Essay on Progressivism Unveiled: Roosevelt's Vision and Achievements in the American Journey

Who is Progressive?

In the current political setting in the United States, there has been an increased progressive force in the U.S. Congress advocating good governance in the United States. Considerably the progressive movement in the United States is not just an emerging political occurrence; the movement existed in the 20th century with proponents and prominent people like Franklin Theodore Roosevelt, who is considered one of the greatest proponents of progressivism. Progressive became popular in the United States and was well-known for its advancement the progressive era took place in the United States of America between the 1890s and 1920s (Hovenkamp, 2017). Roosevelt is a historical character who was remembered for his charismatic and dynamic character.

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Characteristics of Progressive

According to Roosevelt, a progressive is a person who is positive about life and is always ready to offer a positive direction and dispute a resolution. As per his speech, a progressive person acts to regularize corporations and protect them from corrupt government individuals. Another characteristic of a progressive individual is that a person is always positive and passionate about any given change and transformation and is willing to offer voluntary services and valuable solutions (Lombardo, 2017). A refined person is an individual who still demands social justice and is always frank and open in fighting for the democratic rights of his people; as per Roosevelt's speech, a progressive individual is a person who has the desire to secure suitable living environments for them that live in the crowded areas.

Characteristics and Examples of Anti-progressives

In his speech, Roosevelt describes an anti-progressive as a person who has any form and type of specific privileges and interests directly or indirectly. The anti-progressives believed in the reactionary and indefensible court decisions that primarily favored the privileged class. They believed in oppressing the less fortunate in society and denied them social justice. The anti-progressives were more concerned with maintaining the status quo; this means that the individual anti-progressives wanted to control the government machinery and acquire wealth through corruption or fishy techniques. They did not consider women as equal partners; hence men dominated leadership and governance compared to women

Types of Activities Carried Out By the Anti-Progressives

Anti-progressives were people who mainly felt that progressiveness was not crucial to the country. They engaged in corrupt activities that helped them acquire wealth with no regard for society. They regulated the large corporations and passed laws that limited the working hours. These laws were primarily for those who worked in factories, especially women. They did not believe in women's liberalization. Many of them were business owners. Thus, they created employment for the populace but manipulated their workers at their expense and benefits in many instances (Engel, 2015). Many anti-progressives also engaged in activities that encouraged anti-democratic mechanisms and aimed at demeaning public reforms and institutions.

The Goals of Progressivism.

Per Roosevelt's speech, one of the goals of progressivism can be found when he said, "his aim is to make sure that men secure the real and not the nominal rule of the people"…another one "is to ensure the elimination of the social and industrial injustices that have been imposed to the people by the government." As Roosevelt explained in his speech, another goal is to protect people's social welfare and ensure that people have favorable working conditions and hours. The primary purpose of progressiveness, as outlined by Roosevelt, was to liberate society. Thus progressives sought to champion and advance the equality of the members of the community (Hovenkamp, 2017). Roosevelt also highlighted the creation of economic reform for the Americans as one of the goals of progressivism. Conclusively the primary purpose of progressivism, as per Roosevelts, was to defend humanity and not the privileges.

Explain What Areas of Society Progressives Addressed?

As described and explained by Roosevelt, progressives addressed several areas in society. One of the regions described is people's welfare. In this regard, progressives seek to control and protect people's welfare by ensuring that their interests are managed. As per Roosevelts, progressives understand that large corporations can create environmental pollution without appropriate protection of their welfare (Duke, 2016). As addressed by progressives, another area focuses on prohibiting workers from being exploited by large industries whose only aim is profit maximization rather than paying much attention to the workers. The other area that has been addressed by progressives is the area of women's liberalization; in this regard, progressives considered that gender equality was a huge step towards the growth and progress of society. Other areas advocated and championed by progressives were poverty eradication and improved quality of living.

Analyze the Progressive Achievements Roosevelt Highlights in his Speech

In his speech, Roosevelt highlights different progressive achievements. One of the accomplishments is revealed that the administration present tried its best to do the most valuable. He also went ahead to state the protection more so securing the people's right to regulate the water power franchise is an accomplishment. As Roosevelt described, another achievement is the right to the exploitation of children and the equality of gender. Another achievement is the introduction of social and industrial justice to all Americans with no regard for prejudice. He also stated that the interventions laid out by any given government could only be successful in that the individuals elected and appointed have a high degree of integrity.

Conclusion

As per Roosevelt's speech, it is evident that progressivism was a significant aspect of American society's history. Roosevelt is considered the greatest proponent of progressivism and one of the founders of the progressive movement split from the Republican Party. As per the essay, it is evident that progressivism supported women's liberalization because it considered women as critical components of society's future advancement. Through progressivism, Roosevelt made several achievements that included the introduction of social and industrial justice. As discussed in this essay, progressivism's main aim was to defend humanity and improve the quality of living standards. The article provides and explains the characteristics of progressives and anti-progressives, as illustrated in Roosevelt's speech.

References

Duke, J. A. (2016). Three men in the wilderness: Ideas and concepts of nature during the Progressive Era with Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, and John Muir. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/307/

Engel, J. A. (Ed.). (2015). The four freedoms: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the evolution of an American idea. Oxford University Press. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=swLECgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&ots=7rIf-JwHXw&sig=gCZsMYXEqU3kS2chce1uYpvMTtU&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

Hovenkamp, H. (2017). The Progressives: racism and public law. Ariz. L. Rev., 59, 947. https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/arz59&div=32&id=&page=

Leonard, T. C. (2017). Illiberal reformers: race, eugenics, and American economics in the Progressive Era. Princeton University Press. https://ideas.repec.org/b/pup/pbooks/10572.html

Lombardo, M. F. (2017). The Progressive Era. In Founding Father (pp. 19-46). Brill. https://brill.com/view/book/9789004304529/B9789004304529_002.xml

Steger, W. P. (2015). A citizen's guide to presidential nominations: the competition for leadership. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780203522486