The Progressive Era -A Time of Great Change
The time before the progressive era was time of innovation and advancements. However, it was also a time of destruction, degradation and disturbance. Industry boomed and health diminished because of tawdry choices. The population soared, but the people were underrepresented. Urban environments expanded and the frontier disappeared. With great advancement came a plethora of new problems. To meet the new needs of the time, many reforms were created to protect the people, places and ideas of the U.S.' populace. The progressive era lasted from the late 1800s to the early 1900s and in it many changes were seen. The progressive era created radical change with women's suffrage, conservation laws
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populace was being taken into consideration as industry changed and reforms became a common occurrence during the progressive era. In 1905, Theodore Roosevelt proposed a law on food inspection. He said "The sale of food-stuffs which have been contaminated or polluted so as to injure health or to deceive purchasers should be forbidden." If the president proposed a law, it shows that there was a radical change because Roosevelt thought the food processing industry was a substantial problem that could hurt the health of citizens. It shows that the problem was unavoidable and that something actually needed to be done. The book the jungle written by Upton Sinclair 1906 documents the meat processing industry. A quote from the book reads "there was never the least attention paid to what was cut up for sausage… The rats, [poisoned] bread and meat would go into the hoppers together" This quotation shows that there is radical change because it showed what the food industry was like before the reforms occurred and were put into place. It alerted quite a few people of the many unsanitary conditions and actions that placed consumers at risk of disease. Later that year, in 1906 the meat inspection act was passed by Congress. The act stated that "it is essential in the public interest of the health and welfare of consumers be protected" The meat inspection act shows radical change in the food industry because people have recognized that there are health concerns concerning the actions of the companies. There is a reform being put into effect that will minimize these problems. The act also states how the meatpacking and other food processing industries will change as a result of the reform. As a result of the unsanitary customs of the meat packing and other food industries, reforms had to be created to protect the health of
C2. The Progressive Era had a rise in reform movements. Two important reform movements are “the woman movement” and conservation efforts. Women were viewed as inferior to men and women banded together to move beyond these prejudices.
This all began with the muckrakers who were journalist trying to expose the horrors of society. Neill-Reynolds Report goes into detail about meat industries exposing the health dangers which goes right alone with, “The Jungle” written by Upton Sinclair to expose the poor working conditions in meat packing plants. This later brought about the Food and Drug Act to directly state ingredients in the food and drug to help with sanitation (Doc 2). The could take away control economically by passing the 17th Amendment in the New Freedom program. In Roosevelt's Speech, the passing of this amendment would place a graduated income tax, making the rich pay more taxes, helping the common people gain more advantages.
This piece introduces changes that occurred during the Progressive Age. More specifically, political, cultural, and social changes in America. For example, the Sherman Anti-Trust Laws. Changing the way monopolies are for the present and the future. Then reshaping administration in our country, and lastly Theodore Roosevelt.
During the era of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, the book soared in popularity— for numerous reasons. While Sinclair’s original intent was to expose the poor working conditions of the working class citizens, it spread further than that in its readers' hearts. His book went on to expose the food industry, and how horrid the things were that were put in the meat to be consumed by unsuspecting individuals. This discovery led to a movement of people demanding better food conditions and health standards worldwide.
The Progressive Movement of the late 1800's and the early 1900's was one of the most influential political movements in American history. The Progressives sought to shift power away from political elites and into the hands of the citizenry (Howell, 2011). Progressive reformers did not limit their efforts in improving urban conditions and to reform political systems. Their ideas influenced business and educational practices. They attempted to improve the overall quality of life for many Americans.
The Progressive Era was a period full of political reform and social activism. One major characteristic of this era was the call for higher efficiency in government. Reformers attacked inefficiency in government, which led to the government reorganizing agencies to eliminate redundancy. This era was also marked by a graduated federal income tax, a new national banking system and a governmental attempt to conserve natural resources. During the Progressive Era, there was a large call for social reform including: prohibition, the right to vote for women, child labor laws and an eight hour work day.
Upton Sinclair, a muckraker, brought attention to the American public, about the meatpacking industry in his book The Jungle. In his book, it revolved around a Lithuanian immigrant family, who immigrated to Chicago and the difficulties and poverty they faced while in Packington. The purpose of the novel was to bring about attention and expose the conditions of the meatpacking industry, so that the government would be forced to to fix it. The intended audience that Sinclair hoped it would catch the attention of was the American public so they could be exposed to the hidden truth about the meat packing industry and the government as well, so that they could also pass food safety laws.(Doc.2) Although it was a fictional story, it was successful in bringing attention to how filthy the meatpacking industry was to the government and public.
Roosevelt caught a hold of this book and demanded that Congress mend to these conditions in which they passed the Meat Inspection Act and The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. As a result of the passing of the acts, Americans felt safe once again that their food was fine for consumption. Moreover, this lead to
The Progressives Era was semi successful in terms of reforming society for the rights of the middle class, women, children, and the poor. During this time three new amendments were passed in effort to change the american society. Politically, during this era the 17th amendment was passed allowing direction election of senators, and put the initiative and referendum law into place. The 16th amendment created a graduated income tax and the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote. Socially, reformers worked on getting workers a shorter work day, eliminating child labor, and fixing health issues.
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, America faced a range of social, political, and economic problems that threatened the nation's well-being. Corruption, inadequate living conditions, and worker exploitation were among the issues the Progressive Era attempted to solve. The Progressives aimed to reform American society through legal and social means. They sought to make politics more democratic, reform economic practices, and enhance social welfare to ensure a fairer society. Three major problems during this time were corrupt politics, poor living conditions, and worker exploitation.
The Progressive movement fostered political change in the United States from 1890 to 1920 by addressing human rights, political, and social issues. Americans in past years had
The Progressive Movement was a significant period in American history from 1890 to 1920, which saw a wide range of political, social, and economic changes in the country. The Industrial Revolution had an impact on the progressive movement. It created a more open and responsible government that would strive to advance American society. Across the United States, the Progressive Era saw considerable social action and political reform with a goal of eradicating corruption, monopolies, etc. Industrialization played a heavy role in the Progressive Movement.
The book "The Gilded Age and Progressive Era: A Student Companion" by Elisabeth Israels Perry and Karen Manners Smith discusses the historical context and factors that led to the Progressive Era. These included the growth of urbanization and the emergence of a middle class that was concerned with social justice and reform. It was characterized by efforts to address the social, economic, and political problems that had arisen during the Gilded Age. The Progressive Era was marked by a number of significant reforms, including the regulation of business and industry, the expansion of voting rights, and the promotion of social welfare. These reforms were aimed at creating a more just and equitable society, and they laid the groundwork for many of the policies and programs that continue to shape American society
The Jungle was released to expose meatpacking industries’ ways of treating workers and meat. With this release, changes occurred. President Roosevelt urged Congress to pass the Meat Inspection Act of 1906. This act required the Department of Agriculture to inspect every hog and steer whose carcass state lines. In other words, it required companies to pay to get their facilities and practices checked by an inspector to assure everything was being done correctly.
The Progressive era was widespread social activism and political reform from 1890-1920. . This was to help stop problems caused by corruption in the goverment. They wanted senators be elected was only if chosen by state legislates but the only way senators could be elected was if they were elected by citizens. This movement pointed out political machines and bosses. Progressives soon realized that improving conditions for the poor required broader political efforts at both the state and federal levels.”