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Plessy v. Ferguson was the Supreme Court ruling that segregated black and whites. Because it was under the Constitution, it was manditory that black and whites had equal living facilities. Homer Plessy was charged because he was sitting in the white section of a railroad cart. Although, he lost his first case, it was repealed and reached the Supreme Court. Here, it was found that under the Louisiana law both white and black sections had to be equal; that wasn't the case here. Plessy won.
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The Chinese Exclusion Act denied citienship to people born in China and prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers. The Supreme Court later ruled, on May 28th, 1898, that any child born with Chinese parents were now American citizens and could not be deported. This is for the fact that being born in America made you an American citizen.
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The Literary Digest writes: "The ordinary horseless carriage is at present a luxury for the wealthy; and although its price will fall in the future, it will never, of course, come into as common use as the bicycle." He was trying to say everything expensive eventually loses some value but none of those less than fortunate will ever own something so nice.
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By the time the 1900's rolled around, America was growing rapidly. The U.S. population was at 75,994,575 by the beginning of January 1900.
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Oil was discovered at Spindletop. This is close to Beaumont, Texas.
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President William McKinley was shot in Buffalo, New York. His life was taken by the anarchist named Leon Czolgosz. He died eight days later on September 14. His position was filled by Theodore Roosevelt.
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The United Mine Workers staged a strike against anthracite coal mine operators. This took place in eastern Pennsylvania. The strike occurred because the workers wanted higher pay, shorter days, and Union recognition. President Roosevelt organized a commission to mediate the settlement.
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Panama revolts against Colombia rule. This cleared the way for construction of an American canal.
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The Wright brother make the first successful flight by a powered aircraft at Kitty Hawk, N.C. This took only 12 seconds!
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President Theodore Roosevelt announces the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.
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The Supreme Court strikes down a New York law. It prohibited bankers from employing anyone more than 60 hours a week or 10 hours a day. It interfered with freedom of contract.
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The Great San Francisco Earthquake happened. The Earthqukae killed 400 people and causes around $500 million worth of damage!
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21 people killed in an anti-black riot in Atlanta. That includes 18 African Americans.
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"The Great White Fleet," consisted of sixteen battleships all setting sail for an around the world cruise!
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During two days of anti-black rioting in Springfield, Ill., two thousand African Americans are forced out of the city, two were lynched, and six others were killed.
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New York City revokes all licenses of the movie theaters and only return onve they agree not to show immoral films.
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Robert Peary and Matthew Henson were reported explorers who reached the North Pole. Henson, an African American, trained the dog teams, build the sledges, along with speaking the language of the Eskimos.
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U.S. population: 91,972,266
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The Mann Act made it illegal to bring women across state lines, or until the U.S. for immoral purposes. Red light districts in ten cities are closed.
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During Theodore Roosevelt's New Nationalism speech, he lays out his commitment to conservation, a graduated income tax, regulation of trusts, and the rights of labor.
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146 Jewish and Italian immigrant women are killed in a fire at New York's Triangle Shirtwaist Company.
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On its maiden voyage, the Titanic sinks south of Newfoundland; about 1,500 of 2,200 passengers and crew members drown.
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The 16th Amendment allows an income tax. The federal income tax levies a tax of 1 percent on incomes above $3,000 for single individuals and above $4,000 for married couples. A 1 percent surtax is imposed on incomes above $20,000 rising to 6 percent on those above $500,000
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The assassination of the heir to the Austo-Hungarian throne named Archduke Franz Ferdinand. he was killed by a Serbian nationalist.
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D.W. Griffith's luridly racist film, Birth of a Nation, provides a sympathetic treatment of the Ku Klux Klan.
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A bomb explodes at a pro-war preparedness parade in San Francisco. This bomb killed ten people.
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The United States begins a military draft. All men 21-30 must register.
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Socialist party leader, Eugene Debs, received a ten year prison sentence for violating the Espionage Act. He was pardoned by President Warren Harding in 1921.
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The 18th Amendment to the Constitution prohibites "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of liquors." At the time the amendment was founded, the prohibition was already in effect in all southern and western states except California and Louisiana.
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U.S. population: 105,710,620.
