Good Essay About The Progressive Era And Amendments Of The US Constitution

Much like the earlier Populist movement, the progressives sought changes in the US Constitution that promoted democratic reform by allowing a petition by the people to be voted into a law, public referendum where voter approval would be sought for laws proposed by politicians, and for Senators to be elected directly instead of relying on state legislatures. However, while the Populists were focused on the labor and farming class, Progressives were anchored in the increasingly influential middle class. As they belonged to a higher class and were generally better educated than the Populists, Progressives succeeded in having several reforms made into law. Most notable of these were the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments. It should be noted, however, that not all of these reforms were as effective as they had hoped they would be.
For the first century of America as a nation, the major source of revenue for the government was through tariffs and federal income tax was non-existent. With the passing of the Sixteenth Amendment in 1913, the swiftly growing federal government now had access to a steady source of funds. Although taxes have been a major pint of debate in nearly every American election since, this was a necessary step to provide the government with sufficient revenue to fuel the nation’s intended growth. With the passing of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, the Progressives guaranteed that Senators would be elected directly through public voting. This can be considered to be a major victory for democracy as it allowed the people to directly elect those members of the government who would have a significant say in the nation’s policy making decisions.
In 1918, the Eighteenth Amendment was passed, prohibiting the use of alcohol. Temperance was noted as the objective of this reform, aimed at creating a crime free and disciplined American society. The final reform by the Progressives was the Nineteenth Amendment of 1920 which clinched women’s suffrage. Women across the western culture has previously been denied any role in the election of a government, while being a part of the administration was a fairly distant dream. Hence, this amendment can be viewed as yet another major victory for democracy and women’s rights.
However, while the Progressives had been successful in passing reforms into law, they failed considerably in the actual implementation of these reforms. Beginning with the Sixteenth Amendment, although the reform was aimed at ensuring sufficient revenues for the government, President Wilson had lowered the income tax rates to a point that they became ineffectual. A mere 1% was fixed for married couples and small organizations. While the rate increased slightly for the wealthy, it was still a meager 6% for those who earned over $500,000 annually. This meant that nearly 95% of the population would not be paying any taxes and the taxes collected from the wealthy was not enough. While this lowering of rates would enable the middle class to retain its earnings, it did not give the government the financial leverage it needed to tide the turbulent economic tides of the great depression. This was the first of the failures of implementing reforms that the Progressives faced.
The next, and possibly the most embarrassing lapse in judgment, was the failure of the Eighteenth Amendment. The alcohol prohibition period began in 1920 but swiftly disintegrated into a crisis involving skyrocketing sale of liquor through the black market operated by gangsters including Al Capone. Citizens who had otherwise been leading perfectly legal lives began seeking illicit means to acquire alcohol. Soon, possessing alcohol became a symbol of power and influence – a sign of the ability to be above the law. Further, none of the key objectives of the amendment became a reality. Crime continued to thrive, possibly at a greater rate than before. Workers were not more disciplined and domestic violence was not eradicated.
Finally, the Nineteenth Amendment which was to win women the right to vote was also side-tracked as President Wilson did not publicly support the law. Further, he segregated the employment in the federal government based on race and ethnicity, although he had promised equality for the black community before he was elected. Hence, not only did the Progressives fail to win equal rights for women, it instead isolated a minority that had been struggling against discrimination in the country for over a century.
The Seventeenth Amendment was possibly the only saving grace of the Progressive movement. However, its effectiveness was also limited by the curbing of the people’s right to speech. With the passing of the Espionage Act of 1917, President Wilson effectively deemed anyone questioning the administration to be a traitor. Hence, even if the people were opposed to the views and policies being supported by a Senator or the government, they could not freely voice their dissent for fear of being implicated for treason.