Progressivism Essay, Research Paper

The Progressive Era

The Progressive Era initiated reforms that benefited the individual and the whole society. Industrial and social reforms were launched to benefit the individual and the whole society. Movements were begun to help the individual benefit from the corrupt industrial system . Major reforms were instigated to enhance and preserve the social institution in America.

Social reforms were thought needed in order to preserve the social institution in America. The fight against alcohol was a social reform that was begun to help protect the social structure from collapsing. Document 19.5 (Reform as Social Control: Prohibition and the Progressive Movement) stated that alcohol creates disorder in American life. This would support the creation of the Prohibition movement. Also Document 19.5 said that alcohol leads to immoral situations and reforms must be made to preserve values which could sustain the family as a vital social institution. This movement was initiated in order to protect the social structure by keeping the family intact and realizing that the family is the main component of the social system. Women’s suffrage was another reform sought by progressives to keep the social system from corruption. Document 19.6 (Women’s Suffrage and the Working Class) depicts a poster stating that in order to protect the family and social system the homemakers (women) must be given a voice/a right to vote. Document 19.6 supports the views that the progressives believed necessary in order to protect the great American society. Industrial reform is another issue that the Progressive Era touched on.

Reforms and movements were established to help the individual in the society benefit from the corrupt industrial system. Progressive believed that the industrial system must reformed in order for the individual in the society to be benefited. Document 19.2 (An Industrial Utopia: Looking Backward) supports this idea. The document stated that power in the hands of few, irresponsible men are corrupting the industrial system. A single corporation and one trust should be established in order to protect the common interest and receive a common profit for all individuals in the society. The benefits of the industrial system in the Progressive Era are seen in Document 19.3 (The Changing Economic Order: Shifts in the Work Force). This document shows the increase in the employment rate from 1890-1920 is almost tripled. The area in which a major increase in employment has occurred is in the Manufacturing and Construction. These positive changes support the progressives views and provide evidence of progression. Document 19.4 (Varieties of Progressivism: T.R. and Wilson) states that even the two major different progressive leaders support the same views in the topic of industry. They both believe that government should regulate corporations for fair competition and in affect will benefit the society by limiting large number of monopolies.

The Progressive Era initiated reforms that benefited the individual and the whole society. The Progressive Era’s main goals were to protect and preserve society and to reforms the industrial system as to promote fairness to all. The need to improve America internally was found in progressive reforms. The progressives looked domestically and corrected the problems internally before looking outward at the rest of the world. The Progressive Era was mainly concerned in depicting America as a dominant nation and the progressive knew that is not possible unless the domestic situation was in good status.