The beginning of the 20th century was a memorable time in history for the United States. This time period drastically changed our country politically and socially by reform. The Presidents that ruled our country during this era were especially powerful and made many differences, women and African Americans were starting to take a stand, and our country was able to make it all the way through the Great Depression. All of these events that took place in the early 1900s helped our country regain strength and find a balance of its power.
The act of reformation, helped to strongly shape America into what it has become today. When the Great Depression hit our country in 1893, we went into an immediate state of pandemonium. People began to think negatively and started to assume that nothing good would ever come out from the 19th century. However, our country was able to pull away from this jaded outlook and get away from the Depression and the mess that it came along with. United States citizens were starting to become interested in new ideas and were hopeful to put them to good use as soon as possible. Many of the people that wanted reform were populists, women, and labor unions.
These groups of people hoped to see a difference in society and politics. It was always very difficult for people to agree about politics in the 1900s. Many people wanted to make changes or improvements in the government to promote a stronger democracy. A quote from America in the 20th Century explains how weak the government was at one point in history.
“Since the Civil War, business influences had dominated government to such an extent that big business practically ran the government” (Angel, vol. 1). Americans wanted to change the way government worked and allow the people to have more say in things. Several political parties were formed in the early 1900s to promote labor reforms.
An example of this would be Eugene Debs who ran for the socialist party and was a strong supporter of labor reform. Socially, women and African Americans were becoming more active across the country. After numerous struggles, the 19th amendment was passed in 1920 to allow women suffrage. If women were never given the chance to vote, our world would be strangely different. Also, the lynching numbers notably decreased from 1900 to 1915 to show that African Americans were not being mistreated as much as before.
The reformers that supported the issues of women suffrage and the treatment of African Americans also strived for improvements in living conditions, additional options for educations and changes in industrialization. It is evident that the first two decades of the 20th century made up a very progressive time period in American history. If one was to go back in time and erase the beginning of the 19th century, our country would not be anything like what it is now. This time period helped to shape what the United States is today by taking chances and making differences. Reformers were speaking out for women suffrage and living conditions, political parties were constantly emerging to take sides on important issues, and improvements throughout the country were being accomplished.
The reformation that took place between the years of 1900 and 1920 will never be forgotten because of their immense impact on our country today. BIBLIOGRAPHY:-Chapter 23 Notes (The American Journey) -Angel, Ann. America in the 20th Century 1900-1909. 12 vols. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1995. .
