These two essays on the progressive movement in the United States leave a very dark feeling in ones mind. On the outside, these religious zealots under the guise of human decency, wanted to change American life to be better, cleaner, equal for all people. But underneath the sugarcoating of goodness for the betterment of society, there were two unsettling reasons for the movement. The first was that these white Anglo-Saxon Protestants were afraid that their heritage, tales of fame and fortune, and influence on a national level, were being overrun by men of immense wealth and bad moral ethics. The other, even more unsettling reason is that of guilt these progressives felt. Whatever was wrong with America was ultimately their own fault. They felt responsible for allowing all these vices and corruption to continue for so long. What troubles me is the extent of their fervor for change. Some of the things they did or wanted to do brinked on the edge of communism. Not allowing for free speech, even denying freedom in the arts and drama. Controlling how people danced, even down to where dance partners should lay their hands. And most intriguing is that these were young men, with university degrees, usually middle and upper class and with a pleasant way of life. To proclaim themselves the perfect society, then try to force this way of life on every else does not fit in with what I perceive as the American spirit. Where life, liberty and pursuit of one’s own happiness, as long as it does not interfere with others, was the central theme of our society. <

Some topics in this essay:
Los Angeles’, Anglo-Saxon Protestants, Morgans America, Progressive Movement, Republican Protestant, Catholic Irish, Gerald Woods, Civil War, Los Angeles, San Francisco, progressive movement, twentieth century, san francisco, police department, immense wealth, initially progressive, los angeles,