...HISTORY “PROGRESSIVE ERA THROUGH THE GREAT DEPRESSION” August 3, 2013 Introduction: The Great Depression was an era in the American history that so many people would wish to forget. The 1920s saw the country going through various phases of poverty resulting from the crash of the stock market, job losses, collapsing of businesses in all industries in the country. The Great Depression was like no other crisis the country faced, it was never ending and there was suffering everywhere especially among the poor. There were three major factors that contributed significantly to the Great Depression with the most important being the ‘crash’ of the stock market, this is due to the fact that the strength of the United States of America was measured in many ways by the success of the stock market and with the stock market thriving as it was there was noticeable growth in various business entities. With the growth of the stock market, the rich investors also prospered as they could afford to purchase various stocks, at the same time the Federal Government reduced taxes especially for them. Not long after, came the ‘crash’ of stock market which sent Wall Street into a state of panic and literally crippled many big investors, and this ricochet to other industries such as Agriculture, which was already on the decline, the automobile and the construction industry also suffered as a result. www.history.com Another interesting contributor to the Great Depression is the European...
Words: 1177 - Pages: 5
...Running head: PROGRESSIVE ERA THROUGH THE GREAT 1 Progressive Era Through the Great Depression Zarick L. Robinson Contemporary U.S. History – II Professor Patrick Peacock Strayer University August 1, 2013 PROGRESSIVE ERA THROUGH THE GREAT DEPRESSION 2 The progressive era in America describes a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century. In the decades following the Civil War, rapid industrialization transformed the United States. A national rail system was completed; agriculture was mechanized; the factory system spread; and cities grew rapidly in size and number. The progressive movement arose as a response to the vast changes brought about by industrialization. Two major turning points during this period was reform at the state level and of course the national level. At the state level, reformers turned to state politics, where progressivism reached its fullest expression. A model of progressive reform was Robert La Follette’s term as governor of Wisconsin. He won from the legislature an anti-lobbying law directed at large corporations, a state banking control measure, and a direct primary law. Taxes on corporations were raised, a railroad commission was created to set rates, and a conservative commission was set-up. In state after state, progressives advocated a wide range of political, economic, and social reforms. They...
Words: 2852 - Pages: 12
...Progressive Era through the Great Depression Progressive Era through the Great Depression There are distinctive historical periods that define the United States; two of them are the Progressive Era and the Great Depression. The Progressive Era was a period where the United States moved from nearly zero technology to a technology boom, otherwise known as the Industrial Age. The Great Depression followed the Progressive Era because, in my opinion, like today’s economic problems, too many people were extended opportunities via credit that they did not previously have, and were not given the education that would teach them how to use it or how quickly it would change from a blessing to a burden. Advertising became huge during the consumerism period. It promised a better life and what that better life should look like. Some items made life easier, like cars, while some items were frivolous, like the phonograph. Credit became a way of life, instead of saving up for those luxury items, credit made getting them instantaneous. This has become the way of life for America and is the reason why we get in trouble over and over again. Stocks soared when the banks devised a way to make the stock market look safer than it actually was. Much like the recent housing bubble; stocks raised far above their actual value which lead to the ultimate stock market crash. Women finally won the right to vote in 1920 (Schultz, 2011). I believe that women in the western states earned the right...
Words: 904 - Pages: 4
...Progressive Era through the Great Depression For this assignment I will discuss the major turning points in American history between the Progressive Era and the Great Depression. Analyze how some historical events shape America’s current society, economy, politics, and culture. Describe ways that women and minorities have responded to challenges and made contributions to American culture. Recognize and discuss the ways that formal policies of government have influenced the direction of historical and social development in the United States. Analyze the rise of the United States to a world “super-power” and how that status has shaped its internal developments in recent decades. Identify how changes in social and economic conditions and technology can cause corresponding changes in the attitudes of the people and policies of the government. Identify at least (2) two major historical turning points in the period under discussion. The first major historical turning point was the changing roles of women. Women won the right to vote with the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, one of the final great reforms of the Progressive era. A group of congressmen proposed an Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution in 1923. It states: “Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction” (Schultz, 2012 p.379). The amendment’s objective was to eliminate all legal distinctions between the sexes, such as those who permitted different...
