Three Eras Compare Contrast

Three Eras Compare and Contrast Throughout the 20th century, the United States underwent three different eras of reform, as attempts to fix the different issues the nation had at the time. Progressivism occurred in the early 1900’s, FDR’s New Deal was created in the 30’s and Johnson’s Great Society in the 60s. While there may be some comparisons, the three eras are very different in their motives, goals, accomplishments and effectiveness.
Already the motives of each era present differences. The motives of the progressive era were mainly to even out the wealth of the country and to get the federal government more involved in company business. As president, Theodore Roosevelt made a huge stand up effort for the labor force. The Progressives, made up of people from both political parties, shared a general commitment to the democratic values of an honest government. The new Deal had a motive entirely different from the progressive era as it followed up the Great Depression. FDR’s motive for creating the New Deal was the toll the largest stock market crash in history was having on the nation and its people. While progressivism aimed to fix the government and the New Deal aimed to fight the stock market crash, the Great Society simply aimed to eliminate poverty in the country. WE can see that the motives of each era are all difference and, while there are some comparable characteristics about the goals of the eras, they still also differ between each era. During the progressive movement, a huge effort was made to expose the corruption of the nation; this was an effort made by muckrakers, journalists who combined careful research and sensationalism to educate the public about the corruption and dishonesty about some aspects of the country. Progressive goals included changing the voting and election process, reforming how trusts and railroad regulations were handled, and standing up for the labor force in order to get them the right working