The Progressive Era: A History from Beginning to End

The Progressive Era was the period of American history between the 1890s and 1920s. It was movement dedicated to political and social reform largely driven by the middle class. In a world that was dominated by wealthy industrialists and threatened by radical ideas of laborers, the middle class strived for order.


Women played a prominent role in the movement. Their main objective was gaining the right to vote, but they also worked tirelessly on temperance, urban reform, and other social reforms. Women gained a strong influence even before they achieved suffrage.


Progressivism was dominated by optimism for the future and the ability of civilization to find solutions to age-old problems. Those in the movement had an overriding faith particularly in Western civilization and its apparent greatness. The end of the era embodied a severe questioning of that faith. Ultimately, the Progressive Era left a legacy of hope, but also a warning against hubris.