The Effectiveness of Progressive Era Reformers and the Federal Government
Cameron Richter
Period 0
Unit 8 DBQ
Prompt: Evaluate the effectiveness of Progressive Era reformers and the federal government in bringing about reform at the national level. In your answer be sure to analyze the successes and limitations of these efforts in the period 1901920. The Progressive movement was an effort to cure American society of many of the ill ideals that had developed during the later parts of the 19th and the early 20th centuries because of the growth of industry. Although great cities and businesses developed, many Americans were still unhappy with the wealth, optimism, and pride their country had developed. The progressive era reformers and federal government helped to strengthen the progressive reform era which included the removal of governmental corruption, efforts to include more citizens in political processes, and the idea that government must play a role to solve social problems and establish fairness in the economy.
The success of progressivism was generated mostly by the publicity brought about by writers, photographers, and other influential figures, known as muckrakers, who detailed the horrors of poverty, dangerous factory conditions, and child labor, as well as racism. One of these influential people was president Theodore Roosevelt, who helped pass the successful Sherman
AntiTrust act of 1890. Many individuals, including Theodore Roosevelt, tried to solve the Trust problem in the US by using trustbusting. Trustbusting is a very simple concept in which the good trusts overrun or do away with the bad trusts, as shown in the Washington Post Cartoon but the cartoon used bears as a substitute for trusts. People like Roosevelt were doing very important job for America as they brought attention to the many injustices of the time period. For example, the NeillReynolds Report described a working environment’s floors as “soggy, in dark, illventilated rooms, and the employees were in utter ignorance of
Period 0
Unit 8 DBQ
Prompt: Evaluate the effectiveness of Progressive Era reformers and the federal government in bringing about reform at the national level. In your answer be sure to analyze the successes and limitations of these efforts in the period 1901920. The Progressive movement was an effort to cure American society of many of the ill ideals that had developed during the later parts of the 19th and the early 20th centuries because of the growth of industry. Although great cities and businesses developed, many Americans were still unhappy with the wealth, optimism, and pride their country had developed. The progressive era reformers and federal government helped to strengthen the progressive reform era which included the removal of governmental corruption, efforts to include more citizens in political processes, and the idea that government must play a role to solve social problems and establish fairness in the economy.
The success of progressivism was generated mostly by the publicity brought about by writers, photographers, and other influential figures, known as muckrakers, who detailed the horrors of poverty, dangerous factory conditions, and child labor, as well as racism. One of these influential people was president Theodore Roosevelt, who helped pass the successful Sherman
AntiTrust act of 1890. Many individuals, including Theodore Roosevelt, tried to solve the Trust problem in the US by using trustbusting. Trustbusting is a very simple concept in which the good trusts overrun or do away with the bad trusts, as shown in the Washington Post Cartoon but the cartoon used bears as a substitute for trusts. People like Roosevelt were doing very important job for America as they brought attention to the many injustices of the time period. For example, the NeillReynolds Report described a working environment’s floors as “soggy, in dark, illventilated rooms, and the employees were in utter ignorance of