In the early years of the 20th century, the United States just underwent the Civil War and the resulting Reconstruction. HOwever, under the apparent harmony of the American cities, there were devastating social issues. Workers faced hardships; the growing industry was severely damaging the environment, and African-Americans still suffered from discrimination. Sprung from these issues were the Progressives, who strived to introduce reforms that would correct these issues. THe most influential among them were Eugene Debs, Theodore Roosevelt, and Booker T. Washington. Their contributions to various aspects of American society muckraked the American ills, and made America a better country for all.
EUgene Debs fighted for workers’ issues. Born on November 5th, 1855 in Indiana, Eugene Debs lived in relative comfort. He attended both private and public schools, and was usually at top of his class. At the age of fourteen, Debs left school and worked with Vandalia Railroad as a paint scraper. Eventually, Debs left railroad work and became the secretary for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen. Joining the Brotherhood was a turning point for Eugene Debs, as he later recalled “In the very hour of my initiation, I became an agitator.” Overtime, he became…show more content… Born a slave in Virginia in 1856, Washington taught elementary school in his hometown. In 1880, he headed a new school in Tuskegee for the training of black teachers, farmers, and skilled workers, which eventually became Tuskegee Institute. Washington accepted racial segregation, and argued that black people must get educated to raise their social status. He firmly believed that immediate demands of black suffrage and equality should be set aside, and that equality would come when the blacks were well educated. His idea was embraced by many white industrialists, and with the help of Andrew Carnegie his philosophy of “economics first equal rights later”
