Even though they were barred from voting and holding office, women still challenged the barriers from which they were excluded and spoke out for a more democratic side of Progressivism.
During the Progressive Era, 13 million immigrants came to America from countries such as Italy, Russia, and Austro-Hungarian. Asian and Mexican came to the United States in smaller numbers.
Many new immigrants believed that the United States was the land of freedom, as many people had before; they wished for the American dream. Some, however, had plans to return home. These immigrants usually remained in close-knit communities relating to where they originally came from. Churches became staples for these communities. The amount of immigrants coming to America set in motion an industrial expansion. German and Irish brought new forms of beer creating saloons and bars. Asian worked on railroads stitched across the continent. Mexican brought industrial agriculture. Eventually many immigrant workers went on strike striving for higher wages. Many strikes ended when workers were killed, such as the Ludlow