The Progressive Movement was a complicated, even contradictory, phenomenon which sometimes pushed for the expansion of popular democracy while at other times, or even simultaneously, advocated that the functions of government be placed in the hands of experts. The movement addressed some of the worst domestic problems of its time, but its mainstream largely ignored widespread and worsening racial injustices. Review the Progressive Movement of the first two decades of the twentieth century, and generalize what you take to be its core principles. Identify the specific economic, social, and political problems which the Progressives sought to address and explain Progressive approaches and policies toward those issues, at local and national levels. Describe the variations within Progressivism, including the differing agendas of white and black Progressives. Assess the success of specific Progressive policies and approaches. Consider the impact of the First World War on Progressivism, and vice versa. Summarize your responses to these prompts by answering the following questions:
a. What, in your estimation, were the key principles of the Progressive Movement?
b. What were Progressivism’s most significant successes and failings?
c. Can the First World War be regarded as a particularly Progressive conflict, or did it derail the Progressive Movement—or are both of these statements true?
When responding to these questions, draw from the material in the textbook and in the following sources:
a. The progressive era
b. How the other half lives: Studies among the tenements of New York
c. Chapter nine
d. The shame of the cities
e. The history of the Standard Oil Company
f. 1900-1930
