The Progressive Era was a period between the years 1900-1920 and marked a period in American history when society was filled with enthusiasm for improving life in the industrial age by making policies and social changes through government action that ultimately led to a better quality of life for American citizens. Progressives were known for their beliefs in limiting the power of big business, strengthening the power of states, and were advocates of corruption and social injustice. These progressive reformers, as well as the federal government, successfully managed to improve the quality of life and set a precedent for an active government movement, although neither completely succeeded in solving the significant problems facing the nation. With the dawn of the 20th century came the emergence of social awareness as muckrakers, investigative journalists who were reform-minded and generally wrote for popular magazines and newspapers that exposed the ills of society and corruption in government, opened the eyes of Americans ignorant about these issues. One of the first to strike was Lincoln Steffens when he exposed how city officials worked in cahoots with big business to maintain power while corrupting the public treasury. It became clear to the government that reforms were desperately needed, and Theodore Roosevelt provided the nation with just that as he sought extensive nationwide reforms and regulations during his presidency. Roosevelt used his domestic program, the “Square Deal,” to take action against bad trusts or large monopolies such as the Northern Securities Act, as well as to limit good trusts. He distinguished between these trusts, describing “good trusts” as good services that provide… half of the paper… t vote. (DOC H) Ultimately, women achieved their goal with the passage of the 19th Amendment, which prohibited the denial of the right to vote based on gender, but African Americans did not see major changes for decades to come. The Progressive Era marked a time of change for America, as the lifestyles of millions of people were improved but change was slow in coming and no change was seen in major groups of society. But it was a time when the government worked with the people more than it ever had before, and the president took the concerns of his people and incorporated them into his policies. Although many efforts were made to regulate business, child labor, and sanitation laws, significant issues such as civil rights for African Americans and equality for women were not effectively covered nationwide by Progressive Era reformers and the federal government..