The period between the Gilded Age and the first World War is often considered to be a "progressive" period.  Choose an example of a social reform movement and describe the objective of the social reform, how the reform was achieved, and how you think the movement either benefited society or fell short of real change.

The period between the Gilded Age and the first World War is often considered to be a "progressive" period.  Choose an example of a social reform movement and describe the objective of the social reform, how the reform was achieved, and how you think the movement either benefited society or fell short of real change.  In this discussion, I would also like to take a look at how the word progressive has changed over time.  Now, the idea of progressivism is often associated with the leftist wing of the Democratic Party.  What I think it particularly interesting to think about is why the idea of "progress" might be contentious.  Please make sure to have balance in your response where you consider both the historical era and the modern notions of what progress might be.