Written Assignment 5

In the past, the Progressive Era was portrayed as a time when the United States implemented a number of enlightened policies, broadening electoral participation on the part of many Americans. Yet the Progressive Era was also a time when “jim crow” laws were widely implemented across the South, when immigration restrictions were debated (and eventually implemented in 1924), and when extending voting rights to women—half the population of the country—was resisted. What explains these differences? Discuss both enlightened and oppressive policies of the Progressive Era in your answer.