1870 -1920 Reconstruction and Industrialism

Between 1870 -1920 Reconstruction and Industrialism occurred in the United States. Labor Unions and the Progressive Movement came about also during this time, due to the rapid industrialization that was not controlled by the government. These events altered the United States into the nation we know today. Reconstruction allowed for the Industrialism, which then caused laborers to fight back for better treatment from their employers by forming Labor Unions. The corporations gained too much wealth during the Industrial Era, which had Americans angry at the government for allowing unequal distribution of wealth, leading into the Progressive movement. Reconstruction (1866-1877) was a time during and after the civil war in which the people of the North and South tried to solve political, social and economic problems but the contentions arising from both regions were not the same causing strain between the two. Industrialism (1877-1900) was a time of economic development where most of the production of goods was done by machines in factories which were controlled by big corporations. Due to the driving demand caused by the industrial growth, people were laboring for many hours often in harsh conditions because there were no laws against it, until the Labor Movement took place. Progressivism (1890-1920) was a movement that arose in response to the vast changes, influenced by the industrial revolution.

After the Civil War, President Andrew Johnson set up the guidelines for reentry of southern states which included the southerners paying back state debts racked up during the war and ratifying the Thirteenth Amendment, but congress thought he set the standards low. There was a fight over the definition of Reconstruction and congress bickered over the competing versions of it. Congress passed the 1866 Civil Rights Acts, even though President Johnson vetoed it, which granted citizenship to all people born in the United States disregarding color, race or any other condition....