Progressivism: The 1890s As A Social Movement

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Progressivism began in the 1890s as a social movement and eventually grew to become a political movement. Those who were early progressives rejected the ideas of Social Darwinism, instead they believed that the problems society faced such as poverty, violence, and racism could be solved by good education, a clean environment, and a safe workplace. Progressives mainly lived in large cities where the population were mainly college educated, believing that the government was the first step to changing.Some of the most popular reformers were Jacob Riis and Ida Tarbel, which were journalists who used their writings to show off their voices for progressivism. They tried to expose corporations and urged other Americans to rethink what democracy.