Who were the Progressives?

Progressives believed that the government was an agent for change in the social justice movement, according to The George Washington University. Progressives were mainly from urban areas, Caucasian, economically stable and highly educated.

Famous progressives included Theodore Roosevelt and Jane Addams. Progressives sought to relieve poverty, crime, labor disputes, overpopulation in the cities and discrimination through an equal opportunity for education and better working conditions.

Progressives fought for reforms during the Progressive Era from the late 1800s to approximately 1920 in response to living conditions and income inequality from the industrial revolution. The movement halted with political conditions under World War One.