Of course they were. They definitely weren't conservatives.
Progressivism is anti-science...it runs contrary to human nature (individual achievement, reason and human self-interest)
Progressivism is a political social movement built on the fallacious religious-like belief that government knows best and
must intervene in economic and a social affairs on the people's behalf, with or without their consent. In short, Progressives take it upon themselves to "play God" and believe they can 'outsmart' the people.
A truly excellent book on the subject (providing you have the intellectual aptitude, which we all know an uneducated bum like you doesn't have) is: "A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America 1870-1920 by Michael McGerr.
But if anyone really wants to add some spice to the debate with their Progressive friends, read Looking Backward 2000-1887, written by Edward Bellamy, which really lays out the soul of the Progressive vision. In 1935 it was named the most influential American novel of the prior 50 years by no less than three published surveys. It describes a futuristic Utopian vision of America in the year 2000 - where the government runs the economy with such wonderful efficiency that there is no poverty, war or crime. Everyone works for the government, retires at 45 and has all the material satisfaction they could ever want.
Needless to say, the ideas of this comic book, which captivated intellectuals during the Progressive Era, have not aged well. I've used it to show non-ideologues how utterly benighted the Progressive Movement was at the core of its vision, and how badly it has fared through a century of actual experience.
The whole idea behind Progressivism is the repudiation of American individualism and freedom replaced by the laughable fallacy that people's behavior can and should be changed by the government to build a perfect society.
Prohibition: Progressive FAIL
League of Nations: Progressive FAIL (result was WW II)
War on Poverty: Progressive FAIL
Gun restrictions: Progressive FAIL
'Science' of eugenics: Progressive FAIL
Population Bomb: Progressive FAIL
Peak Oil: Progressive FAIL
Big Labor: Progressive FAIL (see the Motor City and other former vibrant industrial cities, now ghost towns)
Public Education: Progressive FAIL (kids getting dumber and more ignorant on the basics: science, math, English and American history...look at 'akphidelt')
Federal Reserve (the scientific management of money in order to achieve full employment and stable prices): EPIC FAIL
Global Cooling: Progressive FAIL
Global Warming: Progressive FAIL
Climate Change: (see above)
I could on and on...
Progressivism: trying to herd cats since the early 20th century