Lesson 4.01: Origins of the Progressive Movement

• Introduction
• Origins of the Progressive Movement
• Practice
• Task

Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to: Evaluate the origins of the Progressive Movement. Identify the goal and purpose of the muckrakers. Describe the early crusades of the Progressive Movement. The above objectives correspond with the following Alabama Course of Study Objectives: ACOS 2.1Explaining the impact of the Populist Movement on the role of the federal government in American society and ACOS 2.2Assessing the impact of muckrakers on public opinion during the Progressive movement, including Upton Sinclair, Jacob A. Riis, and Ida M. Tarbell.

 

	Ladies? Tailors Union strikers, NYC, 1910
Ladies? Tailors Union strikers, NYC, 1910.  2005. Image. 14 September 2010. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>.

Following the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, workers such as these held strikes to protest working conditions inside factories.

 

Overview

Near the end of the Gilded Age, Americans became increasingly aware of the social injustices around them. The movements to reform government and business at the end of the 19th century achieved moderate success and helped convince Americans that broader change was needed. This sense of urgency was amplified even further after Americans read stories of horrible social ills in reports published by "muckraking" journalists. Vivid accounts and pictures of child laborers, working conditions in factories, and big business practices convinced many Americans to join a cause to help better society. This era of reform, known as the Progressive Era (1890-1920), witnessed the expansion of the U.S. government as it attempted to improve the lives of its citizens.