The Progressive Era

Around the turn of the last century, the excesses of the Gilded Age became politically unpalatable. The laissez-faire style of government that had allowed unrestricted commerce did little to protect the rights of workers or provide for the needy.

In Wisconsin, Bob LaFollette fought political corruption. In Washington, President Theodore Roosevelt broke up the trusts that had monopolized whole sectors of the economy. And around the country, farmers and laborers organized for political unity.

Journalistic endeavors in this era of muckraking shed light on dangerous work conditions and squalid housing. Famous examples include Jacob Riis's photography and writing about tenement life and Upton Sinclair's exposure of unsafe meatpacking practices.

A 1909 White House Conference on Dependent Children signaled a change in government interest in children's welfare. Previously considered a local or private charitable concern, children's welfare received federal attention with the creation of a US Children's Bureau.


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