Reforming Society

Many of the progressives focused on changing the way politics were handled. But there was also another group of progressives that wanted to reform society. They focused on issues such as child labor, health and safety codes, prohibition of alcohol, and changing big business. They worked hard to change the way society views these subjects due to the fact that most people considered it normal. Many also depended that their kids went to work alongside them or for them. Businesses also did not want to change the way they managed their areas because they wanted to make more profit. Either way, progressives fought hard for what they believed would make a better society.

Child labor was considered almost normal in society during this time period. Migrant workers did not necessarily want to send their kids to schools because they feared they would become “Americanized” and would forget their roots and traditions. Progressives argued that all children should attend school and demonstrated how the children’s labor left the permanently disabled and scarred. With this evidence, states passed laws against child labor, setting age limits and the kinds of works children were allowed to do. Health and safety codes were an issue that stood out in factories, specifically in the meat packing industry. There were rats and insects crawling all over the grounds in meat industries that did not ever address the problems. There were also incidents of employees injuring themselves from faulty equipment. They would be fired from their jobs afterwards, not able to sustain themselves afterwards. The progressives worked hard to change this, giving workers’ pensions when dismissed from work due to accidents. There was also a laws passed about cleanliness in meat packing industries that included regulations.