The Progressive Era was the period of American history between the 1890s and 1920s. It was a movement dedicated to political and social reform, largely driven by the middle class. In a world that was dominated by wealthy industrialists and threatened by radical ideas of laborers, the middle class strived for order.

In this audiobook, you will explore the following topics:

• Stirred to action
• Women’s suffrage
• Temperance and anti-alcohol campaigns
• The dark side of progressiveness: forced sterilizations and eugenics
• The African American experience
• Progressive presidents and the start of WWI
• And much more!

Women played a prominent role in the movement. Their main objective was gaining the right to vote, but they also worked tirelessly on temperance, urban reform, and other social reforms. Women gained a strong influence even before they achieved suffrage.

Progressiveness was dominated by optimism for the future and the ability of civilization to find solutions to age-old problems. Those in the movement had an overriding faith, particularly in Western civilization and its apparent greatness. The end of the era embodied a severe questioning of that faith. Ultimately, the Progressive Era left a legacy of hope, but also a warning against hubris.