ABSTRACT
After reading this chapter students should understand and be able to discuss:
How the federal government expanded its role in law enforcement beginning a trend that would be continued over the following decades
How congressional legislation criminalized certain unpopular political views during the era of the Russian Revolution and the World War I and its lessons for today
The passage of federal legislation directed toward drug prohibition and prostitution
Why the years surrounding World War I were marked by racial tensions and so much violent crime
The mixed legacy of Progressive reformers on criminal justice reform
How criminalizing once noncriminal offenses such as alcohol consumption and prostitution fostered widespread disrespect for law enforcement and overwhelmed the criminal justice system
The emergence of state police forces in America in the early twentieth century
The challenges faced by women and minorities seeking careers in law enforcement
The Progressive era (1900–1919) was a time of tumultuous change as urban America tried to accommodate waves of immigrants from eastern and southern Europe and African Americans fleeing the Jim Crow 1 South. Despite tremendous urban and industrial growth, unprecedented social problems created deep anxieties among many native-born Americans who lent their support to immigration restriction and other exclusionary policies.