During the Progressive Era, women took part in a variety of roles, including nurses, cigar makers, secretaries, and if they did not have any applicable skills, a prostitute. Many of the poor Americans and immigrants were forced to work in a factory, as that was their only option to support their families. These factories are remembered for treating their employees terribly with long hours, low wages, and hazardous working environments. Although the men had very harsh treatment at their job, women by far were treated even worse than men since they were seen as the inferior sex by society at the time. The complications that the women factory workers had to face were incredibly tragic. Fear was the driving force in succumbing to the awful conditions that factories presented. The fear of having no job and make no money was worth withstanding terrible treatment. The indomitable women that braved working in the factories and in other professions took on the admirable role of doing whatever they had to so that their husbands, children, and other family members would have a…
In the 20th century women and children faced many injustices across the United States. Many supporters of the women’s suffrage were also advocates of child labor restrictions. Florence Kelley, an ambitious reformer and social worker, delivered a speech to the Notional American Women Suffrage Association in Philadelphia on July 22, 1905 in order to galvanize others to make changes in woman’s rights and child labor laws. Kelley purposefully appeals to emotions of her audience with the use of imagery and utilized parallel thought structure in order to convey her key points more prominently with the aid of literally elements.…
Progressives questioned how a nation that symbolized freedom and purity, whose goal was to protect democracy from German militarism, could not protect blacks at home against mobs, lynching, and Jim Crow laws. The introduction of women into the war industry sparked a push for women’s equality. Congress supported women’s suffrage by passing bills outlawing child labor and setting up the Women in Industry Service (WIS; 205). Mary Anderson, director of WIS, supported narrowing the gap between men and women’s salaries and advocated “equal pay for equal work”…
In the early 20th century, many social and political movements demanded the attention and action of the United States. During this time, Jane Addams became an accomplished philosopher, author, peace advocate, feminist and sociologist during the Progressive era, who was unique from other reformers during this time because she didn’t prioritize the social, economic, and political inequalities that plagued America’s minorities; Every issue was important and she proposed her beliefs on coexistence through a pacifist attitude that helped pave the way to the accomplishment of many successful labor and social reform movements because the actions she took to promote change ignited an awareness among middle class America that wasn’t there before,…
Theodore Roosevelt, Jane Addams, and W.E.B. Du Bois are three great progressive reformers. W.E.B. Du Bois and Jane Addams worked at making changes at the grassroots level while Theodore Roosevelt worked at making changed in the government level. These three reformers went about making changes in different ways, yet they all had the same goal: to solve economic and social problems that were plaguing the system. In the course book on page 677, it mentions the progressive reformers attacked the problems of the city on many fronts. Even though they had the same goal they were attacking problems in different area. I did some research and found an article titled, “Progressivism”, written by Sidney M. Milkis. In this article, it defines…
One of the most important results of social policy movements in the United States was the ratification of the 19th Amendment securing a woman's right to vote in 1920. This law was hard-won and was instituted during a period (1905-1920), as Jansson notes (2011), when significant reforms for women, children, and workers were enacted in a relatively short amount of time. These reforms included guaranteeing better working environments for women, the implementation of child labor laws, and the institution of workmen's compensation (Jansson, 2011). Before these policy changes took place, labor conditions for workers during this period of rapid industrialization…
Late 19th century America was a time of both industrial prosperity and poverty among workers. It was run by grasping corporations and proprietors. Workers found themselves alone, amidst the rest of the nation, merely individuals under the control of the lavish Rockefellers and Carnegies. Entire families found themselves working 10 hours a day, 7 days a week in unsanitary conditions just to have enough money to pay for simple necessities like food and rent. The issue of lowering working hours, increasing wages, and humanizing working conditions quickly became indispensable. While organized labor groups such as the National Labor Union, The Knights of Labor, and the American Federation of Labor all strived to resolve these issues, victories were seldom. The crusade towards organized labor from 1875-1900 was unsuccessful in improving the position of workers vastly because of the initial failure of strikes, the grueling feelings of superiority of employers over employees and the lack of support from the government.…
