Review of Progressive Era

The Progressive Era was made up of 1900-1920 reforms that occurred on state and national levels. Progressives were women, members of the middle class, and apart of urban populations. Progressives took some similar views as the Populist group which was mainly made up of farmers. They both believed in direct elections, secret ballots, railroad regulation, and an income tax. 

At this time, Theodore Roosevelt was president and enacted his Square Deal. This offered consumer protection, cooperate regulation, and the conservation of natural resources. Various food safety regulations were enacted like the Pure Food and Drug Act. Roosevelt was known as a trust buster after he broke up the Northern Securities Company which was owned by JP Morgan. The Hepburn Act increased the power of the Interstate Commerce Commission and allowed them to increase their regulation of prices. Roosevelt also passed the Newlands Reclamation Act which used land sales from the west to fund irrigation developments. After the Anthracite Coal Strike, Roosevelt gained his reputation as progressive because it is the first time a president sided with the workers over the business owner. 

Woodrow Wilson was also a progressive president. He wanted to lower tariffs, get rid of all trusts, and reform the banks. He called his position New Freedom. He passed the Clayton Anti-Trust Act. This gave labor unions exemptions from prosecution. The Federal Reserve Act was passed under Wilson and established today’s banking system. 

Muckrakers were journalists of this era who exposed corruption and degradations in society. One famous Muckraker was Upton Sinclair who wrote the Jungle describing the need for health reforms. This resulted in the Pure Food and Drug Act along with the Meat Inspection Act. Jacob Riis wrote How the Other Half Lives which was a photographic journal that documented the poor living conditions of immigrants in urban settings. Lincoln Steffens wrote the Shame of Cities and documented the corruption between local government and businesses. 

The Governor of Wisconsin, Robert La Follette, was a famous progressive. He introduced the following: direct primaries, initiatives which allowed citizens to suggest new laws, referendums which allowed citizens to vote on a law, and recalls which allowed citizens to get rid of elected officials. All of this only applied at the state level. 

Although the Progressive Era brought about new reforms and pushed parts of society forward, it left behind African Americans. They were no civil rights laws passed during this era. Some influential African Americans during this era include W.E.B Du Bois who called for the end of segregation and helped form the NAACP. Ida B. Wells-Barnett advocated the end of lynching. 

It could be argued that the Progressive Era was successful because it did bring about a flood of legislation that improved living conditions, wages, and environmental protection services. However, it could also be called inadequate because of its lack of reform concerning civil rights.