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W.E.B. Du Bois is Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts
A very important African American leader, Du Bois was the first ever black person to receive a doctorate from Harvard University. By the turn of the century, Du Bois had earned recognition as a strong civil rights advocate. Throughout his life, he partook in important advances in society for African Americans. -
Founding of McClure's Magazine
McClure's Magazine was created by reform-focused Scottish-Irish immigrant named S.S. McClure. It became famous for its investigative journalism and "muckraking." It's first well-known story was "Tweed Days in St. Louis" by Lincoln Steffens and Claude Wetmore. The article exposed the immoral political methods of a St. Louis political machine, which was compared to Boss Tweed's corrupt rule over New York City. -
International Ladies' Garment Workers Union is Founded
The ILGWU was an organization geared toward unionizing sewing shop employees - mainly Jewish and Italian immigrant females. It was not until 1909 that the union grew tremendously in size, after the "Uprising of 20,000" when thousands of workers left their jobs. These women went to the ILGWU for help since they were no longer employed. -
New York State Tenement House Act is Passed
Due to the rapid population increase in many large U.S. cities, such as New York, sanitation was not easy to maintain. Lawrence Veiller, a settlement house worker, criticized irresponsible owners of tenement houses. Veiller fought dilligently for improved living conditions, and finally his wish was fulfilled in 1901 when the New York State Tenement House Act was passed. -
Ida Tarbell's Article: "History of the Standard Oil Company"
Ida Tarbell, born in 1857 in western Pennsylvania. She was very bothered by the fact that Standard Oil was taking control of so many smaller oil companies. The article explored the practices of Standard Oil that she disagreed with, and was published in McClure's Magazine. -
The Film: "The Great Train Robbery" is Made
In 1903, "The Great Train Robbery" became a landmark in our history, as it was the first movie ever to tell a story. Although some considered movies a threat to morality, their popularity began to grow. Movies like "The Great Train Robbery" opened many doors in American cinema and led to construction of beautiful theaters. -
Founding of the NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was an organization whose goal was to put an end to racial prejudice and discrimination.The NAACP used the court system to fight injustices in civil rights restrictions. The group accomplished such remarkable deeds as ending racial segregation in housing and giving black citizens the right to vote in southern states. -
Number of Child Laborors Reaches Over Two Million
Child laborors could not read and did not attend school. These children (many orphans) worked up to 16 hour days under terrible conditions. Expressing his opinion on the subject, one critic at the time stated: "Capitalism has neither morals nor ideals. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
This was a tragic event that occurred at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York City. As the end of the six day workweek neared, a fire was ignited in a ragbin. The fire soon destroyed the entire eighth floor of the ten story building, and the fire doors were stuck closed. Therefore, 60 workers jumped from the windows of the building to escape the flames. In the end, about 500 deaths were reported as a result of the fire. -
Child Labor Laws are Passed in 39 States
In 1904, Florence Kelley helped create the National Child Labor Committee to convince state legislatures to crack down on employers of young children. The effect was seen in 1912, when 39 states passed the laws that Kelley had pushed for. Some states
went as far as restricting workdays to 8-10 hours and did not allow children to work in dangerous jobs.