-
Pennsylvania Mine Safety Act of 1870 passed
Following an 1869 fire in an Avondale mine that kills 110
workers, Pennsylvania passes the country's first coal mine safety
law, mandating that mines have an emergency exit and
ventilation. -
Women's Christian Temperance Union founded
Barred from traditional politics, groups such as the Woman’s
Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) allow women a public
platform to participate in issues of the day. Under the leadership
of Frances Willard, the WCTU supports a national Prohibition
political party and, by 1890, counts 150,000 members. -
Interstate Commerce Act passed
The Interstate Commerce Act creates the Interstate Commerce
Commission to address price-fixing in the railroad industry. The
Act is amended over the years to monitor new forms of interstate
transportation, such as buses and trucks. -
Hull House opens in Chicago
Jane Addams establishes Hull House in Chicago as a
“settlement house” for the needy. Addams and her colleagues,
such as Florence Kelley, dedicate themselves to safe housing in the inner city, and call on lawmakers to bring about reforms: ending child labor, instituting better factory working conditions, and compulsory education. In 1931, Addams is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. -
Jacob Riis publishes How the Other Half Lives
Writing for the New York Sun newspaper, Jacob Riis’s book How
the Other Half Lives documents in words and pictures the squalid
living conditions in New York slums. Riis’s exposé supports the
accusation by many Progressives and Socialists that American
capitalism fosters inequality. -
Sherman Antitrust Act becomes law
With only one dissenting vote, Congress passes the Sherman
Anti-Trust Act, which prohibits business monopolies by deeming
them an unlawful restraint on interstate commerce. The act is the
first by the federal government to curb monopolies. -
Forest Reserve Act passed
Signed by President Benjamin Harrison in March 1891, the
Forest Reserve Act authorizes the president to keep some
forested land in the hands of the federal government and away
from private industry. Such preservation of public land becomes
a cornerstone of the Progressive agenda. -
John Dewey establishes "progressive" school
Educator John Dewey founds a school in Chicago based on his
philosophy of “progressive education.” Breaking with traditional
methods of education, which rely on repetition and rote learning,
Dewey’s “laboratory school” encourages personal development
and expression. -
Bryan loses presidential bid
Though popular in rural areas for his Populist, anti-monopoly
platform, Democrat William Jennings Bryan fails to receive
sufficient support in the cities, and loses the presidential election
to Republican William McKinley. Bryan’s subsequent campaigns
in 1900 and 1908 are also unsuccessful. -
President McKinley assassinated
Anarchist Leon Czolgosz shoots President William McKinley at a
public appearance in Buffalo, New York. McKinley dies from his
wounds on September 14. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt
assumes the presidency. -
Roosevelt's "trust-busting"
President Roosevelt begins his “trust-busting” crusade by
bringing J.P. Morgan’s Northern Securities Company to court for
violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. Throughout his two terms in
office, Roosevelt uses the act in an ongoing effort to break up
business monopolies. -
Northen Securities Co. v. United States
The Supreme Court upholds the Sherman Antitrust Act and
hands Theodore Roosevelt a major trust-busting victory in
Northern Securities Co. v. United States. The court’s 5-4
decision orders the trust to dissolve, reinstating railroad
competition in the Northwest and setting an important precedent. -
President Roosevelt elected
Roosevelt wins the 1904 presidential election over Democrat
Alton B. Parker. Progressives support Roosevelt’s “Square Deal”
programs: increased food and drug regulations, taxation of the
wealthy, and establishment of national parks and wildlife refuges. -
Robert La Follette elected in Senate
Wisconsin voters elect former governor Robert La Follette to the U.S. Senate, responding to his Progressive platform: strict
regulation of industries and railroads, conservation of public
lands, and support of farmers and small business. La Follette
serves in the Senate until his death in 1925, and ran for
president as a Progressive in 1924. -
Lochner v. New York
The Supreme Court decides in Lochner v. New York that states
are forbidden from restricting working hours in private
businesses. Labor advocates argue, and four dissenting justices
agree, that some hazardous jobs require state oversight.
