The period of time in American History between 1890 and 1920 is known as the Progressive Era. It was a series of reform efforts, such as women's right to vote that changed American society. They had a lot of different views on how to fix the problems that were created during industrialization and urbanization. They were the first group of people to agree that it was the government's responsibility.

One of the first views goals that some progressives had was to expand the role the government played socially. They believed that if government worked properly and corruption ended, they could really help solve a lot of the problems in American society. Political reform started with Robert La Follette. When he became governor of Wisconsin, he ordered a direct primary, in which all party members vote for who runs in an election, instead of the party boss. Inspired by this, a...