Question

Who did Progressives believe was responsible when workers were injured at work?

Answer 1

Progressives were generally from the middle class and included journalists, educators, clergy, politicians, and social workers. They could belong to either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party, and they were generally Protestants.
Progressivism was somewhat a reaction against laissez-faire (to let the people do what they want) economics's. However, progressivism did not have a fixed set of reforms, but rather a series of responses to problems in American society.
Progressives generally believed that industrialization and urbanization created a lot of social problems. Progressives doubted the free market's ability to address the issues of poverty and crime in the working class. They wanted government to intervene on these issues. However, they also believed that the government needed to be fixed before intervening.
Many progressives wanted to end the corruption that they saw in city government. Many times the city council or mayor would give government jobs to supporters or friends who knew very little about the way the government needed to be run. Progressives supported two main ways to make government efficient.

The first was the commission form. This plan divided the government into departments, each headed by a commissioner who was an expert. These departments included the Public Works Department, Finance Department, Parks Department, Fire Department, and the Police Department.
The second was the council-manager form. In this form the city-council, whom voters elect would hire a city manager to run the city. He would be an expert in government and would appoint the Heads of the city department.


Progressives had a large role in the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment. The Seventeenth Amendment requires the direct election of senators by the state's voters. This was meant to end the corruption of political machines, but it also removed a state legislatures' check on federal power.
Many progressives joined the universal women's suffrage movement. The suffrage movement had a slow start at first, but it gained momentum by the early 1910's. This progressive movement led to the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment on August 20, 1920. This amendment gave voting rights to women.
Progressives also put their time into social welfare problems. They created charities for the poor and disadvantaged and vied for laws to help fix social problems.

Child Labor- Progressives used tragic stories of young children who were forced to work in dangerous conditions. John Spargo published a book called "The Bitter Cry of the Children." This book showed evidence of horrifying labor conditions that children were forced to endure. Theses stories convinced states to pass laws including a minimum age for working, and maximum hours children could work.
Health and Safety Codes- Union Leaders and Progressives joined forces to get states to pass worker compensation laws. These laws made insurance funds that the employers financed.
The Prohibition Movement- Progressives thought that alcohol caused many problems in society. They started the temperance movement and got the Eighteenth Amendment passed on January 16, 1919. However, this amendment was not popular and caused public outcry. It was repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment in 1933.
Regulation of Big Businesses- Some Progressives believed that the government needed to break up big businesses. This lead to the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890. This act prohibited any "combination... or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce among the several States." This act, being poorly worded and enforced, served more for establishing a precedent than for instant impact. Some Progressives even advocated socialism. Socialism is the idea that the government should own and operate industry. However, most Progressives believed in free enterprise.

Answer 2

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