Key Influences Of Political Progressivism

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Progressivism is an umbrella label for an extensive range of economic, political, social, and ethical reforms. Legislation is a term used to describe enacted laws. Progressive legislation is all laws ratified between 1890 to the 1920s. This includes many city reforms, state reforms, federal legislation, and four amendments to the Constitution.
There were three main people that were key influences in progressive legislation: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Robert M. La Follette. A great political progressivist, Theodore Roosevelt passed many laws that were meant to aid labor and focused on social reform. He also helped with of the protection of land (national parks, forests, etc.). The twenty-eighth president, Woodrow Wilson, was also …show more content…

The sixteenth amendment allows Congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states or the United States Census. The seventeenth amendment said the Senate shall be composed of two Senators from each state with a term of six years and will only have one vote in the senate. The third amendment passed was the eighteenth amendment which effectively established the prohibition of alcoholic beverages in the United States by declaring the production, transport, and sale of alcohol illegal. The eighteenth amendment was repealed in 1933 due to many Americans not supporting prohibition. The nineteenth amendment was the most right granting amendment passed in the progressive legislation. The nineteenth amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920.
In addition to the amendments there were reforms made on the federal level. Passed in 1906, the Pure Food and Drug Act required that companies label the ingredients contained in processed itema. Similarly, in direct response of Upton Sinclar’s book Jungle, the Meat Inspection Act required that meat processing plants be inspected to ensure the use of good meat and healthy procedures.
During the progressive era there were numerous reforms introduced concentrating on women’s rights, the food industry, and our election system. Most reforms made are still current in everyday