Lochner is a victory for big business. -
Upton Sinclair publishes The Jungle
In 1906, writer Upton Sinclair publishes The Jungle, a stark
exposé of labor exploitation and unsanitary conditions in meatpacking plants. The novel, based on Sinclair’s own research in Chicago slaughterhouses, spurs a call for regulations in the industry. That same year, Sinclair runs for Congress as a Socialist. -
Hepburn Act
President Roosevelt is influential in the passage of the Hepburn
Act. To combat the economic power of the railroad industry, the
jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) is
expanded. Under the Hepburn Act, railroads cannot raise rates
without prior approval by the ICC. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
President Roosevelt signs a comprehensive Pure Food and Drug
Act and the Meat Inspection Act. The Acts, passed after
“muckraking” journalists reveal unsanitary conditions in food
production and the existence of fraudulent medicines, impose
fines on companies that endanger the health of consumers. -
Meat Inspection Act
As a result of Roosevelt’s reform agenda and the publication of
“muckraking” works like The Jungle, the federal government
passes the Meat Inspection Act. As with the Pure Food and Drug
Act (passed the same day), the government steps in to restrain
big business and protect the public’s health and welfare. -
Muller v. Oregon
The Supreme Court rules in Muller v. Oregon that a reduced tenhour workday for women is constitutional. The decision partially overturns Lochner v. New York (1905). The ruling is seen as a breakthrough for the reform movement. (Florence Kelley of the National Consumers’ League is instrumental in bringing the case.) -
William Howard Taft elected president
Though not as outspoken on business and social reform as his
predecessor Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft signs into
law several measures approved by Progressives. These include
antitrust measures, a federal income tax, and a tax on
corporations. -
NAACP founded
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is organized to challenge discrimination and stem
recent outbreaks of racial violence. Founding member Ida B.
Wells urges the NAACP to take a united stand against lynching. -
Mann-Elkins Act
The Mann-Elkins Act gives the Interstate Commerce
Commission authority to regulate telephone and telegraph
companies as entities of interstate commerce, strengthening the
Hepburn Act. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire
The deaths of one hundred forty-six workers in a fire at New York
City’s Triangle Shirtwaist Company raise awareness of urban
work environments and spur reform efforts. The factory’s
sweatshop conditions included overcrowding, blocked exits, and
flimsy fire escapes. -
Bull Moose Party
With Theodore Roosevelt as their presidential candidate, the
short-lived independent “Bull Moose”/ Progressive political party
pledges a “New Nationalism” that puts individuals’ interests over
those of corporations. The party’s platform includes an
endorsement of women’s right to vote. -
Woodrow Wilson elected president
With Republicans divided between incumbent William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt, running for the Bull Moose Party, Democrat Woodrow Wilson wins the White House. Socialist Eugene Debs receives more than 900,000 votes, or 6% of the total, the highest number the party receives in a presidential election. -
16th Amendment ratified
The Sixteenth Amendment is ratified, instituting a federal income tax four years after then-President Taft recommended its passage. Progressives support the income tax, believing it to be a fairer method of collecting revenue, especially from the wealthy. -
17th Amendment ratified
U.S. senators are elected not by the people of their states, but by
their state legislatures—until the ratification of the Seventeenth
Amendment, which allows for direct election of senators.
Progressives are instrumental in this change, believing it will
eliminate corruption and lead to better public representation. -
Federal Reserve Act
Responding to Progressives’ concerns regarding the nation’s
money supply, Congress passes the Federal Reserve Act. The
Federal Reserve Act establishes twelve district banks and a
Board of Governors who oversee the reserve banks’ dealings
and policies. -
Clayton Antitrust Act
The Clayton Antitrust Act, vigorously advocated by President
Wilson, revises the 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act. It outlaws
monopolistic practices by business, including price fixing and the purchase of a company’s stock by a competitive firm to create a virtual monopoly. The Act also affirms workers’ right to go on strike. -
18th Amendment ratified
The Eighteenth Amendment is ratified, prohibiting the sale and
manufacture of alcoholic beverages. The measure was long
advocated by temperance societies and many grass-roots
Progressives. -
19th Amendment ratified
Women are guaranteed the right to vote in a simple, twosentence
amendment that is passed by both houses of Congress
and sent to the states for ratification on June 4. After receiving
the needed three-fourths majority of states, the Nineteenth
Amendment is officially ratified on August 18.
