The
Progressives were such a large and diverse group that it is difficult to generalize about them.
It is best to say, in response to this question, that they thought responding to the effects of
rapid industrialization and urbanization was the most important issue of their time.
Progressives generally argued that government ought to play a role in curbing the
excesses of the era. They did not want to destroy capitalism, but rather to manage it in ways
that made it beneficial for more people. So many Progressives supported, for example, anti-trust
laws that reined in the power of monopolies. They promoted shorter hours and safer working
conditions in factories. They supported child labor legislation and safety regulations for food
and drugs. Because they worried about the effects of urbanization, Progressives championed
efforts to "clean up" city politics through reforms such as hiring city managers and
establishing city council systems that were less open to control by political machines. They
also promoted housing regulations, set up settlement houses and city volunteer organizations,
and other measures intended to reduce crime and create better living conditions in urban areas.
Some actually pushed for immigration restrictions, especially on Eastern Europeans, and the
movement to prohibit alcohol always had a strong anti-immigrant bent. So the Progressives
believed in trying to rein in the excesses that had characterized the United States during the
so-called "Gilded Age."
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