The Progressive Era and Its Lasting Effects
By Michael Parker
The Progressive movement at the turn of the 20th century was a remarkable time in
history. Until I read the book “A Fierce Discontent” by Michael McGerr, I really had no
idea about what played into its development. The opulent excesses of the upper class
and the plight of the poor became evident through investigative reporting at the turn of
the century. Times were difficult and it seemed that the rich got richer and the poor only
grew in numbers. According to McGerr, Progressivism was “the creed of the crusading
middle class” and offered solutions to the plights of the nation. Across the country, every
walk of life from the farmer to the working class people were subjected to economic and
political disparity. Discontent was everywhere.
The Progressive movement began to take shape in the 1890s. The people began to
organize their list of complaints and desires for change. Regardless of the strength of
the individualist spirit in America, the pressure was on as the call for social reforms
began to grow. What made this era so remarkable is that it wasn’t embodied in one
political ideology. Republicans and Democrats alike took up the banner of the
progressives at different times.
What I find interesting is that even though all of the reforms called for during the turn of
the 20th century weren’t realized at that time, most have been adopted since. Female
suffrage, anti-trust legislation, municipal reform against corruption, labor reforms
(against child labor, pro worker’s compensation, work week regulations, safer
conditions), national income tax, the “Good Roads” agenda, and prohibition were all
seen as radical points that were realized near the turn of the century. Removal of the
nation from the gold standard in 1971, modernization of schools (began with
compulsory education legislation) raised high school graduation to 50% by 1950, and
environmental legislations continue to this day.
