...History is an imperative, open-ended subject with a multitude of perspectives to view with every topic and time frame it consists of. One such topic and period of time is the Reconstruction Era and the following decades leading up to the Industrialization of America. As with any other period in history, there are different ways to view this specific span of time. Interpreting this period of one as social unjust and injustice is one option. Conversely, it can be distinguished for significant progress in various aspects and the overall prosperity that came as a result of industrialization. Focusing on one method or the other may better guide in understanding this period. For starters, both of these components were clearly present in this duration...
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...The progressive era was shaped by events that happened during the Gilded Age. These events were largely political, economic and social in nature, aspects which are central to the life of Americans till this day. During the Gilded era, one can see the scenario where there was a struggle between the status quo of the white upper class and larger percentage of people that were mostly poor laborers. Professor Kelley talks about the wealth being concentrated only among one percentage of the citizens. As the era came to an end to usher in the progressive era, aspects of labor unions, women's groups, politics and the macro economy had matured. Labor unions were formed during the Gilded Era to fight for workers rights and negotiate with employers on important affairs. The union leaders succeeded in many ways by championing industrial strikes that forced employers to the discussion table. For instance, the Railway Strike of 1877 is one of the most notable actions by workers to show their disapproval of the system. At this time, women also took the cue and formed groups that would empower them socially and economically. This because of the realization that unions were more effective since they were better organized and negotiated collectively. Ultimately, American woman’s rights began to be recognized bit by bit on matters concerning social independence and economical space during the Gilded Era. One positive aspect which the Gilded era contributed to the Progressive era was the maturity...
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...The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era are time periods that were significant in the growth of the American society. The Gilded occurred during the 1870’s to about 1900. Gilded, meaning wealth, refers to the flawless and neat society. However, underneath the gold, there is discrimination, corruption, and poverty. Although the gilded age was a time of industrial, economic and innovative accomplishments, discrimination against immigrants, poverty, gender oppression and political corruption were notable. The term was created by Mark Twain. Known as the second industrial revolution The Gilded Age was manufacturing and transporting goods became increasingly easy with the aid of machines and new railroads. Many breakthroughs and technological innovations...
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...Progressivism was a political and social movement that lasted from the 1870’s until WWI. The characteristics of the era were optimism, a push for growth and improvements, equal rights, and labor equality. There were many influential progressives during the time that fought for the causes they believed in. One of those people was Louis Brandeis. Louis Brandeis was a lawyer. He was also the first Jewish justice appointed to the Supreme Court. He fighted for the general public and engaged in Muckraking. Brandeis is a progressive because he believed in, and fought for, the progressive ideas of betterment for the working class and exposing scandals in the economy. Brandeis was a progressive because he cared for and fought for the middle class because...
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...Payton Gates HIS 135 01 Argument Draft March 27, 2016 The progressive era was a time in America where a variety of responses to the economic and social issues arose. However, there would not be any responses if no one were to show the problems to the rest of America. What caused these problems was the hasty transformation into industrialization and urbanization which was introduced in the 19th century . As a result of urbanization and rapid industrialization, childhood was something ignored, and child labor became a huge issue than both adults and children didn't understand or find a solution to. During the Progressive era, many effective actions were made to better children's poor lives and lifestyles, and the societal outlook on childhood changed from ignorance to realizing the issues of poverty and child labor, and the effects they had on everyone. A large issue that came from industrialization was that children of that time period up until near the end of the progressive era, were expected to basically become adults. Children from as young as eight were working and taking care of their families. In source two, the image is of mill workers in 1912, where children can be seen of nearly all ages, and none of them with shoes or decent clothing. This is a perfect example of how young workers were and how much they actually received from working. Since industrialization was one of the easiest ways to give an abundance of people jobs and wasn’t well regulated, the working...
