What did the Progressives try to accomplish?

The Progressives tried to accomplish many things. They saw many problems in our society and tried to correct them.

The Progressives believed too many people weren’t involved in politics. Thus, they set out to change that. The 17th Amendment allowed the people to elect our United States senators. Women got the right to vote with the 19th Amendment. People could remove elected officials from office as a result of the recall. People could even get legislation introduced in the state legislature with the initiative.

The Progressives wanted to control the actions of big business. Laws were passed to inspect the meat industry as well as to regulate the food and drug industries. The government went after businesses that formed monopolies if they did things to hurt the American people. For example, the Northern Securities Company was ordered to dissolve as a result of a Supreme Court decision. Businesses were also prevented from charging different prices to different customers.

The Progressives want to protect workers and children. Child labor laws were passed, and kids had to attend school. Worker compensation laws were passed. Laws were passed to require factories to take steps to ensure worker safety.

The Progressives wanted to correct the problems they saw in society. They wanted to level the playing field for the common person.