The Progressive Era was a time of reform taking place from the 1890s to the 1920s. During the Progressive Era, women's rights, African American's rights, and child labor were key issues dealt with. This Era had an overall attitude of toughness, and a parent might tell their child something along the lines of, "Man up and deal with it." But how would someone from the Progressives view our society today?…
In 1895 William Dubois Became the first African American to be given a Ph.D. from the University of Harvard. After his Ph.D. he started teaching economics and history at the University Of Atlanta and in the early 1900's he published his first ground breaking book The souls of Black Folks. Which the book contained attacks on Booker…
At the start of the 20th century, Jim Crow laws still crippled the rights of the African American community and segregation was at an all-time high. Even occupations such as Federal employment were degraded through segregation. Consequently, small protests began; insignificant in the short term, but it truly laid the foundation for the civil rights movement to have a major impact throughout America. Despite the limits and obstacles in their path, men and women rose to new heights, disregarding the concept of white supremacy. Whilst they had to endure a life of hardship, being denied higher education and the vote, many would not allow themselves to remain ‘separate but equal’. This essay will explore the accomplishments of African-American leaders but focus on how they couldn’t have succeeded without the influence of other factors, such as the federal government, a view shared with Miles Mulin who stated that ‘… in combination with their own persistent efforts, only the concerted efforts of a muscular federal government guaranteed the most fundamental rights…’…
The Progressive Era was the time period after the depression of the 1890s and before World War I. During this time the United States was going through a period of social change and political tumult. The American Society embarked on a journey of many reforms as a response to the diverse tensions and pressures presented by industrialization, urban growth, and ethnic tension. The roots of this reform clearly lay in the depression of the 1890s (1893 to 1897). The depression dramatized the problems in society, and raised the possibility of more violent upheavals if reform was not instituted. Major areas needing reform were poor public facilities, tax favoritism, corruption, environmental reform, and urban reform. This was a period of self-examination and renewal; it was a healthful contribution to the nation's history books. Even if the new regulatory agencies direct primaries, municipal reforms and conservation legislations may not have made all "wrong" things "right, they were able to make some significant change for the better. These new laws and commission's act had alleviated many citizens and had established the principle of government's responsibility for the general welfare of the…
Anne’s own growth and maturation are symbolic of the growth and maturation of the civil rights movement. In this book, Anne Moody talks extensively about the civil rights movement that she participated in. It dealt with numerous issues that had to do with racism and that many people did not agree with. Moody also include many contemporaries that would either make or break her equal right fight. “Coming of Age in Mississippi” gives the reader a first-hand look at the efforts that many people did to gain equal rights.…
This paper discusses the ideology of the Talented Tenth as was advocated for by Mr. W.E.B. Du Bois. The Negro Problem was a book that hit the shelves of most libraries in 1903 when it was authored by the Northern Philanthropists (Horne 74). The book was publicized by Mr. W.E.B. Du Bois who was a scholar among the blacks. The second chapter of the book entailed the Talented Tenth topic, which discussed the ability of the ten percent of the population being empowered. Mr. Du Bois believed that by empowering the portion of the Negro community, they would gain capacities to improve the lives of the rest of the community. He believed that a tenth of the community would receive the high level of education and act as change agents for the other members of the community (Washington 63). It was at a time when most of the Negro community could only access industrial training sponsored by the government. Mr. Du Bois perceived the training as retrogressive and only aimed at maintaining the status of the Negros as second generation humans. Essentially, it meant that they…
The introduction of The Progressive Era and Race: Reaction and Reform, by David W. Southern, opens with his representation of the Progressive Era and the subsequent American shift from emancipation to segregation that occurred during it. The author uses social history to examine and demonstrate his subject. He argues that “the nation was in fact caught up in a powerful tide of white supremacy at home and imperialism against people of color abroad.” Southern discusses the hopes and expectations of the emancipated and subsequent generations alongside the failures of the Progressive movement. Chapter titles provide a glimpse of his discussion into the restructuring of the American social hierarchy.…
During the late 1800's and early 1900's, there were a lot of injustices in the United States. The Progressive Movement, which began in the late 1800's attempted to bring about government reforms and correct injustices in America.…
The Progressive Era was a response to the ills done by the Industrial Revolution, both economical and political, which consisted of educated middle and upper class people. Many of their goals were accomplished mainly due to the influence and publicity from “muckrackers” whom depicted the horrors of factories, the abundance of child labor, the appalling conditions in urban slums, among other social problems. Notably this portrayal from the muckrackers displayed the great difference in living conditions between the poor and wealthy hence, prompting the advocacy of national Acts such as the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 which was an attempt to “break up monopolies” (Shultz 2014, 342). Another goal at the time was the fight for woman suffrage…
