The Progressive Movement (1900-1920) was basically a reform movement. The movement drew its ideals and inspiration from the writings of Thomas Jefferson and reform groups that had attracted some attention in the 19th Century. The progressives were successful in part because they were able to rally the better part of a generation to their ideas about reform. Many of their ideas were adopted by the two major parties.
While not all progressives supported all progressive reforms, the basic objectives of the movement included the following:
Destruction of the monopolistic power of the major corporations and banks in America.
More representative government at all political levels in local, state, and national government.
An active government that would take the initiative in reform.
The right of labor to organize and secure a decent salary and safe working conditions.
More economic and political rights for women.
Regulation of child labor.
The direct election of United States Senators.
A graduated income tax that would fall hardest on the wealthy and least on the poor.
Enactment of the initiative, referendum, and recall.
Reform of city government
Nationalization of railroads and banks.
Government owned and operated local utilities.
Consumer protection laws to prevent the sale of unsafe food and drugs.
Progressives were found in all levels of society including the ranks of the very wealthy, the very poor, the middle class, and minority groups. Progressives were politicians, businessmen, workers, artists, and professionals.
The progressive agenda was not an attempt to gain equality for all races and individuals in society. While minorities were represented among the leadership, most progressives were white, anglo-saxon protestants (WASPs), whose American roots were established by many generations.
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Woodrow Wilson
A Progressives organized youth programs, such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, to help children develop.
economic reforms that allowed Western ideas into China
The reform idea which was a common goal of the populist and the progressive was to regulate business, and to ensure that the government of the day worked better.
pogressive reforms make US voting procedures more democratic because through the reforms more and more people obtained suffrage, which is the right to vote, giving a higher percentage of the population of the US the ability to vote and made the opions spector much larger and more open