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Progressive Era (1893- 1909)

Introduction

The age of Progressivism in the United States could easily be termed as the most significant eras in its History. The events that took place during this time had a bearing on the future of the country. There were many upheavals during this age from the ones taking place on the social level, to the ones taking place on the government level. We have come a long way since, but we owe a great deal to the people living in those times. If it had not been for their efforts, out country would not be as we see it today. It is commonly said that the Progressive Era in the United States started around the 1890's and went on until the end of the First World War (Buenker, pp. 3 - 21).

The major events that took place as described in our textbook 'American Passages' start with the Reform Campaigns for women. These campaigns were led by notable personalities like Ida Wells-Barnett, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and others. The campaigns were focused on equality for the female gender on the social front as well as in the work place (Ayers, et. al pp. 492 - 494).

Apart from the women there was increased recognition of the fact that African-Americans were being discriminated against. The outspoken orator Booker T. Washington came out in the open to expose these harsh realities that were being faced by African-Americans. The demand from Washington was to call upon his race to show to the whites their capacity to equal them in competence. He asked them to concentrate on working hard instead of protesting against their conditions (Timberlake, pp. 1 - 7). These were only the beginning of the Progressive Era because after these events, we also saw the rise of the concept of accountability. Muckraking came to be known as a term that was held synonymous with exposing corruption and wrong doing. On the military front, the United States was involved in the Spanish American War in 1898, and its geographic expansion started outside the mainland (Buenker, pp. 3 - 21).

Discussion

Background

The Progressive Era was preceded by a very tumultuous period in history. The country had been through Civil War and its aftermath. Racial segregation continued in spite of Lincoln's famous proclamation, and corruption in the government circles was on the rise (Friedman, et. al p 231).

The Industrial Revolution had paved the way for a new America. New technologies being employed at the factories meant increased productivity. This in turn, led to the phenomenon of modern Capitalism. This influx of industry laid heavy demands on the labor from the side of the factory owners who were very interested in maximizing their profits and monetary gains at any cost. As a result, the rich had started becoming richer, and the poor became poorer still in comparison (Alphonso, p. 206 - 232). This gave rise to super rich people who had a lot of influence on government officials, and they could easily influence legislations ...