’s history. Also the country had new insecurities to tackle such as immigration and poor treatment of workers. These events led to the change of America lives socially, economically, and politically. The people of America changed their ideas of what the country’s place in the world should be. The issues challenging America led the country to change from isolation to war, depression to prosperity, and social change. The threats to American way of life, foreign and domestic, were the changing forces to the country in the twenties to the sixties.

    Read More

  • The Causes Of The Great Depression

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 1920s were a period of economic growth and change. Real wages for most workers increased while stock prices increased as much as they had in the previous three decades; for the first time, 2,500, the majority of Americans lived in cities and towns. The appearance of current medicine permitted child mortality rates to decline significantly among the rich, but fewer other Americans appreciated regular admission to physicians.

    Read More

More about Industrialization and Progressive Reform in 1920s America

Open Document