Frederick Douglass Vs Progressive Analysis

Civil society consists of “all the social groups and social relationships in which we are embedded: families, communities, religious organizations, ethnic groups, schools, […] and so forth,”(Persell, 642). Civil society is what creates social values and norms therefore it is vastly important to the market and state. Persell believes that the market, state, and civil society need to work in conjunction to have a stable nation. Persell argues that the state and market are squeezing out civil society. Franklin Pierce and Thomas Jefferson would agree with her, but Progressives and Fredrick Douglas would not.
Franklin Pierce believed that the federal government should exercise power clearly enumerated in the constitution and all other power belongs
The progressives believe in a large central government because the market and civil society alone are inadequate means of solving nation’s problems. Therefore, they believe the federal government must exercise its power to protect the people. “Progressives believe that the government must step in to correct the failures of markets, restore efficiency, maintain full employment, and promote public needs and equity in society,”(Teixeira and Halpin, 5). Persell believes that the three should be equal; progressives believe that the government should be large and the others will follow. Progressives also believe that a stronger government is necessary to advance the good of the nation and to promote growth while protecting workers from problems like exploitation. Unlike Jefferson they believed that small government is not effective enough in a time where inequality is rising. Fredrick Douglas would disagree was Persell as well. Fredrick Douglas was an abolitionist and he would agree the civil society could be bad. Civil society is what shaped the government to keep slavery alive, so Douglas believes a larger government would abolish slavery and squeeze out the destructive influences. Douglas would also disagree because he would need a larger economy and new policies to help the south after abolition and help former slaves get a good economic