The Progressive Era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The modern Era - Essay ExampleThe middle class, frightened by the economic unrest of the 1890s and the actions of giant occupation organizations, was more willing to accept progressive reforms than it had been earlier.After the quick victory in the Spanish-American War, there was a new feeling of confidence in the nation=s future. Progressivism had numerous aims. The general aims of Progressivism were as follows to overhaul political democracy by shifting suss out of government from the political bosses and powerful industrialists to the people to chasten the power of big businessmen, in order to give greater economic opportunities to small business and industry and to eliminate the social ills of society through needed reforms. Although the aims of Progressivism were shared by all Progressivists, support came from many different groups.Progressives came from both major parties, as well as from minor or third parties. Copernican political leaders in the movement included Pres idents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, and Governors Robert La Follette, Charles Evans Hughes, and Hiram Johnson. stick up came from the farm, because the farmers wanted their problems to be recognized. Support came from artists and writers, who wrote stories about social ills. Progressivism accomplished many things. Political democracy was extended by initiative, referendum, recall, and the short ballot. The ordinal Amendment was passed and provided for the direct election of U.S. Senators. The Nineteenth Amendment gave the franchise to women to permit the selection of party candidates by registered voters. Many limitations and restrictions were place on trusts. Monopolies were prosecuted and the Clayton Act was passed. The Federal Trade Commission Act was passed as well. Many laws which safeguarded labor and the in the semipublic eye(predicate) were enacted. More adequate factory and building inspection codes were adopted, greater provisions were made for sanitation an d public health, and Congress enacted the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act which further amend the quality of foods. Perhaps the most dangerous beliefs of the progressive era may be the uncritical acceptation of the power of state to coerce individual behavior. The idea of individuality, which is vital for democracy, seemed, at times, to be threatened. This acceptance of the governments control over its nations individuality opened the door for the surge of socialist views. The idea of a cooperative commonwealth began to take its grow in American society. (Dittmer, 12-22) Such socialist ideas and government control over individual behavior was real easy to sell to the poor working class, which made up a high percentage of America, who had hold up over-burdened by capitalist oppression. The governments ability to gain strength was looked upon by this class as the only behavior to control the overpowering private sector, which were the big-businesses. As Wilson stated Our duty government is to cleanse, to reconsider, to restore, to correct the evil without impairing the good, to purify and modify every offshoot of our common life without weakening or sentimentalizing it. .In the idea of government controlling every process of our common life lies a great danger the control of government lying in the hands of the people, non the