The Progressive Era was a period of social activism and political reform in the United States that flourished from the 1890s to the 1920s.
Progressive-Era reformers sought to use the federal government to make sweeping changes in politics, education, economics, and society.
The Social Gospel movement applied Christian ethics to social problems.
The end of the Gilded Age witnessed rising levels of social criticism from a new kind of investigative journalist called a "muckraker."
Early efforts in urban reform were driven by poor conditions exposed by tragedies such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
The Settlement House movement was a reform that intended for the rich and the poor to live together in interdependent communities.
Maternalist reforms provided assistance for mothers and children, expanding the American welfare state.