Progressive Era: The Rising Power of WomenAMST 3252W Final PaperProgressive Era: The Rising Power of WomenWe define the Progressive Era the time in American history at the turning point of the 20th century, the time when industrial Revolution has brought along rapid industrialization and economic development, but also severe conflicts in social groups. Through the huge economic shift in the society, the social awareness of gender roles came along. During this significant era, women’s power and rights have been lifted to a huge extent, with dedication and efforts of progressive mid-class women such as Jane Addams and Emma Goldman, to name just a few. Their strong influential political and social efforts have not only led to the passage of the 19th amendment, empowering women’s rights to vote, but also helped the federal government oversee such social problems as education, social welfare, environmental issues, health, and working conditions. All the magnificent investments by the insightful women activists have paid off in today’s perspective, helping the United States moving forward to democracy socially and politically.
The background of the movement was the Industrial Revolution. As a result of the other side of the coin of this revolution, between 1890s through 1920, waves of immigrations from outside of United States were arriving, numerous large cities were expanding, and as a result, issues of polarization of uneven social statuses, rates of infant mortality, and political concerns raised awareness of the public. Trains and factories with smoke in the first-ever-made video of electrocuting Leon Czologosz, implied the industrial civilization that resulted into some serious consequences. Jacob Riis, a great photographer took the picture, How the Other Half Lives (1891), describing the slums where lived the poor and criminals in New York City. The scene illustrated thoroughly the social problems engendered
The Industrial Revolution
The end of the Civil War produced a number of problems with the urban environment during the era of the urban order.
The rise of public opinion on government and political rights made for a radical new phase in the political economy of the United States, and led many American citizens to form pro-government and pro-war parties. The idea of political leadership was especially important in America during the era of the new states. However, this development did not lead to its reversal, leading some to argue that the political environment would remain the same today and that political support would be limited and concentrated in a few small states. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 provided the impetus for these political groups to seek new ideas. Social movements often found a way to be mobilized, but not within a specific political party, for the sake of promoting social change.
“We can see today that the political arena is more fluid and the more that there’s a political consciousness involved, or a general sense of an urgency.”- Thomas R. Miller of the Union Square Press, p. 27
The Second Revolution of 1968
For another period a wave of political activism and other “progressives” took up the opportunity to launch major struggles in the United States. For decades following the Democratic convention in 1968, the Civil Rights Movement grew in magnitude and intensity. The civil rights movement gained support, but also increased the level of hostility and paranoia in the United States and led to significant setbacks for the movement toward civil rights.
During that time, the Civil Rights Movement grew and was a major element of a wider and more sustained political movement. However, the civil rights movement also received considerable political support during this period, and the rise of mass civil disobedience caused significant problems to an extent. In the aftermath of the 1964 presidential election, the movement was brought up by the Tea Party for greater civil rights and civil rights protections. This political movement generated popular support, and the Tea Party won the largest amount of electoral votes in federal history.
The Second Reconstruction of 1988
Since that time, the movement over the Civil Rights movement did not suffer completely from internal fragmentation. As the First Amendment issues were still being addressed, there were still a number of constitutional issues that were contentious and in dispute. The federal system was still in disarray and in many areas the nation had never seen the level of polarization of the society or of the political process before.
The Second Reconstruction of 1988 changed all that, as a series of national and regional challenges within the state and in local governments continued to be debated. The Second Reconstruction became a political phenomenon, and many of these national crises were put under the microscope by the media and news events occurring around the country that made for a broader and more nuanced political message. Following the civil rights gains of 1968, numerous states were attempting to implement their own similar national and regional initiatives.
The Second Reconstruction saw the emergence of new groups of activists in order to create new social movements that would form the basis of a new political movement. While local elected officials did take on the problem of race relations and poverty as issues of public health and welfare reform, there also ensued significant political