Progressives in Politics

The Progressive Era, from 1890-1920, was characterized by a growing movement that fought to break up monopolies, expose government corruption, improve poor working conditions, and achieve women’s suffrage. Progressives sought to address modern issues brought about by industrialization and the widening gap between the very rich and poor. With the work of activists such as the muckrakers and the support of progressive politicians such as Theodore Roosevelt, the Progressive Movement brought significant political and social changes around the turn of the 20th century.

Progressives in Politics Definition: Who Were the Progressives?

The Progressives were a diverse group of people with varying motivations. They included:

• Muckrakers: investigative journalists who worked to expose corruption in government and corporations

• Politicians: both Democrats and Republicans alike

• Academics and educators: sought to ensure education for all children rather than the privileged few

• Social workers and children’s advocates: had a vision of what a healthy childhood should look like and advocated for changes in things such as education and children’s labor laws.

Progressives in Politics Meaning: What Were the Goals of the Progressives?

The diversity of Progressives meant there was diversity in the goals of Progressives. These goals included:

• Safer working conditions and labor laws to protect workers

• Preventing undue influence of businesses over government

• Closing the gap between wealthy, elite business owners and the working poor

• Ensuring that all children receive an education and protection from child labor

• Prohibiting the production, sale, and transport of alcohol

• Amending the constitution so that Senators were directly elected by the people, rather than state legislators

• Achieving women’s suffrage and greater public participation

• The conservation of the environment and natural resources

Progressives in Politics: Beliefs

Despite the diversity, many Progressives had similar basic beliefs regarding politics:

• That governing principle should be more focused on collective responsibility than rights, particularly in the case of the “rights” of big businesses.

• Political structures should be reformed so that localized parties carry more power, creating a stronger relationship between the public and government policy.

• That government power is expanded to represent the social and political interests of the public.

Progressive reformers believed the government should have an active role in shaping society through government policy. They believed that social progress could be achieved with the help of government oversight. This opposed the conservative view that human nature was fixed and that the government should remain small and not interfere.

Progressives in Politics vs. Conservatives in Politics

Conservatives believed in limited government power and economic intervention. They believed the constitution to be a sufficient basis for American society and that the expansion of government posed a constitutional threat. In addition, they believed businesses to have “rights” of their own.

Conservatives wanted to keep the current government organization, whereas Progressives wanted to see the structure of government reorganized to give more democratic power to citizens.

Causes of Progressives in Politics

Progressivism was a reactionary movement that sought to address the ills created by industrialization. Let's go over the significant causes that Progressives in politics fought for.

Causes of Progressives in Politics: Trust-Busting

As people moved from rural areas to urban centers, and immigration added to the growing population of cities, the ratio of workers to employers increased. There was a shift from small-scale manufacturing to large-scale factory production. Suddenly, a very large number of people could work for a single employer. Many of these employers were already-wealthy businessmen who had inherited their money and could afford to invest in new industries such as the textile mills.

Fig. 2 - women working in a canning factory, circa 1909

As these wealthy businessmen drew in greater and greater profits, they could afford to buy other businesses owned by smaller, less wealthy, and often struggling business owners who stood to benefit from a buyout. The result was that, often, one company could control a large portion of an industry.

When this occurred to the extent that only a few large companies dominated industries, these companies would form “trusts.” Trusts worked by eliminating the competition between rival companies so that monopolies were formed. A primary goal of the Progressive Era was “trustbusting,” or breaking up the power of these monopolies through government oversight and regulation.

Causes of Progressives in Politics: Consumer Protections

Progressives did not solely focus on the protection of workers. For example, the breakup of corporate monopolies also protected consumers from price-gouging. Additionally, the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 ensured the purity of food and drugs and created the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Causes of Progressives in Politics: Conservationism

Progressives also believed that the environment must be conserved and protected for future generations. As industrialization increased pollution and the shift from subsistence farming to cash crops altered the landscape, conservationists began to demand oversight from the federal government to protect the land. Theodore Roosevelt was a prominent Progressive and conservationist whose administration instituted legislation that contributed to protecting the environment.

Fig. 3 - Theodore Roosevelt

Causes of Progressives in Politics: Women's Suffrage

Women played a large role in many causes of Progressivism. One cause they had in common, however, was women's suffrage. Many Progressives, men and women alike, believed that women should have the right to vote. The passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920 granted women the right to vote after decades of activism predating the Progressive Era.

Fig. 4 - suffragettes at the White House

Causes of Progressives in Politics: Temperance

The Temperance Movement sought to prohibit the production, sale, and consumption of alcohol. Though the movement had been around for nearly a century, similar to women's suffrage, it succeeded until the Progressive Era. In 1918, the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol.

Causes of Progressives in Politics: Differences in Foreign Policy

The Progressive Era saw the United States begin to take an interventionist approach to foreign policy. An example is their participation in the Spanish-American War (1898). While their participation in this war saw them acquire Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines from Spain, it also was motivated by an interest in spreading democracy to other parts of the world.

To the United States, democracy was the ideal of freedom and civilization. With the Spanish-American War, the States entered the world arena and began creating a foreign policy reflecting their motivations.

Many Progressives were split on this issue. Some saw it as an opportunity to spread progressivism along with democracy, while others recognized the potential for imperialism to cause harm to other nations.

Criticism of Progressives in Politics

Though Progressivism brought about many changes that benefited the average citizen, it failed to do much to combat the racism of the Jim Crow Era. Black Americans still experienced segregation and discrimination, as well as political disenfranchisement.

Southern states passed laws that complicated the voting process and made it difficult for Black voters to register to vote. They also instituted procedures such as literacy tests, which tested whether or not black voters were “educated enough” to vote. These tests were designed to disenfranchise Black voters and provide additional barriers to their political participation.

These issues did not concern many Progressive reformers, who either agreed with or turned a blind eye to these discriminatory practices.