What was the most important problem in the Progressive Era?

The most important problem during the Progressive Era was the lack of regulation. Industrialists began to see their workers as a part of a machine and treated them accordingly. Thanks to immigration from abroad, the United States had a nearly limitless stream of people willing to work for low wages. These workers were treated poorly because they were considered to be expendable. This lack of regulation also spread into the workers' lives away from the factories, as many lived in cramped tenements that were designed to maximize profits while minimizing costs.
This lack of regulation spread into the consumers' realm as well. Food was sold in accordance to how quickly and inexpensively it could be produced, as opposed to how safe it was or how pure it was. Medicine was marketed according to bogus claims. It was thought that the free market would decide which businesses would prosper or fail, but the United States realized that it needed regulation to protect both the worker and the consumer.

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