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The Progressive movement was a political and social-reform movement that brought major changes to the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this time, known as the Progressive Era, the movements goals involved strengthening the national government and addressing peoples economic, social, and political demands. Progressives saw elements of American society that they wished to reform, especially ending the extreme concentration of wealth among the elite and the enormous economic and political power of big business.Ellis IslandWilliam Williams papers, The New York Public LibraryThe U.S. population nearly doubled between 1870 and 1900. Increasing immigration and urbanization had helped the shift from small-scale manufacturing and commerce to large-scale factory production and enormous national corporations.Gilded AgeCarol M. Highsmith Archive/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital file no. LC-DIG-highsm-13913)Starting in the 1870s, a period of excessive materialism and political corruption took hold in the United States. Called the Gilded Age, this era featured the concentration of enormous amounts of wealth among a small elite. Industrial activity and corporate growth explodedfrom 1863 to 1899 manufacturing production rose by more than 800 percentbut the profits largely went to a small number of entrepreneurs called robber barons, who established monopolies and hoarded their wealth. Meanwhile, many laborers lived in poverty and had little power.The leaders of the Progressive Era worked on a range of overlapping issues that characterized the time, including labor rights, womens suffrage, economic reform, environmental protections, and the welfare of the poor, including poor immigrants.Standard Oil strikeLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C.Labor unionscontinued to press for better economic and working conditions. Prominent issues at the time were the demand for an eight-hour workday, restrictions on child labor, higher wages, and workplace safety conditions.sweatshopLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg. no. USZ62-19966)Laborers often worked in sweatshop conditions. They worked extremely long hours, received little pay, and toiled in factories with few safety regulations. On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out in a clothing factory in New York, New York. The overcrowded and unsafe building had doors that had been locked to prevent theft, and 146 workers, mostly young immigrant women, died in the flames or fell to their deaths trying to escape. The uproar over this tragedy, known as the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire, led to the creation of the Factory Investigating Commission in New York. The commissions research led to the passage of more than 30 health and safety laws, including fire codes and child labor restrictions.Upton SinclairEncyclopdia Britannica, Inc.Journalist Upton Sinclair belonged to a class of investigative reporters called muckrakers, because they were said to rake up the muck, or dirt, hiding in society. Sinclair spent time investigating labor conditions in Chicago, Illinoiss meat slaughterhouses and packaging plants and used his findings to write the novel The Jungle (1906). He had hoped to bring to the publics attention the poor conditions the workers suffered, but people were more affected by the vivid descriptions of disgusting and unsanitary practices in the food-processing facilities. Public sentiment and U.S. President Theodore Roosevelts own reaction to the novel led to the passing of regulations for the food industry, including the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act, both in 1906.Jacob Riis: New York City tenementLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital file no. 3a18572)Increased urbanization meant huge jumps in population density. Urban centers soon had many neighborhoods full of overcrowded, dangerous, unsanitary tenements. Photojournalist Jacob Riis captured powerful images of the suffering he witnessed in poor New York City neighborhoods and published them in his 1890 book How the Other Half Lives. People were shocked and touched by seeing the pictures and pushed for legislation and aid that would help the poorest Americans. Progressive leaders such as Jane Addams, one of the founders of the settlement house Hull House in Chicago, worked within the neighborhoods to improve conditions, helping immigrants and other disenfranchised groups access necessary services.Economic reformers wanted to curb the excesses and inequalities of the Gilded Age. Public sentiment was against monopolies, and legislators worked to regulate the massive corporations that wielded economic and political power. In response to monopolies in the railroad and steel industries, the Sherman Antitrust Act, passed in 1890, helped to break up and prevent monopolies and trusts. Beginning in 1902 muckraker Ida Tarbell wrote a series of articles, later published as The History of the Standard Oil Company (1904), exposing corruption behind one of the largest trusts, the Standard Oil Company.1912 presidential electionLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C.In the 1912 presidential election Wisconsin governor Robert M. La Follette failed to win the Republican nomination, as did former president Theodore Roosevelt who had left the White House in 1909 but now hoped to secure another term. Instead, the Republicans decided that incumbent President William Howard Taft should represent them in the general election. La Follette had formed the National Republican Progressive League in 1911, and the League became the Progressive Party (better known as the Bull Moose Party) in 1912. After Roosevelts quest for the Republican nomination failed, the Progressive Party chose him to be its presidential nominee. (The partys popular nickname of Bull Moose was derived from the characteristics of strength and vigor often used by Roosevelt to describe himself.) The Bull Moose ticket of Roosevelt and vice presidential running mate, Hiram W. Johnson, split the Republican vote, resulting in a win for the Democrats under Woodrow Wilson.With Americas entry intoWorld War I, the Progressive movement fractured. However, many of the organizations founded during the Progressive Era, such as labor unions and professional and civic groups, continued to play significant roles in American society.

