During the progressive era, business and the economy were booming. Because so much attention was focused on the growth of our economy, people forgot about things that are extremely important. This includes the living and working conditions of the workers, because they are the engine of the country. Also the environment . Because we must respect and take care of the land from which our wealth is derived. The environment is an essential part of Americas identity. It is a pure and untouched representation of the land we call home. Teddy Roosevelt did many things during his presidency. Among those many great things he was an advocate for the environment. Because of his background spending time in the wilderness, he felt a strong connection to …show more content…
Lower class people living in swill in cramped tenements. People getting injured daily and oftentimes dying from accidents at work. Upton Sinclair was a man who believed in exposing the wrongs of society. Most specifically that of the meat packing industry. In his best selling novel The Jungle, he reveals the disgusting conditions of the meat packing industry. How the factories are disgusting using old and rotting meat and if someone’s finger is chopped off by accident, it is thrown into sausage meat. At the same time people were constantly getting food poisoning from meats. His novel shed light on the situation, creating a great uproar from the people. His novel helped to create the pure food and drug act. And countless reforms and regulations on meat packing and food processing overall. His discoveries also helped spur the creation of reforms for housing and sewage. Florence Kelley was a woman who believed that businesses were undermining the welfare of the worker. Hours were long and pay was little. Children were working in dangerous situations and many died. She helped to form labor unions. These unions fought against the businesses, trying to get fair hours and wages for the