Progressive Era

In the early 1900s reformers known as progressives began the Progressive Movement. This movement sought to reform the United States by bringing order and efficiency to a country that had been transformed by rapid growth and new technology. Although the progressive liberal voices of the time sometimes did not always agree with each other and were not successful in full reformation of many issues, they were able to express new idea and solve many problems troubling American society and its people. Much was done by progressives in bettering the lives of people in America, with concern for their jobs, education, homes, rights, and role in government. Also many advancements were made at the local, state, and national level with concern to the power and function of the government and the environment.

Progressives did much to improve the homes of the American people mostly the poor and immigrants who lived in horrible urbanized areas. Through the concept of "city beautiful" they promoted the arts, music, and civic centers and the building of parks and museums to make the cities enjoyable to live in. They believed if they could improve the conditions where these people lived they could improve these people's virtue and in the long run it would better and make stronger the United States as a country. (Doc A) Another way to better people's lives came from the progressives new ideas of education. They turned away from the old rigid and formal methods of education to promoting new teaching ideas and techniques that would appeal to students allowing them to learn more information more efficiently. Progressives fought for the rights of workers. They were able to pass laws such as a mandatory law for children to attend school, that helped eliminate child labor. Also organizations such as the AFL were created to unify workers together in large numbers to help create easier, safer working conditions, protected wages, and gave reasonable hours for men and women. (Doc C) Also for women, there was a strong movement for birth control and promotion of contraceptives. Many women suffered from too many births and dangerous illegal abortions. Progressives also campaigned for the idea of women's suffrage. They also tried to pass laws against saloons which seemed to attract prostitution, drug trafficking, and political corruption, and movie houses both which also degraded women. (Doc E) They also did this to try and eliminate alcoholism because of its negative effects on society. ( Doc J) During this time the NAACP, a group focused on promoting equality and social justice for blacks, was formed and the number of educated blacks was increased while crimes such as the lynching of african americnas decreased. Doc (F) Even though these reformers were sometimes not completely successful in their struggles, for example, many urban areas stayed in horrible conditions, they never really gained control of the working industry for the workers from the owners and managers, women's suffrage seemed only like a distant idea, birth control remained illegal in some states for many years, no adequate substitution was ever found for saloons, and even in the nation's capital there was segregation against blacks, the Progressives through their hard work introduced new liberal ideas into the world that changed peoples ideas