The two articles given, focus on a variety of different groups that were essential during the progressive era. In Maureen Flanagan’s article, women were at the forefront of the progressive movement, while Shelton Stromquist’s portrays the working class as the key players in progressive reform. Both articles offer unique perspectives into who and how steps toward change were achieved. In this regard, we can argue there was no single group that spearheaded the progressive movement, rather it was a multi-faceted approach from a combination of ideals and different social classes.
As stated, Stromquist’s focus was on the working class, specifically in Cleveland, citing the number of strikes that occurred in the 1890s, “Streetcar strikes in 1892 and 1899, an ore handlers strike in 1891…Between 1893 and 1898, some eighty-three strikes were reported in the city.”[1] Through instances such as riots, Flanagan was able to signify the importance of the solidarity and unity of the working class in establishing their goals for reform, as noted in the Streetcar Strike of 1899.[2]
In Flanagan’s article, she focuses on the Woman’s City Club of Chicago in comparison to a similar male group, The City Club. One of the issues discussed deals with the 2 clubs perspective on public education, in which the City Club sought a more hands-on approach for students prepare them for labor jobs.[3] While the Woman’s City Club sought reform based on the concerns of “the individual child within the school and industrial work systems.”[4] Through these goals the Woman’s Club were able to establish a strong unity and participation with other Women’s clubs in the city.
What’s key to these two articles and the examples used is that different groups were able to establish and achieve some form of change by creating a strong cohesive group that contributed to the process of reform, and ultimately the Progressive movement.
[1]Stromquist, Shelton. “The Crucible of Class: Cleveland Politics and the Origins of Municipal Reform in the Progressive Era,” Journal of Urban History 23, (1997). 197.
[2] Ibid. 201.
[3] Flanagan, Maureen A. "Gender and Urban Political Reform: The City Club and the Woman's City Club of Chicago in the Progressive Era." The American Historical Review 95, no. 4 (October 1990). 1040.
[4] Ibid.
I agree with you in the idea that it takes many elements to truly stir up social change. But in the case of these two articles, I found the working class to be of much more influence in the progressive movement than womens groups. Though strong in ideas, most womens groups in of themselves did not hold much sway, and were really powerless absent their husband or middle/ upper class economic circumstances. The working class, however, was able to ultimately shake up the status quo, especially for party policies. The Democratic party in many ways was almost eliminated, and when it was able to reorganize itself, it established itself as the party of the working american, the reformist party.
ReplyDeleteI agree as you mentioned that different groups were able to establish and achieve change by creating a strong cohesive group. Stromquist’s article demonstrated how the working class was able to facilitate change through strikes and unification of the group. Flanagan’s article on the women of the City Club also demonstrated how women could move into “participation of the political system,” this move created a contribution to the progressive movement.1 Excellent job!
ReplyDelete1Flanagan, Maureen A. "Gender and Urban Political Reform: The City Club and the Woman's City Club of Chicago in the Progressive Era." The American Historical Review 95, no. 4 (October 1990): 1032-1050. JSTOR. , p. 1050
I think that you are right, in order for a reform movement to have an impact in the United States it must come from a wide base and many different "interest groups." I think that since the United States is, for the most part, a prosperous nation, people do not really want to rock the boat too much. Small pieces of change are much preferred to sweeping revolutions, and even small bits of reform need lots and diverse support to happen.
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