What were the major similarities and differences between the goals and activities of the Progressive
Movement (1990-1929) and the reform movement (1865 – 1899)?
Following the tumultuous Civil War, Reconstruction in the South and the Second Industrial Revolution in
the Northeast greatly divided these two regions. Reconstruction attempted to fix the idealistic and
economic problems of the South, but only succeeded in isolating the people even further and allowing the
same inherent racism to plague the African Americans. However, in the cities, political machines and
corruption ruled the streets. Boss Tweed ran the politics singlehandedly in Tammany Hall and men such
as Carnegie, Rockefeller, JP Morgan, and Boss Tweed led the federal policies as well as the national
economy. This time came to be known as the Gilded Age or the Age of Corruption. Factory workers
fought to have unions recognized and have more rights within their respective companies. Also following
the Civil War, mass amounts of immigrants from all over the world flooded the cities in search of
economic relief. These immigrants worked in destructive businesses and lived in horrible conditions.
Disturbed by the problems of their time, reformers and later progressives strove to fix the issues
surrounding America, but in their own individual ways. Heavily influenced by new ideas such as
socialism, reformers tried to make life fairer for the majority of the population. In this time of corruption,
reformers relied upon themselves to incite change as all government attempts during the Era of Forgotten
Presidents were meagre attempts to change the nation (i.e. the Sherman Anti-Trust Act that had many
loopholes for monopolies and outlawed unions which were positive). Reformers focused on social issues
and smaller organizations while progressives worked towards reforming business and personal freedoms
through laws and regulations. While both groups worked in seemingly different ways, they united in the
belief that America was the land of opportunity and the new common man, factory workers, should have
a bigger say in government and in their future.
The biggest difference between reformers and progressives were their target missions. Reformers
focused on social issues such as mental health, public education, and immigrant assimilation. Immediately
following the end of the Civil War, carpetbaggers went to Southern cities to revive the education that had
been largely forgotten during and leading up to the brutal war. These early reformers hoped that by
improving the education system in the South, the younger generations could revive the region and plant
new businesses besides the decimated plantation systems. In the cities, Jane Addams popularized
settlement houses that catered to newly arrived immigrants. Addams helped these new citizens by giving
them a nicer place to live and opportunities to further assimilate into American culture through jobs and
education. Horace Mann as well tried to change public education across the nation by institution the idea
of mandatory education that would bring the privilege of the upper class to all the nation’s children.
Dorothea Dix brought a voice to the mentally ill and tried to change how internal diseases were
recognized, treated, and studied in hospitals. Conversely, progressives believed that the nation’s issues
could be solved through laws and regulation. Change could not come through small, grassroots groups
and individuals. Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft, and Woodrow Wilson brought power to the position
of the presidency as well as put power in the hands of the voters. Roosevelt began the progressive
presidency era by his Square Deal. He destroyed horizontally integrated trusts that created a monopoly
that prevented factory workers from getting higher wages or better conditions. Additionally, Roosevelt
passed the 17th amendment which allowed direct voting for senators and the 16th amendment which
instituted a graduated income tax that would level the differences between the 99% and 1%. The 99%
were the majority of the population with little wealth. The 1% consisted of tycoons such as JP Morgan
that owned millions of dollars in business and trade. Influenced by Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle,
Roosevelt passed measures regulated food business that insured that the consumer received the best
product possible (Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act). No longer could businesses lie
about their product or produce ill created products. Wilson attacked all trusts with the Clayton Anti-Trust
Act that effectively broke vertically and horizontally integrated companies apart as well as legalized
unions. Wilson also gave workers a mandatory 8-hour work day and worker’s compensation for injuries
in the Mann-Elkins Act. Progressives were mainly concerned with domestic economic issues for those
that could help our shaky economy. They focused on the white middle class primarily.
Though they have their differences, reformers and progressives do share similarities. They both
derived from the idea that America should be a more welcoming opportunity for a variety of people
(though the definition on variety depended on the group). Additionally, both groups supported feminism
and temperance. The strides made in the Seneca Falls Convention as well as in reformers such as
Elizabeth Cady Stanton saw their government fruition in the 19th amendment which gave women the right
to vote. Temperance, another issue highly favored by women’s reform groups was made possible in the
18th amendment. Government progressives were able to successfully regulated child labor through the
studies and protests of Horace Mann as well as the tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in which many
young women died due to negligence. In many ways, progressives acted on the ideals of the reformers on
a national level. Slowly but surely, both groups tried to level the playing field for all white men and
women.
Similarly, President Obama has tried to establish himself as a progressive of days gone by. He
even gave a speech in the same area that Roosevelt did many years prior. Obama has declared himself the
champion of the middle class as well as minorities. His party is responsible for relaxed laws on
immigration that make it easier for Hispanic aliens to find jobs and equitable living conditions in their
new home. Our president has also supported graduated income tax as a way of leveling the class
differences in the nation. The Democratic Party is projected to be responsible for the legalization of gay
marriage which some compare to the women’s rights and African American civil rights movements. In
his own way, Obama demonstrates that he supports the middle and lower classes instead of the “entitled”
and fabulously rich upper classes.