HIST 2600 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: William Jennings Bryan, Federal Trade Commission Act Of 1914, Truancy
Document Summary
Reform movements in the 19th and 20th century. It was a filature to live up to the standards of society; reform was correcting a personal character flaw, so it focused on individual improvement. There was then a gradual shift, to a belief that society itself needed to be reformed. They reflect the division between the agrarian/rural ideals and the industrial/urban. These were the populist and progressive movements, respectively. Both the populists and progressive aimed to reform american society, and weren"t interested in overthrowing it and creating something new. The populists movement emerged when the agrarian community was feeling under threat. While the us had focused on mostly rural, farmers could see an increasing trend towards industrialization and urbanization. They feared that the trend was that they ere loosing their leading place within the american nation. During this time, farmers in the late 19th century were also facing more immediate problems.
