Progressive Movement Moving on from the Gilded age, the Progressive Era marked its place in history in the early 20th century. This movement started to take off when famous journalists were exposing the corruption of the work place, and politicians. Many issues came about with suffrage, and segregation, thus, helping to enforce the 17th, 18th, and 19th amendments. The political system was changing and the population was growing, but what really shaped the Progressive Era? There were changes beginning to happen because urbanization. One of the earlier events that started the snowball effect into the progressive movement was Upton Sinclair’s book The Jungle. In 1906 Sinclair’s book was one of its kind. No one had really seen anyone expose something …show more content…
The 18 amendment made it illegal to drink alcohol, and they even had an Anti Saloon League. Lisa Anderson stated the goal of this was to have happier families, yet there were consequences like “it made brewing and distilling illegal, expanded state and federal government, inspired new forms of sociability between men and women, and suppressed elements of immigrant and working-class culture” (Anderson). This hit people hard, especially the immigrants because they went to the saloons quite often, but not just to drink, but to socialize. Although drinking alcohol was considered illegal, it did not stop people. Alcohol would be smuggled, and the price of it was very high. Speakeasies became the new normal with flappers, smoke, and jazz. This changed a lot for the progressives because women were considered welcome in saloons, until the speakeasies, and then they had cut hair and changed their behavior. The AAPA (Association Against the Prohibition Amendment) wanted to change this because they were against the 18th amendment. Then the 21st amendment came along and then appealed the 18th amendment. Something that was also something that influenced the need for change was the NAACP. This was the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Racism made its way into this era and was a big deal to black Americans. They wanted an equal economic standing and also for political equality and living as