Progressive Introduction
Haley Munson, Amber Beaver, Emily Seaford
Who are the progressives?
- The progressives are people who thought they could improve society
- Normally the rich and privileged
- Began as a social movement but turned political
What did they do?
- Fought for many things including women's suffrage, government reform, and improving dangerous working conditions
- Largest focus on working conditions
- Most progressive journalists were referred to as muckrakers because they would expose corruption and problems of society and industrialization
Famous Progressives
Ida Tarbell
Exposed corruption in John D. Rockefeller's businesses
Lincoln Steffens
Muckraker who exposed city government corruption
Jane Addams
Founder of the Hull House, pushed for child labor laws, safer working conditions, and anti-drug laws
Who were against the Progressives?
- J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Theodore Roosevelt, & Cornelius Vanderbilt
WHY?
- Because they owned large corporations that were being exposed for corruption
Why did the progressives do this?
- They wanted to see working class conditions improve
-- many working class people lived in poverty, because they worked long hours with little pay
- fought for women's suffrage because they believed women should have the same rights as men
- fought for government reform because the government was more focussed on making money rather than helping the people
- fought for an equal opportunity for all Americans to succeed