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The Progressive Era | Key Facts | Britannica

America is made up of two chief political parties, the Republicans and the Democrats. Of course, there are other political parties, such as Libertarians and Independents. Since the time of FDR, however, there has been a discussion of progressive policies. Yes, these policies are chiefly associated with the Democratic Party, but, the average person typically may not be able to decipher the differences in a a progressive or liberal. Mistakenly, there are those who believe that progressives and liberals are one and the same.

The polarization of America is thought to be split between two factions: the Conservative right (thought to be Republican) and the Progressive left (thought to be Democrat). However, the Democratic party of today is really becoming more split as Progressive Democrats and Liberal Democrats no longer share the same views on typical Democratic policies.

In short, the answer is both yes and no.

First, the Democratic Party is associated with both liberals and progressives. There is some debate as to why more individuals are beginning to gravitate more towards the term progressive rather than being called a liberal. A Georgetown University study found that many individuals believed the liberal term carried a negative connotation, therefore, it became more acceptable to be called a progressive.

However, this is not accurate. While some traditional Democrats carry the label of liberal with pride (think renowned attorney Alan Dershowitz), others prefer to be labeled a progressive, and it has nothing to do with a negative connotation.

Progressives have distinct policy ideas when it comes to economics.

A liberal may believe in the concept of using taxpayer money to assist those in need or to overall better society. They may not believe in a large government; in fact, many of them favor a smaller government, particularly where the everyday life of individuals is concerned.

Progressives want the government to not only utilize taxpayer money to correct an issue, but they want government regulation to correct the problem as well.

When asked, a progressive will likely agree with this distinction; most progressives are said to favor individuals over corporate interests. The liberal is more likely to embrace free speech and equality for all.

Classic liberals are influenced by the writings of those such as John Locke, and they are more supportive of individual freedoms and chief supporters of the Constitution and the rights given to Americans via the Bill of Rights.

Progressives are beginning to be aligned with Collectivism. Ironically, liberals of just a decade ago were beginning to acquire such a label, and this is likely why the group began using the term progressive to describe their policies.

In answer to the original question, a registered Democrat may be more moderate, given to individual freedom but fiscal responsibility (Senator Joe Manchin is a good example). This Democrat may identify as a liberal. However, there are registered Democratic voters who identify as progressives (Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proudly identifies as a progressive Democrat). These individuals favor not only social spending initiatives, such as free daycare for families making less than a certain amount, but they also believe the government should have an active hand in regulating certain industries.

There are multiple factors in this split in the Democratic Party. When Bernie Sanders ran for president in 2016, his successes (albeit small ones) told the nation that more and more voters particularly younger voters firmly believed in the more progressive policies embraced by the Vermont Senator, who has often referred to himself as a Democratic Socialist.

However, the Democratic Party nominee, Hillary Clinton, used many more liberal-sounding phrases in her campaign speeches. A reference to cooperative solutions to societal problems such as Together We Can or Build Back Better focus on the more liberal ideas that individuals working together can improve the country.

Progressives believe that certain institutions (the banking industry, for example) are holding those who are marginalized back. The only way to prevent this is to set up government regulations that monitor the activities of said institutions.

As of late, more establishment Democrats tend to support increasingly progressive policies. However, in the case of the Build Back Better legislation, some more moderate Democrats have deemed the bill fiscally irresponsible. President Joe Biden who used to be consider more of a moderate liberal Democrat, has been pulled more towards the progressive left as he has sought support for his agenda.

