Michael Mcgerr's Literary Analysis

Over a century ago, America was taking shape, searching for order, and Americans were searching for their identities. Within the country, the population was growing and establishing the United States known today. Four intellectual authors shared their stories and views on history during the progressive era. Robert Wiebe, Richard White, Michael McGerr, and Robert Zieger were the authors who shared their knowledge with those interested in learning more about what transformed our country from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. First, there is a need to understand what progressivism means. All four authors touch on the era in their books, but Michael McGerr’s story shared a simpler explanation. McGerr shared American’s personal stories throughout “A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America”, which made the historic facts more memorable. John Addams, the father of famously known Jane Addams, was an individual in McGerr’s book who began the story of “the radical center”. The center was the author’s explanation for the location running parallel to the middle class and progressives, which put them as the same by the end of chapter two. McGerr was able to …show more content…
Wiebe, too, goes into depth about the strengthening of the middle class to find an identity through professionalization and new occupations. Similar to McGerr’s story, these people were ready for change and “demanded the right to pursue their ambitions outward rather than simply to be left alone at home, and that in turn required far-reaching social changes” (Wiebe 165). It was the beginning of the twentieth century and Wiebe puts progressivism stable and at the forefront. In chapter seven, the author gives the progressive era of change a boost of confidence and knew they were determined to resolve the problems in American society