The Progressive Era:
How would you define and describe the progressive reform movement?
The Progressive Era movement provided helpful and selfless stepping stones improving the main issues the United States faced in the early 1900’s concerning industrial, social, and political aspects, but most of all, for the people being largely and negatively affected. This reform benefitted the factory workers, the large poor population, urban slums, children, women, and many more important pieces of the nation being. Clearly the Progressive Era’s intentions were all to fairly better America and in the end it had a steep, but positive, impact on the lives of many citizens in need.
With all the hype on industrialization brewing in the States, it demanded more factories with little safety precautions, naive of the consequences that could follow. In fact, at the time, America had the highest rate of industrial accidents in the world with an average of 30,000 dead workers a year. Intense hours left workers little time for necessary sleep causing stress and weakness. Poor ventilation and hazardous fumes had many workers sick and diseased. On top of that, the machinery was dangerous to work with and powerful enough to sever limbs. “The real difficulty appears to be that the new conditions [growing from] the industrial development of the last half-century are continuously and progressively demanding readjustment” (Document 1).
U.S. Senator Elihu Root said that during a speech in 1913 explaining the problem of the quick pace the industry developed and why the laws are not up to date. With each new development, rules and regulations need to be put in place, and the industry developed quickly making old laws inept. Progressives obviously took notice of the issue that needed improvement and after a factory fire in March 1911 which took 146 lives, they took initiative. “For a release from employment one day in seven, For a living wage in every industry, For the highest wage each industry can afford” (Document 6).
The Essay on Problems For Workers During The American Industrial Revolution
The industrial revolution led to many problems for workers. These problems lead to the development of Labor Unions. Workers had many problems that they wanted to change. They worked for a lot of hours for little pay; the workers campaigned for a 10-hour working day. Their working conditions were hazardous to their health. The workers could not solve these problems individually; they needed to ...
These are a few improvements from a statement The “Social Creed of the Methodist Episcopal Church” came up with in which they thought was appropriate. It was adopted in 1908. The movement persuaded for new laws to make the workplace safer and eventually compelled many states and cities to do so. Not only that, but some states even provided compensation laws for past workers who were hurt on the job.
While people with jobs were highly endangered, many others had no job at all and suffered in the urban slums because of the inadequate conditions that bombarded the poor society. Since the selfish business owners controlled municipal services, they rolled in their money and strived to become more rich while no improvements were made for urban residents. “We have been proud of our industrial achievements, but we have not stopped thoughtfully enough to count the human costs, our great government we loved has too often been made use of for private and selfish purposes, and those who used it had forgotten the people. ” (Document 2) In this speech, President Woodrow Wilson embraces new technology and the nations benefit from industrialism, but also realizes the human toll it took, and knows that the people cannot be a forgotten cause. Helping the most desperate once again, Progressives made it an important goal to better the lives of the poor if no other powerful organization would. Private charities and then settlement houses were established in hope that urban slums would become more civil. Physically, the slums needed pampering, for instance, paved roads, clean drinking water, and more strict sanitation laws. There were classes for child care and the English language and also nursery schools and kindergarden. For adults, theatre, art, and dance programs became available in the houses as well. A young woman named Jane Addams became inspired with the idea of a settlement house and opened on in Chicago called the Hull House. The Hull House expanded with time to a complex involving 13 different buildings. This sparked a phenomenon for woman like Jane to help the public, and by 1911 over 400 settlement houses were around the States.
The Essay on Positive environments for children and young people
Positive environment A positive environment is one that supports all aspects of the child’s development; staff members/carers can provide the children different ways to extend their developments. By doing activities and guiding the children through their learning, this creates a positive environment for them. Example: Reading and writing activities will help the child or young person’s cognitive ...
The last, but possibly most important of the reforms involves the future of the nation and the people behind it, children. In 1910, 2 million children 10-15 years of age were employed in America. Some as young as 5 years were working 18 hour shifts for industries. The selfish businessmen were interested in hiring young children because they were willing to work for less, and its evident by now that owners main concern was money. Progressives saw that children of that age should be getting an education instead of working like men. The main leader behind the effort was Florence Kelley, a lawyer. She convinced Illinois to pass a law banning child labor which caught on for other states also. In the meantime, Kelley was a part of the National Child Labor Committee, who influenced the government to create an agency that examined anything that affected the health and welfare of children. This agency would be named Children’s Bureau in 1912. A few years after Congress passed the Keatings-Owen Act which banned child labor, yet the law was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court 2 years later. Children finally got their break many years later in 1938 when child labor was officially banned. Now they had time to get an education and grow up to represent the nation, and to do so, the Smith-Hughes act passed in 1917. This act provided 1 million dollars to states who promised to improve public schooling by providing an educational program.
The Progressive Era movement provided helpful and selfless stepping stones improving the main issues the United States faced in the early 1900’s concerning industrial, social, and political aspects, but most of all, for the people being largely and negatively affected. Whenever a group of people had a legitimate issue the Progressives were always there to back them up and give all the support their power could convey. The overworked laborers, poor unemployed, and uneducated working children, all were desperate for assistance and affected very negatively by the issues occurring in the 1900’s. The progressives did not have total control over meeting their goals, however, they did have a large impact by spreading the issue widely until something was altered and came up with intelligent ideas about how to approach the issues backed with good incentive. “At last a vision has been shown to us of our life as a whole. We see the bad with the good…With this vision we approach new affairs. Our duty is to cleanse, to reconsider, to restore, to correct the evil, to purify and humanize every process of our common life” (Document 4).
The Essay on Children 50 Years From Now
Every Sunday in Bikini Bottom is a very stormy, yet dreadful day. So therefore on every Sunday night around 6:30 p.m. Charlie Sheen goes and visits the Krusty Krab Pub. While he’s there he drinks until he can’t anymore. He takes shots and gets every drink you could ever think of. He says he does it because all the rain and bad weather depresses him and the drinking helps him forget about the ...
President Woodrow Wilson said these words in his inaugural address, explaining that new problems will be faced, but it is how you deal and correct these problems that makes the difference. In essence, that quote represents the purpose and perspective this piece is supposed to be taken from regarding the Progressive Era’s intentions. All in all, the reform movement was a selfless, helpful, organization that, time and time again, proved their courageousness and determination to revise the new issues people faced with America’s progression.
