An LPE Reading List and Introduction to the Progressive Tradition.
The Progressive Era was a period of political and social reform broadly spanning the late 19th century and the early 20th century. It challenged concentration of private power in the Gilded Age, calling for increased social control over business and the economy. The progressives had significant and long-lasting influences on American economic and political life. They helped shape the modern regulatory state, and inspired burgeoning leftist movements in the twenty-first century—most notably, the New Brandeisians. The bibliography below is intended to provide an introduction to ideas and writings by and about Progressive Era thinkers. The text that follows tries to be thorough but does not claim to be comprehensive.
This primer was prepared for the Anti-Monopoly and Regulated Industries Summer Academy. Talia Stender drafted it in consultation with the Faculty Planning Committee, which included Amy Kapczynski, Sabeel Rahman, William Novak, Frank Pasquale, Lina Khan, and Project Lead Jay Varellas.