The Progressive Era In The 1920's

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The Progressive Era was the time between 1890 and 1920, a period during which American lifestyle and culture went through many changes. Although it has been in constant advancement, society in the United States progressed more drastically during this era—which is how it got its name. A lot of innovations were brought to light during this time period, especially in the areas of entertainment and consumption. It was a time when people rejoiced the end of the Reconstruction, which had been detrimental to both the economy and society of the United States. The inventions that were created during the Progressive Era made life easier and more efficient, and in doing so they helped shape modern society as we know it today.
Paper towels, for instance, …show more content…

Jazz music “was the first American music style to influence music worldwide” (“All That Jazz,” 2). The genre emerged in the late 19th century but it was popularized at the end of the Progressive Era. It was developed by former African American slaves and influenced by “European harmonic structure and African rhythms,” yet it was more closely akin to blues and ragtime (Schuller 1). In retrospect, the Progressive Era was a time of jubilation and enjoyment as well as cultural advancement and progress. “The youth of the 1920's was influenced by jazz to rebel against the traditional culture of previous generations”. Moreover, despite its competition from classical music, jazz rose in popularity and helped to generate a cultural shift (Boundless, …show more content…

“During the late 1800s and early 1900s, women and women's organizations not only worked to gain the right to vote, they also worked for broad-based economic and political equality and for social reforms” (“Women’s Suffrage in the Progressive Era” 1). There was a turning point in the late 1880s and early 1890s, during which “the nation experienced a surge of volunteerism among middle-class women.” The previously separate wings of women’s rights movement united to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Their relentless effort was finally rewarded in 1917, when “President Wilson (a convert to the suffrage cause) urged Congress to pass a voting rights amendment. Another crowning achievement also occurred that year when Montana’s Jeannette Rankin (elected two years after her state enfranchised women) was sworn into the 65th Congress on April 2, as the first woman to serve in the national legislature.” Although these were great leaps on the way to gender equality, the 19th amendment was not passed until 1920, “providing full voting rights for women nationally” (“The Women’s Rights Movement, 1848-1920”

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