Progressive Movement and the New Deal - Essay Example

 The decade of the 1900s was filled with problems and chaos that had plagued the needed to be addressed. America during the 1900 was the epitome of chaos as millions of poor workers were frustrated with working conditions as corruption loomed in city government The progressive movement mark the initiation of “big government” involvement in which reform became a critical aspect to address these sorts of issues. Social and economic change was not only necessary but vital towards the success of America itself as the government was extremely ambitious to implement these reforms. While recession continued to haunt countries worldwide, the progressive movement and the new deal established a solid ground for fundamental change. The progressive movement and new deal were similar because they introduced new programs, embedded reform and paved the way for greatness for the nation. The progressive movement and the new deal in essence were similar in many ways. First and foremost was the fact that it halted the progress of rebellion that was about to up heal during the industrial era. The progressive movement introduced new economic programs partly due to the fact that the muckrackers quest to address the ills of the society that were ruining the nation. The effort to improve society was a major push that was new to the nation as key issues such as reforming working conditions and assisting the mentally ill people challenged the whole notion of old traditions. The era of progressivism movement can be Progressivism at its best aimed to remove corruption by imposing child labor laws, addressing lynching based on racism, and removing politicians that were involved in illegal business practices. At the local level, progressivism continued to display brilliant signs of reform as the construction of schools was pushed, political machines were dissolved, and politics was addressed in an efficient manner. Similarly, the new deal, was a focal point of domestic reform. Roosevelt’s New Deal was considered of two phases that were planned to recovery and relief. The first phase concentrated on to heal society from Great Depression through different channels. Acts such as the Agricultural Adjust Administration clearly boosted agriculture reform. Bank reform occurred in Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which installed a limit and tightened finance regulations. The Civilian Conservation Corporations (CCC) and Public Works Administration (PWA) were again civil works project that enhanced the public infrastructure of the nation through building dams and bridges. The second phase of the New Deal 1935 and 1941 concentrated on recovery measures. The implementation of the social security system tremendously secured the economic security and the individual warfare. The Fair Labor Standards Act that was passed in 1938 again emphasized as minimum living standards for workers that were associated with commerce. The minimum wage was raised from $0.25 to $0.40 along with 44 hours limit and established pay for overtime. The Department of Labor spearheaded this effort as the standards were raised. Clearly, both programs were instilled to improve social and economic reform that drastically paved the way for a better standard of living. Although there are many similarities between progressivism and new deal; there were also differences that distinguished the too. For instance, the New Deal popular to contrary belief, the New Deal was not the most effective legislation in the 20th century. As a matter of fact, the new deal was just an extension of framework that was laid down during the progressive era during the 1900s. Without progressivism, the birth of New Deal would be impossible. The progressive called for a more direct democracy in which the needs of society were met through large government involvement. The call for women’s voting rights and improvements on the political system were emphasized. However, the new deal did not particularly focus on improving society as whole. The whole notion of New Deal was more economic reform than social reform. In addition, the New Deal was also to enhance moral support of the nation rather than a social change. As mentioned above, the Agriculture Adjustment Act, was not only instilled to raise prices to benefit farmers but was also embedded to support individual freedom that the country was initially based upon. Programs were specifically created to help the nation. In addition, the progressive movement called for more social engagement from citizens. In essence, the goal was to abolish corruption while establishing a true democracy that was free from any corruption. Consequently, the New Deal did not emphasize on that issue as much. The mere responsibilities of New Deal were to heal America on its quest to rise from ashes. Without a doubt, both progressivism and the New Deal paved a way for new America. As mentioned above, both deals broke roots from old tradition. Before the initiation of both of the programs, much of America was narrow-minded. However, progressivism challenged the notion of traditional belief and was based on the needs of an individual more so than the needs of big businesses. The step to harness growth with introducing schools and mental asylums for the challenged was a new concept that society never pondered upon prior to the industrial age. A major shift occurred during the 20th century as American agriculture and rural life went through major transformations. Both the New Deal and the progressive era influenced society to make drastic changes. Individuals from rural areas migrated to urban areas as the US workforce of 22 million suddenly became industrial workers. The transformation from agriculture to industrial age contributed and harnessed growth of the U.S economy. Although the New Deal did not eliminate the ever lasting depression, it left a big imprint in the country as Supreme Court justice John Clarke states “The New Deal have put a new face upon the social and political life of our country.” Unquestionably, both these programs enabled the government to use the supreme force of the government. Both these programs under strong leadership thrived. The results can be seen as unemployment decreased from 25% to 10% during this era. In addition, bank closings were drastically reduced from 4000 to almost nothing due to FDIC. Lastly, both the New Deal and the progressive movement laid a foundation for new programs to be embedded in the future. Although the new deal and progressivism era were supported from both liberal and labor groups—it was met by constant criticism from conservative groups. This again laid the foundation for future programs that are imposed by the government even in the modern era. A prime example of this was shown prior to attacks post September 11, 2001. After these tragic attacks, the government introduced a new legislation called the “Patriot Act.” The nature of the U.S. Patriot Act is an issue that still remains a mystery as Congress quickly passed the bill without much debate. There is no doubt that the U.S. Patriot Act intrudes upon the privacy of Americans, promotes censorship, and initiates racial profiling. Although this act seemed controversial, it clearly laid a solid proof that the government has the mere obligation and supreme power to instill legislation for the best of the nation’s interest. Without a question, the true purpose of the government was defined and derived from the foundation laid upon by progressive movement and the New Deal. The New Deal and the Progressivism movement that occurred during the 20th century was the focal point that was vital towards the nation’s growth. Both legislations were crucial as they introduced new programs, instilled reform, and paved a way for future legislation. Without a doubt, one cannot diminish the importance and gravity of these legislations that literally renovated the economic and social system of America itself. One can only ponder the current state of the nation today, granted these programs were not implemented in the early 20th century. Works Cited “The beginning of the twentieth century”. "Progressive Era."Digital History. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. < http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/progressivism/index.cfm> "Progressivism and the New Deal." Qirien's Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. . Read More