ESSAY
VARYING VIEWPOINTS
WHO WERE THE PROGRESSIVES?
In a way, it’s not surprising that historians should disagree about who were the “progressive” reformers of the early 20th century. After all, Theodore Roosevelt’s “Bull Moose” Party notwithstanding, this was not a coherent, centralized movement led by one identifiable group of people. Many people called themselves “progressives” during this period. In this essay, the authors identify five different perspectives taken by historians on this question. In one or two sentences each, who were the “progressives” according to each of theses historical schools? Put a (1) by the side of the school of thought that you feel the authors emphasized most in the last two chapters, and put a (5) by the one you think they would most take exception to.
______ 1. Traditional view (first paragraph)
______ 2. “Psychological” view (Hofstadter)
______ 3. “New Left” view (Kolko)
______ 4. “Organizational” school (Weibe/Hays)
______ 5. Gender emphasis (Mancy/Gordon/Skocpol
