America Reformed: Progressives and Progressivisms, 1890s-1920s / Edition 1

by Maureen A. Flanagan

Overview

The Progressive Era, from the 1890s to the 1920s, was one of the most important periods in American social, political, and economic history. During this time, the United States saw a great change in the role of government, particularly in terms of its involvement in the regulation of business and industry. This era has often been characterized as the first period in which government power was increased for largely egalitarian reasons; however, many have argued the opposite case—that the legislation was designed by industry to serve its own purposes.
In America Reformed: Progressives and Progressivisms, 1890s-1920s, author Maureen A. Flanagan introduces progressivism less as a straightforward history of actual reforms than as a revision of the ways in which Americans organized themselves to confront the problems of their society. She examines how this reorganization in turn drew Americans into a new type of relationship with the federal government. Drawing on the most up-to-date scholarship, Flanagan explores what democracy meant to various citizens and emphasizes the "social justice" movement as an integral aspect of progressive reforms. Organized around four thematic lines of progressivism—political, social justice, economic, and foreign policy—the book analyzes the various ideas, actors, and movements that constituted the timeperiod. By incorporating coverage of how women, African Americans, and ethnic and working-class organizations participated in progressive reform movements, Flanagan reveals how the reform struggles of the period all revolved around defining the nature and purpose of U.S. democracy. Ideal for undergraduate courses in the U.S. Progressive Era and the Gilded Age/Progressive Era, America Reformed features documents, maps, and illustrations throughout, as well as anecdotes of historical events to introduce each chapter. The text also includes references to scholarly websites of original source material.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195172201
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/24/2006
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	9.72(w) x 5.46(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

Michigan State University

Table of Contents

Introduction1. The City: The Crossroads of Social Justice2. Democracy Must Have a Social Dimension3. The Rights of Individuals in a Democratic Society4. The Corrupt Bargain5. Reforming the State6. The New Social Politics7. The Battle Against Monopoly Capitalism8. The Competing Publics of Conservation and Environmentalism9. Money, Morals, and Modernity: The Consumer Society10. Bringing Democracy to the World11. Domestic Troubles, Foreign Engagement12. Gender and Democracy in War and Peace13. Into the Twenties: Roads Taken...and NotConclusion

Editorial Reviews

"Maureen Flanagan...has, with this book, continued to pioneer in the field. Indeed, Flanagan's American Reformed has, in the five years since its publication, become the standard textbook for the period...merican Reformed serves as an excellent intellectual reflection of the field; it will also surely continue to serve as an important shaper of future scholarly discourse." —The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era

From the Publisher