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...Andrew Crempa 3/16/75 Prior to the period of 1900-1920, Americans perceived the rapid transformations of society to be insufferable and, likewise, prognosticated instability and emerging chaos. However, by the turn of the twentieth century, these perspectives evolved into a rather optimistic view. The Progressive Era thus commenced. This movement brought both political and social innovations that invoked the desire to enact order and justice on the currently strained society. These staunch “progressivists” believed in society’s capability to advance, grow, and enhance through various reforms at the national level. These reformers, along with the federal government, proved effective in their quest for betterment of society: their efforts resulting in both successes and limitations. One of the most prominent issues dealt with the meat packing industry and the closely associated issue concerning the safety of medicines. The meat factories were the epitome of filth: dirty and soggy floors, rarely washed tables, and ill-ventilated rooms. Utterly ignorant of cleanliness and the danger of their work place to their health, workers shoveled fallen meat scraps into machines for chopping: combining despicable leftovers into the meat (Doc B). Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle revealed these atrocities and others including how employees often became victims of tuberculosis and various other illnesses (O.I.). His vivid description of the unsanitary and life-threatening conditions reached...
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...the church. Many congregations of churches are predominantly women, while spiritual leaders of many churches are nearly all male. Brazilian women have experienced a system of oppression, racism, and sexism, yet have remained supportive of their male counterparts. The significant contribution Brazilian women have made to the development of the Brazilian church often goes unnoticed. Although Brazilian women were not able to achieve ordination within the religious structure, their leadership and ability to persuade spiritual leaders made them an influential voice in the Brazilian church. This research paper will examine the roles of Brazilian women in the Brazilian Church in the progressive era with a particular interest in the early nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. During the progressive era, Brazilian women re-shaped the Brazilian church to a public political forum where Brazilians could engage in discourse and educate others, setting the stage for organized political movement. At the same time that middle-class Brazilian women were encouraging Brazilians to embrace “La Raca Negra” they were also endorsing the “politics of respectability” in their efforts to work for the uplift and reform of their own race. Ultimately, Brazilian women contradict their efforts to uplift the race by utilizing the Brazilian church as an arena of political discourse because they are conforming to the Victorian ideals to earn respect within mainstream society simultaneously. ...
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...The book Black Texans, provides an insightful and detailed timeline of African Americans and the many injustices that occurred in the state of Texas. The book spans from the year 1528 to 1995, covering blacks as far back as the first slave brought to the Americas, Estevan, to contemporary times. As well as being immensely detailed, Black Texans is organized in a chronological manner and is written at a moderate pace which ensures that nothing is overlooked or any period is rushed. During the years 1866 to 1900, the emancipation proclamation was just passed and the Civil War had concluded. Slaves were technically free, but they still faced the obstacle of leaving, which for the most part did not happen. Previous slave-owners adopted the cyclical system of sharecropping which ensured a perpetual debt that could never be paid off. This resulted in many African Americans not leaving their previous conditions due to having no other options. Another obstacle soon faced after the proclamation was the local legislative laws that unjustly restricted freedmen and ostracized them from society. The terms “Nigger” and the word ape were still used to vividly describe freedmen. These legislative rulings inhibited freedmen from owning land or testifying in court. As far as advances there were not any major ones, but since the emancipation freed...
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...“I am in this cause with my whole heart and soul. I believe that the Progressive movement is making life a little easier for all our people; a movement to try to take the burdens off the men and especially the women and children of this country. I am absorbed in the success of that movement.” – Theodore Roosevelt Progressivism reached its peak in the United States during the late 19th century, in which it was a reform movement that many took part in to make the country excel in all areas of society including: politically, socially, and economically. Progressives wanted to eliminate waste and corruption, supported improved child labor laws, minimum wage legislation, graduated income tax, and equality for all citizens. With this, progressivism...
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...Duncan King US Hist 102 Tuesday Night Class Paper #1 October 1st, 2013 Childhood Prior to the 1920’s, children were commonly abused, not cared for, and even left to die. This had to do with the situation their parents were in, as well as their perspective on childhood in general. The concept of childhood used to be very different than ours generally is today, as death rates were high, family size was large, children were commonly abused, and children were often employed, working in horrible conditions. As the circumstances of children were brought to the public’s attention, reform was soon achieved. This is greatly owed to the “muckrakers,” who were the writers that detailed these conditions to the attention of the public. The overall quality of life of children was greatly improved through reform, and a new definition of childhood was brought with it. Children lived in horrifying conditions before reform was achieved in the early 20th century. They often worked in coalmines or sweatshops for up to twenty hours a day. This helps understand the perspectives of the people living at this time, towards children, as the children weren’t too different from adults, earning wages by spending their days working. In some cases, children worked for weeks in factories without receiving any pay. They did this for the hope of receiving employment after the weeks in which they worked for free. However, employers were well aware of this and often took advantage of the children by either...
