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the American Federation of Labor
Samuel Gompers helped establish the AFL. The purpose of the AFL was to organize workers into national unions based on their trade. It fought for shorter work hours, high wages and safer working conditions. It would encourage more workers to fight for this. -
Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt
Following the assassination of president McKinley in September 1901, vice-president Theodore Roosevelt stepped up. He would be the one to bring in progressive ideas. He would e known to be the spokesperson of national progressivism. -
The History of the Standard Oil Company
Ida Tarbell publishes a series of investigation reports all abut the unethical practices of the country's biggest trusts. She exposed the illegal means used by John D. Rockefeller to monopolize the early oil industry. This lead to the U.S. supreme court decision to break this monopoly. -
The Jungle
Upton Sinclair publishes a book in 1906 called The Jungle. Sinclair would go on to expose the food safety practices in the meat processing industry in his book. His book led the congress to pass legislation that helps regulate food safety. This included the Meat iInspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug act. -
The triangle shirtwaist factory fire
A fore broke out in the New York garment factory, killing 146 workers. This factory was overcrowded and had many unsafe conditions. This horrific even brought attention to the cruel and unsafe conditions of sweatshops. It would later contribute to laws about fire safety, factory inspection and overall safety for women and children.