What Was The Role Of Middle-Class Reform Organizations In The Early 20th Century

In the early 20th century, middle-class reformers began to address the problems in society. The unsafe working conditions in factories were exposed by journalists and writers. Also, the dominant role of big corporations in American society were questioned. This effort to reform was called the Progressive Movement. This was the movement that sought to return control of the government to the people, restore economic opportunities, and to correct injustices in American life. The reformers never agreed on problems or solutions but they shared goals, such as social welfare, promoting moral improvement, creating economic reform, and encouraging efficiency. The Progressive Movement successfully reformed conditions in cities through movements, such
The Social Gospel Movement was a 19th century reform program that was based on the belief that Christians had a responsibility to service the poor in order to gain salvation. Many Christians worked together to fulfill their duty to reform society by improving working conditions and by alleviating poverty. Some reformers established settlement houses, community centers that provided help to people in the area, in the late 1800s. These were mainly run by middle-class, educated women where they offered educational, cultural, and social programs. Settlement houses first began in Stanton Coit in New York City in 1886 by Charles Stover. Jane Addams was one of the most important figures of the Settlement House Movement. Her and Ellen Gates Starr began the Chicago’s Hull House in 1896. There were about 400 settlement houses across the United States by 1910. These different movement were all made to help the urban poor by reforming their
As the number of child workers rose due to their low wages, reformers sought to end child labor. The National Child Labor Committee, founded in 1904, investigated the horrible working conditions of children. As a result the pushed for the passing o the Keating-Owen Act in 1916, which banned the transportation of products made by child labor. In the case of Muller v. Oregon, the Supreme court passed a law that limited women to a ten-hour workday. In a similar case, Bunting v. Oregon, the Supreme court passed a law that also limited men to a ten-hour workday. Beginning in Maryland in 1902, workers’ compensation was given to families of workers who died. These numerous laws improved the conditions of the urban poor who