In Philadelphia on July 22, 1905, social worker and reformer, Florence Kelley, stands before mothers and wives of men who can vote at the National American Woman Suffrage Association convention. During his convention Kelley delivers a successful speech on the importance of child labor laws. As fellow suffragette, Kelley incorporates rhetorical strategies such as the appeal to guilt, rhetorical questions, and imagery in order to place a sense of urgency on the importance of child labor laws.…
A fresh, personal, bottom-up approach to the women’s labor movement in the early 20th century…
A major concern of the Progressives was harsh child labor and the debilitating effects of it. Due to the struggle of many families during the 1800s, parents would often have their children work alongside them in factories in order to intake an extra income. This meant that children were not educated as they were working instead of going to school, and they were paid less than adults and given dangerous jobs that the larger adults could not do. Many children were often injured by the machines they were working on if not fatally wounded, and their families could not do anything about this because they had signed agreements that the businesses were not reliable for any faults (doc#3a). In order to combat child labor, laws including the “First Factory Law of Illinois” were passed, which set age limits on employees (doc#3b). Committees were also set up, including the National Labor Committee, which was intended to move the public against child labor. The federal government also set up the Federal Children’s Bureau, which pressured the states to set minimum wage and maximum hours for children. These reforms, along with laws passed requiring compulsory education, all led to the lessening of child labor. By 1930, child labor dropped from 18% in 1900 to 5% (doc#5). The actions…
In America, there used to be unfair laws and regulations regarding labor. Children are put to work in harsh conditions, conditions often deemed difficult even for adults, and are forced to work ridiculous hours. Florence Kelley gave a speech at the National American Woman Suffrage Association in Philadelphia on July 22, 1905. In her speech, Kelley uses repetition, pathos, imagery, logos, and carefully placed diction to express how child labor is morally wrong and inhumane.…
From the late 19th century into the early 20th century, the United States had hit an industrial boom of growth in railroad companies, factories, and mines. Along with this industrial boom, came a need for a bigger and better work force. Problems such as inhumane working conditions, long hours, child labor, and low wages, were due for a long awaited change. In 1887 the Interstate Commerce Act was passed, with the goal to regulate railroads and prevent any monopolies. This was followed by the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, workers compensation in 1902, and the formation of the National Child Labor Committee showcasing the horrors of child labor in 1904.…
Industrial conditions were atrocious during the early 1900’s. There were many difficult aspects to being a factory worker. The first was unfair wages. Workers could work eight-hour days and still receive barely a dollar a day. Along with unfair wages were the dangerous conditions. There were thousands of injuries and deaths each year because of the unsafe use of the machinery. Another problem was child labor. As soon as a child was able to work a certain part of a machine they were sent to work in factory where they could be easily harmed. In response to all of these horrible things labor unions were formed to try and create safer work places. For example, the National Labor Union was formed to unite all the other labor unions, push for an eight-hour workday, and also push for labor reforms. Other labor unions also sprang up, but many did not last long and faded away. Their attempts to better working conditions were somewhat successful, but did not create as much of an effect as was desired.…
The next group that was severely impacted by the industrialization was the children. Prior to the Revolution, children would work in their family home. Once the revolution begun, child labor become common; children worked long hours with few breaks. Children would be punished if they fell asleep, but the necessity of their wages was obvious (“Childhood” 1). Machines were thought to be the perfect size for children with small hands and fingers. Unfortunately, hands and feet would get caught, and children were easily injured. The environment in the factory was unhealthy; sickness from fumes was a norm. Grace Abbot, a Progressive Era reformer, attempted to pass the first child labor law in 1917 (“Children” 1). Congress struck down this legislation,…
Some of the various acts that were passed that met the pregressive standards are the Clayton Anti-Trust Act of 1914 which legalizes strikes and peaceful picketing; the Workingmen's Compensation Act and another act restricting child labor on products headed into interstate commerce; the Adamson Act which established an 8-hour workday; the La Follete Seamens's Act which required decent living wages for sailors, and a few other acts. Jane Addam's book, The Spirit of Youth and the City Streets, exhibits some of the pregressive feelings towards child labor and the evil of it.…