The Populists and the Progressive Reformers in America’s History
Introduction
America’s economy in the 19th century was healing from the devastating economic effects of the great depression. The economy had bounced back, and the prizes of the commodities stabilized. Some of the companies in the US benefited from the expansion, and the acquisition of the overseas territories. Some reformist argued that ruling these territories without the consent of the people was unacceptable. These predominant middle-class reformers emerged during the 1890s, and are branded the name; “Progressives.” The progressives believed the government should indulge much in promoting the welfare of the people. The populists, on the other hand, wanted the government to directly control every economic aspect of the territories, and the monetary system.
The progressives were conservative, and they believed the government should use the powers vested within its jurisdiction to regulate the policies within the financial system, and promoting social justice. The populists majorly concentrated on the government improving the conditions of the agrarian workers. The progressives in the history of the US included John Dewey, Theodore Roosevelt, Jane Adams, Grace Abott, Charles Evans Hughes, and Woodrow Wilson. James Weaver was a renowned political populist who contested for presidential elections in 1894. The populists formed the political parties to have members in the Congress to champion for the rights of the agrarian workers. The progressives formed social movements to address the problems caused by immigration, political corruption, industrialization, and urbanization. The progressives, and the populists put the human concerns in the forefront when they championed for improved political, economic, and social systems by consideration various ethical standards. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
The Populists and the Progressive Reformers
The progressives were majorly the middle-class reformers who believed in democracy, and the preservation of both private, and public property. The progressive leaders such as Theodore Roosevelt, and Evans Hughes aimed to scavenge political corruption by appointing the elites in the political seats. This paradigm informed the ethical basis upon, which the progressives acted. The quest for more educated politicians propelled the will to transform the immigration woes, political corruption, and injustices, problems related to industrialization, and urbanization[1]. The progressives were optimistic that the regulations by the government could protect every person within the capitalists’ system[2]. The progressives abandoned revolutionary movements, and sought reforms in fear that the retreat from the capitalists would disrupt the economic stability of the US.
Nevertheless, the progressives were diverse in the issues they championed. Roosevelt was opposed to the political machines who sat in the offices, and glorify corruption to the later. As a result, the progressive era targeted the corrupt political bigwigs by injecting direct democracy into the political system in the United States[3]. The progressives also sought the regulation of the monopolies via the activation of the antitrust laws. The law seemed to provide an equal political platform for legitimate competitors. Upon his ascension to power after the assassination of President McKinley, Roosevelt introduced the many reforms the progressives had always wanted. He created a larger federal government.
In the 1900s, only one percent of corporations controlled the nations’ manufactured goods. The progressives, and Roosevelt believed that an oligopoly ruled the industry, and the financial systems in the US[4]. In the oligopoly system, a small number of individuals exercised complete control of the financial system. The progressives moved for reforms, which subvert the existed policy where nearly all railroads were controlled by only one of six firms. The progressives wanted an open market in the economy of the US where monopoly reigns[5]. It is unethical for a few individuals in power to pipe all the resources to their affiliated companies at the expense of the public benefit. The progressives were opposed to too much consolidation. They argued that it would discourage innovation, and invite unethical practices in the financial system.
The populist movement advocated for a wide range of both political, and economic legislation. The movement was opined to the agrarian reformers in the Middle West, and the south. The populists had the idea that presenting their grievances in a system of oligopoly would prove a nightmare. Consequently, several alliances sprouted among the Milled Westerners, and the farmers from the south[6]. The Farmer’s alliances were discontented with the widespread crop failures, poor market conditions, and credit facilities, and drastically falling prices. The conditions led to the formation of the Populists or the People’s Party in 1892, which engulfed the Farmer’ Alliance Party. Since farmers predominantly formed the Populists Party, populists such as James Weaver championed for political democracy, which would give the farmers their long-awaited economic parity[7]. The populists needed free coinage of silver, and the abolition of the national banks as well as plenty of paper money[8]. In 1892, one of the goals of the Populist Party was to replace the Democrats as the nation’s second party. As the populists championed for their anticipated reforms, the considered the ethics behind rewarding the hardworking population (the farmers). Regarding this initiative, the populists helped farmers archive lowered interest rates, and increased the money supply in the market.
Conclusion
The various populists, and the progressive reformers took into account, the demands by every party members. On this basis, both the progressives, and the populists drafted the grievances of their members. As a result, they would ethically, challenge the masses, and the political system, which existed at the time to factor in such grievances in the whole system. The populists’ demands were driven by one of the most prominent political populist called James Weaver. He had the demands of the agrarian farmers at the fingertips when he contested in 1894. On the other hand, progressives such as Theodor Roosevelt, John Dewey, Jane Adams, and Woodrow Wilson believed in the preservation of the public property as opposed to the capitalists. Together, both the progressives, and the populists championed for reforms, which transformed the economic, political, and the social history of America.
[1] LaFeber, W., Polenberg, R. and Woloch, N., 2015. The American Century: A History of the United States Since 1941: Volume 2. Routledge.
[2] Gould, Lewis L. America in the progressive era, 1890-1914. Routledge, 2014.
[3] Johnson, Jeffrey A., ed. Reforming America: A Thematic Encyclopedia and Document Collection of the Progressive Era [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO, 2017.
[4] Miller, Stephen Paul. “Enter Populists. Enter Progressives. Enter Social Workers. Enter Frances Perkins.” In The New Deal as a Triumph of Social Work: Frances Perkins and the Confluence of Early Twentieth Century Social Work with Mid-Twentieth Century Politics and Government, pp. 38-49. Palgrave Pivot, New York, 2016.
[5] Miller, Stephen Paul. “Enter Populists. Enter Progressives. Enter Social Workers. Enter Frances Perkins.” In The New Deal as a Triumph of Social Work: Frances Perkins and the Confluence of Early Twentieth Century Social Work with Mid-Twentieth Century Politics and Government, pp. 38-49. Palgrave Pivot, New York, 2016.
[6] Kazin, Michael. “Trump and American populism: Old whine, new bottles.” Foreign Aff. 95 (2016): 17.
[7] Johnson, Jeffrey A., ed. Reforming America: A Thematic Encyclopedia and Document Collection of the Progressive Era [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO, 2017.
[8] LaFeber, W., Polenberg, R. and Woloch, N., 2015. The American Century: A History of the United States Since 1941: Volume 2. Routledge.