Inequalities During The Progressive Era

Words: 1062
Pages: 5
Open Document
The reconstruction period of the United States was a time where our country rebuilt the Federal and State Government, underwent transformations in the economy, reaffirmed white supremacy, and reinvented citizenship. The many changes during the reconstruction period brought on inequalities in many facets of the American society. Inequalities during the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era were prevalent, and they were also considered a problem to contemporaries. Contemporaries saw the inequalities as a problem because they were prevalent in the work force due to industrialization and the exploitation of the poverty-stricken and middle class workers, women were not granted certain rights due to disenfranchisement, and there was an emphasis of white …show more content…
Because of Imperialism, the Federal Government’s power increased due to the country’s taking over and control of new land. American Imperialism was strongly related to white supremacy. In “The White Man’s Burden” by Rudyard Kipling, he says, “On fluttered folk and wild, your new caught, sullen peoples, half devil and half child” (Kipling, “Burden”). This basically means that it was the country’s obligation to humanize the foreigners because they were considered savages. White supremacy was also considered a staple of immigration in America. The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first law passed by Congress that excluded an entire group based on race. A major supporter of this legislation was James Phelan. Phelan, as well as most Americans, saw the Chinese as a “vastly inferior civilization in completion with our own” (Phelan, “Excluded”) due to their tendency to drink and gamble. Inequality from Americans towards non-Americans was extremely evident in the Imperialist Era. Americans resisted Imperialism with the Anti-Imperialist League which protested the country’s presence in the Philippines. William James thought that because of Imperialism the United States “regurgitated the Constitution and it won’t swallow again immediately what it was so happy to have vomited up” (James, “Question”). The Americans that were against Imperialism considered it to be conflicting with the country’s founding beliefs. Members of the Anti-Imperialist League still did think that white was the superior race. The members of this league felt that immigrants could assimilate to blend in with
Show More

Related Documents: Inequalities During The Progressive Era

Progressive Era Research Paper

The Progressive Era, which spanned from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, was a period of significant social and political reform in the United States. During this time, various groups and individuals sought to address the social, economic, and political problems that had arisen as a result of industrialization and urbanization. While the Progressive Era did bring about some important changes in American society, the extent to which it was effective in achieving its goals remains a…

Words 544 - Pages 3

The Progressive Era Women

The Progressive Era is a period in time where change was necessary to resolve the issues of the Gilded Age that were as severe as destitution and corruption itself. The evolution that was the progressive era consisted of the improvements that were vital to combat the deprivation of women's rights. Women were deprived of their natural rights, they were deprived of their birth given economical benefits, they were deprived of their social status besides being the wife of, and most importantly women…

Words 524 - Pages 3

Essay On The Cult Of True Womanhood

During the period of Reconstruction, the United States consolidated the federal government, redefined citizenship, underwent economic transformation, and affirmed white supremacy. These changes set the stage for political, economic, and social inequalities that developed and existed in many aspects of society during the Gilded Age. As a result, contemporaries of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era identified inequality as a problem because inequality prevented women from attaining full citizenship…

Words 1529 - Pages 7

Progressive Era Dbq

efforts of the Progressive reformers and federal government succeeded in expanding women’s suffrage rights across the nation but such success was not accompanied with an increase in the amount of women voting. Prior to the reform movements of the Progressive Era, women were politically oppressed in a way where society denounced their right to a political opinion which lead to the anger and discontent among many females, as illustrated in Document H. The Progressives during this era, however, seized…

Words 361 - Pages 2

Muckrakers During The Progressive Era

visual inequalities existed in businesses and society have pressured the government to take actions in essential reforms. This time period was called the Progressive Era, where progressives guided the nation to a better life with better living and working conditions. Indeed, it marked a significant adjustment in society of the U.S., which was best demonstrated through the enhancement on social welfare programs, the big businesses reform and the women’s suffrage movement. In the Progressive Era, muckrakers…

Words 649 - Pages 3

Society During The Progressive Era

The progressive area, which occurred between the years 1890 and 1920, significantly changed the face of america and impacted society even today. During this time period the United States experienced major innovations that changed things such as businesses, and how immigrants and poor people were perceived in society. Some major innovations that helped change society during this time was the Jan Addams Hull-House which allowed poor people and immigrants to have a place to stay, In Addition to the…

Words 343 - Pages 2

Present Day Research Paper

have shaped modern US society, focusing on the women's suffrage movement, the Progressive Era, the Great Depression and New Deal, the Civil Rights Movement, and the countercultural movements of the 1960s. These topics will be analyzed using specific terms and events to illustrate the evolution of the society we know today. The Women's Suffrage Movement The women's suffrage movement, which began in earnest…

Words 931 - Pages 4

Harlem Progressive Era

that created the staple era in U.S History. To name a few, Zora Neal Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Jean Tumor migrated to Harlem to flourish in their lives. Most of the blacks in Harlem during the 1920s traveled from the South/Confederacy to escape the gloom and racial cruelty. They would begin to prosper, and contribute golden entertainment,…

Words 722 - Pages 3

Gilead Age Vs. The Progressive Era

it can be concluded that the Gilead age and Progressive era had different type of governance. The Gilead age promoted less good society than the progressive era because of the lack of reliability, predictability and accountability of the government. The government in order to promote good society must work on the relationship to business, with people, immigrants and people of color, foreign people. The Gilead era government had…

Words 1057 - Pages 5

The Inequality Of Social Reforms

October 27, 2014 American Heritage II The Inequality of Social Reforms The Progressive Era was a combination of local, regional, and national movements focused on a variety of reform initiatives to improve the lives of many Americans. The main goals of this movement were to create a legislative response to industrial excess, provide better safety conditions for workers, grant women suffrage, make alcohol illegal, and end child­labor. However, progressives seemed to neglect race and labor issues that specifically involved…

Words 772 - Pages 4