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The Progressive Era Through the Great Depression

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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).

Even with the Progressive Era having a lot of issues and turning points throughout its time, the Great Depression had its ordeals as well. The Stock Market Crash was a big historical event that took place during this time. The Stock Market Crash of 1929

devastated the economy and was the key factor in the beginning of The Great Depression. “In three days, over five billion worth of market capitalization had been erased from stocks that were trading on the New York Stock Exchange” (Grant, 2008). There were also a lot of banks that had been interrupted because of this matter. But even though The Stock Market Crash left much in disarray, it was also beneficial to for some such as Jesse Livermore and Joseph Kennedy. This issue or turning point is what led to the major economic crisis known as The Great Depression. The United States was converting from a wartime economy to a peacetime economy. America became the richest nation and a culture of consumerism. Socially, change was brewing in order to protect and empower every citizen in America. Politically, laws were enacted to allow people who normally didn’t have a voice to be heard. Culturally, America was developing into a music, sports, and entertainment. During the Depression a lot of women went to work. “The efforts to support their families provoked many Americans who thought women workers were taking jobs away from men” (Schultz, 2012). As of today, women are still looked down upon being as if to come second and do not deserve as much as man.

Even though women struggled to get equal voting rights, there were still issues between the western, eastern, and southern states. The western states granted the right for women to vote before the eastern and southern states. The first state to grant women the right to vote was Wyoming, which passed universal suffrage in 1869. There are numerous reasons why women were voting ahead of the women in the East Coast. One

explanation is that “mining and agricultural prospecting was a driving force behind the westward expansion of the United States” (Scaliger, 2008). Suffrage was seen as an enticement for women to move west, particularly in states like Wyoming. Additionally, granting women the right to vote ensured that Western states had larger voting populations, and would therefore have more representation in Congress. Griffith states that, “Members of Congress initially supported women voting in Utah because they believed that women would vote to reject polygamy” (2006). But this decision backfired not knowing that the women would favor polygamy. Although women’s suffrage faced many challenges in the West, such as a lack of sustainable organizations due to the large territorial boundaries, the suffrage campaign was hard fought and ultimately successful.

There were a lot of things that influenced businesses throughout the Progressive Era. Within the Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson Era they had legislations in these years. An example of one of these legislations was the Regulating of the Railroads by Roosevelt. “Roosevelt moved into other areas of reform in his second term including railroad regulation, employers’ liability for federal employees, greater federal control over corporations, and laws regulating child labor and factory inspections” (Schultz, 2012). Winning a major victory in the regulation of railroads, the powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission were strengthened by passage of the Hepburn Act. This Act was basically a policy that limited prices that railroads could charge and allowing federal government to monitor. The influence on today helps individuals or big businesses to ship and/or receive cargo. These advances in developing the railroad helped to increase

safety and the efficiency in coal mines. Before railroads were developed, coal mining was extremely dangerous. Other influences were people needing better transportation, but manufacture[pic]red goods, raw materials and food also needed a quick, inexpensive mode of transportation. Another influence in this Progressive Era involved Woodrow Wilson’s New Freedom. Wilson seized the progressive initiative and pushed landmark legislation through Congress. “Despite measured successes during 1914 and 1915 in labor, child labor, banking, business, and farming reforms, Wilson’s New Freedom was a disappointment to women and African Americans” (Schultz, 2012). Wilson supported the Keaton-Owen Child Labor Act, which prevented the employment of children under the age of sixteen and maximum of an eight hour workday. The influences were that reform movements grew and labor standards were improved.

Through the Progressive Era and The Great Depression there were also developments within the Spanish American War which played a part in the American Empire. As a result of the Spanish-American War, the United States became a world power that controlled an empire stretching from the Caribbean Sea to the Far East. “Spain granted Cuba its independence, and the United States was given Puerto Rico and Guam. The difficult issue was the Philippines, which was soon annexed” (Schultz, 2012). The United States, in contrast, gained an empire. The Spanish-American War assured that the Panama Canal would be built and that commerce would flow to both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The war also advanced the career of the assistant secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt, who won the vice-presidency in 1900 and became president in 1901, when McKinley was assassinated.

The Roaring Twenties had several ways that the federal government as affected in the national economy. The boom to bust as it was called. An example of this was the New deal. “Within the New Deal, public-works programs were started that hired the unemployed to build highways, bridges, and public buildings and also stabilized crop prices for farmers” (Schultz, 2012). Banks stopped lending money to businesses that depended on them; from local restaurants and shops to giant car companies, which began laying off workers to cut costs; consumers stopped spending, and the spiral began. But because of Roosevelt and the programs that were put in place, Americans are not nearly as bad off as they were in the 1930s. It was also an example of The Stock Market Crash which was previously stated above. Despite an economy in free fall, the Hoover administration stuck to the hands-off approach of both political parties at the time that left businesses, and people, to prosper or fail without the involvement of the federal government.

Resources:

Brown, M. S. (2010). American Review. Journal of Politics. Vol. 64 Issue 3, pp791-809: Colorado.

Grant, J. K. (2008). American History Online Review. Vol. 24 Issue 13 pp.34-38. Newark, N.J.

Griffith, R. & Baker, P. (2006). Major Problems in American History Since 1945. (3rd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Schultz, K. M. (2012). HIST: Volume II. (2nd ed.). (Custom) Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

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