3. Describe one of the five major themes of Progressive Reform outlined in chapter 20. Please include examples. One of the five major themes for progressive reforms outlined in chapter 20 was election process. Specifically having individual states conduct primary’s for each political party’s candidates. This election process was enforced by the ratification of the 17 th amendment in 1917. This bold and desperately needed reform would help the working class more than some of the other reforms, as it would directly result in the people hand picking who they wanted to represent them and their local government verses having special interest group such as big corporations pay to have elected who they wanted. This was the start of true representation of the people by the people for the people. Just as important in the early twentieth century was the adoption of the initiative and referendum, which allowed local state government the ability to empower local citizens more than just the right to vote a political appointee. This process allowed for private citizens the power to bring up time critical change by posting on a ballot a change or make a new law which would go up for a vote, if passed by public vote it would be law. Without these two reforms such accidents like the triangle fire may have not resulted in new laws on work hours, child labor laws and other laws passed to protect pregnant women in the work place. .