Words: 1284 - Pages: 6
...Progressive Era through the Great Depression Latisha Blacknall Dr. James Allen HIS105 Contemporary US History November 5, 2012 In American History there were many turning points that occurred from the Progressive Era through the Great Depression. It was during this period that many historical events shaped Americans current society, politics, economy and culture. The progressive era was a time period that American people needed. When society was going through urbanization, this movement was needed to survive the harsh conditions they were forced to live and work in. If it had not been for the muckrakers, the progressive era might not have received the attention that was needed to become a success. They wrote newspaper columns about the unsatisfactory conditions people were forced to live and work in while the government did nothing. The progressive era also brought awareness to the importance of education and started the reformation of the system. It was during this time that more schools were built and teachers’ salaries were raised. There was two major turning points in the in progressive era, the first is the Women Suffrage Movement. The National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA), which was founded in 1890, the second is The National Women’s Party (NWP) which was founded in 1913 and was led by Alice Paul. NAWSA worked many states to try and convince opponents that women were a valuable asset to society and deserved the right to vote. Alice Paul was more...
Words: 1124 - Pages: 5
...Progressive Era through the Great Depression History 105 The Progressive Era Around the 1910’s, most Americans were anxious about the rapid economic and social changes that confronted the United States, including industrialization, the rise of powerful corporations, the growth of cities and the mass arrivals of immigrants. This period was known as the Progressive Era. Two major historical turning points that took place during this time were (1) Women earned the right to vote and (2) Education. Women Suffrage The early 1900s saw a successful push for the vote through a coalition of suffragists, temperance groups, reform-minded politicians, and women's social-welfare organizations. Although Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton devoted 50 years to the woman's suffrage movement, neither lived to see women gain the right to vote. But their work and that of many other suffragists contributed to the ultimate passage of the 19th amendment in 1920. Two groups that contributed to the passage of the 19th amendment the women organizations the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), founded in 1890, and the National Women’s Party (NWP), founded in 1913 and led by Alice Paul. Alice Paul and other women of the National Women's Party picketed the White House. They wanted then President Woodrow Wilson to support a Constitutional amendment giving all American women suffrage, or the right to vote. Women gained...
Words: 1506 - Pages: 7
...Running head: PROGRESSIVE ERA THROUGH THE GREAT 1 Progressive Era Through the Great Depression Zarick L. Robinson Contemporary U.S. History – II Professor Patrick Peacock Strayer University August 1, 2013 PROGRESSIVE ERA THROUGH THE GREAT DEPRESSION 2 The progressive era in America describes a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century. In the decades following the Civil War, rapid industrialization transformed the United States. A national rail system was completed; agriculture was mechanized; the factory system spread; and cities grew rapidly in size and number. The progressive movement arose as a response to the vast changes brought about by industrialization. Two major turning points during this period was reform at the state level and of course the national level. At the state level, reformers turned to state politics, where progressivism reached its fullest expression. A model of progressive reform was Robert La Follette’s term as governor of Wisconsin. He won from the legislature an anti-lobbying law directed at large corporations, a state banking control measure, and a direct primary law. Taxes on corporations were raised, a railroad commission was created to set rates, and a conservative commission was set-up. In state after state, progressives advocated a wide range of political, economic, and social reforms. They...
Words: 2852 - Pages: 12
...The Progressive Era Through The Great Depression Kaishonta Arnold Professor John Swann History 105 February 9, 2013 The Progressive Era was a period of social activism and political reform in the United States. From the Progressive Era through the Great Depression there were many significant turning points within this period. The Women’s Suffrage Movement was one major historical turning point of the Progressive Era. Another turning point in this period was the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Although “women were basically the main players in the Progressive Era reforms, there right to vote were still denied” (Schultz, 2012). Many pushed for the franchise for all women and through their efforts in the Nineteenth Amendment to the constitution provided full women suffrage. There were two groups that pushed and furthered the cause of women’s suffrage. These two groups were formally called “The National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA), as well as The National Women’s Party (NWP)” (Schultz, 2012). The National American Women’s Suffrage Associations strategy was basically a way to push for suffrage at the state level, hoping that the federal government would pass the amendment. The National Women’s Party’s goal was of eliminating all discrimination against women. As stated by Brown, “In 1923 The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), was announced and launched what would be a life-long campaign to win full equality for women,” (2010). ...
