During the Progressive era women had to endure a lot of suffering due to poor living conditions, illness, earning wages no matter what age or race they were. Women activists decided it was time to start speaking out and protesting to receive more equality in society. Different groups of activists, made up of women, fought for women’s rights socially, economically, and politically. Some activists were better known for women’s sexuality. Jane Addams was one of the first women activists who fought for equal wages for women. From Jane Addams speech in 1908, “Possibly the first step towards restoration is publicity as to industrial affairs, for we are all able to see only those things to which we bring the informing mind." Jane Addams and Florence Kelly are two women who were for African American rights especially for voting. …show more content…
Settlement houses were very popular during this era because they were used for communities to become better. Some people even went as far as living in these houses. Since, settlement houses were segregated African American women had to create their own. According to Miriam Cohen in Women and the Progressive Movement, “In 1897, Victoria Earl Matthews established New York City’s White Rose Mission, the first black settlement run exclusively by African Americans.” There were even activist groups that were created to protect children from the labor legislation. A former head of NYCL, former New York State industrial commissioner, Franklin Roosevelt, Perkins, progressive women and Eleanor Roosevelt, created a plan to help child labor and income