The Progressive Era was a response to the ills done by the Industrial Revolution, both economical and political, which consisted of educated middle and upper class people. Many of their goals were accomplished mainly due to the influence and publicity from “muckrackers” whom depicted the horrors of factories, the abundance of child labor, the appalling conditions in urban slums, among other social problems. Notably this portrayal from the muckrackers displayed the great difference in living conditions between the poor and wealthy hence, prompting the advocacy of national Acts such as the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 which was an attempt to “break up monopolies” (Shultz 2014, 342). Another goal at the time was the fight for woman suffrage…
In 1895 William Dubois Became the first African American to be given a Ph.D. from the University of Harvard. After his Ph.D. he started teaching economics and history at the University Of Atlanta and in the early 1900's he published his first ground breaking book The souls of Black Folks. Which the book contained attacks on Booker…
The Progressive Era was the time period after the depression of the 1890s and before World War I. During this time the United States was going through a period of social change and political tumult. The American Society embarked on a journey of many reforms as a response to the diverse tensions and pressures presented by industrialization, urban growth, and ethnic tension. The roots of this reform clearly lay in the depression of the 1890s (1893 to 1897). The depression dramatized the problems in society, and raised the possibility of more violent upheavals if reform was not instituted. Major areas needing reform were poor public facilities, tax favoritism, corruption, environmental reform, and urban reform. This was a period of self-examination and renewal; it was a healthful contribution to the nation's history books. Even if the new regulatory agencies direct primaries, municipal reforms and conservation legislations may not have made all "wrong" things "right, they were able to make some significant change for the better. These new laws and commission's act had alleviated many citizens and had established the principle of government's responsibility for the general welfare of the…
Anne’s own growth and maturation are symbolic of the growth and maturation of the civil rights movement. In this book, Anne Moody talks extensively about the civil rights movement that she participated in. It dealt with numerous issues that had to do with racism and that many people did not agree with. Moody also include many contemporaries that would either make or break her equal right fight. “Coming of Age in Mississippi” gives the reader a first-hand look at the efforts that many people did to gain equal rights.…
This paper discusses the ideology of the Talented Tenth as was advocated for by Mr. W.E.B. Du Bois. The Negro Problem was a book that hit the shelves of most libraries in 1903 when it was authored by the Northern Philanthropists (Horne 74). The book was publicized by Mr. W.E.B. Du Bois who was a scholar among the blacks. The second chapter of the book entailed the Talented Tenth topic, which discussed the ability of the ten percent of the population being empowered. Mr. Du Bois believed that by empowering the portion of the Negro community, they would gain capacities to improve the lives of the rest of the community. He believed that a tenth of the community would receive the high level of education and act as change agents for the other members of the community (Washington 63). It was at a time when most of the Negro community could only access industrial training sponsored by the government. Mr. Du Bois perceived the training as retrogressive and only aimed at maintaining the status of the Negros as second generation humans. Essentially, it meant that they…
Prior to the years of 1953 improvements had been made to the lives of African-American’s. During 1953 to 1960 opportunities for African-American’s improved significantly in many areas such as social, economic, political and justice. In saying that however, during this period the areas that improved opportunities for African-Americans also stayed the same as many of the improvements were quite limited. Limitations in what had improved was due to attitudes of the White-Americans, mainly those who lived in the South and especially the Deep South as de-facto segregation was present in education, employment, facilities including housing. Jim Crow laws throughout the South also ensured that blacks were second-class citizens, lacking in political, social, economic and justice equality. On top of this, President Eisenhower was very conservative making opportunities for African-American’s hard to improve but new groups were being formed such as SNCC and SCLC which would challenge opposition.…
Many nations throughout history have admired the wealth and democratic freedoms that individuals have in America. This admiration stems from the special nature of our population, choice of religious beliefs, racial mix of people, and cultural that makes this nation a melting pot. African American culture is one of several nationalities that make America special. Without African Americans contributions this nation would not be as great of a country. Even though we continue to face racial division in the United States, African Americans within that last 40 years have contributed positively to political issues as well as educational influence. This essay will explore the lives of…