Words: 1339 - Pages: 6
...| “The Progressive Era through the Great Depression” | | | History 105 Professor | 11/11/2012 | In this essay, I will review the major turning points in our nation’s history during the period of “The Progressive Era through the Great Depression”. I will talk about how women in the West earned the right to vote in the frontier states before the eastern and southern states. We will analyze the impact of two major historical turning points on America’s society, economy, politics, and culture. Next we will look at the legislation in the Roosevelt–Taft–Wilson progressive era years, and show how that has influenced the business of today since the time of its inception. We will review how the Spanish American war laid the foundation for which America would develop its empire. Lastly, we will discuss some ways the Boom and Bust of the Roaring Twenties followed by The Great Depression affected the federal government’s involvement with the national economy. | During the reformist movement, urbanization brought people to the cities for work opposed to the traditional farming communities or villages’ people lived and worked in prior to the Progressive Era. With this change occurring in society, there came much needed changes in the way we came together as a community to provide the necessities, which would allow our new families, and communities to prosper. With America’s expansion to the west under the Homestead Act, “any man or woman twenty-one...
Words: 798 - Pages: 4
...Progressive Era through the Great Depression Jennifer Castellano HIS-105 Contemporary US History Professor Collins November 10, 2012 The Spanish American War began in February of 1895. This war was brought on by the Cubans struggle for independence from Spain. The US got involved when US newspapers brought the brutality home. The US intervened and in the end they gained Guam and Puerto Rico. The US also gained power and with that power they would gain a place in international politics. (Spanish American War, 2012) The Great Depression followed a period that was called the roaring twenties. The roaring twenties was a time when people had more money to spend and spend they did. American’s bought new clothes and new electric appliances. Also American’s spent money on a new car called the Model T and if you couldn’t afford to pay cash for the car you could pay for it on credit given out by banks. But with the new spending and new freedoms some freedoms were taken away for instance alcoholic beverages became prohibited when the 18th Amendment of the Constitution was passed. (The Roaring Twenties, 2012) Alcohol was controlled by bootleggers and organized crime figures that ran things underground out of the watchful eye of the government. With the new underground speakeasies brought a rise in gambling that was organized by mob bosses. The roaring twenties also brought out the “New Woman” (The Roaring Twenties, 2012). The new woman was a young woman who had short hair...
Words: 1374 - Pages: 6
...The Progressive Era marked a time of new reforms throughout our nation and these changes have shaped the country we live in today. This era was the nation’s response to the Industrial Revolution. It affected all Americans and transformed the role of government in American society. Most racial issues and women's rights, were ignored during the progressive era, but the groundwork was laid for future reforms in those areas. Many events occurred during the time of the Progressive Era and Great Depression that made a big contribution to today’s society. One of the first turning points of this era was the founding of the Anti-Saloon League. It was a non-partisan political pressure group established in 1893 with Protestant churches as its primary support in rural areas and the South. In the words of leader Ernest Cherrington, it was "the united church militant engaged in the overthrow of the liquor traffic.” The League also used churches more directly to achieve its objectives. For example, it arranged for pastors in over 2,000 churches in Illinois to discuss a pending temperance measure and urge congregations to ask their representatives to support it. The Anti-Saloon stressed its religious character and since it acted as an agent of the churches and therefore was working for God, anything it did was seen as moral and justified because it was working to bring about the Lord's will. This became the first modern, single-issuing lobbying group in the America and opened the doors for...
