Herbert Hoover's Progressive Movement

World War I was a war that Americans entered reluctantly, and a war which led to the replacement of progressivism by liberalism. Liberalism arose from a feeling of entrapment brought by the various regulations on industry and society, and embraced individualism to create a sense of liberation. Cars, especially the Model T, played a massive role in this by giving mobility to men and women, and creating a sense of freedom and independence (McGerr 228). The phonograph, psychotherapy, sports, amusement parks, dance, and music were other individualistic concepts, which provided pleasure. African Americans of the period began migrating to cities like Chicago, and enjoyed certain individualistic freedoms like music and boxing (McGerr 257), but were also banned from many theaters and places of leisure, and often created their own theaters.

Liberalism also led to the feminist movement, which promoted birth control and a freer expression of female sexuality. The end of the war bought a fear of communism, and the progressives were mockingly called “Bolsheviks” (McGerr 307). The Progressive movement lost its strong leaders, and ended when Harding, a Republican, became president, and America reverted to an individualistic society, as evidenced by Herbert Hoover’s Inaugural Address. McGerr’s description of liberalism panders to one’s individualistic desires, which makes it apparent why it became such a popular movement. However, McGerr’s introduction of the Liberal movement doesn’t make its relationship to the Progressive movement apparent, and this relationship is only explored