America During The Progressive Era

560 Words3 Pages

The Progressive Era was a period which strengthened America. People were tired of unfair treatment and set out for change during the 1800-1900’s. They used many different forms of media to show the public the cruel truth of what happened around them. In order to do so, these progressives chose issues they wanted to reform and exposed those issues to the public, for instance, Upton Sinclair’s novel, The Jungle, which exposed the meatpacking industry. Reformers fixed many political, social, and economic issues. There were very many political problems in America during the Progressive Era. These problems included women’s suffrage. Before this time of reform, women were looked upon as housewives who could only cook, clean, and take care of children, however, suffragists worked to improve women’s rights. In fact, women began taking factory jobs and eventually consumed 50% of the world’s labor, on the other hand, they still did not receive equal pay. The 19th Amendment helped fix these issues. Furthermore, African Americans remained to be poorly treated even after the Civil War. For example, they were lynched, beaten, and spit upon.In order to change this, reformers began theNational …show more content…

Living conditions were greatly improved during this time. Poor whites and immigrants were living in tenements which were crowded, unsanitary, and filled with disease. Later, people began trash collection and sewage systems to help decrease the amount of litter in the streets. Furthermore, working conditions were improved with the Keating-Owen Child Labor Laws and labor unions improved working conditions. The Keating-Owen Child Labor Laws prevented kids under the age of 14 from working. Many progressives supported the temperance movement to decrease the amount of alcoholism. The 18th Amendment banned the making, selling, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. In conclusion, reformers worked to socially improve