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The Progressive Era Summary

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The Progressive Era was a time in United States history when social and political ideologies formed as a response to rapid industrialization. This period lastly roughly from 1895-1920 and is the focus of David E. Alsobrook’s article in the April 2002 issue of The Alabama Review. Alsobrook’s commentary focuses on the port city of Mobile, AL and the progressive reorganizations that occurred in the city the decades after reconstruction. He argues that the reforms of the city were caused by the influx of entrepreneurs brought by newly completed railroads. These businessmen were successful in obtaining leadership roles previously reserved for those of the gentry class (i.e. cotton plantation owners) and had different concepts of what made a successful …show more content…

New transportation was key in allowing for a swift trade system as well as providing a means by which the city could expand its territory and population. According to Alsobrook, these railroads promoted the idea of a “New South” and attracted investors to cities like Mobile in hopes of being the first to profit off the city’s new expansion and comparing it to the other great port of the south, New Orleans. These “Boosters” focused on gaining financial backing from northern investors to improve real estate, local economies and transportation systems but, as Alsobrook points out, did little in the way of improving upon social systems. They wanted an efficient and logical government that’s main purpose was to stimulate economic growth so they created a system known as the commission plan which replaced current and usually corrupt town mayors with a city council. This plan was widely adopted during the Progressive Era and was highly publicized in the Mobile Register in hopes of once again modernizing the city’s image. Mobile’s leadership then shifted from middle-class citizens to the industrial elite whose fortunes had paid for the propaganda promoting the city. James Howard Wilson, an investor from Kansas, was the archetype of the powerful entrepreneurs that would take over the city as he was …show more content…

It became evident that men were being sentenced to unnecessary jail time so that the sheriffs could become wealthy. This not only alarmed the moralists but the city’s industrial elite as well due to the fact a large portion of the city’s budget was being spent superfluously. Judge Chamberlain of Mobile was questioned by the governor for his sentencing practices and was eventually brought into the state Supreme Court where he claimed it was the rough treatment of prisoners in work camps that caused him to send more convicts to jail than what the public deemed appropriate. The moralists and boosters came together and lobbied for the ending of all contracts with work camps and the reformation of the fee system; they were successful on both accounts. The two factions continued to work together until the civil court system and juvenile justice system both saw heavy reforms in hopes of rehabilitant convicts in lieu of

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In the 1860s Cornelius Vanderbilt was aware of the big growth in the future of transportation. He believed it would soon not be by water, but by railway. That’s when Cornelius had an idea on how to continue the growth of his businesses. Vanderbilt was a robber baron who used ruthless business practices to enrich himself.

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Urban/political machines played a major role in late nineteenth-century American cities. These machines were powerful political organizations that controlled local government and politics in many cities. They were often led by a single powerful leader, known as a “boss”, who had the ability to influence elections and appointments to public office. The machines were able to control the city’s resources and patronage, and they used these resources to reward their supporters and punish their opponents. The machines were able to gain power by providing services to the city’s residents.

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Lastly, Vrabel asserts that Boston’s mayors “cultivated ethnic and class conflicts” (6), which undermined development in Boston. Ultimately, these factors spurred Bostonians to action to change Boston. On November 8, 1949, Boston elected a new mayor, John Hynes. He saw the damage the previous mayor had done in alienating businesses from settling in Boston and worked for change. Hynes did so by “streamlining city government and reducing the waste and corruption” (8).

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With more widespread access to magazines, news, movies, and other “luxuries”, the containment of individuality and shared opinions of those not in the upper status became increasingly hard. In short, the political leaders of this time tried too hard to control population, cultural assimilation, and force of growth of industry. He uses the historical facts about important public figures of the time such as Theodore Roosevelt, W.E.B Du Bois, and the Rockefellers while explaining and aligning the movements themes and events in relation to the rebels and the Progressives during the particular period of the era he was outlining. He uses these characters of time

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Thesis : After the Civil War, America was in a post-war boom. During the 1870-1890, big business moguls, such as Rockefeller and Carnegie, create huge corporations which not only affected the economy, but also affected the political realm of America. While many may assume that during the rise of these big business helped to change the economy and politics,  the real focus was on the responses formed by society, such as labor unions, increase public outcry, and political opposition groups that helped to change society. A: Economically, big business flourished during the late 1800s.

