Discussion: The influence of the progressives 1900-1917
Progressivism began as a social movement that later on became a political movement. Initially they rejected the, then popular, idea of Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism seemed to claim that struggle for life and survival of the fittest were inherent in society as Darwin had claimed they were in nature. Early progressive reformers like Jane Addams and Jacob Riis believed that the problems faced by society such as greed, drunkenness, poverty and racism, could be overcome through education, health training, and a safe environment at home and at work.
Some local progressive leaders began urging like-minded citizens to run for office and begin implementing progressive ideology through legislation. The progressives were given a huge boost when Theodore Roosevelt became President in 1901. Roosevelt made a name for himself as a "trust-buster". He fought political corruption, took the side of labor unions on several occasions and broke up monopolies that were unfair.
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