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The Progressive Era (1890s-1920s)

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The Progressive Era (1890s-1920s)
During the Era of Progressivism, which lasted approximately from 1890s to1920s, some reforms were made to deal with the socio-economic crisis which the United States faced at that time. Among the most prominent political figures of that period are the two presidents, Theodore Roosevelt of the Republicans and Woodrow Wilson of the Democrats. In our paper, we will consider the situation that America was in and elaborate why those reforms were needed. After that, we will compare the policies of the named two presidents.
The United States of America faced numerous problems related to poverty, social injustice, and corruption in the government. The degree of social injustice was despicable; workers had to labor …show more content…

His version of free market economy, however, included antitrust views, and did not perceive labor unions as a hindrance to the “market freedom”, allowing for the right to create such unions and fight for laborers’ rights (Foner 720). Among notable documents adopted during his presidency are the Underwood Tariff Act, which lowered import duties and “imposed a graduated income tax on the richest 5 percent of Americans”, and the Clayton Anti-Trust Act, which gave workers more rights to protect themselves (Foner …show more content…

We have already mentioned Roosevelt’s fighting against monopolies; the Northern Securities Company was one of them. This major railroad company established by J. P. Morgan controlled three large western railroads, monopolizing the means of transport between the Pacific Ocean and the Great Lakes. Roosevelt prosecuted the Northern Securities under the Sherman Antitrust Act, and, as a result, the company was dissolved in 1904 by the Supreme Court (Foner 716).
Furthermore, in 1906 the Hepburn Act was adopted by the Congress. It allowed the Interstate Commerce Commission to control railroads’ rates and set the maximum prices on transportation, which was a step for the government to influencing the market economy (Foner 717). The 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, as well as the Meat Inspection Act, also adopted during Roosevelt’s presidency, were the result of the activity of the “muckrakers” (Foner 685-686,

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