What was progressive reform

Although significant advancements were made in social justice and reform on a case-by-case basis, there was little local effort to coordinate reformers on a wide platform of issues. Privacy Policy. Skip to main content. The Progressive Era: — Search for:. Conclusion: The Successes and Failures of Progressivism. Conclusion: The Successes and Failures of Progressivism Although the Progressive Era brought reform to government and business and increased political power for many citizens, its benefits were limited to white Americans; African Americans and other minorities continued to experience discrimination and marginalization during this era.

Learning Objectives Summarize the successes and failures of Progressive efforts during this era. Key Takeaways Key Points The Progressive Era saw many far-reaching reform movements whose goals included eliminating government corruption, granting suffrage for women, and passing antitrust legislation.

Four constitutional amendments were passed during the time that increased the democratic influence of citizens and outlawed the production and sale of alcohol. Despite these successes, the benefits of Progressivism were mostly limited to white Americans. African Americans continued to experience discrimination and oppression, including legal segregation, voting disenfranchisement, and economic disadvantages.

Additionally, the Progressive Era was characterized by disparate, often contradictory goals that impeded the creation of unified reform movement. Temperance, then Prohibition — Progressive reformers focused their fight against the consumption of alcohol on the saloons. Saloons were a major center of immigrant culture, for they were not only bars but important social gathering places and where most political machines operated out of.

Overall, Prohibition aimed at decreasing, if not stopping, drinking by the working class, especially working-class immigrants. Prohibition also had an economic motivation: employers wanted sober, efficient workers.

Also, middle-class WASP reformers felt threatened by the power these machines afforded working-class immigrants. They advocated replacing elected officials with appointed experts , such as trained city managers.

Some middle-class reformers assumed that the working class would not have the time, intelligence, or other resources to participate actively in the political process. But when Upton Sinclair published The Jungle in , which publicized the disgusting methods of meat-packing plants, the public became outraged. Reformers argued that in a complex, technological age dominated by big business, consumers needed impartial government experts to regulate manufacturers, tell consumers what was safe, and eliminate corrupt business practices.

Anti-Trust Regulation - Progressives sought more fairness in the capitalist economy and thought that if businesses became too big and powerful trusts or monopolies , then they could exploit consumers and workers and drive out small businesses.

Progressives believed that the government needed to intervene to regulate the size and power of corporations. Roosevelt made the U. S the police of the Americas and made sure that no foreign countries would try to over rule or enforce any rules on any country of the Americas. Roosevelt also built the Panama Canal which made trade much easier to other countries and help the time travel.

These are some of the things made during the Progressive Era. The Progressive Era changed the U. S in many ways that are still in use to this day. The American society and welfare of people are better because of the change many people did like the Black Freedom which were affected by Booker T Washington and W.

D Dubois who influenced the society. Roosevelt made many of our natural treasures that are still around. The Progressive Era help the U. S become a great nation after its earlier falls.