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Progressivism During The Progressive Era

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The goal of progressivism was to reform society into a more structured industry. Progressivism showed that along with all the progress being made there was still lots of flaws in the system. Industries were booming but forced child labor, horrible condition, and unfair pay came along with it. Numerous strikes were starting to emerge to show these flaws in the system. Social Darwinism was the idea that the most capable men ran society. These men were the business owners and the political influences in government. Progressives worked to end child labor. They exploited it by photography and protests. Children at very young ages lacked a good education because most kids worked to support their family. Society needed children to work in the factories, so they never got a decent education. They skipped straight to their demanding work. According to a business owner during the time, “I regard my people as I regard my machinery.” This statement described how business owners perceived their works, including children. Young workers were not seen as children. They were seen as property that were paid for, and business owners were going to get the most money out of them that they could. Progressivism started as a social movement and moved to be a political …show more content…
They both wanted to reform society and the government. The progressive era started because social darwinists were protecting the wealthy and not treating the workers like people. The ideas of Darwin shaped many policies during the Progressive Era(Gordon). The leaders, such as Jane Addams, Jacob Riis, and Ida Tarbel, of the progressives were fighting against what social Darwinists stood by. Progressivists were fueled by the wrongs that the social Darwinists subjected people to. The progressives hate the horrible conditions, unfair pay, and long hours that the wealthy people put workers through. Social Darwinism supported the employer’s horrible

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