Knowra Progressive Era Progressive Era A period of reform in the United States, roughly from the 1890s to the 1920s, marked by efforts to address industrialization, urbanization, and political corruption.
Sixteenth Amendment : A 1913 amendment to the U.S. Constitution authorizing a federal income tax. It supplied the federal government with a durable revenue source for expanded public programs.
Muckrakers : Investigative journalists who exposed corruption, unsafe conditions, and abuses of corporate power in the early twentieth century. Their reporting helped turn hidden abuses into targets for public action and legislation.
Theodore Roosevelt : The 26th U.S. president, known for trust regulation, conservation, and the Square Deal. His presidency made federal action against corporate abuses a prominent Progressive-era cause.
Jim Crow laws : State and local laws enforcing racial segregation and disfranchisement in the United States, especially in the South. Their persistence exposed how Progressive reform often left racial hierarchy intact or reinforced it.
Gilded Age : A period of U.S. history from the 1870s to about 1900 marked by rapid industrialization, inequality, and political patronage. Its industrial and political conditions formed the immediate backdrop to Progressive reform.
Seventeenth Amendment : A 1913 amendment establishing direct popular election of U.S. senators. It advanced reformers’ campaign to make national officeholders more directly accountable to voters.
Initiative and referendum : Procedures allowing voters to propose laws or approve or reject legislation directly. These tools were promoted to bypass legislatures seen as controlled by political machines or business interests.
Woodrow Wilson : The 28th U.S. president, whose administration enacted major tariff, banking, and antitrust reforms. His New Freedom program extended federal economic regulation during the era.
Chinese Exclusion Act : A 1882 U.S. federal law suspending immigration of Chinese laborers, later extended and expanded. Its restrictionist legacy contrasted with reformers’ claims to improve national civic life.
Industrialization : The growth of machine-based manufacturing and large-scale industry in an economy. Its concentration of wealth and power helped generate demands for regulation and labor protections.
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