Why Did The Gilded Age Led To Progressive Reform

The Gilded Age was a time of trusts, monopolies, abuse to workers, and coverture. These problems continued long enough that the attempts to fix them lead to the Progressive Era to take place. Progressivism came into effect because of the Gilded Age because it was created to fix the economy of the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age lead to the Progressive Era in many different ways, a lot of unfairness and hard times made the Progressive Era come into action.

The Progressive Era expanded the power of the federal government, through social and political reforms as well as eliminating the problems caused by the Industrial Revolution. During industrialization, businesses began to mass produce cheap products in order to make a profit. Businesses would often take advantage of the poor,

As the Civil War came to an end, the U.S. entered into the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age was characterized by industrialization, urbanization, and immigration, but it also consisted of poverty, labor unions, and political and business corruption due to the significant change of industrialization in U.S. society. In order to change and fix the troubles of the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era began in 1897, where progressives believed that it was the responsibility of the government to bring positive change for the working class. As businesses were becoming wealthy and powerful, they were also corrupt due to monopolies and trusts, while also influencing the government, factories also had no cleanliness or safety, and only white men held the majority

The Progressive Era occurred between the 1880s and the 1910s and comprised of recognizing the social and financial issues connected with the industrialization of America and hoped to make change. The reformers of the Progressive Era had four fundamental objectives: "making governmental issues more successful, restricting the force of huge business, improving neediness, and advancing social equity" (Henretta, Edwards and Self, 2012). This means the Progressives, made up of urban and working class reformers, needed to enhance the political framework, face destitution and increment the measure of association by the administration into the economy. Notwithstanding the previously said objectives, the Progressives additionally searched out change

The end of the reconstruction era gave rise to the gilded age. The gilded age was a time of economic growth. It was the second industrial revolution, urbanization, immigration and political/economic corruption. The congress and the big business were more influential than the presidency. The term ‘Gilded Age’ was termed by Mark Twain who described the wealthy who were covered in a ‘layer of gold’, a superficial layer can be peeled and reveals unpleasant things.

The Gilded Age brought about the Populist movement which occurred because the poor people of America wanted a chance at economic wealth. The first populist movement occurred in 1867 when the “Grange” or “Patrons of Husbandry” farmer’s union called for regulation of railroad shipping rates instead of the “natural monopoly” that was occurring at the time. The Interstate Commerce Commission was created in 1887 because of the “Grange” movement. Although, railroads corporations were so wealthy they could buy around government regulations. The ICC remained ineffective until President Theodore Roosevelt.

The cause of the Progressive Era was the Gilded Age, which began during the 1870s. During this age, the United States suffered from extreme corruption in government. This was because of the rising power of political machines and monopolies. Many politicians favored big businesses and through their political power, they were able to give incentives to those who supported their corruption. Due to these infuriating situations, Americans decided that in order for there to be a change in society, the government had to get involved, thus the beginning of the Progressive Era.

The Gilded Age was a period where greedy, corrupt industrialists, bankers and politicians enjoyed extraordinary wealth and opulence at the expense of the working class. It was during the Gilded Age that Congress passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to break up monopolistic business combinations, and the Interstate Commerce Act, to regulate railroad rates. State governments created commissions to regulate utilities and laws regulating work conditions. Several states filed suits against corporate trusts and tried to revoke the charges of firms that joined trusts (Digital History). The Progressive Movement improved the lives of individuals and communities.

The US notes 1.8 video mainly focused on the change that occurred during the progressive era, and why it was so important. It described the difference between Gilded Age presidents, that employed laissez-faire, and the progressive presidents. During the Gilded Age, the government left supporting the economy to companies. The government usually stayed out of economic issues, except when labor unions threatened companies, where the government supported the companies over the workers. During this period, corruption was also a major issue because of the spoils system that was in place.

The Progressive Era, from 1890- 1920 was an influential time in American history. There was political reform in an effort to bring about social justice, but it was also a time when big businesses thrived. However, in the past their prominence and power went unchecked, now liberal radicals started fighting for justice, making the government control the corporations before they destroyed the country. With big businesses growing at a quick pace, they needed more management, known as middle management, to control it. Alfred Chandler, a business professor, specifically a economist, analyzes this in chapter eight, “Mass Production” from his book, The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business.

In the gilded ages America had been changed by many different people. Many people who caused a change, had something to do with businesses, muckraking journalism, or progressivism. Immigration also took a part in changing America. Immigration, and all of those people, together, changed America politically, socially, and economically. Politics are a big part of America, and politics faced a lot of changes in the gilded age, many of them are still in effect today.

The “Progressive Movement was an early-20th century reform movement seeking to return control of the government to the people, to restore economic opportunity, and to correct injustices in American life.” (Danzer R54). The Progressive Era marked the end of the “Gilded Ages” and a start of a new era. The Progressive Era started in 1901 in the United States (Fagnilli 26). There were many major reforms in the Progressive Era that altered and advanced American society.

The Gilded age was a period in the late 1800s (1865-1900) that showed tremendous increase of wealth caused by the industrial age. The lifestyle of the rich during this period hid the many problems of the time that eventually brought about the progressive era movement. This was a movement for reform between 1900-1920s. Progressives typically held that the irresponsible actions of the rich were corrupting both public and private life. Forces such as immigration, the Populist Party and industrialization that led to the progressive era also impacted the American government both in its activeness and its democracy.

The Gilded Age saw the rise of a new class of wealthy industrialists and a prosperous middle class. The Progressives sought to solve many of the social injustices of the Gilded Age. Upon the completion of the transcontinental railroad, it led to heightened racial tensions in California. After the railroads were completed, white workers from the East Coast and Europe could travel more easily westward where immigrant laborers were prevalent. The Progressive Era was a time when reformers sought to solve many of the social injustices of the Gilded Age.

The Progressive Reform Movement The Progressive Era is often looked as an age of reformation from the economic boom in the Gilded Age. From around 1890 to 1920s, citizens of the progressive reform movement had plans to amplify our American government and economy. The different outlooks and biases have created many interpretations of this era, along with many others. Historians have many different interpretations of the reform movement during the Progressive Era.