Progressivism In The Nineteenth Century

In the beginning of the twentieth century and end of the nineteenth century, a new era began known as progressivism. America was quickly evolving through industrialization and urbanization and immigrants were flooding to America; thus, many citizens believed that their society had brought about issues that needed to be improved (Brinkley, 565). Reformers from this era brought about valid debates over “the appropriate role of women in society, the proper way to deal with racial difference, the best way to govern cities, the fairest way to organize the economy, the role of political parties and machines in public life, the degree to which the state should impose moral norms on communities and individuals, the way society should respond to immigration

Also included in this effort was the attempt to prohibit child labor, equal pay for women, aid for retired workers, and compensation for workers who were injured (History.com Staff). Muckrakers, journalists, would publish works raising awareness of the terrible treatment of workers and the conditions, eventually leading to the passing of law that required government regulation and corporate governance (Category 4 Design, Inc). Unions were very important in the battle for reform. They pressured states into passing laws that would protect the children, allow compensation, and limit hours for women, for example, the Union Labor Party in California (Brinkley, 581). In New York, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company would lock their workers inside the building to prevent workers from leaving. This led to the death of 146 workers who could not escape a fire that started in the building. New York City labor unions were calling for reform in the workplace. Over the next few years, working-class Tammany Democrats led the labor laws that created strict regulations for the owners and efficient enforcement methods (Brinkley,