The Progressive Era

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The Progressive Movement was intended to fix many of the United States problems surrounding its industrial growth of the nineteenth century. The eventual goal of Progressivism was to clear up corruption in all aspects of the government and economy. The two Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and President Woodrow Wilson wanted to give the working american a superior chance to obtain success. The Progressive Era was very successful because by the time of the First World War, Progressivism had affected multiple issues plaguing the United States such as consumers and workers concerns were addressed with new policies, efforts to protect our nation’s natural resources had been put into effect, Institutions to aid the lower class in elevating their statuses…show more content…
The Progressive Era). Both presidents were determined to make a meaningful change to better their country. Theodore Roosevelt was 42 when he succeeded to the office, becoming the youngest president in U.S history. Leading his party and country into the Progressive Era, Theodore promised the average citizen fairness, broken trusts, railroads regulations, and pure food and drugs (Boundless. The Progressive Era). It was during this time that Progressivism gained recognition. President Roosevelt wanted to immediately begin Trust Busting, which is the effort focused on breaking up monopolies that controlled a specific market or industry and terminated any chance for strong economic competition. One of the most memorable cases of trust busting took place in 1904 which was about the Northern Securities Company having control over other companies (Boundless. “The Progressive Era). The organization of the company brought James J. Hill, J.P. Morgan, and E.H. Harriman to work together. What this partnership allowed for was Northern Pacific and Great Northern Railways to be controlled by one big…show more content…
A muckraker is someone who seeks to expose corruption of businesses or government to the public (Khan Academy). The most famous case of a successful muckraking brought to the attention during Roosevelt’s time as President was that of Upton Sinclair. Upton Sinclair had secretly gone undercover in the Chicago meatpacking industry to unmask the horrible work conditions and practices that were being ignored by the meat companies. He documented his information in a book he had published titled “The Jungle” (Foist, Laura). Upton Sinclair’s exposure on the meat industry forced President Roosevelt to send Charles Neill and James Reynolds to inspect the meat packing plants on a unexpected visit. After finishing their visits, Neill and Reynolds reported back to President Roosevelt and confirmed Sinclair’s information was correct. However, simply confirming Sinclair’s findings was not enough evidence for President Roosevelt. President Roosevelt urged for congress to pass the Meat Inspection Act of 1906. After the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 was passed the Food and Drug administration was established to make advancements in the meat industry and manage a level of sanitation in their daily operations (Foist,

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