Progressivism is a political philosophy that supports social reform. Ironically, it is not a new term in politics. It can be traced back to the Age of Enlightenment, when proponents of the idea believed that an individuals life could be improved based on the advancement of technology, social organization, and economic development.

In the twentieth century, progressivism morphed once more as industrialism brought about social change in both America and in Europe. In America, President Franklin Roosevelt offered progressive policies such as the social programs he promoted in the New Deal (the Works Progress Administration, for instance).

It was during the twentieth century that progressivism began to take the form it holds today. Economic inequality was a huge focus of progressivism; they cited monopolistic corporations as a part of the problem and sought to increase regulation that would give the government more control over how these businesses operated.

One must note that some factions of progressive supporters also supported certain controversial tenets such as eugenics, which proponents believed would benefit overall public health.

The most modern version of progressivism is one in which supporters aim to represent the interests of ordinary people through political change and the support of government actions.

Some believe that the term liberal garnered a negative connotation when Newt Gingrich used it repeatedly to describe his Democratic opponents. They also infer that the term progressive has been adopted as a more acceptable label.

However, while Gingrich might have made the term liberal a bad word in politics, a progressive and a liberal are truly different in their philosophies.

Liberalism came into favor during the Age of Enlightenment as well. Philosophers such as John Locke wrote about the ills of a monarchy as well as a state religion, among other topics.

Liberals are like progressives in that they favor ending monopolies in businesses, but they believe in free trade as well as a market economy.

Traditional liberals believe in individual rights. They support a democratic government that allows for freedom of speech and freedom of the press as well as promotes civil rights of every person.

Before 1920, the main opponents of liberalism were communism and socialism; however, after WWII and the Great Depression, liberalism was more associated with the expansion of the welfare state.

Liberals of the twentieth century can be credited with many improvements to the American way of life, such as the promotion of civil rights for all (regardless of race or gender) and universal access to education.

Liberals today still believe in the civil rights of all individuals regardless of race, socioeconomic status, ethnicity or gender. Liberals also fight for some government regulation of corporations and government entities as they initially did.

Progressives may hold the same idea regarding equal rights for all, but, when progressives today speak, they tend to speak of the marginalized individual.

The problem often lies in the approach that liberals and progressives take when tackling a problem.

Most liberals are not comfortable taking progressive stances against large corporations. Some say this is because the big corporations fund the liberal Democratic candidates campaign, and this may be somewhat true. However, most liberals understand how a free market society works. They also understand that numerous regulations cost businesses large and small a great deal of money money that will be recouped somehow, usually in the price of goods. This hurts consumers, and liberals understand that this will not improve anyones economic status.

However, progressives believe that, overall, they are standing up for the little guy, even if that means taking on large corporations or other establishment entities. Some progressives are left-leaning, and want to distinguish themselves from other Democrats. At the same time, there are others who support legislation that is meant to both progress society as well as provide economic progress.

Even Bernie Sanders has lamented that a person cant be both a moderate (liberal) or a progressive.

Progressives in Congress have worked further to separate themselves from the moderates and Classical liberals of the Democratic Party. The Progressive Caucus has been a part of Congress since 1991; there are about 100 members, mostly from the House of Representatives. One Senator serves on the committee. The current caucus is chaired by outspoken Representative Pramila Jayapal and includes individuals such as Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

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Progressive vs. Liberal: What are the Biggest Differences?

Murphy is one of Americas most left-leaning governors. So why are N.J. progressives unhappy?  NJ.com

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Murphy is one of Americas most left-leaning governors. So why are N.J. progressives unhappy? - NJ.com

Last week Erik Wemple at the Washington Post wrote a really solid story about the firing of James Bennet from the NY Times. In case youve forgotten, Bennet was fired after he presided over the publication of an op-ed by Sen. Tom Cotton back in 2020. Cotton argued that the National Guard should be called out to deal with riots which were taking place in locations around the country in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. There was a huge backlash on Twitter and within the Times newsroom led by black staffers who argued (if you can call it that) that Cottons opinion piece was a threat to their safety.

In retrospect, Wemple wrote to say that Bennet was right and his critics were clearly wrong. But more than that he made an admission about why no one was willing to stand up for Bennet at the time.

