Societal Change During the Progressive Era

1. Societal Change During the Progressive Era

2. Women’s Suffrage Movement • Women had been fighting for more rights for nearly a century • In the early 19th century, the U.S. was a patriarchal society – men held positions of authority and women were considered inferior. • Women could not vote, serve on juries, or hold public office • In most states, women lost control of their property and wages to their husbands when they married.

3. The Women’s Rights Movement • By 1848, women had organized and held a convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y. • Passed a resolution proclaiming women were equal to men and deserved the right to vote (it paraphrased the Declaration of Independence) • Women were disappointed when the 14th & 15th amendments gave citizenship and the right to vote to male freedmen, but not women.

4. Women Suffragists • Susan B. Anthony – attempted to vote in Rochester, N.Y., thereby challenging the 14th amendment and her rights as a citizen. Her denial of vote was upheld by the Supreme Court. • Elizabeth Cady Stanton – worked with Susan B. Anthony to lead the National American Women Suffrage Association. • Women reformers were able to obtain suffrage in a number of Western states, but did not succeed in introducing a constitutional amendment.

5. THE 19th AMENDMENT (1920) • During WWI, as men fought in Europe, millions of women took their places in the workforce. • This made it hard for opponents of women’s suffrage to deny that women were the equals of men. • Shortly after America entered the war, an amendment was proposed in Congress that said no state could deny a citizen the right to vote on the basis of sex. • It was ratified in 1920.

6. Impact of the 19th Amendment • A step toward making America a true democracy • Even with the right to vote, few women were voted into office (a trend that still exists today) • It also did little to bring about equality of economic opportunity between the sexes • Most women continued to face discrimination and were paid less for the same work than men

7. The Progressive Movement Comes to an End • Women’s suffrage was the last notable reform of the Progressive Era • Americans had met many of the challenges posed by industrialization • They were ready for more economic growth

8. COMPULSORY EDUCATION • Reformers called for compulsory education for children, because they believed an educated population was necessary for democracy to work • This, in addition to the work of labor unions and industrial accidents, led to the passage of child labor laws • With fewer children in the workplace, there was no reason for them not to be in school

9. AMERICAN LITERATURE AND ART • The late 19th century was one of the greatest periods of American literature (newspapers, magazines, “dime novels”, novels) • Realism – nothing more or less than the truthful treatment of material – was the leading literary fashion • Realism provided an opportunity to show the impact of industrialization and social change on people.

10. Authors • Horatio Alger – praised hard work and discipline and saw wealth as a sign of divine favor (Ragged Dick and Strive for Success were two examples of his work) • Mark Twain – reflected the differences in pre-Civil War society and afterwards (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Gilded Age, and Huckleberry Finn are examples) • William Dean Howells – magazine editor who prompted realism (The Rise of Silas Lapham described the struggles of the new rich to find acceptance in society)

11. Continued… • Jack London – wrote adventure stories dealing with the conflict between civilization and nature (The Call of the Wild) • Henry James – master of the psychological novel. His stories often depicted America’s wealthy upper classes and the differences between America and Europe (The Portrait of a Lady) • Katie Chopin – a notable woman novelist. Depicted conflict between our inward and outward lives (The Awakening caused scandal and was banned from many libraries across the nation)

12. Art and Artists • Realism was the main style of art, as well • James McNeill Whistler – influenced by modern French painters. Is most famous for the portrait of his mother • Winslow Homer – known for paintings featuring the sea, boats, and coastlines • Thomas Eakins – another realist portrait painter (The Gross Clinic is his most famous) • Henry Ossawa Tanner – a student of Eakins, one of the most important African-American painters who focused on everyday scenes • Frederick Remington and Charles Russell painted and sculpted cowboys, Native American Indians and the landscape of the American West.