Modernizing America, 1889−1920

Fighting For Social Reform Key Ideas 1. The challenges of modern life lead to a new wave of social reform that was often led by women. 2. Social reformers came from almost every walk of life and included women from different backgrounds. 3. Activism provided many women with an opportunity to step out of traditional roles within the home and influence public life. Introduction Unknown photographer, Portrait of women shirtwaist strikers holding copies of “The Call.” A placard with Yiddish writing hands in the background, 1910, 1910. The Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University. Fighting for Social Reform The Progressive Era was a golden age of reform. Almost every aspect of modern life seemed to need improvement. Tenements and workplaces—often one in the same—were

Modern Womanhood Key Ideas 1. Women's experiences differed depending on race, ethnicity, geography, and economic and social status. 2. New opportunities in education and work opened doors for some women. 3. Marriage, motherhood, and domestic life remained the main focus for most women. Introduction Ellen Swallow Richards and female students, 1888 [ESR13a]. Courtesy of MIT Museum. Modern Womanhood What did it mean to be a woman in modern America? The answer certainly differed depending on race, ethnicity, geography, and economic and social status. Particularly for the fortunate members of the middle class, modern womanhood included newfound freedom. Improved access to education, recreation, and white-collar jobs offered many young, single women independence that their mothers had not enjoyed. Autonomy, however, ended at marriage for many women—although not necessarily. But modern life