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=**Period 1** **/** **Period 2** **/** **Period 3** **/** **Period 6** **/** **Period 8**=

It’s the turn of the century, and the spirit of reform is in the air. The growth of the nation over the last few decades has produced many problems in society, and the people of your state are looking to make some changes. The biggest cities of your state are facing problems with overcrowding, disease, and crime, and political machines are running the show in the cities. Politics in general is becoming more influenced by special interest groups instead of the average American, and corruption and fraud are common in all levels of government. As industry grew, so did the problems of the working class, with workers suffering from long hours, low wages, and horrible conditions. Consumers are suffering as well since there are no laws regulating industry, especially in food processing. Big businesses and monopolies are still controlling industries, fixing prices, and exerting their power over the average American. Small farmers continue to lose money due to overproduction and the huge charges of railroad companies. There is a huge gap between the rich and the rest of the population in terms of power and wealth. Women are still considered second-class citizens and are consistently denied equal rights, as are African Americans and other minority groups in society. The environment is also being adversely affected by the growth of industry, as resources are being used up and pollution is spreading at an alarming rate.

In this collaborative project, your task will be to produce a page on **The Progressive Era Wiki** concerning one major topic that the Progressives tried to solve. Each topic page will outline the problems that American faced in this topic area, provide images and primary sources that help to tell the story of the problems in society, detail the solutions that Progressives proposed and eventually gained, and supply a list of resources used in the wiki.