The Progressive Movement During The Late 1800s And Early 1900s

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The Progressive movement is one of the more transformative periods in American history as the nation sought to deal with the new challenges of being an urban and industrial nation. The corruption during this era can be interpreted by the change in the economy, the creation of specific laws, and the effective leaders. The late 1800s and early 1900s brought up the hidden issues in the nation’s economy. One of the main issues was with the control of big businesses. The Civil War stimulated intolerance: it required the government to rely on big business (Anderson, p.428). Big business owners wanted to make sure they had their say in the government, to do so, some owners would pay the representative large amounts of cash to influence them. Since …show more content…

Children were put into school to learn basic skills such as reading, arithmetic, and writing. This education would prepare them for the workforce by teaching them how to follow orders and take directions. Children would start working from a very young age. The working conditions were very unsafe with no disability insurance. The workers basically had no rights in the workplace. Eventually laws were passed limiting hours and workdays, along with giving workers their rights for job security and protection. The nation saw quick changes as the 17th and 18th Amendments were passed. To counter the corruption in the Senate, the 17th Amendment was created to make the election of senators direct and based on popular vote. The 18th Amendment prohibited alcohol. Women were also an effective cause for the creation of specific laws. During this time period, women were still not allowed to vote. They also faced hardships such as not being able to own property. Women were expected to focus on housework and motherhood, not politics. To help with women’s suffrage, the 19th Amendment was added. This allowed a person to vote no matter what gender they …show more content…

The late 1800s and early 1900s brought up the hidden issues in the nation’s economy. Big business owners wanted to make sure they had their say in the government, to do so, some owners would pay the representative large amounts of cash to influence them. The working conditions for employees were very unsafe with no disability insurance, but eventually laws were passed limiting hours and workdays, along with giving workers their rights for job security and protection. The Progressive Movement was put into full effect when leaders like Theodore Roosevelt took the presidential office. The corruption during the Progressive Movement was influenced by the change in the economy, the creation of specific laws, and the effective