Putting It Together: The Progressive Movement

The Gilded Age, though marked by economic progress flowing from the Second Industrial Revolution, was also a period that forced Americans to confront a range of serious issues including overcrowded cities, political corruption, and the destruction of the natural environment. At the turn of the twentieth century, reformers, journalists, activists, artists, and politicians worked to address many of these matters. The Progressive Movement was, as its billing indicates, united in the pursuit of “Progress”, pushing American Society to focus on political, economic, and social reforms.

The major question of the period was, “What is the role of the government in taking care of the general public?” Should the government exclaim “laissez-faire” and let private business owners make whatever decisions they preferred irrespective of moral considerations, or does the government have a duty to place regulations on business practices? Ultimately, regulation would become the norm as a result of progressive reformers and movements, whose outlook was often tied to the main idea of the “Social Gospel”: that every man is his brother’s keeper. Muckrakers, such as Upton Sinclair, would expose issues regarding the meatpacking industry, monopolies, and the exploitation of the urban poor. In response, the government passed various laws addressing these concerns, including the Meat Inspection Act of 1906, which called for the government inspection of meat, and the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. This latter development brought to life the suffragist goals established at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention. Overall, the Progressive Era resulted in the government transitioning from a “hands-off” approach to a more active one in handling concerns related to public welfare and social advanement.

So next time you are completing safety modules at your job, eating a hot dog, or exercising your right to vote, remember the grassroots Progressive Era reformers who urged the government to take action in protecting the American public.

Review Reflection Questions

  1. Which of the primary features of grassroots Progressivism was the most essential to the continued growth and success of the reformist movement? Why?
  2. Describe the multiple groups and leaders that emerged in the fight for the Progressive agenda, including women’s rights, African American rights, and workers’ rights. How were the philosophies, agendas, strategies, and approaches of these leaders and organizations similar and different? What made it difficult for all Progressive activists to present a united front?
  3. How did President Theodore Roosevelt’s “Square Deal” epitomize the notion that the federal government should serve as a steward protecting the public’s interests?
  4. How did the goals and reform agenda of the Progressive Era manifest themselves during the presidential administrations of Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson?
  5. What vestiges of Progressivism can we see in our modern lives—politically, economically, and socially? Which of our present-day political processes, laws, institutions, and attitudes have roots in this era? Why have they had such staying power?