A People's History of the United States

The Progressive Movement began in the late 19th century and continued until the 1920’s. It was a time of great social change, when people began to address their concerns about unchecked corruption in the U.S. government and problems facing society. One of the earliest signs of social change was the founding of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) by Samuel Gompers. As one of the first labor unions to pop up in the late 19th century, the AFL fought for fair wages, and eight hour work day,…

to improve human equality. The progressives wanted all American citizens to join their group and fight to improve social conditions. They were mainly considered journalists, writers, and even illustrators. There main focus was on reforming the United States in many ways such as, unsanitary living conditions, harsh practices from businesses, and revealing political corruption. The Progressive Era was indeed successful and changed America forever. The progressives would discover ways to show the…

Farmers everywhere in the United States during the late nineteenth century complained against the economy because the farmers were constantly being taken advantage of by the railroad companies. All farmers faced similar problems and for one thing, farmers were starting to become a minority within the American society. In the late nineteenth century mechanization was in the spotlight creating big businesses. The success of this industrialization put agriculture and farmers on the down low,…

With the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, the stance of states having the ability to nullify federal laws was coming to conception. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was the pinnacle of Jefferson’s doubt for the future prosperity of the Union, with the federal government determining that Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, while Jefferson strongly believes that the states should determine whether it should be a free or slave…

Argentina, sorry if I have a lot of misspellings. The way those countries taught me their national history is very different from the way Dr. Klein is teaching us about US history, I’ve never been in college in one of those countries so I will talk about the way teachers from middle school and high school taught me about national history and what I feel they should teach. In other hand Dr. Klein use US history as a tool to teach us how to better address crisis and confrontation and I have…

During the Progressive Era in the early 20th century, Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson were striving to be the most progressive among other muckrakers/reformers to resolve issues among industrialization and urbanization. They each fought for reform by targeting colossal businesses, attacking substantial trusts and monopolies, drawing attention to the abuse of the working class and bringing awareness about environmental destruction. While all of the…

President John F. Kennedy's Speech As the United States was emerging from recession, President John F. Kennedy held a news conference to articulate the involvement of steel corporations and their effect on stable prices and wages. As stated by Kennedy, citizens of America were told they have a right to expect “a higher sense of business responsibility” (103-105) for their country. To enhance his ideas for America’s steel prices, Kennedy uses a variety of rhetorical strategies including:…

“Muckraker” is a word usually associated with the Progressive time period when discussing American history. The Progressive era was a time of widespread social, political, and economic reformation which took place in the United States. Before the public could be awakened to action, it first had to be enlightened on the scandalous realities of factories, politics, and slums. Muckraking exposed iniquities, educated the public about corruption in high places, and prepared the way for corrective…

daily dealings of the working class. An immense mainstream of the national leadership could be considered as political second-rates. Many political machines made good use of their financial authority to buy their way into governorships and the United States Senate. In the years of the Gilded Age, 1876-1900, Congress was noted for being disorderly…

Theodore Roosevelt, also known as Teddy Roosevelt, became the 26th President of the United States in September 1901, after President William McKinley was assassinated. Teddy was widely known for not only being the youngest president ever at the time, but also for using the federal power for good by creating the square deal. He saw a bully pulpit which is “a position of authority that provides its occupant with an outstanding opportunity to speak out on any issue”. He created the phrase “Square…