Progressive Movement Essay Example for Free

Progressive Movement Essay The period from 1890 to 1917 in the history of United States is known as Progressive era. This period is marked by an all-encompassing and intensive change in all spheres of American life viz. political, economic and social. According to Nevin and Commager, this period was â€Å"marked by revolt and reform in almost every department of American life. Old political leaders were ousted and new one enlisted; political machinery was overhauled and modernized; political practices were subject to critical scrutiny and those which failed to square with the ideals of democracy were rejected. † (p. 382) These leaders from middle class pleaded for government regulation of big businesses to prevent exploitations pf the weaker sections. Stressing on the needs for reforms, Theodore Roosevelt said, â€Å"No hard-and-fast rule can be laid down as to the way in which such work [reform] must be done; but most certainly every man, whatever his position, should strive to do it in some way and to some degree. (Roosevelt) Most of the problems that Progressives wanted to tackle was an outcome of the industrial expansion and the political-industrial coalitions of the Gilded Age. During the Progressive almost every department of American life was overhauled and modernized. Thus Progressivism was a movement with â€Å"predominantly middle class objectives and viewpoint, deriving much of its support from small businessmen, farmers and professional people.† ( Parkes, p.544) At the federal level, the Progressive movement set in with the inauguration of the President Roosevelt curtailed the powers of the large organizations was epitomized through the suite against The Northern Securities Company in 1903. He introduced other legislative measures to breakdown the monopoly of the large corporations. Trust-Busting was the first radical step taken by Roosevelt that was aimed at the breaking of monopolies in any form and its abuses. Second major proponent of Progressivism at the Federal level was President William Howard Taft (1909-1913) who accomplished more progressive legislation than the Roosevelt. He introduced and enacted law to check corrupt practices during the elections. He dissolved ninety trusts under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act (these trusts were saving huge taxes in the name of charity and were involved in certain illegal activities). He strengthened the cause of democracy when he propagated the idea of direct elections for the senators and introduced 17th amendments in the U.S. constitution. Woodrow is the next in the row for progressive presidents. He introduced far-reaching economic reforms and adopted a number other progressive measure to capacitate the entire American spirit with purpose. Hs foremost priority was the revision of tariff and introduction of viable reforms. Secondly, he introduced another Act to reconstruct the monetary and banking sector. Although his program of more progressive reforms were cut short but the outbreak or WW II but two more constitutional amendment (18th and 19th) became effective in his presidency.[1] Progressives could not bring about the revolutionary transformation of the political and economic system. The evident disappointment of the Progressive movement was its disinclination to deal with racial discrimination. Although it had a national agenda but it was meant for Whites only. The Afro-American suffered from the victimization at the social and state level through disfranchisement, Jim Crow laws, and poverty.   Additionally, it failed to address the questions of class conflict and ended in despair for small owners and businessmen. Yet it cannot be denied that through their reforms they tried to revitalize democracy and made the rulers responsible and accountable to the public. â€Å"Perhaps the best known results of this era are the 18th and 19th Amendments, Prohibition and woman suffrage respectively. But this legislation really came at the tail end of the period that has come to be known as the Age of Reform. The amendments were actually the byproducts of an immense social and political upheaval which changed forever the expectations of the role government would play in American society.† (PBS) References Nevins, Allan Commager, Henry S. 1966. A short history of the United States. New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   York: A. Knopf. Parkes, Henry B. 1959. The United States of America—A History. New York: Knopf. PBS. The Progressive Era 1900-1918. On-line. Available from Internet, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eleanor/peopleevents/pande08.html, accessed 23 March   2008. [1] 18th Amendment of U.S. Constitution the process of introduction of Prohibition was completed whereas 19th Amendments granted the right of vote to the women on equal terms with men.

Christmas, Then And Now Essay -- essays research papers

Christmas As I slowly awaken from a deep sleep, cool air hits my squinting eyes and I have the feeling that this is not a normal day. I close my eyes again and ponder for less than a spilt second then realize that SANTA CAME LAST NIGHT!!! I throw back the covers, ignoring the cold that would have kept me in bed for hours later on a normal day, and run to the Christmas tree. Without any lights on I quietly examine everything placed under the tree. I notice that Santa had eaten my cookies and drank all my milk. This made me feel as if I had accomplished something more important than world peace; I had fed Santa. All my unwrapped gifts that had appeared only overnight had a special aura surrounding them. Something magical. With a perpetual smile I sit and enjoy the look of the tree and all m...

