Introduction
The progressive era was a period of change experienced in America between the years 1890 and 1920. The industrial revolution that had preceded this period brought with it some negative impacts on the American population, such that leaders found it necessary to change the bad conditions that the Americans were experiencing.
Influential leaders from both the Republican and the Democratic Parties, as well as some of the urban working-class citizens, started a movement known as the progressive movement, which aimed at bringing major reforms in the Country by working towards bringing change in the government and its ways of governing (Lindgren 7). The movement ended upbringing change in the American government that had both positive and negative impacts on the society as well as the Country as a whole.
Positive impacts
The progressive movement brought about a lowering of import duties on goods imported into America and introduced the collection of revenue by charging Americans taxes to contribute to the government’s budget. Though Americans were not happy with this, it still went to benefit the Country’s economy. Elections were introduced to bring to an end the power the various parties in the government had earlier. This led to a fair distribution of employment opportunities as it eliminated the practice of giving jobs to only those who were supporters of a particular party.
The movement managed to have an act known as the warehouse act, which made it possible for farmers to access credit on storing their crops in government-affiliated warehouses come into effect. This enabled farmers to put their crops in storage until they could access buyers. A regular eight- hour working schedule for workers in all industries was established, and working conditions improved in all working places to ensure that the workers were comfortable and treated in a better way than how they were earlier.
There were reforms experienced in how cities were run and the powers the cities had on the economy. Power went to administrators who could manage things better, and this helped remove the earlier mayors who were corrupt. Education standards went higher with the multiplication of colleges and universities. The curriculum was expanded to keep pace with the technological and social advancements that were expected to occur (Norton et al. 557).
Negative impacts
The reformists were mainly white people who believed in white supremacy, which meant that they were against African Americans getting any of the services that they had a right to. Discrimination against blacks was one of the negative effects of this movement. They faced discrimination in terms of education, health, and employment. Women also faced discrimination, as they did not get equal opportunities in terms of employment. Another negative effect was that the rich; those who had begun and supported the movement, went on getting richer while the poor, who were mainly workers in the industries, just remained at the level they had been. Poverty levels only decreased by a small percentage, because even when the regular working hours were introduced, the salary received remained the same.
Conclusion
The progressive era saw an improvement in the lives of the American population and influenced other countries to embrace change in the way the Americans had done. The American government still upholds some of the reforms that were put in place during the era.
Works cited
Lindgren, Eric. Understanding the effects of Progressing Era electoral reforms on city elections: The San Francisco Board of Supervisor’s Races. Oregon: ProQuest, 2006. Print.
Norton, Mary., Carol, Sheriff., David Blight, David Katzman, Howard Chudacoff, Fredrik Logevall. A people and a nation: a history of the United States. Since 1865, volume 2. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.