The Progressive Era & Reform
Aligned to C3.D2.His.3 — C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.
What this lesson teaches
From about 1900 to 1917, reformers called Progressives tried to fix problems created by industry and city growth. Journalists known as muckrakers exposed corruption and unsafe conditions, and reformers pushed laws to break up monopolies, protect workers, and win women the vote.
Worked example
In 1906, Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle described filthy conditions in Chicago meatpacking plants; the public outcry led Congress to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act that same year.
Practice questions
- What was a muckraker, and what did they do?
- Explain one law or reform that came out of the Progressive Era.
- Analyze how public opinion could pressure the government to pass new regulations.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
La Era Progresista y las reformas
Desde alrededor de 1900 hasta 1917, unos reformadores llamados progresistas intentaron corregir los problemas creados por la industria y el crecimiento de las ciudades. Los periodistas conocidos como muckrakers (removedores de lodo) denunciaron la corrupción y las condiciones inseguras, y los reformadores impulsaron leyes para desmantelar monopolios, proteger a los trabajadores y lograr el voto femenino.
Ejemplo: En 1906, la novela La jungla de Upton Sinclair describió las condiciones insalubres de las plantas empacadoras de carne de Chicago; la indignación pública llevó al Congreso a aprobar la Ley de Alimentos y Medicamentos Puros y la Ley de Inspección de Carnes ese mismo año.
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