Progressive Era Dbq

The Progressive Era The Progressive Era was a time when America had begun a thirst for change in its government as well as its people. Politicians wanted a more modern government that searched to answer the social problems that were arising with the many new and old immigrants that no resided in the U.S. On the other hand, workers demanded more rights in the workplace and better-working conditions. Women wanted to look for new activities outside the home because a life inside a home was becoming dull to them. Progressives during this era were striving for progress in their government and were very diverse in how they obtained this change. The Progressive Era could not have made such an impact in the U.S without the political, social and economic

The Muckrakers, for instance, made it their mission to single out scandal corruption and injustice in America (Brinkley 478). They began by targeting trusts like the railroad companies, then standard oil. Charles Francis Adams Jr. uncovered the corruption of the railroads in the 1860's while Ida Tarbell produced a heated study of standard oil many years later (Brinkley 478). Also, in the late 19th century came the "secret ballots" which really weakened the power of party bosses controlling the voting outcome. The secret ballots were printed by the government and not the bosses themselves, which eliminated the one-sided ballot that only had a particular party's candidates and not the others. Also wishing to diminish the party influence in voting came the municipal reform. This reform had many victories like the one in Galveston, Texas where the incompetency of the major and his people failed to handle the aftermath of a tidal wave that hit the town in 1900. Progressives also managed to make the election of mayor's nonpartisan allowing the people to choose candidates and not parties. Tom Johnson was a very successful believer in municipal reform who had many victories while Mayor of Cleveland targeting party bosses and corporate interests groups (Brinkley

During this era of progress, many people (mostly men) went to become alcoholics and drunks, which interfered with work as well as home (Brinkley 493). This movement aimed at abolishing alcohol, what progressives viewed as the main source of laziness among Americans. Another social issue that arose during the progressive Era was the development of settlement houses. These houses helped immigrants and their families adapt to the life in America. Social workers ran these houses, they were the educated middle-class young women of this time. Women also began to have jobs outside the home, working in factories or offices (Brinkley 481). During this social change, women also had fewer children because they were so occupied with life outside their house. Woman suffrage also became a very important issue in this era which sparked the fight for the rights of women and their equality with men. The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), led by Anna Howard Shaw and Carrie Chapman, became a prominent fighter for women's rights because they were organized and were becoming a worthy adversary (Brinkley 483). In 1910, Washington became the first state to give suffrage to woman and many states like California, Illinois and New York soon followed. By 1920, women were finally allowed to vote with the ratification of the 19th