# data[].attributes.body
The historical lesson of the Gilded Age/Progressive Era is Keep Moving Forward. Always get better and keep moving forward. The Progressive Era was all about getting better. Progressive means happening or developing gradually or in stages; proceeding step by step. Which basically says Keep Moving Forward. Many great things that we have today were from people that kept moving forward and looked the improve America during the Progressive Age.

# data[].attributes.body
Reformers were a controversial part in the Progressive Era. They created Settlement Homes which many people have mixed opinions about. Some say that they were being helpful and caring, while others say they were being condescending and judgmental. They "help[ed] to assimilate and ease the transition of immigrants into the labor force by teaching them middle-class American values" This can be viewed as helpful showing the immigrants what to do, but this is also judgmental because it's thinking that the immigrants don't know these skills.

Quote from: http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/settlement.html

# data[].attributes.body
Muckrakers were almost entirely responsible for many of the Progressive movements during this time. In a country with Freedom of Speech, these Muckrakers can write about anything. Many of them chose to write about the terrible things going on inside of hospitals, factories, businesses, pharmacies, and much much more. If it weren't for Upton Sinclair we would possibly be eating parts humans and rat dung instead of bacon and sausage. The Muckrakers were a very important role in the Progressive Era.

# data[].attributes.body
During the early 1900s the immigration rate in the United States increased tremendously (see immigration rate). These immigrants came from their different countries and found jobs. Mostly factory jobs doing hard labor and working long hours for little pay, because of Taylorism (see Skilled/Unskilled Workers and Taylorism), the companies were able to teach these immigrants skills to do the job they were given. However, Immigrants were unskilled workers and therefore did not have a Union to protect them from the harsh conditions and unfair treatment. The skilled workers didn't let the Unskilled workers join the Union either. "“There has been forced upon this Firm the question whether its Works are to be run ‘Union’ or ‘Non-Union.’ As the vast majority of our employees are Non-Union, the Firm has decided that the minority must give place to the majority. These works, therefore, will be necessarily Non-Union after the expiration of the present agreement.. . . This action is not taken in any spirit of hostility to labor organizations, but every man will see that the Firm cannot run Union and Non-Union. It must be one or the other.” Henry Frick said this about the Union vs Non-Union. With the Skilled workers in a Union and the unskilled not, Frick said this will not work. With the Skilled Workers Union striking for better pay and better working conditions, they needed the help of the unskilled workers to be able to successfully strike since there was so many unskilled workers.

Quote from: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JsHyzx3NytcNkirKRHITUgT34rTSVnXqMgHhOjcVOts/edit

# data[].attributes.body
Before the Gilded Ages many workers specialized in certain jobs. Frederick Winslow Taylor created a way so that big companies could "steal" the specialized job that the skilled workers had and teach it to unskilled workers. The skilled workers had a monopoly with the skills they had, and could tell the companies to pay them whatever they want, the companies had to oblige because the skilled workers were the only ones who knew that skill. With Taylorism, Frederick Taylor promised “The full possibilities of my system will not have been realized until almost all of the machines in the shop are run by men who are of smaller calibre and attainments and who are therefore cheaper than those required under the old system.” The companies switched to doing this and this enraged the skilled workers. They tried to start a rebellion against the company, but they would need the support from the unskilled workers to have any effect on the company. (See Immigrant Workers for more information)

# data[].attributes.body
This is a picture of a child taken during his work, children worked long, hard hours for little pay. Usually only about 10 cents an hour.

# data[].attributes.body
Child Labor was very common during the Gilded Age. The owners did not care about the well-being of the children, one employer said "I regard my people as I regard my machinery. So long as they do my work for what I choose to pay them, I keep them, getting out of them all I can." If this doesn't show how cruelly the children and workers were treated, I don't know what will.

Quote from: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wzoOWjMO8yeau2GiEbC6AX3XldoqDt_hrbC7_Z1QRKg/edit