Words: 1743 - Pages: 7
...discussion. The women’s suffrage is one of the major historical turning points in the Progressive Era. During this time there were two groups that pushed and furthered the cause of women’s suffrage. The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), founded in 1890, and the National Women’s Party (NWP), founded in 1913 and led by Alice Paul (Schultz,2012,pg.341-42). The second major historical turning point in this era I will discuss is the Stock Market Crash of October 1929. The Stock Market Crash of 1929 devastated the economy and was a key factor in beginning the Great Depression. Analyze the impact of the two (2) or more major historical turning points selected on America’s current society, economy, politics, and culture. The Women’s Suffrage movement had a major impact on society, economy, politics, and culture. In 1920 the Nineteenth Amendment was passed and women won the right to vote (Schultz, 2012, pg.342). The enfranchisement of women was the largest expansion of the voting population in American history, significantly increasing the American electorate. This movement opened many doors for women; they now knew that they had a voice and the right to speak on political issues within the government and allowed them property rights. The stock market crash of 1929 caused fear and panic throughout the country and resulted in the beginning of the Great Depression. All aspects of the economy were affected by this downward spiral in the stock market;...
Words: 3734 - Pages: 15
...The U. S. Civil War and Civil Right Era Abstract This paper will contain information dated during the Civil War through the Civil Rights Era. Throughout this paper you will hear about the expansion of the U.S Federal government and the events of the Civil War, The Reconstruction Period, The Progressive Era, The Great Depression and The Civil Rights Era. The U. S. Civil War and Civil Right Era The Civil War is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic or less commonly between two countries created from a united nation. The Civil Right Era began in 1955. Another important factor of this particular era was the great depression. Throughout this paper you will hear about the events, trials and tribulations that transpired throughout this time frame. Through the expansion of the U.S Federal government are the events of the Civil War, the Reconstruction period, the Progressive Era, The Great Depression and the Civil Rights Era, which will also be discussed. The Civil War officially began on April 12, 1861, when confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. The bloodiest battle of the Civil War took place in Maryland on September 17, 1862, which was called the Battle of Antietam. This event caused Abraham Lincoln to announce abolish to slavery in the South, which became official in 1863. More men died in the Civil War than any other American conflict, and two-thirds of the dead perished from disease. (Facts, 2011)...
Words: 983 - Pages: 4
...THE PROGRESSIVE ERA OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION PROGRESSIVE ERA THE GREAT DEPRESSION DESRINE SINCLAIR HISTORY 105 DR. TERRY HAMMONS MAY 12, 2012 IDENTIFY 2 MAJOR HISTORICAL TURNING POINTS BETWEEN THE PROGRESSIVE ERA AND THE GREAT DEPRESSION. In the recent studies that I have previously experienced one of the turning points in the progressive era and the Great Depression solely rely on the habits on how the United States was brought into the Great War of World War II. I have learned from early history that World War II was a turning point for the American people we as a nation was brought together to defeat the Axis of power which is widely known as the German power house. Hitler was the benefit of this war that the United States tried so hard to avoid. In the recent information that I have put together there was evidence that many people did not want the U.S. to get involved. We as a country was facing our own economic problems the Stock Market crashes and many investors who placed solely all their savings, checks and balances in the trust of the banking systems. The failure of the baking systems placed a strong grip on the American people forcing them to profit off other means such as hoarding their possessions and even entering into the war against Hitler and his German advisories. During the ordeal there also was a mass accumulation of immigrants into the United States and many were from Ireland, did not want the United States to intervene in the War to assist the...
Words: 1775 - Pages: 8
...3. Historians have argued that Progressive reforms lost momentum in the 1920s. Evaluate this statement with respect to the following: regulation of business, labor, and immigrants. The Progressive Era was a time of major reconstruction and rehabilitation for the United States. Beginning in the 1890s and lasting steadily into the 1920s, a series of movements, act, policies, and improvements allowed for the reformation of a great nation that would later flourish as a result of this era of growth and betterment. Some historians argue that the start of World War I may have been the end of the era because the war was not very rooted in Progressive policy. Progressives such as Jane Addams, perhaps the era’s most prominent reformer, implemented and strongly advocated antiwar movements and sentiment. However, after Wilson’s reelection in 1916, such reformers were censored. The politics of the 1920s was inhospitable toward the labor unions and radicals against business so it is understandable that one may think that the Progressivism ended there. However, during this time, the progressives did not simply allow themselves to be trod upon. Progressivism remained popular in many western states and was prominent in Washington during both the Harding and Coolidge presidencies. There was a continuing importance in the Progressive movement involving increased democracy, efficiency in the government, regulation, social justice, and and public service...
Words: 1091 - Pages: 5
