Goals Of The Progressive Era

The Progressive Era lasted from 1900 to 1920. It was a time where there was a lot of social activism and political reform in the US. The main goals of the progressive movement were to stop political corruption, stop monopolies from forming, prohibit bad things such as prostitution, gambling, and alcohol and fight for women’s suffrage. The 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th amendments are all results of the success of the progressive era.
The “Progressives” were young people who were mostly Protestant, middle-class professionals. They were motivated by the effects of the Gilded Age and the corruption of America. Their goals were to get rid of political corruption, stop monopolies, prohibit prostitution, gambling and alcohol, fight for the rights of …show more content…
These were reporters who exposed the corruption of the government. The term was created by Theodore Roosevelt and had a somewhat negative connotation. Some famous Muckrakers were Upton Sinclair, Lincoln Steffens, and Jacob Riis. Upton Sinclair wrote a book called “The Jungle,” which exposed the mistreatment and horrible working conditions of workers in the meat-packing industry and the uncleanliness of the food. Lincoln Steffens was a reporter from New York who wrote many articles that ended up getting published in a book called “The Shame of the Cities.” Jacob Riis was a journalist and photographer whose photos exposed the poverty of New York City.
Some of the successes of Progressivism were decreased political corruption, federal income tax, direct election of senators, women’s suffrage, and prohibition. The 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th amendments were all a result of Progressivism. The 16th amendment was what created the federal income tax. The 17th amendment said that the people have the power to elect their senator. The 18th amendment was prohibition, which made it illegal to produce, transport and sell alcohol. The 19th amendment is what gave women the right to vote and not be discriminated against because of their