The early 1900s is named the Progressive Era because the county saw growth of political and social activism. During the period, Progressives sought to bring about changes concerning women, children, immigrants, and the poor and dealt with issues such as women’s suffrage, child and women’s labor conditions, prohibition, education, government regulation of industry, and political reforms. The movement gave birth to the rise of important figures like the acclaimed Susan B. Anthony who fought for the rights of women and the Abbott Sisters who helped in the development of social work by utilizing professional practices and research data. Religious clergy were also participants in the movement, specifically Catholic priest Edward Flanagan, who will be the focal point of this paper. Flanagan had a …show more content…
He started a school, band, and an athletic program. He also labored on his own personal farm and consistently created publications for his own journal entitled “Boys’ Home Journal” (Hickey et al. 2007, p. 176). The home adopted a dog which they named Carlo. The dog held a special place in the hearts of a thousands of boys and after his death, he was stuffed and mounted and now hangs in the lobby of the home to continue to provide comfort for more children in the future. He also hosted a radio talk show called “Links of Love” (Hickey et al. 2007, p. 178) which he used as a platform to appeal for funds, but also to show compassion to his audience in hopes it would spread to others and additionally, it would also provide him recognition which would lead to the creation of the film “Boys Town.” Additionally, in 1934 Flanagan succeeded in elevating Boys Town to the status of a village of Nebraska. According to Oursler and Oursler, “this was a way to teach boys who had seen society at its worst the responsibility of each citizen in a free community (1949 p.