Progressivism, Bonus Army and the Civil Rights Movement - Essay Example

With its reform agenda, the progressivism movement was aimed at achieving efficiency in all areas of society as a response to changes made by modernization. It was determined to be aimed at addressing ideas, impulses, and major issues stemming from modernized changes in the American society. Its ideologies centered on democracy, proper municipal administration, elimination of governmental corruption, proper education for everyone, and many others. Under the theme of democracy, there was also instigation of the women suffrage movement and elimination of corruption by black voters (Roark et al. 234-235). In the municipal administration, there was creation of proper laws and legislation to govern cities as well as the creation of a bureaucratic administration system leading to the creation of a democratic municipal administration.

To the progressives, corruption was a source of inefficiency and waste leading to formation of laws to curb it. The progressives also worked hard to improve and expand public and private education in America at all levels (Roark et al. 465). For a very long time now, America has been operating efficiently in several sectors of the economy as well as government as a result of this movement. The bonus army was a protest that was launched by the World War I veterans 1932 demanding payment of their bonuses after the congress had voted to give them these bonuses for their services in the war in 1924.

However, even though they asked for these bonuses to be released to them in 1932, they were meant to be released in 1945 (McPherson 134). They marched into Washington D.C. to demand for immediate release of their bonuses. When the senate went to vote for the bill requiring the veterans to be paid their bonuses, it turned out that the outcome was not successful as the senate defeated the bill by 62 to 18 votes. This showed that the veterans were not going to be paid their bonuses. The veterans were dispatched by the state police where two of their members were shot dead and later the intervention of the army which led to most of them being seriously injured (O’Brien 78).

In a nutshell, this protest did not yield any fruits for the propagators. On the other hand, looking into the American Civil Rights Movement, almost a similar situation comes out but with slight success realized. It was a movement that relied on biblical connotations to fight racial segregation. This was under the leadership of Martin Luther King Junior who was a black clergyman. This was a movement that was instigated after the slavery period had ended and sought to end the massive discriminatory practices that had been instigated against the black people for a very long time.

Most of the propagators were jailed and some killed in the quest for a society that is deeply rooted in equality. As a result of these struggles, laws were enacted propagating equality for all Americans. However, this was only in theory but practically, many black Americans have suffered discrimination for a continued period of time (Roark et al. 562). In conclusion, the progressive movemen