During the Progressive Era the American society was evolving; technology, businesses and industry were advancing. However many problems rose in America. Many people faced poor working conditions including low pay and dangerous environments. Consumers were becoming aware of the horrors of the food industry. Women were seeking their right to vote, and the government was infested with the social elites who controlled industry, trusts and monopolies. Progressive reformers worked to improve the conditions people in the United States faced; they worked towards protecting consumers, improving working conditions, and expanding democracy.…
William Edward Burghart Du Bois (W.E.B. Du Bois) was born February 23, 1869 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Du Bois attended the Humboldt University of Berlin, Fisk University, Harvard College, and Harvard University. He was a civil rights activist, historian, and sociologist who published books from 1896 to 1903 “Du Bois also wrote two novels, The Quest of the Silver Fleece (1911) and Dark Princess: A Romance (1928); a book of essays and poetry, Darkwater: Voices from within the Veil (1920); and two histories of black people, The Negro (1915) and The Gift of Black Folk: Negroes in the Making of America (1924)”. (Miller, Lorraine C.; Vann, Roger). He was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize which is the former Soviet Union’s equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize, named in honor of Vladimir Lenin. In addition, he was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for outstanding achievement by an African American in which he was also a co-founder. Du Bois earned national distinction as the forerunner of the Niagara Movement, a group of African-American activists who wanted equal rights for blacks. Racism was the chief objective of Du Bois ' speeches, and he strongly protested against lynching, Jim Crow laws, and discrimination in education and employment. His cause comprised of people of color universally, particularly Africans and Asians in their fights against expansionism and colonialism. He was an advocate of Pan-Africanism and assisted with organizing several Pan-African Congresses to liberate African colonies from European control. Du Bois made several trips to Europe, Asia, and Accra, Ghana West Africa where he died August 27, 1963.…
The 1900s was a time period filled with political corruption, social inequality and injustice, discrimination, and poor working and living conditions. The Progressive Movement resulted in response to these issues. Members and advocates of this movement were usually white (some blacks too), middle-class, Christian, mostly college educated women (and men). They sought to achieve social justice through equality and enhance life in America for everyone. To further the nation’s democratic ideals, they hoped to incorporate reforms based on the expectations of the majority public. The Progressive Movement was a success because even though it lasted only for a short period of time, it achieved many things that today we are benefitting from, such as…
The Progressive Era was a time of huge advances and reform by the federal government and reformers that led the way to where America is today. The battle for women’s rights had been going on for many years but seriously picked up wind during this time period and finally reached some long sought after goals. With industry booming, labor conditions were in desperate need of change and caught the eye of both reformers and the federal government. Even though much time had passed since the Civil War, race relations were still strained and many African-Americans joined the crusade for equal rights and made it a major issue of the time. During the Progressive Era, reformers made many advances in women’s rights, labor conditions, race relations, and big business and trusts but faced challenging limitations on the way to their goals, and therefore turned to the federal government, who although effective in many reforms also failed in certain areas.…
The Progressive Era, a period in United States history between the 1890s and 1920s, was a period of “social activism and political reform” that flourished in many ways. The purpose of the Progressive Era was to purify the corrupt government, invoke social change, and improve the economic state of the lower and middle classes and immigrants. The Progressive Era reformers were generally very effective in addressing the problems of the late nineteenth, early twentieth century in America. With advancements in media development and innovation, groups such as muckrakers were able to expose corruption in the government and scandals in public health. Social reformers such as Margaret Sanger and Alice Paul were very influential in inciting change to social equality. With the help of institutions such as the Hull House and people like Charles Evan Hughes, immigrants and members of the lower and middle classes were relieved of the corruption and poverty put upon them by big businesses and the corrupt government. The Progressive Era reformers were very successful in addressing the problems at the turn of the century and beyond.…
The Progressive Era was a period that showed the goals and contradictions found in American society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Theodore Roosevelt summed up the Progressive/Reform feeling in his "Square Deal" speech - that it was all about morals, not economics. His goal was the "moral regeneration of the business world." He preached that it was wrong for some people to get ahead in business and politics by tricks and schemes, while others were cheated out of the opportunity. This was the kind of talk that millions of Americans from all areas of society could understand and respond to.…