How Successful Was The Progressive Era

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The Progressive Era was a time in U.S. history between 1890 and 1920 that consisted of political and social reform. The movement sought to solve issues caused by urbanization, industrialization, and the unfair distribution of wealth and power. Some of the reforms include education, women’s rights, the food industry, labor, politics, housing, and railroads. Many Americans believed that there was a lack of democracy, and that reform was needed to combat the social and political issues America was facing. One such reform was environmental protection, where progressives called for an end to exploiting America’s natural resources. The call for environmental reform was successful because the public and government saw a need to help the environment, therefore …show more content…
Progressive Era environmentalists went further than protecting American land by also protecting the environment in urbanized areas, such as creating better waste management and city parks. This proves that environmental reform was successful since there was support from the presidential level, showing that the issue was being taken seriously. This makes it so that environmental concerns that were expressed by people such as Muir and Pinchot were heard and acted upon. One of the initial positive results of the environmental effort was the creation of Yellowstone National Park in 1872 and Yosemite National Park in 1890 by John Muir. These forest reserves allow land to not be sold to corporations or private individuals. Theodore Roosevelt’s administration worked with many organizations and individuals to protect the environment. They were responsible for the Newlands Act of 1902, the Waterways Commission in 1907, the Conservation Commission in 1909, and many more, which all helped preserve the nation’s