Societal Change During the Progressive Era

Women’s Suffrage Movement  Women had been fighting for more rights for nearly a century  In the early 19 th century, the U.S. was a patriarchal society – men held positions of authority and women were considered inferior.  Women could not vote, serve on juries, or hold public office  In most states, women lost control of their property and wages to their husbands when they married.

The Women’s Rights Movement  By 1848, women had organized and held a convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y.  Passed a resolution proclaiming women were equal to men and deserved the right to vote (it paraphrased the Declaration of Independence)  Women were disappointed when the 14 th & 15 th amendments gave citizenship and the right to vote to male freedmen, but not women.

Women Suffragists  Susan B. Anthony – attempted to vote in Rochester, N.Y., thereby challenging the 14 th amendment and her rights as a citizen. Her denial of vote was upheld by the Supreme Court.  Elizabeth Cady Stanton – worked with Susan B. Anthony to lead the National American Women Suffrage Association.  Women reformers were able to obtain suffrage in a number of Western states, but did not succeed in introducing a constitutional amendment.

THE 19th AMENDMENT (1920)  During WWI, as men fought in Europe, millions of women took their places in the workforce.  This made it hard for opponents of women’s suffrage to deny that women were the equals of men.  Shortly after America entered the war, an amendment was proposed in Congress that said no state could deny a citizen the right to vote on the basis of sex.  It was ratified in 1920.

Impact of the 19 th Amendment  A step toward making America a true democracy  Even with the right to vote, few women were voted into office (a trend that still exists today)  It also did little to bring about equality of economic opportunity between the sexes  Most women continued to face discrimination and were paid less for the same work than me n

The Progressive Movement Comes to an End  Women’s suffrage was the last notable reform of the Progressive Era  Americans had met many of the challenges posed by industrialization  They were ready for more economic growth

COMPULSORY EDUCATION  Reformers called for compulsory education for children, because they believed an educated population was necessary for democracy to work  This, in addition to the work of labor unions and industrial accidents, led to the passage of child labor laws  With fewer children in the workplace, there was no reason for them not to be in school

AMERICAN LITERATURE AND ART  The late 19 th century was one of the greatest periods of American literature (newspapers, magazines, “dime novels”, novels)  Realism – nothing more or less than the truthful treatment of material – was the leading literary fashion  Realism provided an opportunity to show the impact of industrialization and social change on people.

Authors  Horatio Alger – praised hard work and discipline and saw wealth as a sign of divine favor (Ragged Dick and Strive for Success were two examples of his work)  Mark Twain – reflected the differences in pre-Civil War society and afterwards (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Gilded Age, and Huckleberry Finn are examples)  William Dean Howells – magazine editor who prompted realism (The Rise of Silas Lapham described the struggles of the new rich to find acceptance in society)

Continued…  Jack London – wrote adventure stories dealing with the conflict between civilization and nature (The Call of the Wild)  Henry James – master of the psychological novel. His stories often depicted America’s wealthy upper classes and the differences between America and Europe (The Portrait of a Lady)  Katie Chopin – a notable woman novelist. Depicted conflict between our inward and outward lives (The Awakening caused scandal and was banned from many libraries across the nation)

Art and Artists  Realism was the main style of art, as well  James McNeill Whistler – influenced by modern French painters. Is most famous for the portrait of his mother  Winslow Homer – known for paintings featuring the sea, boats, and coastlines  Thomas Eakins – another realist portrait painter (The Gross Clinic is his most famous)  Henry Ossawa Tanner – a student of Eakins, one of the most important African-American painters who focused on everyday scenes  Frederick Remington and Charles Russell painted and sculpted cowboys, Native American Indians and the landscape of the American West.