The Progressive Era

Question 0

Progressivism

Answer 0

A movement in American society which lasted from the mid-1890s through World War I. Progressivism reflected worry about the state of society, the effects of industrialization and urbanization, social disorder, political corruption, and a host of other issues.

Question 1

Muckrakers

Answer 1

Writers who made a practice of exposing the corruption of public and prominent figures.

Question 2

Niagara Movement

Answer 2

Led by W.E.B. DuBois; group of African American leaders which pledged action in the matters of voting, equal access to economic opportunity, integration, and equality before the law; “every single right that belongs to a freeborn American…”

Question 3

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Answer 3

Created in 1909, this swiftly became the most important civil rights organization in the country. The NAACP pressured employers, labor unions, and the government on behalf of African Americans.

Question 4

Birds of Passage

Answer 4

Temporary migrants to the U.S. who virtually commuted, returning home every slack season. The outbreak of World War I interrupted the practice and trapped thousands of Italians and others who had planned to return to Europe.

Question 5

Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL)

Answer 5

Labor group which urged workers to ignore business-sponsored English lessons because they did not “tell the girl worker the things she really wants to know. They do not suggest that $5 a week is not a living wage.”