Scribd
Upload
23 views3 pages

2.5.8 Practice_ Comparing Reform_ Progressives versus the New Deal (1)

The document compares the reform efforts of the Progressive Era and the New Deal, highlighting that while both aimed to address social and economic issues, the New Deal was more effective due to its comprehensive and coordinated approach. Key reforms during the New Deal, such as the Social Security Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act, provided immediate relief and established a stronger federal role in economic stability and labor rights. Ultimately, the New Deal's initiatives significantly transformed American society and government involvement in citizens' welfare compared to the limited impact of Progressive reforms.

Uploaded by

ggs
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
23 views3 pages

2.5.8 Practice_ Comparing Reform_ Progressives versus the New Deal (1)

The document compares the reform efforts of the Progressive Era and the New Deal, highlighting that while both aimed to address social and economic issues, the New Deal was more effective due to its comprehensive and coordinated approach. Key reforms during the New Deal, such as the Social Security Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act, provided immediate relief and established a stronger federal role in economic stability and labor rights. Ultimately, the New Deal's initiatives significantly transformed American society and government involvement in citizens' welfare compared to the limited impact of Progressive reforms.

Uploaded by

ggs
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

APUSH

8 November 2024

2.5.8 Practice: Comparing Reform: Progressives versus the New Deal

The early 20th century was a period of immense social and economic turmoil in America,

driving leaders to seek reforms to address the ills of poverty, labor conditions, and civil rights.

This was the time when attempts were made at the regulation of business practices, improvement

in working conditions, and control over social injustices. But these objectives were sought even

more in the New Deal of the 1930s, an era in which the federal government really started

expanding its role because of the Great Depression. Some historians think that the New Deal’s

reforms were more effective at fixing and addressing these issues than the Progressive Era's

reforms. While both periods helped bring into the States this idea of reform to increase civil

rights and better labor conditions, the New Deal actually delivered a more complete and

immediate response to America's most pressing social and economic problems by more directly

addressing poor labor conditions, child labor, and poverty.

Progressive leaders, like Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, advocated for

policies that aimed to regulate monopolies, improve sanitation, and set workplace standards for

the better and in order to help the ordinary worker. For example, the Meat Inspection Act and the

Pure Food and Drug Act were policies that greatly increased the safety of food production.

Similarly, child labor laws were put into place at the state level in order to protect young workers

who were the backbone of the American economy. However, the reforms were usually limited in

their effectiveness and were not even evenly enforced (most of the time) because the federal

government’s role in regulating business and labor kept on being restricted. While these efforts
led to some improvements at first, they did not have the reach and enforcement necessary to

make a lasting impact across the country.

By contrast, the New Deal was a unique and largely different approach to reform, given

the scope and severity of the Great Depression. The changes effected under the Roosevelt

Administration were much more radical and went to the very core of economic deprivation that

confronted millions of Americans. Programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and

the Public Works Administration (PWA) gave jobs; the Social Security Act established a social

safety net that would support the elderly and the unemployed. A further Act, the Fair Labor

Standards Act, instituted for the first time in the country minimum wages along with maximum

working hours. These reforms were not only far-reaching but also centrally coordinated,

allowing the federal government to take a direct role in safeguarding economic stability. The

ability of the New Deal to marshal its resources and address several social issues simultaneously

had made it more effective than the efforts that were witnessed during the Progressive Era.

One area where the New Deal outdid Progressive reforms was in labor rights and wages.

While there were some early efforts along these lines during the Progressive Era, the reforms

were generally circumscribed by the courts—for example, by the Lochner v. New York decision,

which struck down a state law limiting work hours. But the New Deal was successful where the

Progressives had failed, in part because of the Wagner Act, more commonly referred to as the

National Labor Relations Act, that guaranteed workers' rights to unionize and bargain

collectively; workers had been able to obtain powers previously denied to them, ensuring

improved wages and benefits on a national level. As a result, the New Deal reforms managed to

transform the labor landscape in a way that was unattainable during the Progressive Era.
In conclusion, while both the New Deal and the Progressive Era were attempts to deal

with social and economic problems, the New Deal really made it big with its holistic and federal

inroads into change. Its initiatives hit hard on poverty, improved labor conditions, and expanded

social welfare a lot better than any of the Progressive reforms had done. While neither era was

able to fully get rid of all social inequalities, the New Deal did make a transformative shift in the

government's responsibility to ensure economic and social stability, leaving a legacy that had

reshaped American society and government involvement in its citizens' welfare.

You might also like