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The Role Of The Federal Government During The Gilded Age

571 Words3 Pages

The federal government has a major impact on Americans’ lives. It has been in power since 1789. Americans have had many different opinions about the federal government since its inauguration. Because of the role the government has had throughout time their actions had been closely monitored and their actions have had consequences that shaped America. The American Government needs breakthrough and change to ensure justice. Americans viewed the role of government vary differently in each time period. During the Gilded Age, corruption spread like a plague through the city, state, and national governments. It had a very weak government and was at an all-time low in power and influence. During the Progressive Movement, Americans were interested in establishing a more transparent and accountable government that would work to improve U.S. society. They believed that the government needed to undergo a major change in order to solve these problems. Progressive Era reformers sought to harness the power of the federal government to eliminate unethical and …show more content…

The Gilded Age was a period where greedy, corrupt industrialists, bankers and politicians enjoyed extraordinary wealth and opulence at the expense of the working class. It was during the Gilded Age that Congress passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to break up monopolistic business combinations, and the Interstate Commerce Act, to regulate railroad rates. State governments created commissions to regulate utilities and laws regulating work conditions. Several states filed suits against corporate trusts and tried to revoke the charges of firms that joined trusts (Digital History). The Progressive Movement improved the lives of individuals and communities. Americans began to have more control over their government, It gave citizens a greater voice. There were many impacts in those times that made the government what it

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Corporate greedy and corrupt politicians were specific problems and injustices that were present in American life during the late 1800s and early 1900s however these were addressed during the progressive era with laws and regulations. Throughout the gilded era corrupt politicians and corporate greedy allowed the upper class and businessmen to take advantage of the working class. This means that a majority of the population were hurt during the gilded age whereas a small percentage benefitted. As seen in document 1, living conditions were crowded, dirty, and unsafe.

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Roosevelt's And Work Toward Limiting Problems During The Gilded Age

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The Progressive Era was a time for the United States society to fix the problems of government, living conditions, and trusts that were brought on by the Gilded Age. President Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson stepped up in hopes to correctly fix the evils of society. There are a variety of different plans that were discussed in order to properly satisfy American’s and work towards limiting problems during the Gilded Age such as child labor and assimilation. These two reformers first addressed these issues through working to eliminate bad trust, strengthen unions, improve poor living and working conditions, and control corruption in government. The Federal Government worked towards fixing the issues of prostitution, alcoholism, and gambling.

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The Corrupt Federal Government: The Progressive Era

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The Progressive Era was known for the social, political, and economic drawbacks, mostly caused by the corrupt federal government, starting in the early 19th century throughout the 20th century. These complications called for ethical reforms and amendments, focusing on decreasing graduated income tax (16th amendment), Women’s Suffrage (19th amendment), and indirect/direct election for senators (17th amendment). Progressives sought to outcast and remove the immoral values of the federal government, which has caused the citizens of the US to view the government as untrustworthy, due to the lack of communication with the citizens, and also lack of safeguarding humanity. Progressive reformers also fought to adjust and manage unethical business procedures,

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Government Changes In The United States During The Late 1800s

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From the Gilded Age to World War 1, while Republicans and Democrats held different economic positions on tariffs and economic monetary systems, their responses to the challenges of economic inequality and incorporation of Populist ideas allowed them to share in the idea of an expanded, activist, socially conscious government. During the Gilded Age, while both the Republican and Democratic parties nationally came under the control of powerful political managers with close ties to business interests, their economic policies surprisingly differed on the subject of tariffs. Despite their close links to New York bankers and financiers, Democrats of the Gilded Age opposed high tariffs, while Republicans strongly supported them to protect American

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How Did The Progressive Era A Call For Social Reform

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The Progressive Era was a period full of political reform and social activism. One major characteristic of this era was the call for higher efficiency in government. Reformers attacked inefficiency in government, which led to the government reorganizing agencies to eliminate redundancy. This era was also marked by a graduated federal income tax, a new national banking system and a governmental attempt to conserve natural resources. During the Progressive Era, there was a large call for social reform including: prohibition, the right to vote for women, child labor laws and an eight hour work day.

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