Progressivism

Progressivism

Progressivism was the political and social response to industrialization and it’s by products. It was not a national movement; rather it was the efforts of many local groups to reform the new industrial order. The idea of progressivism grew from Victorian morality. The rapidly growing white, protestant middle class strived for a way to separate themselves from the working class; progressivism was the answer.

At this time professional societies and private organizations were growing rapidly. Their growth was spurred by the changes in education. These societies gave the members, the middle class, a sense of identity. It was these societies that jump started progressivism. Women’s clubs were one of the most powerful players in progressivism. They fought for prison and education reform; and they also formed settlement houses. The National Consumer’s League was a society formed by middle class women that worked at settlement houses, investigated working conditions, and helped gat labor laws passed. Other people on the front lines of progressivism were the urban political machines, workers, and at times corporate leaders. They concerned themselves mainly with issues that immediately served their interests.

All these groups addressed different yet equally important issues of progressivism. The movement was about the reform of all the unsavory results of industrialization. Municipal reform was an important issue because it affected the health and well being of American citizens. Progressivism called for decent housing, better garbage collecting, street cleaning, and various other sanitation changes. City reform didn’t stop at sanitation, it continued on with urban beautification. The people of the progressive movement believed that parks, boulevards, street lights and other beautification tools would make the citizens happier and healthier. They thought that beautiful cities and public buildings would produce a “law-abiding and civic-minded population”. Consumer production also needed to be reformed. In The Jungle, Upton Sinclair exposed this industry and all its unsanitary practices. The discovery of these horrible conditions led to the passing of legislation such as the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act. Along with reforming cities many progressives wanted to reform the working class population.

The middle class progressives were convinced