The Progressive Movement took place in America 1900 and 1917. It was a period of great change in the United States. The Progressive Movement was named so for the progress made toward freedom and rights for all American citizens. The progressives are described in articles by the historians Huthmacher, Kolko, and Mowry to inform Americans everywhere what they were and what they stood for. Who the progressives were, what socioeconomic and ethnic groups they represented, and the society and political system they sought will be described in this essay along with which historian’s article I find most persuasive. “The Progressive movement was a series of movements operating at the local, state, and national levels of government and society”(Billias,230).
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He describes the Progressives as conservatives who wanted to end the harsh period known as the Progressive Era but were too afraid to challenge those who controlled power. He states that, “the major political leaders of the Progressive Era—Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson—were sufficiently conservative to respond to their initiatives”(Kolko, 23). He states that these three men were the leaders of the progressive era. All three of these men were progressives who wanted to fix the social and political problems in the US. Kolko says that the progressives represented those such as small artisans and farmers who were being “regulated” by the government and big corporations. He says leaders of large corporations saw government supervision as a way to protect themselves from competition. He says regulation was "invariably controlled by the leaders of the regulated industry and directed towards ends they deemed acceptable or desirable." This means that the leaders of the industry basically based regulation on what they thought was acceptable, not what others, such as progressives, saw as acceptable. Kolko states that the Progressives sought political democracy and a competitive economy. They wanted large businesses to compete with each other to keep them from going corrupt from …show more content…
He describes the reformers as coming from a “‘solid middle class’, as it then was called with some pride”(Mowry,255). He says that they went to college and were educated well. He says over 400 were lawyers and 20% were newspaper editors and publishers. He describes them as an honest, humble, and hard working people. He says that the Progressives were liberal. Mowry says that the progressives represented those who were discriminated against in American society. Mowry believes that the Progressives wanted equality for all. Mowry also states however, that the middle-class Progressives weren't perfect compromisers and showed elements of racism and anti-individualism. Politically, Mowry says that the Progressives wanted social and political centrism. From the social standpoint, centrism is the support of the balance of social equality. Politically, it means that the Progressives wanted to eliminate the division of political parties with strong opinions in different directions and compromise to benefit
He describes the Progressives as conservatives who wanted to end the harsh period known as the Progressive Era but were too afraid to challenge those who controlled power. He states that, “the major political leaders of the Progressive Era—Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson—were sufficiently conservative to respond to their initiatives”(Kolko, 23). He states that these three men were the leaders of the progressive era. All three of these men were progressives who wanted to fix the social and political problems in the US. Kolko says that the progressives represented those such as small artisans and farmers who were being “regulated” by the government and big corporations. He says leaders of large corporations saw government supervision as a way to protect themselves from competition. He says regulation was "invariably controlled by the leaders of the regulated industry and directed towards ends they deemed acceptable or desirable." This means that the leaders of the industry basically based regulation on what they thought was acceptable, not what others, such as progressives, saw as acceptable. Kolko states that the Progressives sought political democracy and a competitive economy. They wanted large businesses to compete with each other to keep them from going corrupt from …show more content…
He describes the reformers as coming from a “‘solid middle class’, as it then was called with some pride”(Mowry,255). He says that they went to college and were educated well. He says over 400 were lawyers and 20% were newspaper editors and publishers. He describes them as an honest, humble, and hard working people. He says that the Progressives were liberal. Mowry says that the progressives represented those who were discriminated against in American society. Mowry believes that the Progressives wanted equality for all. Mowry also states however, that the middle-class Progressives weren't perfect compromisers and showed elements of racism and anti-individualism. Politically, Mowry says that the Progressives wanted social and political centrism. From the social standpoint, centrism is the support of the balance of social equality. Politically, it means that the Progressives wanted to eliminate the division of political parties with strong opinions in different directions and compromise to benefit