History Events 1900-1920

Gold Standard Act

Apr 19, 1900

The Gold Standard Act is ratified, placing the United States currency on the gold standard.

President Theodoore Roosevelt

Sep 14, 1901

Roosevelt was the 26th American President and served in office from 1901-1909. The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt spanned the period in United States history that encompasses the events of the Maturation Era or the Gilded Age.

First Movie Theatre

Apr 2, 1902

The first movie theatre in the United States opens in Los Angeles, California. It was known as the Electric Theatre.

National Child Labor Committee

Apr 25, 1904

This committee was established with the goal of abolishing all child labor.

The Jungle (novel)

Feb 26, 1906

This novel was published by Upton Sinclair. It was a muckraking book about labor exploitation and appalling conditions in meatpacking plants.

World War I Starts

Jul 28, 1914

This war began after the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by a Serbian terrorist group. The outbreak of the World War followed when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. America had originally declared neutrality, but the increasing intensity of the war alongside other factors caused the United States to eventually join the war effort.

Federal Farm Loan Act

Jul 17, 1916

This act created 12 Federal Land Banks to provide small farmers with long-term loans at low interest rates.

19th Amendment Ratified

Aug 18, 1920

This amendment guarantees all American women the right to vote. Achieving this milestone required a lengthy and difficult struggle; victory took decades of agitation and protest.