Reformers During The Progressive Era

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There are many people throughout the history of society that makes changes to improve society as a whole. The middle class during the Progressive Era, was seen to always want novelty and a variety of different things; these people were often called reformers. African Americans and women could finally claim rights, they created very powerful reform movements. Other reformers where the educated young adults who were discovering electricity, vaccines, and growing technology. These reformers were trying to address economic, political, and cultural issues between 1890 to the 1920’s. Many were trying to allow their voices to be heard of the changes they wanted to be made in the United States. From the creation of election polls to circus shows, …show more content…
The movements were created with good intentions in mind. One major movement that proved to be very successful was the creation of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). The WCTU was the first organization to fight against domestic violence. The movement proved to be successful because it brought into light how wives and children were abused by men who consumed alcohol. This movement gained reformers from various backgrounds; it drew in middle class dwellers, rural citizens, Methodists, Baptists, Mormons, and so on. As some leaders of the WCTU investigates alcohol abuse they also discovered the rising problem of poverty, hunger, and unemployment. Another movement that proved to be successful was the introduction of birth control. A woman named Margaret Sanger demonstrated to America that birth control was greatly needed in the United States. In the United States many people refused to talk about sex or the possibility of using birth control. Sanger made valid points to the public that women have sacrificed their lives and bodies to populate the earth. She was encouraging women to stop being submissive to society and speak up. After the Great Depression, America seemed to be rising up from the dirt. Babies boomed from so many families. The increasing population caused a rise in misery, poverty, and ignorance. Birth control was a movement to regulate the population of society. It proved to be a way for women to be in control of their own bodies. Women in the working class felt it was a crime to bring children into the world to die of starvation. Even today, many women still use birth