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What is the Progressive opportunity?

The Progressive opportunity was a period of time when the country was ready to make various social and political changes. Around 1900, muckrakers began to write about problems in various areas of our society. People were concerned about some of the issues that existed and were supportive of making reforms.


Upton Sinclair wrote a book called The Jungle. The book described the unhealthy and the unsanitary conditions in the meat industry. This led to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act. This law required meat to be inspected by the federal government before it could be sold. The Pure Food and Drug Act also was passed when people realized companies were falsely labeling foods and medicines in order to make more money.


John Spargo’s book called The Bitter Cry of Children led to changes in laws regarding workers. Laws were passed that outlawed child labor in certain industries and required children to attend school. When people realized that kids were being exploited, they were ready to make changes to fix the problem.


Lincoln Steffens wrote in his book called The Shame of the Cities about how money was influencing politics. This led to many political changes. These included the direct election of U.S. Senators, the development of the initiative, the referendum, and the recall, and the granting of the right to vote to women. It also led to new forms of local government such as the development of the commission plan of government.


People were concerned about the actions of big businesses. Many people believed big businesses exploited the common person. Several government agencies were developed to regulate big businesses, and some big businesses were ordered to dissolve. The Northern Securities Company was one example of a big business that was broken up by court action.


The Progressives seized upon the opportunities that presented themselves in the early 1900s. Other groups such as the Populists had previously discussed some of the ideas that the Progressives were now supporting, but these ideas weren’t enacted. The Progressives took advantage of a supportive environment that allowed for many changes to be made to reform our society.

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