Explanation of the Progressive Movement

Progressives sought to improve factory working conditions.

The progressive movement was a political effort that began in the late 19th century and extended until the end of World War l. The movement's goal was to rectify many of the ills of American society.

First Reform Era

Before the Civil War, a first progressive era of reform grew out of a desire to abolish slavery, improve working conditions and humanize the treatment of prisoners and the mentally ill.

Features

With the wave of immigration and industrialization that took place around the turn of the 20th century, the cessation of child labor as well as improvements in housing and health care became central to the progressive cause.

Women's Issues

The Women's Christian Temperance Union campaigned for prohibition, which made the sale of alcohol illegal. The suffrage movement realized its goal when, in 1920, women won the right to vote.

Successes and Failures

Progressives brought about the realization of nature conservation, the Sherman Antitrust Act, railroad legislation and new food and drug laws. However, their efforts to end child labor were constantly thwarted.

Muckrakers

The progressive movement owed much of its success to the muckrakers. These were writers who openly detailed dangerous factory conditions and the horrors of poverty and child labor.

References

• Progressive Movement
• Progressive Era
• Muckrakers

Resources

• Progressive Era, 1900-1918