Progressive Politics
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| Robert La Follette |
While the Populist Movement focused on the needs of farmers and rural area politics, the Progressive Movement focused on the needs of city dwellers. Progressive politics were shaped by reformers commonly referred to as Progressives. Unlike Socialists, the Progressives did not want to abolish the free enterprise system. They wanted greater regulation and control to protect children, laborers, and the poor .
Progressives wanted greater governmental control in regulating economic activity. Though they didn’t want the government to control businesses, they did want the government to control services such as water, transportation, and electricity. Progressives also wanted the government to have greater control of human welfare at home and at work.
Progressives included Samuel Jones who, as mayor of Toledo, Ohio, initiated many social reforms including free kindergarten, homeless shelters, night school for adults, and increased pay for city workers. Seth Low was elected mayor of New York City and increased jobs with the city based on merit. The plans for the first New York subway system began under his administration. Frances Perkins and Florence Kelley worked hard to get legislation passed to improve safety conditions in the workplace and to end child labor. Robert La Follette was a progressive reformer who supported efforts as the governor of Wisconsin and as a member of the U.S. Senate.