Abolition Movement Dbq

As discussed previously, there were a multitude of opinions regarding slavery in America during the 19th century. The abolition movement, however, advocated for the immediate emancipation of all slaves, as well as the end of all racial discrimination. There were several factions within the movement: religious abolitionists who were morally and religiously motivated by the Second Great Awakening, political abolitionists of the Liberty party, Free Soil party, and the early Republican Party, and militant abolitionists who resorted to violent tactics in the face of oppression. Such differences also led way to conflicts within the abolition movement. They disagreed on matters such as the involvement of white abolitionists, the course of action that

The feminist movement utilized tactics such as lobbying and petitioning to promote not only women’s suffrage, but also social reform. Mary Beard goes as far as to state that “in the progress of modern social legislation of all kinds… not a single important statue has been enacted without the active support of women”. Women became activists in progressive causes, ranging from advocating for the temperance movement to supporting local charity organizations. For example, women supported Harvey Wiley’s Pure Food Campaign by sending Congress “letters, telegrams, and petitions pleading for the passage”. However, women knew that “congressmen are more affected by men whose votes elect or defeat them” so they had to convince men to become their voice. In this process, there was constant miscommunication, and it was common for legislation pushed by women to become “so modified by uninformed legislators during the process of legal enactment”. Thus, it only made sense for women to demand for the right to enact change through their own votes. The persistence of women fighting for their suffrage rights was extremely important, as Beard says, “without their constant hammering at every man whom they can reach, women know, and men

Women such as Edith Abboth and Sophonisba Breckenridge established social work as a legitimate academic field, paving a pathway for future advancements in the topic. Specifically, women were greatly involved in the labor movement, giving voices to workers who were previously oppressed and mistreated by large and powerful corporations. Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, for example, organized the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in 1905, and successfully won a major strike of mill workers in Massachusetts, 1912. When the children of the workers on strike were leaving town to be cared by families in New York City, the police attacked them. As a result, there was great sympathy for the mill workers from the general public. Like such, gaining the public’s support was a large part of the accomplishments of Progressives. Ida Tarbell was a journalist who wrote articles to expose unfair business practices, corporate greed, political corruption, and social inequalities. Through her writing, she was able to bring awareness to pressing issues stemming from economic inequality. By writing about these issues, she was able to become the voices of those who would normally not be heard due to their economic status as the poor, working class.
Overall, the Progressive era made great strides in advocating for social injustice issues that were previously unknown or ignored by the general