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The Progressive movement was a widespread reform effort that was aimed to cure the underlying and many political as well as social ills in the US after the end of the industrial revolution and therefore was aimed to mark a beginning to a new era. During the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, the nation of the United States underwent tremendous changes. One of the major changes in the new era included the shift from an economy that predominantly relied on agriculture to an economy that much relied on industrialization (Goldfield et al. 2001). The changes in the economy brought out a stark in the social changes to the United States, and therefore millions of people in the nation relied on other individuals such as business owners to earn a living. At times, most of the employers reinvested their profits into the company failing to pay the workers their salaries. It was believed that most of the business owners had a lot of power within the federal government, and most of the people in the United States believed that the business owners had massive influence over the national government. And as well that the employers possessed no desire to relinquish any of their powers to the working and the middle-class individuals.
By the year 1890, a group of reformers by the name progressives emerged with the primary aim of combating some of the ill effects of that resulted from the transition. As the rich and the business owners possessed the government, the progressive movements were characterized by people of the middles class with most of them possessing college education. The Progressives believed that industrialization was good for the United States, however, contended that human greed had taken heed to overcome the more positive effects that came as a result of industrialization (Goldfield et al. 2001). The Progressives hoped to instill in the United States citizens the moral values that were based upon the protestant religious beliefs as they wanted the employers to treat the employees as they as they wanted to be treated in return. The Progressives also hoped that if the working conditions were made better, a large number of the US citizens would not have the urge to engage in immoral activities such as gambling and drinking in an attempt to forget their problems.
The Progressive Movement sought better payments, improved and safe working conditions, increased working benefits for the workers as well as shorter working hours. With the belief that education was a crucial component for the people to make a better life, the Progressive Movement was opposed to child labor and therefore wanted the children to attend schools rather than spending their time working in the industries and mines. The Progressive Movement was in support of the prohibition and at the same time succeeded in the enactment of a ban on the manufacture, transportation, and distribution as well as the sale of alcohol with the eighteenth amendment of the US Constitution in the year 1919. The Progressive Movement as well sought to reclaim the government from the might and power; that is the business owners as well as the corrupt politicians through advocating and encouraging direct elections of the US representatives especially the Senators by the people (Goldfield et al. 2001). The progressive Movement as well succeeded in the attainment of the reform promoting for direct election by the people with the adoption of the seventeenth amendment of the US constitution in 1913.
Other reforms that were a success included the initiative that allowed the voters to pass legislation on their own, the referendum that allows the voter to repeal the laws to which they did not support. Recall was another reform that allowed the voters to remove an elected official from office to which also was a success (Goldfield et al. 2001). A large number of the Progressive Movement members were in support of the women’s suffrage, assisting the women to acquire and secure the rights to vote and this was also made a success through the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution of the year 1919. It is also known that the progressive Movement was in a battle with the city bosses that included Cincinnati, Ohio’s George Cox and they did this through hiring city managers.
The Progressive Movement was responsible for the enactment of numerous positive reforms that were aimed to improving the lives of the citizens of the United States, but some of their goals to which they advocated for were questionable. With the quest for a democratic government in the United States and as well as protection of the workers, the Progressive Movement went ahead and sought to force their beliefs that included the social and political believes on others and therefore demeaning the freedom and democracy to which they seemed to fight for as one of their agendas (Goldfield et al. 2001). On the other hand, the Progressive Movement was opposed to immigration and therefore were responsible for the enactment of various immigration regulations during the early 20th century. The Progressive Movement also tried to force the immigrants to adopt their beliefs, and one of the ways that they tried to accomplish; it was by settlement houses within their control.
The settlement houses were existent in most of the major cities during the period of the late 19th century and the early 20th century. The settlement houses were regarded as places where the immigrants would go to receive free necessities such as clothing, food, educational classes as well as job training. The provision of the necessities to the immigrants was of great help, but in return, the Progressive Movement took advantage of the immigrants’ situation and therefore took the opportunity in the settlement houses to convince them to adopt their progressive beliefs (Goldfield et al. 2001). And this had the overall effect of making the immigrants forsake their culture and embrace a new one from the Progressives as they solely depended on them for their survival.
During the early 20th century, a majority of the members of the Progressive movement joined the Ku Klux Klan, which was a self-proclaimed religious group. The primary aim of the group was to enforce morality on other people in accordance with the beliefs of the Progressive Movement. As a result of the movement’s support for the prohibition as well as the immigration restrictions, most of the United States citizens seized their support for the movement as they were not happy of the movement’s activities and agendas (Goldfield et al. 2001). Up today, some of the aspects of the Progressive Movement remain, that includes a functioning and a clearly identifiable movement, but however, the movement began to weaken by the late 1920s and early 1930s due to reduced influence among the supporters who had previously seen the light in their fight for a better life in the American nation.
The success of the Progressive Movement can be attributed to the much publicity that was generated by the muckrakers, who were the writers responsible for detailing the horrors of poverty, the urban slums, child labor as well as the dangerous factory conditions. With most of the goals set aside by the movement, most of them were a success as they aimed to better the lives of the American citizens. Issues like education for the children for school going age, better salaries, reduced working hours as well as a safe working environment was among the things that made the Progressive movement achieve massive support. Also, the fight against corruption, balancing of power for the middle class as well as the esteemed fight for the voting rights for women was among great goals of the movement that achieved government attention, compelling for the legislation to accommodate their demands and this made their demands a success.
Reference
Goldfield, D. R., Abbot, C., Anderson, V. D., Argersinger, J. A. E., Argersinger, P. H., Barney, W. L., & Weir, R. M. (2001). The American Journey: A History of the United States; Combined Volume. Prentice-Hall.
