The Progressive Era

In the late 1880's,
America was a mess.
The lack of regulations,
put many in distress.

One issue was child labor,
for in the factories,
little toddlers slaved for hours,
to support their families.

Their lungs were filled with smoke,
which was the least of their pains,
but as there was no other work,
they did not dare voice complaints.

And there were the monopolies,
in railroads, steel and oil.
While millionaires threw lavish parties,
immigrants were forced to toil.

Yet despite their contributions,
the "greensleeves" lived on a pittance,
and were forced to dwell in the illness,
of filthy, stinking tenements.

Then when they formed unions,
their bosses sent them packing,
because (thanks to Nicholas II),
refugee workers were scarcely lacking.

Besides the labor problems,
lay that of packaged meat,
which, as Sinclair eventually showed,
was not even fit for cockroaches to eat.

Beef was made with minced rat,
sausages were filled with sawdust.,
and when workers had accidents,
their appendages were added to the mush.

Slowly, society changed,
as people began to fight.
Protests and pickets became popular,
means for demanding human rights.

The right to education,
and to equal housing.
But despite winning those battles,
there remained the small matter of voting.

Frederick Douglass and Ida Wells Barrett,
wanted to vote for president,
and the perseverance of the African Americans,
led to the ratification of the 15th amendment.

So now all mankind could vote,
Be they black, brown or white.
But what of the women,
to whom this action was denied?

In 1848,
they gathered at Seneca Falls,
and pledged to band together,
in their quest to get into the polls.

The speeches and spirit of Stanton,
and Susan Anthony,
paved the way for female suffrage,
and the progress of history.

Holding golden banners,
they walked the streets in protest,
though some of their personal lives were strained,
as the inevitable consequence.

Some people were just incredulous,
while others focused on suffrage for blacks,
most of the opposition continued to think,
that suffragettes were too weak to have a chance.

Yet when the activists were imprisoned,
Every gender and every hue,
they continued protesting in jail,
by refusing to consume prison food.

When the state gave them pardon,
they were back out on the streets,
proudly marching in every place,
straight toward imminent victory.

So through the efforts of many,
from Roosevelt to Anthony,
immigrants, Africans and women alike,
were finally given legal equality

With the passage of reforms and time,
America has come in leaps and bounds,
and the progress we have made since then,
continually tends to astound.

In the progressive era,
poor children were virtually slaves,
but now, instead of sweatshops,
Millions head to school each day.

In the progressive era,
African Americans were often lynched,
then in the first decade of the 2000s
One became president.

In the progressive era,
women's place was hearth and heath,
yet feminism has opened doors,
for girls to dream big.

So to conclude this poem,
I think it safe to say,
that though there still are challenges,
there is hope for change.