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Example research essay topic: Women In The Progressive Era - 1,107 words

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In the 1890 s, American women emerged as a major force for social reform. Millions joined civic organizations and extended their roles from domestic duties to concerns about their communities and environments. In the years between 1890 and 1920, a time of social changes, that became known as the Progressive Era. In this time era, millions of Americans organized associations to come up with solutions to the many problems that almost everyone was facing, and many of these problems were staring American women right in the face.

Once where women were to be seen and not heard soon became a thing of the past. Women began to speak out against the laws that were deliberately set against them. Throughout this time period, all women were denied the right to vote in all federal and most state held elections. Women struggled to achieve equality; equality as citizens, equality in the work place, and equality at home.

During this time, Americans worked to fight corruption in government, reduce the power of big business, and improve society as a whole. For instance, just as the Irish wanted good work and the farmers wanted a good banking system, women wanted equality. During the late 1800 s and early 1900 s, women and women's organizations worked for various rights for different groups of people. They not only worked to gain the right to vote, they also worked for political equality and for social reforms. But how did this all start to happen? It didnt happen overnight, and it wasnt a one-person battle.

Women wanted the same rights as men already had. But they didnt just stop there, women played a major role in the rise of the child labor laws, stood up for minorities, and they wanted prostitution to end. Most people who opposed woman suffrage believed that women were less intelligent and less able to make political decisions than men were. Opponents argued that men could represent their wives better than the wives could represent themselves. Also, it was thought by some that if women had the right to a vote, they might use it to gain other rights that could ultimately lead to the end of family life that most were comfortably accustomed to. Progressivism was not just a single movement, rather it was several different organizations of people trying to accomplish their own goals.

Keep in mind, this era was a few decades long, so many things were accomplished over a long period of time. Women exercised what they saw as their rights as citizens to shape public policy and create institutions. Progressivism generally took two forms: Political and Social reform. What most social reformers found was that they could not rely on people doing the right and moral thing all the time. If law is going to be used for social reform, who is going to make the law? Politicians.

However, politics and politicians were seen as a big part of the problem, not the solution, therefore, Progressives seen that the future for a new America ultimately depended on changing the government and politics. Women acted through several various organizations during the Progressive Era, such as the Young Womens Christian Association (YWCA), the National Consumers League (NCL), Womens Trade Union League (WTUL), and other various trade unions. Female reformers also lead the movement against child labor and the womens suffrage campaign. They won minimum wage and maximum hours for women workers through Muller V.

Oregon, public health programs for pregnant women and babies, and improved educational opportunities for both children and adults all in a mater of a few decades. But thats not the end of the array of accomplishments, they even succeeded in creating the Childrens Bureau (1912) and the Womens Bureau (1920) in the federal Department of Labor. All in all, womens activism created a better relationship between citizens and their government, which was a primary focus of attention. But, who was responsible for all of this you might ask? Well, there were many leaders for many different organizations. Florence Kelley, Jane Addams, Ellen Swallow Richards, Susan B.

Anthony, just to mention a few, had an impeccable impact on the way everyone, not to mention women, live life today. Among the many famous and powerful women whose names are associated with the progressive era, arguably, one of the most remarkable was Florence Kelley. Kelley had many roles in many movements, including a role in the abolishment of child labor, the passage of protective legislation for working women, the establishment of minimum wage laws, and the development of maternal and child health services. However, she wasnt working entirely alone. As secretary-general of the NCL, Kelley helped establish sixty-four local consumers' leagues throughout the United States, traveling extensively among them each year to promote policies agreed upon by the national board. Perhaps she is best known for the successful defense of the ten-hour-working-day legislation for women in the 1908 U.

S. Supreme Court decision Muller v. Oregon that she and the Oregon League put together. In this case, Kelley's friend / attorney , Louis Brandeis, made legal history in this case with the first time use of scientific and social data to argue their case before the Court. For many weeks before the hearing, Kelley and her assistants worked long hours to present to the Court a wide range of evidence regarding the harmful effects of long working days (then, 12 to 14 hours) on womens health. Kelley wasnt alone when it came to her battles in the progressive era.

She shared similar qualities with many others, male and female alike, they were known as progressives. They tended to be old-stock, upper and upper-middle class Americans. They wanted to preserve traditional American values against what they believed to be a threat against their way of life. They were strongest in the cities mainly due to its close location to where conflict took place.

During the progressive era, American had a immigrant problem. For the most part, it was handles by some of the progressives. Many of these female reformers were educated in colleges (womens colleges appeared in late nineteenth century). Even though they possessed a college education, they were still banned from most professional careers.

Just as a way to keep busy and active in the community, the women associated themselves with the WTUL, WCTU, the NCL, and a system of centers that were known as settlement houses. These organizations were meant to purify the public men of corruption. For example, the WTUL and the NCL went after male-owned garment factories in which female workers were harshly treated. The Temperance Union sought to eliminate the dominantly male img...


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