The Progressive Era, the period in the United States between 1898 and
1917, was a time of great social, political, and industrial change.
Following the Spanish-American War of 1898, an event that signaled the
emergence of the United States as a great power, the country soon was
involved in its first overseas guerrilla war, in the Philippines. Vast
changes in communications and transportation, immigration and migration
patterns, social mores, gender roles, family structure, class structure,
work patterns, business methods, education, intellectual life, religion,
the professions, technology, science, medicine, and much else were
transforming the scope and feel of people's lives and relationships. In
many ways what happened in this era set the agenda for the rest of the
20th century. The A to Z of the Progressive Era is the most
comprehensive and coherent reference work on the Progressive Era.
Through its chronology, introductory essay, bibliography, appendixes,
and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on the key events,
people, organizations, and ideas of the period, this resource is a
lively, complete, and accessible overview of this significant era.