What was accomplished by the progressive movement

Many activists joined efforts to reform local government, public education, medicine, finance, insurance, industry, railroads, churches, and many other areas. In academic fields, the day of the amateur author gave way to the research professor who published in the new scholarly journals and presses. Initially the movement operated chiefly at local levels; later, it expanded to state and national levels. Progressives drew support from the middle class, and supporters included many lawyers, teachers, physicians, ministers, and business people.

Some Progressives strongly supported scientific methods as applied to economics, government, industry, finance, medicine, schooling, theology, education, and even the family.

They closely followed advances underway at the time in western Europe and adopted numerous policies, such as a major transformation of the banking system through the creation of the Federal Reserve System in La Follette Sr. Many others, from politicians to social activists, business owners to philosophers, and preachers to reporters, contributed to the Progressive movement. The following are examples of a few major figures:.

Following the assassination of President McKinley in September , Theodore Roosevelt, at age 42, succeeded to the office, becoming the youngest U. In foreign policy, he focused on Central America, where he began construction of the Panama Canal. Susan B. In , Anthony and Stanton arranged for Congress to be presented with an amendment giving women the right to vote. Constitution in Upton Sinclair September 20, —November 25, was an American author who wrote nearly books and other works across a number of genres.

In , Sinclair acquired particular fame for his classic muckraking novel, The Jungle , which exposed conditions in the U. Four years after the publication of The Brass Check, the first code of ethics for journalists was created.

Progressive-Era reformers sought to use the federal government to make sweeping changes in politics, education, economics, and society. American Progressivism is defined as a broadly based reform movement that reached the height of influence in the early twentieth century and that was largely middle class and reformist in nature. Progressivism arose as a response to the vast changes brought about by modernization, such as the growth of large corporations and railroads, and fears of corruption in American politics.

Emerging at the end of the nineteenth century, Progressive reformers established much of the tone of American politics throughout the first half of the century. Politically, Progressives of this era belonged to a wide range of parties and had leaders from the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as from the Bull-Moose Republicans, Lincoln-Roosevelt League Republicans in California , and the United States Progressive Party.

Rather than affiliating with a dominant party, American Progressives shared a common goal of wielding federal power to pursue a sweeping range of social, environmental, political, and economic reforms. The pursuit of trust-busting breaking up very large monopolies was chief among these aims, as was garnering support for labor unions, public health programs, decreased corruption in politics, and environmental conservation.

Many of the core principles of the Progressive movement focused on the need for efficiency and the elimination of corruption and waste. Historian William Leuchtenburg describes the Progressives thusly:. For Progressive reformers, the Constitution represented a loose set of guidelines for political governance, rather than acting as a strict authority on the political development of the United States or on the scope of federal power.

More, not less, regulation was necessary to ensure that society operated efficiently, and therefore, most Progressives believed that the federal government was the only suitable power to combat trusts, monopolies, poverty, deficits in education, and economic problems. Although they argued for more federal intervention in local affairs especially in urban centers , most Progressives typically concentrated on reforming municipal and state governments to create better ways to provide services as cities grew rapidly.

One example of Progressive reform was the rise of the city-manager system, in which salaried, professional engineers ran the day-to-day affairs of city governments under guidelines established by elected city councils.

After in-depth surveys, local and even state governments were reorganized to reduce the number of officials and to eliminate overlapping areas of authority among departments. City governments also were reorganized to reduce the power of local ward bosses and to increase the powers of the city council.

Early Progressive thinkers, such as John Dewey and Lester Ward, placed a universal and comprehensive system of education at the top of the Progressive agenda, reasoning that if a democracy were to be successful, the general public needed to be educated. Progressives advocated to expand and improve public and private education at all levels. Modernization of society, they believed, necessitated the compulsory education of all children, even if parents objected.

Progressives turned to educational researchers to evaluate the reform agenda by measuring numerous aspects of education, which later led to standardized testing. Child-labor laws were designed to prohibit children from entering the workforce before a certain age, further compelling children into the public schools.

Many educational reforms and innovations generated during this period continued to influence debates and initiatives in American education for the remainder of the twentieth century. Many Progressives hoped that by regulating large corporations, they could liberate human energies from the restrictions imposed by industrial capitalism.

Yet the Progressive movement was divided over which of the following solutions should be used to regulate corporations:. Pro-labor Progressives such as Samuel Gompers argued that industrial monopolies were unnatural economic institutions that suppressed the competition necessary for progress and improvement. Progressives such as Benjamin Parke DeWitt argued that in a modern economy, large corporations and even monopolies were both inevitable and desirable.

With their massive resources and economies of scale, large corporations offered the United States advantages that smaller companies could not offer.

Yet, these large corporations might abuse their great power. The federal government should allow these companies to exist but regulate them for the public interest. The Social Gospel movement is a Protestant Christian intellectual movement that was most prominent in the early twentieth century United States and Canada.

