Progressive Era Success and Failures - Term Paper Example

Progressives supported the implementation of scientific methods virtually in every segment of human life in America. They believed that the existing strategies in economics, government, industry, finance, medicine, education, etc were outdated and need upgrading. They found that America was not developing as rapidly as Europe during this period because of the failures of the existing strategies. Americans were a bit reluctant to accept scientific methods compared to the Europeans during this period. The gilded Age, the predecessor of the progressive era was not successful enough in eliminating inefficiencies and injustices, and the progressives calculated that the drawbacks of the Gilded Age could be rectified only through the implementation of scientific methods in every segment of human life in America.

The gilded Age refers to a period in the late nineteenth century after the Civil War and Reconstruction period. During this period America witnessed huge advancements in economic activities. It is believed to be the period that laid the foundations for the construction of modern America. Industries developed rapidly during this period because various kinds of inventions took place during this period. However, the majority of the advancements during this period occurred only at the surface level and at the grass root level, still, the traditional concepts were prevailing. In other words, America looked like a gilded object or an object covered by a thin layer of gold during this period. In short, developments happened only at the surface level during the Gilded Age period which forced the progressives to work for more reformations in political, social, and economic sectors.
Progressives waged battles over issues like government regulation of the economy and democratic reform of the electoral process. Some of them worked for female suffrage, others for temperance, and still others for immigration restriction, government inspection of foods and drugs, the abolition of pornography and prostitution, or the improvement of wages and working conditions, especially for women and children (Progressive Era Politics Summary & Analysis)

Before the interference of progressives, government activities were mainly controlled by business groups. Governmental involvement in economic activities was intended only for safeguarding the interests of the business groups before the progressive era. Progressives argued for a stable society in which all the people irrespective of rich and poor get fair treatment from the government. They argued for insights or human rights and demanded more freedom and liberties in America’s social life. Workers started to question the improper treatment of their employers during this period as a result of the work of progressives. Strikes were illegal before the progressive era. The monopoly of employers in the industrial sewass was destroyed and workers started to get more wages because of the efforts of progressives during this period. Progressives created a third political party called the progressive party during this period to fight for social and political reforms.

Progressives proposed governmental invention at all levels of American political, social, economic, and cultural activities. They argued for legislation to control the power of Corporates and also to control the social injustices prevailing in the country at that time. Their proposals appeared to be a bit unorthodox at that time. However, American Supreme Court has supported the majority of the arguments of the progressives. Many of the reformation Court supported the proposals of progressives in implementing reforms in policing, healthcare, etc. “Corrupt city officials were publicly exposed, voted out of office, and replaced by reform leaders. Under progressive administrations, cities like Toledo, Ohio, established the minimum wage, the eight-hour day, and paid vacations for workers” (The Progressives and Direct Democracy).
The progressive movement helped America to become a gentler nation. As discussed earlier, workers got more power and the monopoly of employers has been destroyed. The distance between the rich and poor was reduced considerably because of the efforts of the progressives. Historians have different views about the developments in the progressive era. Some historians are not much interested in labeling this era as a progressive one whereas others are of the view that this era helped America’s future progress immensely.
Some point to the disunity of this movement and the contradictions within it, while others are uncomfortable with a term that connotes “goodness” and “enlightenment” – features that Progressivism in practice did not always possess. Some scholars see liberal themes in this period, while others have focused on the reactionary strains, such as coercive efforts to regulate people’s lives. Yet even with its limitations, the concept of Progressivism is part of both the language of contemporaries and the writings of historians (Greene, p.1). Read More