A Few More Progressive Leaders

The following were not mentioned during class coverage or received only a passing comment, but they had an enormous impact. Alternate entries or lists are certainly possible; many reformers were at work during the Progressive Era (roughly 1890 to 1920). I'll present the ones I selected alphabetically by last name.

1. Jane Addams:  established inner city "settlement houses," which provided social services, education, and all kinds of support for the poor. She later won the Nobel Peace Prize.

2. Louis Brandeis:  this lawyer became a champion of the powerless and helped push reform in both the courts and in public opinion. Later, he would became one of the greatest Supreme Court justices ever to serve.

3. William Jennings Bryan: he ran for president as a major party candidate three times and lost all three, but is on this list for his support of election reform and revised monetary policies. (He also opposed imperialist policies.)

4. W.E.B. Du Bois:  the strongest voice of the era for civil rights for blacks. Du Bois's intellectual development of key ideas inspired many African Americans. He was the era’s leading voice against racism (which he tied to capitalism).

5. Charlotte Perkins Gilman:  also a novelist and short story writer, Gilman was known in the period for her study of gender and economics. She troubled some because she demanded reforms far beyond the right to vote for women.

6. Robert M. LaFollette, Sr.:  he served as Wisconsin representative, governor, and senator and ran for president, but is best known today for his tireless devotion to a variety of Progressive causes. He spoke and fought against "vast corporate combinations."

7. Alice Paul:  she served as the main leader and strategist for the final push for the Nineteenth Amendment, recognizing the right of women to vote. She also continued to work on women's rights for the rest of her long life.

8. Theodore Roosevelt:  before, during, and after his presidency, he pursued a number of Progressive causes, most especially in conservation. Part of his legacy is our national park system.

9. Ida Tarbell:  this muckraker journalist investigated Standard Oil, John D. Rockefeller's monolithic corporation. Her findings helped break up the massive organization following a trial on violations of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

10. Booker T. Washington:  a black activist, Washington stood in strong contrast to W.E.B. Du Bois (see above) by emphasizing not civil (political) rights so much as economic development. The Progressive Era was somewhat more ready to listen to Washington, though many people today more greatly admire Du Bois.