The movement applied Christian ethics to social problems, especially issues of social justice such as excessive wealth, poverty, alcoholism, crime, racial tensions, slums, bad hygiene, child labor, inadequate labor unions, poor schools, and the danger of war. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

Social Gospel leaders were predominantly associated with the liberal wing of the Progressive movement, and most were theologically liberal, although they were typically conservative when it came to their views on social issues. Important Social Gospel leaders include Richard T. In the United States prior to World War I, the Social Gospel was the religious wing of the Progressive movement, which had the aim of combating injustice, suffering, and poverty in society.

Denver, Colorado, was a center of Social Gospel activism. He established a free dispensary for medical emergencies, an employment bureau for job seekers, a summer camp for children, night schools for extended learning, and English language classes. His middle-class congregation encouraged Reed to move on when he became a Socialist, and he organized a nondenominational church. The Baptist minister Jim Goodhart set up an employment bureau, and provided food and lodging for tramps and hobos at the mission he ran.

He became city chaplain and director of public welfare of Denver in The Reverend Mark A. With 10, members, his church was the largest Presbyterian Church in the country, and he was selected the national moderator in Matthews was the most influential clergymen in the Pacific Northwest, and one of the most active Social Gospellers in America. The South had its own version of the Social Gospel that focused especially on prohibition. Other reforms included outlawing public swearing, boxing, dogfights, and similar affronts to their moral sensibilities.

The Social Gospel affected much of Protestant America. In , the Salvation Army denomination arrived in America. Although its theology was based on ideals expressed during the Second Great Awakening, it also focused on poverty and social improvement. The s and early s witnessed a profound social and political reaction to the excesses and corruption of the Gilded Age. Journalists and other writers began bringing social issues to the attention of the American public.

The muckrakers appeared at a moment when journalism was undergoing changes in style and practice. In response to the exaggerated facts and sensationalism of yellow journalism, objective journalism, as exemplified by The New York Times under Adolph Ochs after , reported facts with the intention of being impartial and a newspaper of record.

The growth of wire services also had contributed to the spread of the objective reporting style. Muckraking publishers, such as Samuel S.

Accomplishments of the Progressive Movement For additional facts refer to the articles detailing the Progressive Era Timeline and the Progressive Reforms that were introduced at city, state and federal levels. Progressive Movement for kids: The Limits of Progressivism The progressive movement addressed social problems, passed laws, amendments and reforms to protect workers and regulate the economy and big business but there were limits of Progressivism. The most conspicuous limit to progressivism was its failure to address African-American reform and racial issues.

Progressive Movement for kids: The End to Progressivism The nation's problems regarding the economy, racism, immigration and labor unrest following WW1 heralded the end of the progressive movement and the Progressive Era.

Warren Harding, the Republican candidate called for a return to 'normalcy' and the simpler way of life before all of the Progressive reforms. Americans agreed with his sentiments and Warren Harding won a landslide victory in the presidential election. Progressive Movement for kids - President Theodore Roosevelt Video The article on the Progressive Movement provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office.

The following video will give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 26th American President whose presidency spanned from September 14, to March 4, Progressive Movement.

Progressive Movement Definition and Summary of the Progressive Movement Summary and Definition: The Progressive Movement encompassed a variety of different ideas and activities of reformist pressure groups. US American History. Progressive Reforms. We recommend that reference is made to following articles that provide facts, information about: Urbanization in America. Rise of Big Business and Corporations. US Labor Unions History. US Immigration Laws History.

Industrialization in America. Women's suffrage. Black Populism. Social Darwinism. For additional facts refer to the articles detailing the Progressive Era Timeline and the Progressive Reforms that were introduced at city, state and federal levels. First Published Cookies Policy. Author Linda Alchin. Privacy Policy. Skip to main content.

The Progressive Era: — Search for:. Conclusion: The Successes and Failures of Progressivism. Conclusion: The Successes and Failures of Progressivism Although the Progressive Era brought reform to government and business and increased political power for many citizens, its benefits were limited to white Americans; African Americans and other minorities continued to experience discrimination and marginalization during this era.

Learning Objectives Summarize the successes and failures of Progressive efforts during this era. Key Takeaways Key Points The Progressive Era saw many far-reaching reform movements whose goals included eliminating government corruption, granting suffrage for women, and passing antitrust legislation.

Four constitutional amendments were passed during the time that increased the democratic influence of citizens and outlawed the production and sale of alcohol.

Despite these successes, the benefits of Progressivism were mostly limited to white Americans. African Americans continued to experience discrimination and oppression, including legal segregation, voting disenfranchisement, and economic disadvantages.

Additionally, the Progressive Era was characterized by disparate, often contradictory goals that impeded the creation of unified reform movement.

Key Terms Plessy v.