¶ … Progressivism began as a social movement and evolved into a political movement, according to materials published by George Washington University (www.gwu.edu). Early in the social movement progressives were concerned about poverty, racism, greed and "class warfare," and they believed that those problems could be best addressed through education, a safer environment, and a workplace that was fair and safe (www.gwu.edu). Who were those considered to be progressives? The George Washington University narrative explains that they live "mostly in the cities," they had graduated from colleges and universities, and their beliefs included the belief that "…government could be a tool for change" -- and among the most vocal and visible social reformers / progressives were Jane Addams and journalists Jacob Riis and Ida Tarbel (www.gwu.edu).
Progressive journalists wrote investigative pieces that exposed "the evils of corporate greed" and they presented a balanced view of immigration and ethnicities, all the time "…urging Americans to think hard about what democracy meant" (www.gwu.edu). And the most progressive of U.S. presidents in the progressive era was Theodore Roosevelt (TR), who believed strongly in the value that corporations offered to the nation -- jobs, products, consumer choices -- but he also believed that "corporate behavior must be watched to ensure that corporate greed did not get out of hand" (www.gwu.edu).
Professor and author Burt Folsom writes that the first two progressive presidents were TR and Woodrow Wilson, and he gives the nod to TR and Wilson because, he writes, they both had a "mutual desire to use the state to redistribute wealth" (www.burtFolsom.com, 2011). Digging deeper into the history of the progressive era, Folsom's points appear to be too narrow and focused on an ideology (distribution of wealth) that Folsom disagrees with rather on the reality of that era. Folsom ignored the fact that Wilson was racist, the opposite of being progressive. James Loewen (Lies My Teacher Told Me) writes that as for education in America, Wilson said he wanted "…one class of persons to have a liberal education" (meaning white and affluent people) and "…another class of persons…to...
Changing Landscape: How industrialization and other social changes transformed the face of 19th century America The late 19th century in America was characterized by seismic political shifts in the ways in which Americans conducted their economic lives. In addition to the changes the Civil War wrought in America, there was also an increasing divide between the needs of urban and rural Americans. The U.S. was becoming more ethnically diverse due to
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The main Woolworth's store was already on strike, and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE) was threatening to escalate the strike to all of the stores in Detroit." (Cobble, 2003) Myra had been nicknamed the: "Battling Belle of Detroit" by media in the Detroit area because Myra is said to have:.." relished a good fight with employers, particularly over the issues close to her heart. A lifelong member
Reforms Who were the Progressives and what were they trying to reform? How and why did the Progressive era end? Several different Progressives include: Upton Sinclair, Teddy Roosevelt, David Thelen, Richard McCormick and Samuel Hayes just to name a few. Their basic goals were to rectify many the social ills that were occurring from the rapid industrialization of the nation. This was creating a tremendous shift in the population, with more
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