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The Progressive Era
Jul 24, 2024
The Progressive Era
Context
Followed the Gilded Age
A movement from 1896 to 1916 addressing issues from industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and political corruption
Driven by the American middle class
Key Reforms and Themes
Political Corruption
Exposed by Muckraking journalists
Targeted political machines and party bosses
Aimed for direct democracy
Corporate Monopolies
Federal anti-trust laws
Leveled the playing field for competitors
Government Regulation
Formation of oversight agencies (e.g., FDA)
Higher regulations over manufacturers
Scientific Management (Taylorism)
Applied to inefficiencies in society and industry
Symbolized by the stopwatch
Prohibition of Alcohol
Targeted political bosses operating from saloons
Some support based on religious grounds
Women’s Suffrage
Advocated for female vote to purify politics
Child Labor
Highlighted abuses and advocated reforms
Higher Education and Social Sciences
Applied scientific methods
Replaced amateur academics with research-oriented professors
National Impact
Republican Policies
President Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal
Trust busting
Regulating railroads
Establishing national parks and forests
Ensuring high food and drug standards
Democratic Policies
President Woodrow Wilson’s New Freedom
Conservation
Bank reform
Tariff reductions
Regulation of trusts
End of the Era
Progressive Era ended with WWI
Re-emerged in the Roaring 20s
Ended again with the stock market crash of 1929
Legacy
Major turning point in American modernization
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