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US History: The Progressive Era

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US History: The Progressive Era
Alivia Lee
03/04/2016

After the civil war, the US was facing many problems. These problems put the American public at risk and offended others. Something had to be done. This period in US history was called the Progressive era. Labor laws, women’s suffrage, and the US government were all reformed during the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s. The Progressives, middle class reformers, believed in abolishing all the harsh treatment and abuses that came with the growth of businesses.
Muckrakers were people who informed the public about monopolies, child labor, and corruption in industry that had a negative impact on workers and the general public. Upton Sinclair was a famous “muckraker”. In The Jungle, Upton Sinclair wrote of horrid working conditions that were experienced by large numbers of European immigrants working in meatpacking plants. The Jungle became a best seller quickly. It opened America’s eyes and led President Theodore Roosevelt to ask congress to pass the Meat Inspection Act (Doc 1, 2). …show more content…
She discovered that child labor was wide spread among poor tenement residents whose children worked to help support their family. She believed that providing daycare and education could help parents (Doc 3a). As a result of her activities as well inspired other social reformers, such as Florence Kelley. The Illinois state bureau of labor led investigations about these issues. Illinois was the first state to put forth labor laws (Doc 3b). Obviously, national enforcement helped because child labor dramatically decreased from 1900 to 1920 (Doc 5). Eventually FDR’s New Deal policies included a federal ban of child labor.
The progressives also had their heads set to reform the government. La Follett, a progressive, spoke about the direct primary in college classrooms. The use of secret ballots was also suggested so that city losses would not be able to buy votes (Doc 7). Progressives wanted more to give power
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