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Pendleton Civil Service Act
The act mandates that most positions within the federal government should be awarded on the basis of merit instead of political patronage. -
Sherman Anti Trust Act
The first Federal act that outlawed monopolistic business practices. -
Homestead Strike
The Homestead strike was an industrial lockout and strike which began on July 1, 1892, culminating in a battle between strikers and private security agents on July 6, 1892. The battle was a pivotal event in U.S. labor history. -
Booker T. Washington’s Atlanta Compromise Speech
Booker T. Washington was selected to give a speech that would open the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia. The speech, which is often referred to as the "Atlanta Compromise," was the first speech given by an African American to a racially-mixed audience in the South. -
Inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt became President upon the assassination of William McKinley, who was shot by Leon F. Czolgosz in Buffalo, New York on September 6, 1901. McKinley died on September 14, 1901. -
First Airplane Flight
On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright made four brief flights at Kitty Hawk with their first powered aircraft. The Wright brothers had invented the first successful airplane. -
The Pure Food and Drug Act
Prohibited the sale of misbranded or adulterated food and drugs in interstate commerce and laid a foundation for the nation's first consumer protection agency, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). -
Meat Inspection Act
makes it illegal to adulterate or misbrand meat and meat products being sold as food, and ensures that meat and meat products are slaughtered and processed under strictly regulated sanitary conditions. -
First Model T automobile
The Model T was introduced to the world in 1908. Henry Ford wanted the Model T to be affordable, simple to operate, and durable. The vehicle was one of the first mass production vehicles, allowing Ford to achieve his aim of manufacturing the universal car. -
Inauguration of William Howard Taft
William Taft was selected by President Teddy Roosevelt to be his successor. He is most famous for being the only president to serve on the Supreme Court after leaving office. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city, and one of the deadliest in U.S. history. -
The 16th Amendment
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration. -
Washington D.C. Suffrage parade
Thousands of women gathered in Washington, D.C. to call for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote. While women had been fighting hard for suffrage for over 60 years, this marked the first major national event for the movement. -
Inauguration of Woodrow Wilson
The first inauguration of Woodrow Wilson as the 28th President of the United States was held on Tuesday, March 4, 1913, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol -
The 17th Amendment
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures. -
The 18th Amendment
The manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited. -
The 19th Amendment
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.