How the Constitution Limits the Power of Government

The Founding Father of America believed that freedom is a cornerstone of the nation. Therefore freedom had to be protected from any kinds of abuse including abuse by the Government. In order to achieve this purpose the Constitution has been designed in a manner that allowed to limit the powers of governing authorities and protect human rights. This paper shall investigate some of related constitutional provisions and demonstrate how the Constitution limits powers of the Government. First and foremost powers of the Government are limited by the American Bill of Rights which includes inalienable rights of every citizen which under no circumstances can be terminated. These rights include a right of free speech, right to carry arms, right to privacy etc. In fact the Bill of Rights does not limit the Government, yet it provides abilities for individuals to protect themselves from abuse by the Government [1]. The second feature that allows to limit power is principle of separation of powers. There are three branches of power: legislative power represented by the Congress, executive power headed by the President and judicial power vested by the Supreme Court. Neither of the branches has absolute power and each of them has certain rights and obligations together forming the checks and balances system – a second guarantee against abuse of powers[2]. The third opportunity to limit the Government is federalism. The principle of federalism means separation of powers between the central power and the states. Federalism restricts exercising absolute power by the Government because some powers can be exercised exclusively by the States. On the other hands, some powers can be exercised exclusively by the central government, so power of the Government and power of the States are mutually limited[2]. The fourth opportunity to limit powers is a right of citizens to elect their governments (both Federal and State). The Government which abuses human rights and misuses it’s powers would simply not be elected for the next term, thusly being deprived of opportunity to further infringe it’s powers[3]. Works Cited: 1. Constitution of the United States of America. Amendments 1-10 (American Bill of Rights). Available at: http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html (last viewed: May 3, 2008) 2. Cooray Mark The Australian Achievement: From Bondage To Freedom. Available at: http://www.ourcivilisation.com/cooray/btof/chap174.htm   (last viewed: May 3, 2008) 3. Jacob G. Hornberger (2000) The Constitution: Liberties of the People and Powers of Government. Available at:   http://www.fff.org/freedom/0900a.asp   (last viewed: May 3, 2008)   

What Can We Do. We All Know What Happens. We Hear It On

What Can We Do? We all know what happens. We hear it on TV. We see it in the newspapers. We warn our girls about the probabilities that they might be a victim too, a victim of rape. Why is it that we have a rapist in the world? Are not we taught that ethically and morally we must treat each other as we want to be treated? Who would want to be stripped of their clothing, stripped of their independence, and stripped of their sense of security and safety. Is it a natural phenomenon? Is it something that we have inherited from animalistic instincts for sex or dominance? Or is it just mental issues that arise in rapists? Oddly enough, even though sexual assault happens often in society, it is swept under the rug and forgotten about with other†¦show more content†¦Groth also noted to other types of rapists: anger rapists and power rapists. These types might sound alike, but they are actually very different. An â€Å"anger† rapist will do anything they can to make a victim feel powerless, h umiliated, and worthless. They will make sure to be as brutal and violent as they can be when striking them down, tearing their clothes, and sexually violating them with little to no mercy. On the other hand, â€Å"power† rapists want to act out a sexual fantasy where the victim would first reject the rapist but later find themselves enjoying the rape. Power rapists are among the most common rapists in America. This type of rape stems from low self-confidence, creating the need to feel adequate in a world where they may be having problems, such as financially, psychologically, or even just problems fitting in with their peers (Groth, p 44-45). The United Kingdom s media outlet called The Telegraph did an article on why men rape. In the article there is a man named John who confesses to being a multiple offender of rape and indecent exposure. In his story, he describes how he started to rape when he was fifteen, stating that the experience gave him some sort of pleasure and fe eling a validation to be able to have someone. Also, at a young age John was molested by friends of his family. This left a sense of anger towards his parents and family for notShow MoreRelatedDescriptive Essay : The New Life1213 Words   |  5 Pagesyet by the young age that I was age, but I do remember some things that they did to me. Some people even think that I am lying when I tell them my story. Sometimes I wish that it was a lie, but then I remember that what happened to me and my siblings makes us who we are. Me, Le’ Anna (now Zoey) and my Older sister, Savanna (now Kylie) and my younger brother, Ronald (now Brodie) got abused and then we got adopted. We accept that, now that we are all older to understand at least some of it. 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