discovery through the lens of history LEGACY OF SOCIAL CHANGE
World Wars I and II were not solitary disrupters; other events and movements also sparked social change and created opportunities and challenges for nutrition professionals. Tree of these—the Pro- gressive Era, the Feminist Movement, and the Great Society—were especially important as our profession evolved. Social movements during these eras challenged all aspects of society, providing models that helped shape who food and nutrition professionals are today. Understanding what transpired in the past gives us perspective on our roots and shows us how to navigate ongoing societal change, such as marketplace expansion, scientific discoveries, advances in technology, and global connectivity that create new platforms and devices to help nutrition professionals apply their knowledge.
Te Progressive Era
One period of post–world war history is particularly fascinat- ing—the Progressive Era. Although it began before World War I, the Progressive Era spanned the war years and stretched into the 1920s. It was a period of social activism and reform in the United States, and also the period in which the American Dietetic Association was founded. In their book Myth in American History, Patrick Gerster and Nicholas Cords observe that “since progressiv- ism was a ‘spirit’ or an ‘enthusiasm’ rather than an easily definable force with common goals… [i]t produced a climate for reform which lasted well into the 1920s, if not beyond.”27