The Progressive Era was a time period from 1900-1917 in which people known as "reformers" sought to fix the problems that industrialization and urbanization had caused in America's cities.  These progressive reformers called upon the United States government to take on a new role by creating laws to help solve the problems in American society. 

 

In the early 1900's there was no mandatory public education, so most children your age worked long hours in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.  There were no government agencies to ensure that food was safe to eat, women did not have the right to vote, African Americans faced fear and discrimination, and America's cities faced the challenge of building housing and infrastructure for millions of new immigrants coming to America for a new start. 

 

Progressives worked to solve problems caused by industrialization and urbanization.  They sought to bring an end to child labor, clean up city slums, stop corruption in politics, and most importantly, to limit the power of big businesses and monopolies.  They challenged the powerful interests that were controlling government and preventing “common people” from reaping the benefits of America’s growing wealth.  For the first time in the history of the United States, government claimed the right to regulate businesses for the public good.