The Progressive Movement In The 1900's

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By the 1900’s, people wanted to see a change in the relationship between government and society and talk about the social and political injustices that seemed to have been increasing over time. Women and Populists were the major incentive to start the Progressive movement because they were fully aware of the injustices that are occurring in our nation. Progressives believed that unregulated capitalism during the increase in population in the U.S. needed more government supervision and action. Specifically, progressives wanted to gain more control of the government when it came to special interests and also protect the rights of organized labor, blacks, women, and all consumers in general. The difference between the Populist groups and the Progressives was that the Populist group was made up of mostly minorities, but the Progressives were made up of the middle class and also represented a large majority of Republicans as well as Democratic parties. …show more content…

He got the congress to pass the Elkins Act in 1903 which punished the railroad companies that created uncompetitive rebates. He then had more control over what the railroads were charging which ensured protection for the citizens from unfair cost. Another point that Roosevelt pushed was environmental conservation. Because nature was slowly turning into corporations and businesses, he set aside hundreds of millions of acres of forest reserves that could not be damaged or taken over in order to conserve them for as long as possible. The biggest change was that Roosevelt took a stand on organized labor. He created the minimum wage and made it illegal to be working over a certain amount of hours. When some workers were opposed to that, he threatened to take away the mines and give federal troops full control. This was the first time a president had ever sided with people on strike which is why the progressive movement had such a large impact on the

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