The progressive era was the response of different groups to the problems that were caused by the rapid industrialization and urbanization that came after the Civil War. Some of these problems included the spread of poverty, the exploitation of labor, the breakdown of democratic government caused by the emergence of political organizations, or machines, and a rapid movement toward financial and industrial concentration. Many Americans feared that combinations of economic and political power were destroying …showed first 75 words of 1320 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1320 total…level with the 18th Amendment. This prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of liquor. While not all progressives agreed with one another, in my opinion, they accomplished a lot. Legislation gave federal and state governments the tools they needed to protect consumers, citizens began to help each other, and people, such as the muckrakers, started speaking out for what they believed in. The American social and political backdrop was changed considerably by progressivism. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**