progressism in the 20th century
...l parties, it became less of a minority movement and more of a majority mood. According to progressives, there were many social problems in our country. One of the main problems, of course, being work conditions. Sweatshops were steaming and unsanitary and became a vast problem in most cities. Eventually, progressives secured the enactment of safety and sanitation codes for industry and closed certain harmful trades to juveniles. They also protected workmen’s compensation laws, which relieved the injured laborer from the burden of law suits proving their employer’s negligence. Furthermore, the progressives secured laws setting minimum wage and maximum work hours. Another objective of the progressives was to grab a new hold on the power that the “interests” had lost grip on. They strived for direct primary elections to undermine power-breathing bosses. They wanted voters to directly propose legislation themselves. Progressives worked for “referendum” and “recall” as well, which ena...