The Gilded Age and Progressive Era were periods in which society was in
flux. Twenty eight million immigrants flooded the growing urban areas. Work
too was transformed because a second industrialization simplified and
mechanized most trades. These jobs were dangerous and low-paying. In the
cities, unsanitary tenements were erected and corruption was rampant. What
this WebQuest has tried to illuminate is how different groups reacted and
adapted to these changes. The most important questions that arose concerned
what a true “American” was and what the future of the nation would be. The
political as well as social choices in this period determined the path of
America as industrialization was supported and the welfare state began to
develop. This debate over social welfare and immigration did not die with
the progressives. Although the past does not foretell the future, at times
it can shed light upon recurring themes and issues.
