Progressive Era

The Progressive Era:

How would you define and describe the progressive reform movement?

The Progressive Era movement provided helpful and selfless stepping stones improving the main issues the United States faced in the early 1900’s concerning industrial, social, and political aspects, but most of all, for the people being largely and negatively affected. This reform benefitted the factory workers, the large poor population, urban slums, children, women, and many more important pieces of the nation being. Clearly the Progressive Era’s intentions were all to fairly better America and in the end it had a steep, but positive, impact on the lives of many citizens in need.

With all the hype on industrialization brewing in the States, it demanded more factories with little safety precautions, naive of the consequences that could follow. In fact, at the time, America had the highest rate of industrial accidents in the world with an average of 30,000 dead workers a year. Intense hours left workers little time for necessary sleep causing stress and weakness. Poor ventilation and hazardous fumes had many workers sick and diseased. On top of that, the machinery was dangerous to work with and powerful enough to sever limbs. “The real difficulty appears to be that the new conditions [growing from] the industrial development of the last half-century are continuously and progressively demanding readjustment” (Document 1). U.S. Senator Elihu Root said that during a speech in 1913 explaining the problem of the quick pace the industry developed and why the laws are not up to date. With each new development, rules and regulations need to be put in place, and the industry developed quickly making old laws inept. Progressives obviously took notice of the issue that needed improvement and after a factory fire in March 1911 which took 146 lives, they took initiative. “For a release from employment one day in seven, For a living wage in every industry, For the highest wage each...