Progressive Era Vocab

Progressivism

A movement in the early 1900s that wanted to fix problems caused by industrialization, corruption, and inequality in America.

Margaret Sanger

A nurse who supported birth control and started the first birth control clinic in the U.S.

17th Amendment

Gave people the right to vote directly for U.S. Senators instead of state legislatures choosing them.

18th Amendment

Banned the making, selling, and transporting of alcohol in the U.S. (Prohibition).

19th Amendment

Gave women the right to vote.

Muckrakers

Journalists who exposed corruption and problems in society to bring about reform.

Panic of 1907

A financial crisis where banks failed and the stock market crashed, leading to a push for banking reform.

The Jungle

A book by Upton Sinclair that exposed dirty conditions in the meatpacking industry.

Carrie Chapman Catt

A leader in the women's suffrage movement who helped women win the right to vote.

Women's Christian Temperance Union

A group of women who worked to stop alcohol use and promote moral behavior.

Eugenics

A belief in improving the human race through controlled breeding; often used to justify discrimination.

John Dewey

An educator who believed schools should teach students how to think and solve problems, not just memorize facts.

Clayton Anti-Trust Act

A law that made it easier to break up monopolies and protected workers' rights to strike.

Carrie Nation

A woman who fought against alcohol by smashing bars with a hatchet as part of the temperance movement.

Charles A. Beard

A historian who said economic interests influenced the writing of the U.S. Constitution.

Niagara Movement

A group led by W.E.B. Du Bois that demanded full civil rights for African Americans.

W.E.B. Du Bois

A civil rights leader who wanted African Americans to fight for equal rights and co-founded the NAACP.

Louis Brandeis

A lawyer and Supreme Court justice known for defending the rights of workers and the public.

Tuskegee Institute

A school founded by Booker T. Washington to teach African Americans practical skills and trades.

Hepburn Act 1906

A law that gave the government more power to regulate railroad prices.

Bull Moose Party

A political party formed in 1912 by former President Theodore Roosevelt after he lost the Republican nomination. It was also called the Progressive Party. The party wanted reforms like women's suffrage, safer working conditions, and more government control over big businesses.

Ida B Wells

An African American journalist, activist, and teacher who fought against racism and worked to stop lynching in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She also supported women's rights and helped start the NAACP.

Carrie Nation

A famous leader in the temperance movement, which wanted to stop alcohol use in the U.S. She became known for using a hatchet to smash saloons and bars in the early 1900s because she believed alcohol was harmful to families and society.