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Thesis
'Actions of prominent figures, not actions of the government, were the real reason the Progressive Movement was successful.' How far do you agree?
To a great extent the movement’s success was largely driven by prominent figures who raised public awareness, led social movements, and forced lawmakers to act.
Exposed Corruption and Social Issues - Facts
Muckraking journalists used investigative reporting to expose political corruption, corporate monopolies, and urban poverty, sparking public outrage that forced government action.
Jacob Riis – Urban Poverty and Tenement Reform
Published How the Other Half Lives (1890), exposing horrific living conditions in New York City slums through photography and reporting.
His work led to housing and sanitation reforms, including the New York Tenement House Act (1901).
Upton Sinclair – Meatpacking Industry Reform
His novel The Jungle (1906) exposed unsanitary conditions in Chicago meatpacking plants, shocking the public.
Directly led to the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act (1906), ensuring federal regulation of food production.
Thomas Nast – Political Corruption and Tammany Hall
His political cartoons in Harper’s Weekly targeted New York’s corrupt Tammany Hall political machine and boss William "Boss" Tweed.
Nast’s cartoons helped lead to Tweed’s arrest and downfall in 1873 and inspired future government crackdowns on urban corruption.
Fight for Women's Rights, Racial Equality, and Labor Reforms - Facts
Activists played a direct role in advocating for change, organizing protests, lobbying lawmakers, and mobilizing public support for progressive causes.
Susan B. Anthony – Women’s Suffrage Movement
Co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association (1869) and campaigned tirelessly for women’s voting rights.
Her activism led to the passage of the 19th Amendment (1920), granting women the right to vote.
Ida B. Wells – Anti-Lynching and Racial Justice Advocacy
As a journalist and activist, Wells exposed the horrors of lynching in the South in her publication Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases (1892).
Though Congress did not pass anti-lynching laws at the time, her activism paved the way for future civil rights movements.
Mother Jones (Mary Harris Jones) – Labor Reforms and Child Labor Laws
Led marches and strikes against child labor, such as the 1903 "March of the Mill Children", highlighting abusive child labor conditions.
Pressured Congress to pass the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act (1916) (though later overturned, it was a major step toward federal child labor laws).
Grassroots Social Reformers Addressed Urban Poverty and Workers’ Conditions - Facts
Beyond high-profile activists and journalists, local social reformers played a critical role in improving conditions for the working class and immigrants, often before government intervention.
Jane Addams – Settlement House Movement and Immigrant Aid
Founded Hull House (1889) in Chicago to provide education, childcare, and job training for immigrants and the poor.
Her work influenced later urban social policies, including child labor laws and public sanitation improvements.
Florence Kelley – Worker Protections and Child Labor Reform
Advocated for minimum wage, 8-hour workdays, and child labor laws as head of the National Consumers League (NCL).
Played a key role in passing Illinois’s first child labor law (1893) and inspired federal labor protections.
Frances Willard – Temperance and Women’s Rights
Led the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), which fought against alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and unsafe working conditions.
Her activism helped pass Prohibition (18th Amendment, 1919) and strengthened the role of women in social reform.
Linkage
Without these journalists, corrupt business and political practices might have continued unchecked, showing how media figures drove reforms by mobilizing public support and exposing injustices.
These activists directly fought against injustice and mobilized the public, showing that grassroots movements, not government action alone, were the true drivers of reform.
These reformers directly improved urban life and working conditions, proving that progressive change began at the grassroots level before government action.
Government Action Was Essential for Lasting Reform - Refutation
While prominent figures raised awareness and pushed for reform, only government action made these reforms lasting and enforceable. Without legislation and federal oversight, corporate abuses, political corruption, and social injustices would have continued unchecked.
Theodore Roosevelt’s Trust-Busting and Consumer Protection
Used the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) to break up monopolies like Northern Securities (1904) and increase federal regulation.
Passed the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906), ensuring consumer safety.
Woodrow Wilson’s Economic and Labor Reforms
Passed the Federal Reserve Act (1913) to regulate banking and the Clayton Antitrust Act (1914) to strengthen anti-monopoly laws.
Established the Department of Labor (1913) to improve worker protections.
Government-Backed Constitutional Amendments
16th Amendment (1913): Established federal income tax to fund social reforms.
17th Amendment (1913): Allowed direct election of U.S. senators, reducing political corruption.
19th Amendment (1920): Granted women the right to vote after decades of activism.
