Placing the Progressives

The Progressive era is typically taught through the lens that people shaped their world in response to the societal problems that came along with the eras of industrialization, urbanization and mass immigration to the United States.  This lesson is taught through the lens that geography also shaped reform. Impacts of geography include the growth of Boys working in a coal mine.Chicago due to its relative location as an intermediary between cattle drives and east coast cities, labor reform,including building safety and the geography of buildings and fire exits, and conservative efforts such as the National Parks.

 This lesson is not meant to teach the entirety of the Progressive era, but a few specific points that were impacted by geography.

  • Link to Story Map Journal: Placing the Progressives  (online resource)
    Note: The Story Map Journal application works best in Google Chrome.

Student Materials

Teacher Materials