Its also long past time to ask why more people who claim to uphold journalism and free expression including, um, the Erik Wemple Blog didnt speak out then in Bennets defense.

Its because we were afraid to

Our criticism of the Twitter outburst comes 875 days too late. Although the hollowness of the internal uproar against Bennet was immediately apparent, we responded with an evenhanded critique of the Timess flip-flop, not the unapologetic defense of journalism that the situation required. Our posture was one of cowardice and midcareer risk management. With that, we pile one more regret onto a controversy littered with them.

And that brings us to Jonathan Chaits piece today for New York Magazine titled Progressive America Needs a Glasnost. I agree with Jonathan Chait about nothing in politics except this one issue. But on this issue hes right and hes one of the handful of progressives willing to say anything about it. Using Wemples confession as a jumping off point, Chait writes:

Wemple may be alone in publishing this admission, but he is not alone in believing it. Many people have shared similar beliefs with me, especially in the angry summer of 2020. It is an unhealthy culture that forces people to suppress their doubts and mouth platitudes for fear of losing their livelihoods.

But the truth is Wemples fears were hardly imaginary. In recent years, many journalists lost their jobs as a result of internal social panics even more irrational than the Cotton episode. The PhiladelphiaInquirerpurged its top editor after its architecture critic wrote a column mourning the destruction of buildings during the George Floyd protests. TheTimespushed out itslead science reporterin the middle of a pandemic because a group of prep-school teens he was leading on a foreign trip complained about his centrist politics and having quoted (but not used) a racial slur.

ThePostitself had two of its most beloved and decorated staffers retire suddenly after becoming the targets of progressive anger. Gene Weingarten, its Pulitzer-winning humor columnist, wrote a ham-fisted column trying to poke fun at himself for not liking Indian food, which despite his apology set off a wave of calls for him to be fired and replaced with a person of color. Weingarten quietly retired shortly thereafter. ThePostalso ran a bizarre story about the fact thateditorial cartoonist Tom Toles threw a Halloween party at which one guest he barely knew showed up in a costume as Megyn Kelly in blackface. A few months later, Toles retired

What Wemples confession reveals is that these purges have a multiplier effect: For every person humiliated or fired for a small or nonexistent offense, many other people will refuse to criticize even transparently absurd left-wing pieties.

He concludes, there remains a deep-seated impulse on the left to defend or deny illiberal norms.For those of us on the right whove been watching left-wing illiberalism play out for the past 5-7 years, this could be the understatement of the decade. For many years there was a cottage industry of people who denied that these incidents were significant or that they were spreading. It has only been in the past couple of years that they have become so common that many on the left have stopped denying they happen and are instead denying that cancel culture or wokeism or whatever you want to label the trend is a problem.

The great irony of callout culture is that callout culture itself is always immune from being called out. And when it is, when it is shown repeatedly to be harmful and irrational the facts are ignored or downplayed.I still think Chait underestimates how significant the problem is both for his own side and for the country as a whole. If the country is beset by a looming right-wing authoritarianism that people eagerly denounce every day and by a creeping left-wing authoritarianism that most people are afraid to mention for fear of punishment and lasting consequences, guess which one is the greater threat. Its the one were afraid to talk about.

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Chait: Progressives need to overcome the fear of standing up to the ...

The All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, on Saturday, lashed out at his counterpart from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar.

Tinubu described Atiku as a shameless man who fought former President Olusegun Obasanjo in public.

He spoke during the APC presidential/governorship campaign rally in Warri, Delta State.

Tinubu said Atiku fought his former boss over how they spent money on projects for their girlfriends.

He also noted that the PDP can not be trusted with governance due to the in-fighting within the party.

Our rivals have no shame, when they are fighting in public; how can they think of governance?

When Atiku was there, he was fighting his boss in public. They were telling us how they spent PTF money to buy cars for their girlfriends in public; they dont have shame.

They dont have shame; will you vote for them again?, he queried.

Atiku served as the Vice President under Obasanjos administration.

During the PDPs eight-year rule, Atiku had endured a frosty relationship with Obasanjo.

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Presidency: You don't have shame, fought Obasanjo in public - Tinubu ...