Social Problems During The Progressive Era

During the 1800s, and early 1900s, American life were involved in several social problems and bad conditions. These problems led to the Progressive Era, which goals were created to address these problems. The Progressive Era included better working conditions, women’ suffrage, democracy, and an end to child labor. Although reforms proposed during the Progressive Era still had some problems to be addressed, Progressive Reformers worked hard to solved the issues to their best of their ability in American Society. One of the primary goals of the Progressive Era was to improve the working and living conditions. Jacob Riis, writer of “How the Other Half Lives, Charles Scribner’s Sons,” described in detail about how “the hall is dark and you might …show more content…
James Davidson and Mark Lytle’s article, “After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection,” stated that In just one week a scandalized public had snapped up some 25,000 copies of The Jungle.” The public demanded the government to respond to the following issues: “corrupt federal meat inspectors, unsanitary slaughter houses, tubercular cattle, and the packers’ unscrupulous [unethical] business practices.” President Theodore Roosevelt responded with the Meat Inspection Act and “quickly brought out a new bill.” President Roosevelt rapid response indicates that poor working conditions and sanitation were a serious issue in the American society at the time, in which he asked his friends in Congress to pass a consumer protection bill to clean up the meat industry. (Source 6) Subsequently, Occupation Disease Act passed in the 1911; Wisconsin becomes first state to pass workman’s compensation legislation; and Massachusetts’s passes first state minimum wage law. According this list, Progressives were largely successful in their efforts improve working conditions, along with child labor. (Source