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Pulling it all Together

The Progressive movement, the New Deal, and the Civil Rights movement(s) of the

1960s are historical events which have long-lasting effects on America. Each event has left a

substantial mark on society in that it helped reform the US government to better fit the needs of

the people, and to make America a fairer place for minorities and the impoverished. The

Progressive movement, the New Deal, and the Civil Rights movement all made reforms that

make America what it is today.

The Progressive movement began its ascent at the turn of the 20th century. The

Progressives called for the government to heal the ills which had been created in society by

industrialism and urban cities. Progressives focused on economic, environmental, and social

improvement, along with fighting for rights of women, children and workers. The women of the

progressive era created the profession of social work and founded settlement houses in poor

neighborhoods to help the disadvantaged. A Progressive, Margaret Sanger, founded Planned

Parenthood and popularized birth control. Progressives were responsible for the push to pass

laws like the Pure Food and Drug Act, and legislature banning child labor and regulating

working conditions. While Progressives often failed to champion full equality, they did fight for

reform for a system of industrialism that was not working.

Franklin D. Roosevelt also wanted to reform a broken system, years later in the 1930s.

He took office during the worst economic downturn America has ever had. During the first one

hundred days of his administration, he worked with Congress to have 15 major bills passed,

beginning the New Deal. The New Deal was aimed to help Americans stricken by the Depression

by providing relief, recovery and reform. Roosevelt created Social Security, one of the most

important policies of the New Deal and something still in place today, in order to guarantee
security to the elder and those who lost their jobs. Roosevelt also succeeded in reforming

agricultural markets, minimum wage, and unions, as well as the stock market.

During the 1960s, the Civil Rights movement for black Americans evolved; black people

began to challenge segregation and voter suppression, among other injustices. Their activism led

to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act. The black civil rights movement also

provided the spark for other oppressed groups to fight against the systems which hurt them.

Latinos, gays and lesbians, Native Americans, students and women all followed in their

footsteps, challenging norms and demanding reform. The second wave of feminism led to Title

IX and the Equal Pay Act; the Chicano Movement made President Johnson appoint the first

Mexican American Equal Employment Opportunity Commission commissioner; the red power

movement gave Native Americans rights to their ancestral lands and protection of their religious

practices, among other things.

The common thread running through these events is, of course, reform. Throughout

history, in these events and beyond, brave Americans have called for changes to a system that

hurts already disadvantaged citizens like the poor, immigrants, minorities and women. None of

these things went unopposed; people criticized the Progressives, they insulted Roosevelt and

there was violent backlash in response to the Civil Rights movement. We still have a long way to

go before we can say America has a system that works, but events that push progression and

reform have happened before and will hopefully keep happening.

Work Cited

Roark, James L., Michael P. Johnson, Patricia C. Cohen, Sarah Sage, and Susan M. Hartmann.
Understanding the American Promise: A Brief History. 2nd ed. Vol. II. Boston, MA: Bedford/St.

Martins, 2011. Print.

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