Activism In The United States During The 1920's

Activists and reformers played a pivotal role in shaping the United States during the period from the 1860s and 1920s. They advocated for various social, political and economic reforms, bringing about significant changes in American Society unlike any seen before. These movements were led by many different people and organizations who demanded change through legal and social means.

During the 1860s, the United States was coping with the aftermath of the Civil War and the challenges of Reconstruction. Many northern activists were especially seeking to address social and political inequalities facing recently freed slaves. The most notable example of activism during the 1860s was the fight to give African Americans the right to vote. The passing

Activists and reformers responded by advocating for labor rights and social justice. The emergence of the labor movement, exemplified by organizations such as the Knights of Labor who advocated for workers rights, better wages, better safety regulations and an 8 hour work day. KOL also tried to unite workers no matter the gender or ethnicity by including African Americans and female workers. Although a lot of effort was made by activists, the Haymarket affair of 1886, which resulted in violence and repression against labor activists, caused a setback in the overall movement as activists were blamed for the event. Additionally this decade saw many attempts to address corruption. At the time there was a lot of political machines and widespread corruption throughout the country; especially in urban areas. Activists challenged the corrupt political practices and promoted political reform. For example the Mugwumps, which was a group of Republican reformers, demanded civil service reform and an end to the spoils system. They were extremely important in passing the Reform Act in 1883 which greatly benefited United States society as a whole. Although activism in this decade had many positive impacts in society it was held back in some areas due to public backlash. It was still the start of a very important movement in United States history as it

A lot of reform movements gained momentum during this era including: political corruption, economic inequality, labor rights, and social injustices. One example of political reform was the passage of the 17th Amendment, which called for the direct election of United States senators by the people rather than by state legislatures which increased the power the people had relative to the state. This reduced corruption in the selection of senators and made the process more democratic as a whole. This was heavily advocated by progressives at the time and was a good step in the right direction for the county. Another area of reform during this decade was labor rights and social justice. Labor Movements like Industrial Workers of the World, and the American Federation of Labor grew significantly during this period and demanded better working conditions, higher wages, and the right to organize. Multiple strikes occurred in this decade including the Lawrence Textile Strike and Mesabi Range Strike which drew a lot of attention to activists but led to greater government intervention to shut them down. During this decade the women’s suffrage movement gained a lot of momentum. They demanded the right to vote for women and would stop for nothing less. The National American Woman Suffrage Association campaigned for women’s suffrage using many different