According to Dictionary.com, the Gilded Age is defined as “the period in U.S. c1870-98, characterized by a greatly expanded economy and the emergence of plutocratic influences in government and society.” During this “Gilded Age” political machines used both legal and illegal methods to influence government politics. They would stuff ballot boxes with votes and even pay voters to vote for certain candidates. Reformers called “Progressives” worked to solve problems caused by rapid industrial and urban growth. Progressives helped to fix problems including poverty, education issues, child labor, etc. Muckrakers, which were journalists who “raked up the muck” of society, wrote about child labor, poor housing, and corruption in business. Muckrakers
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La Follete, challenged the power of political machines and helped influence others to the the same. In 1900, more than 1.75 million children ages 15 and younger worked in industry. Florence Kelley was an important leader in the fight against child labor. She helped states like Massachusetts to pass minimum-wage laws. In 1916 and 1919 congress passed laws banning child-labor products from interstate commerce, but the laws were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Many parents needed the money children made working in factories, so reform was somewhat difficult. Progressives also worked to improve safety and working conditions for the American people. Labor organizations were formed to combat poor working conditions, child labor, long workdays, and low pay. As time went by, more women became educated. Many people believed that women should not practice professions including medicine and law, so they became social workers and teachers. Many women reformers supported the temperance movement, which supported the ban on alcohol in the U.S. This lead to the 18th Amendment which banned production, sale, and transportation of alcohol. Women reformers also fought for suffrage, or the right to …show more content…
Constitution. In this election, all four of the leading candidates were reformers. On the Republican ticket, William Howard Taft ran for reelection after his first term as president. Former president Theodore Roosevelt, outraged by Taft’s slow move towards reform, formed the Progressive Party to run against him. Lawyer and New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson ran as a Democrat. Taft and Roosevelt split the Republican vote, giving Wilson the upper hand in the election.The significance of this election was shown on all fronts. Roosevelt acquired 27% of the popular vote and 88 electoral votes, the most by any third-party candidate in U.S. history. Surprisingly, Roosevelt’s Progressive Party beat the much larger Republican Party in both the popular vote and the electoral vote. Due to the split in Republican votes, Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson won the election. This election would mark the first time the Democratic Party was in control of the national government since before the Civil War. As president, Woodrow Wilson introduced modern income tax, pushed laws against big business, and helped to create a national banking system. In the late 1800s, the U.S. followed a limited policy of Isolationism, meaning that we avoided involvement with the affairs of other countries. Places in Europe practiced Imperialism, which is the policy of building the empire by
La Follete, challenged the power of political machines and helped influence others to the the same. In 1900, more than 1.75 million children ages 15 and younger worked in industry. Florence Kelley was an important leader in the fight against child labor. She helped states like Massachusetts to pass minimum-wage laws. In 1916 and 1919 congress passed laws banning child-labor products from interstate commerce, but the laws were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Many parents needed the money children made working in factories, so reform was somewhat difficult. Progressives also worked to improve safety and working conditions for the American people. Labor organizations were formed to combat poor working conditions, child labor, long workdays, and low pay. As time went by, more women became educated. Many people believed that women should not practice professions including medicine and law, so they became social workers and teachers. Many women reformers supported the temperance movement, which supported the ban on alcohol in the U.S. This lead to the 18th Amendment which banned production, sale, and transportation of alcohol. Women reformers also fought for suffrage, or the right to …show more content…
Constitution. In this election, all four of the leading candidates were reformers. On the Republican ticket, William Howard Taft ran for reelection after his first term as president. Former president Theodore Roosevelt, outraged by Taft’s slow move towards reform, formed the Progressive Party to run against him. Lawyer and New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson ran as a Democrat. Taft and Roosevelt split the Republican vote, giving Wilson the upper hand in the election.The significance of this election was shown on all fronts. Roosevelt acquired 27% of the popular vote and 88 electoral votes, the most by any third-party candidate in U.S. history. Surprisingly, Roosevelt’s Progressive Party beat the much larger Republican Party in both the popular vote and the electoral vote. Due to the split in Republican votes, Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson won the election. This election would mark the first time the Democratic Party was in control of the national government since before the Civil War. As president, Woodrow Wilson introduced modern income tax, pushed laws against big business, and helped to create a national banking system. In the late 1800s, the U.S. followed a limited policy of Isolationism, meaning that we avoided involvement with the affairs of other countries. Places in Europe practiced Imperialism, which is the policy of building the empire by