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...or their rights as citizens. I chose to focus on women’s changing roles during the time period from 1865 through 1920 and then through 1920 to this present day. The reason I chose to focus on the women of our history is because this was a very unstable time in history, due to the changing status of minorities in the culture at this time due to the end of the Civil War and the impending revolution for women’s rights with the passage of the 19th amendment. Dating as far back as the early 1800's women’s roles were consistently being challenged and questioned, it was not so much the women’s rights marches of the 60's but it was the beginning of that revolution. During the early part of the 19th century women’s character was separated with four basic attributes: piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. Even the foreign visitors to America during this period found fault in American male’s attitude towards women, they thought males treated women as inferiors and subjected women to double standards. "By marriage, the husband and wife are one person in law; that is, the very being and legal existence of the woman is suspended during marriage." This is according to a 1765 law established by Sir William Blackstone an English barrister, and American law followed this principle thereby the wife "belonged" to the husband. These were the times that women lived through and the conditions they lived with during the early part of the nineteenth century. As I move forward...
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...puts others before themselves, which is what many people did in American History. Specifically during the progressive period, many big names contributed to the growth of social and political reform. One person that contributed in some way to this booming idea was Ida Tarbell. Family history, and curiosity to achieve something great pushed Ida Tarbell to be the change she wanted to see in her lifetime. Selfless acts done to see this change is a prime example of a hero. Growing up Ida was surrounded by business, and lived in an era which many people were driven to become the change the world needed. For example, Ida’s desire to observe and understand led her to research deeply about...
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...Jane Addams, born September 6, 1860, and passed away May 21, 1935. Jane addams was instrumental in many controversial issues for a woman in her time. "Humanitarian and social reformer Jane Addams, born into wealth and privilege, devoted herself to improving the lives of those less fortunate' (Writer,P.D.,n.d.). Jane Addams went to school and was the first women to earn a degree from Yale. As a young woman, Miss Addams was not the conventional type to get married and have children. She felt that her calling was destined to be in a different role. As most young privledge women ofthat era she made a trip to Europe an that ws when she saw proverty and the needs for the less fortunate. Aftera second trip to Europe with her collge friend Miss Starr,...
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...Progressive Era through the Great Depression Joana Lewis Joel Goldstein, PhD. Contemporary U.S. History August 2, 2012 Although women spear headed many significant Progressive era reforms, they were still denied the right to vote. This became increasingly problematic once more and more women understood that individuals in the Industrial Age were buffeted by social and economic forces that were beyond their control and that required the involvement of the federal government. The denial of suffrage changed during the Progressive era, beginning in the western states. To main groups furthered the cause of women’s suffrage: the National American Women Suffrage Association, founded in 1890, and the National Women’s Party, founded in 1913 and led by Alice Paul. The NAWSA worked state to state to convince opponents that were valuable assets to society and deserved to vote. Paul and the NWP, on the other hand, pursued a more aggressive national strategy. On the eve of President Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration in 1913, Alice Paul organized a rally of 5,000 women to demand a federal constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote. She also held a six-month vigil outside the White House to protest restrictions of women suffrage. The combined efforts of these two groups ultimately led to victory. In 1920 just after the end of World War 1, the Nineteenth amendment was passed, and women won the right to vote. Woodrow Wilson became president in...
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...unremitting force exposing societal issues in an era of progressive reform. The quote “Good literature substitutes for an experience which we have not ourselves lived through." means that works of literature can substitute for an experience in which we the reader have not endured ourselves. His most notable work was The Jungle in which he exposed the American public to the inhumane and hazardous conditions of the meat packing industry and the injustices faced by immigrants. Upton Sinclair was born on September 20, 1878 in Baltimore, Maryland to an alcoholic father whom he was named after and his...
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