Great Expectations

In the Progressive Movement, from 1870 to 1920, Americans agitated for women's right to vote, workable factory conditions, mandatory schooling and antitrust legislation. The country was on edge, and rallied their politicians for reform.

"We live in a politically disappointing time," begins Michael McGerr in his new book, "A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America, 1870-1920." Today, ambitions are low and many Americans are hardly paying attention.

Click the "Listen" link to hear about the original progressive movement and whether America has lost its activist impulse.

Guests:

Michael McGerr, history professor at Indiana University, and author of "A Fierce Discontent : The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America, 1870-1920" and "The Decline of Popular Politics: The American North, 1865-1928." He is also co-author of "Making a Nation: The United States and Its People"

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst