Compare And Contrast The Progressive Era

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The United States experience a period of social, economical, and political problems as it approached the twentieth century. Reforms were needed to eliminate corruption in politics, society, and the economy. Many middle class reformers addressed the problems the citizen were facing, This period between 1900 and 1920 was called the Progressive Era that advocated widespread social activism and political reform across America. The Progressive Era saw a variety of reforms proposed and enacted under the administration of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Undoubtedly, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were innovators who wanted to change the nation to an understanding extent while their reforms were not as aimed at maintaining the traditional …show more content…
In President Wilson’s first inaugural address, he states: “Our work is a work of restoration.” Wilson believed that his goals could be achieved only through restoring the nation. An important goal Wilson wanted to achieve during his administration was to lower tariff rates. This was a traditional goal even as society and politics began to change. The tariff was quickly passed in the House but was more difficult in passing in the Senate. This did not make the dramatic Wilson quit. The situation resulted in the Senate lowering the tariff rates even more than the House. Wilson addressed congress again but this time for banking and currency reforms. The nation's banking system was decentralized and lacked a strong central institution, therefore, it needed to be innovated. Woodrow Wilson explain in The New Freedom, “A little group of Senators holding the balance of power has again and again been able to defeat programs of reform upon which the whole country had set its heart.” The New Freedom explained the reforms promoted by Wilson and his speech explained some of the phoniness going around in the government. Wilson created a compromise known as the Federal Reserve Act which established regional Federal Reserve banks under mixed public and private controls. This Act stands as Wilson’s greatest economical innovations that grew into the strong central institution which sets interest rates, adopts fiscal policies, promotes economic growth, and decreases inflationary

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