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This essay will generally analyze the relationship between the government and businesses, and how “Big Business” essentially took control of the Gilded Age. America’s first true big business mostly arose because of the railroads, which is fairly significant, because it essentially helped lead the development of other business barons such as, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J. Pierpont Morgan who all had particularly extraordinary accomplishments in shaping our economy. Most of these men who created big businesses after the Civil War were driven by a compelling desire to become rich and influential.

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From segregation and voting laws to sharecropping, reconstruction did not turn out to be the success it had the potential to be. Many years later, we are

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Many of these businessmen had formed a political party called the “down-town” party. The goals of this party were to further their own business, specifically by putting down other interests of the nation. This party focused as well on subverting the prerogatives of the

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In the 1800s, cities were run by the political machine, an organization controlled by a city boss. However, as bosses increased their power they become corrupt. Bosses manipulated

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Much of the writing that has been published regarding the Progressive era has helped propel it forward as a time of “prosper, middle-class control,” in the minds of young Americans across the nation. Generally considered a highpoint of American political history, the Progressive era has been a benefactor of positive reporting in textbooks through much of history. Although, its alleged connection to socialism caused a significant change in reporting during the years of the Second Red Scare. In examination of five U.S. History textbooks spanning from 1930 through 2011, it is easy to see common themes that historians have kept through the years, as well as how current events played into the writing of history. As we have experienced, recent

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Between 1880 and 1920, as immigrants flooded the United States, the U.S. transitioned from a highly rural, agricultural society to an urban, industrial nation. Although during the Progressive era, progressives sought to push the nation into economic advancement, it was actually President Roosevelt’s New Deal, that restored public confidence and created government programs that led to relief for millions of Americans after Progressivism drove the country into turmoil. The new society established during the progressive era lacked stability, cultivated a sense of despair, high unemployment rates, shrunk and ultimately crashed the economic system. With urbanization, cities grew in number and size providing jobs to those who moved there, however

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The Gilded age was a period in the late 1800s (1865-1900) that showed tremendous increase of wealth caused by the industrial age. The lifestyle of the rich during this period hid the many problems of the time that eventually brought about the progressive era movement. This was a movement for reform between 1900-1920s. Progressives typically held that the irresponsible actions of the rich were corrupting both public and private life. Forces such as immigration, the Populist Party and industrialization that led to the progressive era also impacted the American government both in its activeness and its democracy.

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Working today is not meant for any kids, but was a big problem during the Progressive Era which was around the 19th century. People under 13 are considered children and there had been thousands of children under this age who had been forced to work for many different reasons. There were horrible conditions, and poor pay. The children couldn’t do anything about it because not only were they forced to work, but their families needed the money to support and feed them. Children earned less pay than adults and their working conditions were so bad that most of them became very sick and their bodies were ruined because of the work.

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At the beginning of the Progressive Era, 1890, the reform efforts were primarily to “clean up the nation’s cities,” but as the momentum cycled into full swing it turned into a much larger project than originally anticipated (Schultz 2014). The two main groups who were involved were the followers of Social Gospel and women, but later, as interest increased Progressivism found its way into political circles and other forums. The middle class was especially attracted to the idea, but only if it did not intrude on their everyday lives which turned out to be impossible. Moreover, as it grew it changed shape to influence how administrators were selected, how our education systems developed, and it aided in improving the workforce community. The primary reason for the spread of Progressivism throughout the nation was by the media, otherwise through journalism (Schultz 2014).

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