The Progressive Movement was an effort to cure American society of many of the ill ideals that had developed during the late 19th and the early 20th centuries because of the rapid spurt of industrial growth. Through this movement Americans struggled to cope with a wide range of social, economic, and political changes. Those who advocated or implemented social reform or new, liberal ideas were known as Progressives, which would later become a political party in 1912. This era saw the expansion of political and economic freedom through the renewed effort for women's suffrage, the use of political power to expand workers' rights, and efforts to improve democratic government by weakening the power of capitalists and giving everyday citizens more influence in legislation. To show the American public the reality of society and encourage them to improve these issues, the progressives focused on matters like slums, horrible working conditions, child labor, and poverty. The Progressive Era included reforms such as the struggle for women's rights, education, and the better working conditions. Progressivism had many goals to improve the United States, which include: to protect social welfare, promote moral improvement, create economic reform, foster efficiency, and regulate sanitation.
The Progressive Movement saw great gains in general economic initiatives during 1900-1920. To begin, President Theodore Roosevelt believed he was serving the public good by supporting legislation that promoted the rise of the national state. For example, Roosevelt was seen as striking out against good trusts and bad trusts, as shown in document A. Unlike his predecessors he did not side with the wealthy capitalist owners. He was not afraid to stand up and champion workers' rights including the right to unionize and strike for better working wages and conditions. He stepped in and threatened a federal takeover of coal mines in West Virginia and Pennsylvania in an effort to end the standoff between labor and the company.
