A11+-+Gilded+vs.+Progressive

*Compare and contrast the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era.

The Gilded Age was from about post Civil War to 1896. It was a time of social, political, and economic transformation in the United States. It was known as the Gilded Age because everything looked alright but underneath there was political corruption and greed. The social transformation came with more urbanization. The cities grew in population, mainly in the Northern States. Immigrants caused the cities to swell, increasing poverty. New technology in transportation also fed urbanization, pushing the cities to expand. The Women's Rights movement also began to come back, disappointed that the 15th Amendment had not given them voting rights. The economic transformation brought impressive growth to the economy. The United States economy in the 1870's and 1880's grew the fastest rate in its history. The economy recovered quickly after Panic of 1873 and 1893, while the economy continued to grow. Politics changed with the Populist Party starting in the late 1800's. The Populist Party protested "unfair business practices." Populism was mainly a rural movement VS. Progressives, who focused more on urban problems, i.e. plight of workers. poor sanitation, and corrupt political machines.

The Progressive Era was from 1896 to the late 1920's. The Progressive era was a time of political and social reform in the U.S. Progressives were keen on helping the working class and the consumer. During the Progressive Era, a lot of the political corruption was eliminated and journalists like Ida Tarbell and Upton Sinclair exposed the unethical business practices of large corporations like the meat industry and Standard Oil. Many Laws were passed in the Progressive Era to protect consumers and the working class (see list below). The three Progressive presidents were Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and William Taft.

Laws from Progressive Era: Federal Farm Act 1916: Provided low interest loans to farmers by setting up 12 federal farm loan banks each with $750,000 capital to distribute ot needy farmers. Clayton Antitrust Act 1914: Clarified and extended the 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act by stating what corporations could not do. For instance corporations could not sell good below price to drive out competitors, and businesses could not by stocks of competing businesses to create a monopoly. Meat Inspection Act: Said meat shipped across state lines required a federal government inspection. Pure Food and Drug Act: Forbade the manufacture, sale, or transportation of food or medicine with harmful ingredients.