Progressives 100 years ago were deeply concerned about vast income inequalities, concentrated corporate power, a weak labor movement, high immigration rates, threats to small-scale producers and retailers, middle-class debt levels, environmental degradation and unsafe food, terrorism, religious fundamentalism, and the deteriorating quality of family life. Sound familiar? The Progressive Era changed America profoundly, and this book argues that modern-day progressives must return to their roots by protecting families (rather than individuals) from the social and environmental ravages of global capital. In doing so, they should also stress the importance of wide-scale ownership of propertyincluding both real estate and secure financial assetsboth to reduce inequalities of wealth and to save more Americans from what the original progressives recognized as "wage slavery."

Progressives 100 years ago were deeply concerned about vast income inequalities, concentrated corporate power, a weak labor movement, high immigration rates, threats to small-scale producers and retailers, middle-class debt levels, environmental degradation and unsafe food, terrorism, religious fundamentalism, and the deteriorating quality of family life. Sound familiar? The Progressive Era changed America profoundly, and this book argues that modern-day progressives must return to their roots by protecting families (rather than individuals) from the social and environmental ravages of global capital. In doing so, they should also stress the importance of wide-scale ownership of propertyincluding both real estate and secure financial assetsboth to reduce inequalities of wealth and to save more Americans from what the original progressives recognized as "wage slavery."