The Pros And Cons Of The Progressive Era

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