Lacinda Adams
Contemporary U.S. History, Strayer University
Prof. Jahangir Salehi
November 10, 2012
Progressive Era through the Great Depression
There were many key historical turning points in the period of Progressive Era through the Great Depression. With the turn of the twentieth century Progressivism began with a specific agenda which was to clean up the nation’s cities. Social and political movement grew from this era, including reforms on state and national levels with efforts to diminish poverty, introduce labor reform, and improve the unsatisfactory conditions of urban housing. Many reform groups were established for the rights of Americans; including religion, state political reform, and woman’s progressiveness. During this time Roosevelt enacted the New Deal which was designed to regulate the economy and provide for national recovery. This initiative addressed political, economic, and social demands all at once.
Women’s Reform During the Progressive era woman organized many major reforms, but despite all of this they were still denied the right to vote. Two women’s groups were created to promote women’s suffrage (1) the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), founded in 1890, and (2) the National Women’s Party (NWP), founded in 1913. (Shultz, 2012) The combined efforts of these two groups led to victory and the women won the right to vote in 1920, just after the end of World War I when the Nineteenth Amendment was passed. Although they won the right to vote in 1920, women of the west had earned the right to vote before those in southern states. After reading several articles and websites I believe women earned the right to vote in the frontier states of the West before eastern and southern states for reasons as stated in the article “Why Did Colorado Suffragists Fail to Win the Right to Vote in 1877, but Succeed in 1893?” In this article it is speculated the “West was a
References: Devine, Robert A (2010) America Past and Present, AP Edition, Pearson, New York City, NY Retrieved November 11, 2012 from http://wps.ablongman.com/long_divine_appap_7/23/5931/1518407.cw/index.html Reforming Their World: Women in the Progressive Era (2007). Retrieved November 10, 2012 from National Women 's History Museum: http://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/progressiveera/home.html Shultz, Kevin M. (2012) HIST, Volume 2, 2nd Edition, Boston, Massachusetts: Wadsworth Why Did Colorado Suffragists Fail to Win the Right to Vote in 1877, but Succeed in 1893? Retrieved November 11, 2012 from http://womhist.alexanderstreet.com/colosuff/intro.htm Shlaes, A. (2009). Deal or No Deal? (Cover story). Time, 173(26), 38-42.