The Progressive Era (between 1870 and 1920) saw a range issues that helped America grow, including labor rights, women’s suffrage, economic reform, and the welfare of the poor.
A time for improvement, changes whirled,
The Progressive Era, to reshape the world,
With hearts alight, fought against the tide,
To heal a nation wounded, restore its stride.
Amidst urban sprawl, poverty took hold,
Reformers arose, their voices bold,
Jane Addams was a beacon of hope,
Settled immigrants at the end of their rope.
From muckrakers' pens, truths were unveiled,
Upton Sinclair's words, the meat industry assailed,
Exposed the horrors, the workers' plight,
Their call for justice, a beacon of light.
Theodore Roosevelt, a champion of the cause,
Battling corporate might, enacting laws,
Busting trusts and monopolies, he strove,
To level the playing field, and justice to rove.
In factories and mines, where laborers toiled,
Children's innocence, by the system, foiled,
But the fight for rights, their plight embraced,
Labor unions emerged, in unity encased.
A Manhattan Fire, a terrible blaze,
Claimed hundreds of lives, in terrible ways,
Labor standards forged, safety to impart,
As workers united, a flame in each heart.
Suffragettes marched, women's voices loud,
Demanded the vote, to make us all proud,
Susan B. Anthony, with fervor untold,
Led the charge for equality, brave and bold.
Temperance crusaders, seeking to quell,
The ravages of alcohol, a societal spell,
Carrie Nation, with her hatchet swung,
A symbol of resistance, her anthem sung.
The Progressive Era, a call to attend,
To a nation's wounds, it sought to mend,
Through regulation, compassion, and might,
To create a society, justice shining bright.
For in the face of corruption and despair,
The Progressives rose, their banner in the air,
They built foundations, institutions anew,
A better nation, for them and for you.
So let us remember this era of reform,
Where dreams took shape, and ideals were born,
The Progressive Era, a chapter of hope,
A reminder that change comes when we cope.
