The government that supported laissez-faire policies and Social Darwinism was finally considered corrupt and immoral. Read about the ideas of the Progressive Era and see how these ideas were put into activist government policy.

Read a brief overview of the three presidents, two Republican and one Democrat, who believed in an activist government to help all the people, and pushed for legislation to reflect their views.

Progressivism got a push from the Populist movement, a reaction to the forgettable presidents and laissez-faire government in the Gilded Age. Find a listing of authors who wrote about progressive ideas, and see what influence populism...

Read a brief biography of W.E.B. DuBois, who was an early civil rights activist and supporter of equal opportunity and treatment for African-Americans. See how he acted on his beliefs. Included is a brief quiz about the Progressive Era.

Read about the growth of the Socialist Party in America under the leadership of Eugene V. Debs. Find out about the strikes he led, his political activities, and his arrest for sedition in 1918. Read also about the radical union,...

Listen to audio clips of songs of protest from eight eras of U.S. history. Explore the lyrics, learn about the songwriters, and gather background information on the music that served and continues to serve as a catalyst for thought,...

This site, from the Library of Congress, provides a recording project by the WPA during the Depression Era of folk music collected throughout the southern states of the U.S. Supplemented by photos and other material to document life...