Progressive Era Dbq

During the time of the Progressive Era in 1900s-1920s, the majority of the American believed that the industrialization, immigration, and the urbanization had produced critical social disorders and believes that reforms were needed to be reshaped America. They also believed that it was time to eliminate the problem caused by the corruption in the government and promote the improvement in order to address the social and economic problems. People like Theodore Roosevelt and W.E.B.Du Bois also accepted that change was needed to improve and develop. The major changes were made in social, economic and political reforms. But, was the Progressive Era a success? Progressive Era was a success in economic, political, however, there are both failure

W.E.B. DuBois says, “ For the American that represents and gloats in lynching, disenfranchisement...in the hateful upturning and mixing of things, we were forced by vindictive fate to fight also… the country of ours, despite all its better souls, have done and dreams are yet a shameful land” (Doc. D). Lynching and violence were common for the black and they had to follow the jim crow law, especially in the south. Most African American worked as domestic laborers because most of the white people thought they don 't need education and a waste of time. Although people are trying to change America for the better, they ignored and neglected the major issue of the color people who do not have right as much as the whites and they failed to improve the prejudice between the black and

The wealthy people are dominating the poverty people as well as tried to control the government too.(Doc. E) The government tends to support the richer people instead of the paying attention to the people who really needed help with finances and others. In Roosevelt speech, he says, “ I believed in providing for direct nomination by the people… so actual experience has convinced us that senator should be elected by direct votes of the people instead of indirectly through various legislature” ( Doc. C). Since most of the government was influenced by the wealthy people, Roosevelt believes that all people should have the right vote for the Senator so that they could have a voice instead of the government only listening to the wealthiest people. The 17th Amendment passed in 1913 to allow the citizen to have direct election for a Senators. . Related to the political reforms, a change in who has the right to votes were also made. During the Progressive Era, women were also trying to fight for their right to votes in the political matter. People thought women were weak and have no power. They do not support their suffrage and thought what their doing was useless(Doc F). However in 1920, the 19th Amendment passed and women get what they wanted which is the right to votes.The political reforms were a success because the government was making changes for all of the people