Research Paper On The Progressive Era

100 Years Later: Past Progress Changing Today’s Climate

One hundred years have passed since the Progressive Era of 1900-1916 and although the world has seen remarkable “progress” for a variety causes since then, there are numerous issues that still have not been addressed. Change is not immediate and the Progressive Era’s successes were manifestations of problems first addressed years before gaining wide public attention. Similar to the dilemmas faced one hundred years ago, we now face a quandary that has been discussed for around two decades: climate change. By taking a closer look at the successes and failures, the methods and techniques, of the Progressive Era, and especially the rise of feminism, we can determine a better approach to managing

After corporate titans like Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Morgan had changed the economic landscape in America, new giants followed their footsteps, this time focusing more on the consumer. Henry Ford emerged as one of the leaders of this new consumer-focused economy due to his Model T car that would prove affordable for the average American. His introduction of the assembly line changed production forever, bolstering the consumer fever. Just like Ford’s assembly line, perhaps the next big overhaul of factories is the use of alternative energy. A great adaptation of Ford’s success would to be providing affordable alternatives to fossil fuels both for large corporations and the average consumer. In this way, the majority of the nation, if not the world, can instantly participate in slowing climate change. Alternative energy innovations for the consumer would require proper advertising to be successful. Popular advertising techniques in the twentieth century included relating products to the concept of freedom, and many incorporated liberty in their brand names. Throughout the history of the United States, it has been proven that freedom sells. In a broader sense, Americans are conditioned to equate anything labeled with freedom or liberty as being patriotic and supporting their country. As an American, one of the worst offenses is to be un-patriotic. Perhaps this selling technique could be applied to goods

Women took advantage of the mass-consumer attitudes of the time and women’s suffrage groups utilized “automobile parades, numerous billboards and electric signs, and countless suffrage buttons and badges.” Utilizing different advertising techniques, one of the most significant developments of feminism was the birth-control movement. Many people felt uncomfortable talking about such a personal topic, which Emma Goldman combatted by travelling the country and speaking to audiences. Margaret Sanger was another key figure of this movement and she fought for women’s right to choose whether or not they wanted to be mothers. Sanger was extremely passionate about the cause and argued it was a question of freedom, stating “A free race cannot be born to slave mothers.” She produced a column on sex education in a New York newspaper called The Call, some issues of which were barred. Later she started her own journal, The Woman Rebel, and eventually opened a clinic that distributed contraceptives to women, which led to her arrest. Sanger was not afraid to speak out about important issues, something that climate change advocates should follow. In 1908, the Muller v. Oregon case was unanimously regarded constitutional and led to limiting work hours for women because they were more delicate than men and their ability to bear children