In this new work, historian Steven L. Piott explores the fascinating and provocative lives of twelve influential American reformers placed in the historical context of the Gilded Age, Populist and Progressive eras. From Ida B. Wells to Louis Brandeis, Jane Addams to Charles Macune, Piott examines the diversity of ideas and approaches that characterized this dynamic period in American history.

Introduction
Chapter 1: Lester Frank Ward and Reform Darwinism
Chapter 2: Henry George's Democratic Economics
Chapter 3: Charles W. Macune's Cooperative Vision
Chapter 4: Ida B. Wells's Crusade Against Racism
Chapter 5: Walter Rauschenbusch and the Social Gospel
Chapter 6: Jane Addams and the Settlement House Idea
Chapter 7: Florence Kelley's Quest for Humane Labor Legislation
Chapter 8: Louis Brandeis, the Law, and Social Change
Chapter 9: Lincoln Steffens Muckrakes the Business of Politics
Chapter 10: Harvey W. Wiley and the Ethics of Pure Food and Drugs
Chapter 11: John Randolph Haynes and Direct Democracy
Chapter 12: Alice Paul and the Campaign for Human Rights