Progressive individuals believe that everybody deserves a fair shot at a decent, fulfilling as well as economically secure life.  Progressives believe that every person should do her or his fair share to build this life through hard work and education as well as through active, taking part in public life.  They also strongly believe that every individual should play by similar rules with no special privileges for the wealthy and well linked (Morris et al., 2001).

Progressive people are curious since deep down they are exploring at heart. Besides, they are forward thinkers, with constant quest to grow, learn as well as expand their knowledge. In their respective career or work, they possess a high level of humility and assume the student’s role while asking many questions in the appropriate learning opportunities.

Progressive individuals are persistence and giving up is out of their mind. They never get bothered and agitated in the face of failure. They are not ready or willing to compromise on their visions and standards (Morris et al., 2001).  Progressive individuals are also optimistic. Due to their positive outlook, they usually put more emphasis on solutions rather than dwelling on problems. Progressive people are also open in mind. They are flexible and ready to experiment as well as engage in trial and error. Asking the appropriate questions as well as looking at issues from a different perspective. Progressive people are also resourceful and reality, money, and energy, which are limited resources, are not an issue to them since they have an outstanding ability to exploit and maximize what they have been given (Blum, 1980).

In this speech, Roosevelt described an “anti-progressive,” a reactionary, as a person, who either directly or indirectly, supports privilege and special interests. The anti-progressive individuals usually engage in activities that mainly benefits them and not for the common good of the majority.  Anti-progressive people are corrupt and promote social injustice among the members of society. A person who wrongly holds that every human right is secondary to her or his benefit as well as is a person for property and not for people according to Roosevelt is an anti-progressive (Blum, 1980).

The four main goals of Progressivism are to encourage productiveness, protect social welfare, generate economic reform, and uphold moral values. These goals are accomplished by eliminating differences among citizens. Protecting social well-being of people involve passing a law that prohibit child labor and ending class and racial segregation(Blum, 1980).  It also consists in improving the living standards of the poor and building the most basic social amenities to all.  Promoting moral improvement involves promoting the lives of poor people and not the workplace as well as teaching immigrants about American values and America by directing them on how to be good Americans.Fostering efficiency: progressive leaders depends on experts and scientific principles to improve the workplace environment and the society at large.

In his speech, Roosevelt highlights progressivism achievements such as giving rise to reform tradition, which compelled America to grapple with the central question of the founding. That is, making the country a real democracy; a political and economic democracy frees from every stain of either sectarian or sectional hatred, a democracy of true brotherhoods, which stands for everyone performance of their performance of their roles towards their rights (Roosevelt, 2013).  Progressivism achievement also included dissolving monopolies and promoting fair competitions between corporations (Roosevelt, 2013). In addition, it tried to protect consumers by regulating the price of essential commodities such as food and stopping exploitive and greedy business people and cartels from continuing to exploit the public. During the early 1900s, there was little regulation of drugs or food that were available to the public. The primary obsession by that time was profit-making, and there was little concern for the kind of damage they were causing.  Progressivism also helps in the preservation of the environment by limiting the exploitation of natural resources which to many American seemed to view the country’s natural resources as limitless.

References

Blum, J. M. (1980). The Progressive Presidents: Roosevelt, Wilson, Roosevelt, Johnson.

Morris, E., Morris, E., & OverDrive, Inc., (2001). The rise of Theodore Roosevelt. New York: Modern Library.

Roosevelt, T. (1906). A square deal. Allendale, N.J: The Allendale Press.

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