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Hull House
Jane Addams was a women who fought for womens reforms, as well as reforms for those who were not as privileged, such as immigrants. She founded the Hull House origianlly to help immigrants adjust to American lifesyle, but it eventually grew to help lower class Americans, African Americans, and others who needed help during that era. -
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Progressive Era
The Progressive Era was determined by its distinct reforms and bettering of life for all people of the US. -
Beginning of Socialism
A new political party was formed in the early 1900s which appealed to the poor farmers, immigrants, and low class people. Eugene Debs was the leader, and ran for president receiving only 6% of the vote. -
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Conservation
During Theodore Roosevelt's presidency, he set aside millions of acres of land to preserve and conserve the United States and all of its beauty. He created many national parks, as well as the Antiquities Act of 1906 which restricts the use of certain land. John Muir was an avid preservationist of this era as well who also helped in the creation of many national parks. -
"The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair was published
Muckrakers, such as Upton Sinclair, told the disturbing truth to Americans, and revealed the attrocities of big businesses and other industries. "The Jungle" lead to reforms in the meat packing industry and other food industries. It also lead to further inspection into the safety of workers and factories. -
Creation of FDA
After the publishing of Upton SInclair's novel, the US governent created the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906 which regulated the ingredients and making of all items for consumption. Overall, it was regulated by the newly formed Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, which not only regulated goods, but also the safety of workers and machinery. -
NAACP
W. E. B. Du Bois founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which was an organizaiton founded to better the lives of African Americans and create more opportunities for them. It also was founded to combat the previous Jim Crow Laws. -
Federal Trade Commission Act
Theodore Roosevelt, during his presidency, worked on combatting big businesses, and preventing their monopolizing. He, along with others, worked on implementing anti trust laws and eventually created the Federal Trade Commission to regulate these ideas. -
Prohibition
Many Americans had been also been pushing for the repeal and ban on liquor , and in January of 1919 the US government officailly put that ban into the Constitution. Many had blamed alcohol for the problems with society, and said that prohibition would be a betterment for society. -
Women's Suffrage
The 19th Amendment was put in place on August 18, 1920 and stated that no American can be denied the right to vote. This is one of the most notable reforms of the time, especially since women had been fighting for equal rights for years. Influential women such as Susan B. Anthony, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Alice Paul were leaders of organizations for women fighting for these causes. -
Repeal of Prohibition
The 21st Amendment was the repeal of prohibition and therefore ended some terrible crime caused by prohibition. Once alcohol was banned, many poeple became bootleggers, and that lead to a dramatic increase in orgnaized crime. The 18th Amendment was very significant in American history, and lead to the definition of the roaring 20's, which then lead to its repeal.
