The Progressive Era Essay

Throughout history, a prominent goal of society was the constant pursuit of reformations whilst proving one’s ability to reach success. This is highlighted much throughout the late 19th century into the early 20th century, as well as the World War eras and the post WWII period. The rise of self-help books allowed society to prosper more than ever before and allowed critical thinking to rise. As decades progressed, American history was shaped on the ability of its people to constantly reform society while maintaining individualized confidence, wealth, and power. Societal changes proved to evolve American history as they strived for a better America throughout the late 19th/early 20th century, the period of the World Wars, and the Post World

The Progressive era (1890s-1920s), was a crucial period of reform and social change that allowed Americans to prosper more than ever before. This period embodies the central idea that Americans wanted more while proving they had the confidence and success to make it happen. The leadership of President Theodore Roosevelt showed his attempt at reigning in the excesses of capitalism at home and abroad. The beginning of urbanization and the growth of American cities were on the rise, leading to vast migration to these cities, slums, and overall unsanitary living conditions. President Theodore Roosevelt aimed to reform the cities and alleviate the equality issue amongst industries and individuals. He promoted change by the regulation of big business by passing the Pure Food and Drug Act and The Meat Inspection Act after reviewing books like, Upton Sinclair’s, The Jungle. This revealed Americans had the confidence and ability to fight for change, ultimately leading to standards of living to begin to increase. There were an abundance of changes that arose during The Progressive era leading to the beginning of a safer America through regulation of big businesses and other aspects of everyday life. This proved that American citizens had the ability to fight for a greater change while proving this was not the end to the fight of

The Civil Rights Movement was an incredibly prominent aspect of our country’s development and its changes are seen in today’s society. Both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were prominent figures who delivered compelling speeches to provoke change in the development of African American rights across the country. The speeches by both men were produced to enact a social change against racial discrimination and proved that society has the ability to create change for the better while striving for a more united country. The March on Washington on August 28, 1963 was a crucial aspect of the success for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because over 200,000 people were able to pressure the Kennedy Administration, thus leading to its passage. A popular modern change in the United States economy was the rise of conservatism. Conservatism’s first decade revealed great changes to America as a whole, starting with the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980. This created a turning point in our country’s politics and shifted America’s politics to a more conservative approach. The Reagan revolution led to the usage of “Reaganomics,” which took a supply-side approach, leading to economic growth as a whole and notably the inflation rate dropped from 12.5% in 1980 to 4.4% in 1988 at the end of his presidency.