Progressives were people from lower or middle class mostly were women. Those people wanted to improve work conditions, reduce child labor, increase women labor, women’s right to vote and many more. “Every day a thousand new members joined the union, the International Ladies Garment ………………………………..went on through the winter, against police, against scabs, against arrests and prison. In more than three hundred shops, workers won their demands” (Zin 304). This shows how progressives were striking and giving their best to bring changes in America. These people have suffered a lot to make changes in the work environment. They wanted to improve their situations. Those stickers didn’t change anything for them. There were uncountable died in that era. The worst one was that women were set on fire. When there was a fire at triangle shirtwaist company on the 9th floor (discussion board 9). Those fire rescuers ladder wasn’t long enough to reach the 9th floor and many exits were locked to keep workers in, so workers couldn’t escape. This fire happened in New York at the time of lunch. When people were out for lunch so many people were standing outside and watching women’s falling off the building trying to escape the fire. There was no way to save them, so everyone stands there and watched those workers dying. Likewise, thousands of workers died and got injured in between 1900 to 1920.
Their worker was in miserable conditions at work such as they had to push the truck with hands and take the truck in the pickle room (Discussion board 9 prompt). Those wounds they have gotten by cutting so much beef. If they were to slip in those big pots of food, no one would take them out. Those diseased workers have been cooked and people were eating humans. It is discussing how those companies actually cooked human or rats’ meats and feeding people. Those workers that had to use acid, again and again, their finger or hands were destroyed. They had to do these jobs until they had lost their hands. Those workers who were working in extreme temperatures like steam rooms or chilling rooms. These workers were treated inhumanly. They were given lower wages that everyone at home must work. Even children were working in these enlivenments to afford to live. Children as young as 4 years old had worked there. Most of the time these children were given the most dangerous work to do as they are so young (From class notes). For better work conditions, civil rights and reduce child labor progressives did what they had to do.
During the gilded age, machinery and railroad changed everything in America. “. In 1860, 14 million tons of coal were mined; by 1884 it was 100 million tons” (Zin 237). Many things were done factor and easier throw machinery. Railroads were made which make transport easier form one town to another. Morgan bank was controlling people through their own money. These vast machinery resulted in unemployment. People were unable to find good jobs. There was still racism going on. There was economic growth but only for white. Whites were ruling and they were not letting African Americans get a job. Those whites have hold of everything and they were making big bucks. The framers could not afford seed, so they were taking a loan.
The U.S. nation did become kinder, gentler and nation as progressive era have changed so much. Women and blacks were given the right to vote, women suffering got reduced and child labor got banned. There are still so many things that needed to be achieved but that era has improved America a lot.
In the progressive era, if the worker were slipped in a cooking pot, they would have been cooked in it. likewise, these days people were experimenting to convert human shit into the meat. As a video we watched in class showed how they would convert waste parts of animals’ bodies in edible meat. We are still given crappy food without our knowledge (class notes). Likewise, the bread is made of the same chemical as yoga mats are made to make bread softer. Moreover, children lunches in school are not as healthy as in France or any other country. The progressive era has improved somewhat of working conditions in America but still, there is a lot to change. People living in other countries have more work benefits than what we get in America. If you were to get married in some countries, they would give their workers paid leave for the honeymoon. Mothers-to-be get paternity leave which would be paid. They would be able o enjoy every even in their life. And throughout the year they would get 8 weeks’ holiday. But these things aren’t impossible in America. In Japan, the student gets free education, no matter if they are a citizen or not. They give fewer taxes and get more benefits but America’s gives a lot of taxes but gets little benefit or not benefit out of it.
In the progressive era, people took the stand and sacrificed their life. Because of these people we have freedom. Women and equal rights to work and be part of society. Women can vote. Our kids can go to school because of them. if they would have never taken stand, we were their where we are today. But still, many historians try to hide it from the oncoming generations. I think we should be taught the right history from the beginning. So, we all can appreciate what we have right now. I have known we all are so focused on another thing that we are missing out on important information about our daily life. For example, most of the people don’t know the water they are drinking every day contains harmful things in it. likewise, if we will rely on the government to provide good food and water that will not happen. We have to watch out and keep informed of what we are eating or what we are being provided as food. Getting to know history as well as present both are important. We can’t change what happened in the past, but we can make a big impact on what is going on right now.
