The Progressive Era

Fifty years transformed America. In the Progressive Era, an industrial giant awakened, as did the conscience of a nation.

The Progressive Era, a time of social, political, and economic reform in the United States, spanned the years 1877 to 1929—the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the Great Depression. In those decades, the rural way of life was replaced by the siren call of teeming cities filled with new immigrants, agitators, and unruly women.

The period saw the rise of major reform movements, such as women’s suffrage, Prohibition, and the fight for child labor laws. The Progressives were a diverse group of people who wanted to use the government’s powers to improve society.

Inspired by the challenges of rising poverty, inequality, and corruption in government, the Progressives saw democracy as a tool to achieve their goals and worked to increase participation in the political process. Regarded as visionaries by some and troublemakers by others, the Progressives dragged America into the modern age.

This captivating guide tells the story of an era that began in the days of horse-drawn carriage and rail lines and ended with the mass production of the Ford Model T and manned flights in crude but thrilling airplanes. It explores the major reform movements of the age and the people who led them, tracing the story of the transformation of American politics and government.

Here is just a peek at what you will learn in the book:

The effects of the Industrial Revolution on the American economy

The accumulation of massive wealth by robber barons

The plight of immigrants in American cities and factories

The shocking revelations of muckraking journalists

The rise of the labor movement

The violence committed by anarchists and extremists

The American urge to build an empire overseas

The fight for women’s rights and securing the vote for women

The aftermath of two presidential assassinations

The defining presidency of Theodore Roosevelt

The inventions that shaped modern America

The entertainments and passions of the age

And much, much more!