Essential Questions

1. These groups reflected the central assumptions of progressivism by addressing social grievances- such as poverty, worker's rights, etc.- and calling for increased government action to help alleviate these drains on society by eliminating corruption and inefficiency. Muckrakers exposed the ills of society through riveting journalism found in prints such as McClure's and Cosmopolitan; settlement houses such as the Hull House, run by Jane Addams, helped combat the poverty and lack of education that permeated cities in the wake of urbanization; Social Gospel reformers worked in tandem with settlement volunteers and brought to light what needed to be fixed in progressive era America.
2. Progressives felt trapped between the extremes of the big businesses and the poverty-stricken and sought a middle ground. This was found in the usage of the Australian ballot, the referendum, the citizen voting initiative, the direct election of senators by the people, and the open primary elections.
3. While the Progressive Era (1900-1920) did effectively foster significant advancements in national-level reform movements pertaining to environmental conservation, worker's rights, and trust-busting, many marginalized groups such as immigrants and African Americans remained inherently underprivileged due to inadequate federal support.
4. The government sought support on the home front through extensive use of propaganda that promoted the Allied Forces, depicting the Germans as ruthless barbarians- this was due, in part, to Britain being able to control what stories were being fed to the American press. Support was also drummed up by Wilson's patriotic and morally-rooted plans such as the 14 Points, idealistic view of the war, and the idea of "peace without victory" that played an extensive role in the surrender of the Germans.
5. The United States Senate refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles and, thus, membership in the League of Nations because Wilson due to the Senate's divison into the three groups of supporters, irreconcilables, and reservationists, leaving not enough force behind the supporters to gain any momentum, as well as the Senate being afraid that Article X would reduce the Senate's power to declare war. The Treaty also did not coincide with growing American looks towards isolationism.
6. The unprecedented scope and casualities of WWI led to a weary, disillusioned America and an overwhelming desire for "normalcy". Republican candidate Warren G. Harding picked up on this growing American sentiment and stated that the wanted a break from the Wilsonian high-mindedness, gaining public approval.