Instead he grew up a free man in Massachusetts and became the first man of his race to graduate from Harvard with a Ph.D. "The honor, I assure you, was Harvard's" he said. Du bois was a mixture of African, French, Dutch and Indian blood. He would later remark "thank god, no Anglo-Saxon". He demanded immediate and complete equality for blacks both socially and economically and founded the NAACP. Rejecting the subtle and separatist changes of Washington he demanded the "talented tenth" be given immediate and complete access to mainstream American life and supported "The Niagara Movement". A historian specializing in the history of blacks and a renowned sociologist, at the age of 93 he became a member of the communist party and exiled himself to…
During the late 1800's and early 1900's, there were a lot of injustices in the United States. The Progressive Movement, which began in the late 1800's attempted to bring about government reforms and correct injustices in America.…
During the Progressive Era the American society was evolving; technology, businesses and industry were advancing. However many problems rose in America. Many people faced poor working conditions including low pay and dangerous environments. Consumers were becoming aware of the horrors of the food industry. Women were seeking their right to vote, and the government was infested with the social elites who controlled industry, trusts and monopolies. Progressive reformers worked to improve the conditions people in the United States faced; they worked towards protecting consumers, improving working conditions, and expanding democracy.…
The Progressive Era was a time of reform taking place from the 1890s to the 1920s. During the Progressive Era, women's rights, African American's rights, and child labor were key issues dealt with. This Era had an overall attitude of toughness, and a parent might tell their child something along the lines of, "Man up and deal with it." But how would someone from the Progressives view our society today?…
The 1900s was a time period filled with political corruption, social inequality and injustice, discrimination, and poor working and living conditions. The Progressive Movement resulted in response to these issues. Members and advocates of this movement were usually white (some blacks too), middle-class, Christian, mostly college educated women (and men). They sought to achieve social justice through equality and enhance life in America for everyone. To further the nation’s democratic ideals, they hoped to incorporate reforms based on the expectations of the majority public. The Progressive Movement was a success because even though it lasted only for a short period of time, it achieved many things that today we are benefitting from, such as…
The Progressive Era was a time of huge advances and reform by the federal government and reformers that led the way to where America is today. The battle for women’s rights had been going on for many years but seriously picked up wind during this time period and finally reached some long sought after goals. With industry booming, labor conditions were in desperate need of change and caught the eye of both reformers and the federal government. Even though much time had passed since the Civil War, race relations were still strained and many African-Americans joined the crusade for equal rights and made it a major issue of the time. During the Progressive Era, reformers made many advances in women’s rights, labor conditions, race relations, and big business and trusts but faced challenging limitations on the way to their goals, and therefore turned to the federal government, who although effective in many reforms also failed in certain areas.…
The Progressive Era, a period in United States history between the 1890s and 1920s, was a period of “social activism and political reform” that flourished in many ways. The purpose of the Progressive Era was to purify the corrupt government, invoke social change, and improve the economic state of the lower and middle classes and immigrants. The Progressive Era reformers were generally very effective in addressing the problems of the late nineteenth, early twentieth century in America. With advancements in media development and innovation, groups such as muckrakers were able to expose corruption in the government and scandals in public health. Social reformers such as Margaret Sanger and Alice Paul were very influential in inciting change to social equality. With the help of institutions such as the Hull House and people like Charles Evan Hughes, immigrants and members of the lower and middle classes were relieved of the corruption and poverty put upon them by big businesses and the corrupt government. The Progressive Era reformers were very successful in addressing the problems at the turn of the century and beyond.…
The Progressive Era was a period that showed the goals and contradictions found in American society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Theodore Roosevelt summed up the Progressive/Reform feeling in his "Square Deal" speech - that it was all about morals, not economics. His goal was the "moral regeneration of the business world." He preached that it was wrong for some people to get ahead in business and politics by tricks and schemes, while others were cheated out of the opportunity. This was the kind of talk that millions of Americans from all areas of society could understand and respond to.…