Today’s headlines are largely rooted in the Progressive Era. The years 1890-1920 produced sweeping reforms and profound change in American life and especially in New York State. Reacting to the great inequalities from the Gilded Age, reformers pressed for laws for better housing, women’s suffrage, personal income tax, labor protections, and far more. The era saw innovative ways of combatting social issues like the Settlement House movement. An unlikely alliance of reformers and Protestant ministers also passed Prohibition laws. Land preservation and animal rights were considered for the first time.

This talk with Paul Kaplan based on his book, New York in the Progressive Era: Social Reform and Cultural Upheaval 1890-1920, will explore these social movements exposing their nuances and little-known dissenting voices.  Historic photos, archived video, and poetry about and from that period will bring this era alive.