-
Influential Writers Ignite
During this time of strikes and new laws, America was attempting to rise from the ashes of its inner conflicts. Writers, especially one who excelled in writing that exposed the horrors or corruption of the governement or society, they thrived. Theodore Dreiser, Edith Wharton, and Herbert Croly were all writers who wrote and exposed people and businesses during this time. (Page 551) -
New York State Tenement Act Passed
After journalisms had revealed the horrors of tenements and settlement houses, many people pressed to change the conditions. Lawrence Veiller, a man who was very helpful to the cause, pressed to get the New York State Tenement Act passed. This new law required that the tenements be built in light, open air parts of the city. They also forced the building owners to install at least one bathroom for every three rooms. (Page 559) -
National Child Labor Comittee Formed
Florence Kelley and several other people who were horrified by the conditions of the child workers organized the National Child Labor Comittee. This organization dedicated itself to persuading states to pass laws against child labor. They were mostly sucessful, getting 39 states to agree by 1912. (Page 553) -
Lochner v. New York Case
A frustrated baker challenged the court in 1905 because his hours were limited to ten hours a day. He argued that, if needed, business owners should be able to work over their hours. At the end, the law was revised so that people were able to work over ten hours if needed. (Page 555) -
Muller v. Oregon Case
Years before, Florence Kelley had pressed to pass the 10-hour-workday laws. However, during the Muller v. Oregon case, an employer challenged this law. The final decision was that women have restricting conditions that could cause the work day hours to differ. (Page 555) -
Renovating Chicago
The First National Conference on City Planning was an arrangement of leading architects meeting to redisign Chicago. Many of the members, including a prominent man named Daniel Burnham, believed that they would be able to make Chicago a better place. They dreamed of a city where the residents were influenced to be better citizens. However, these fantasy plans were never completely fufilled. (Page 559) -
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is formed
In 1909, W.E.B Du Bois and some other African Americans held a meeting in Springfield, Illinois. They dedicated their organization to ending racial discrimination. They formed a magazine to feature their advancements and work, and they collected more supporters. (Page 563) -
The Society of American Indians forms
The Society of American Indians was formed by 50 middle class professional American Indians who met to discuss the future of their people with America. They looked for ways to improve civil rights, education, health, and local governement for American Indians. The organization was greatly publicized by the press, and this brought many supporters to them. (Page 564) -
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
On March 25th, 1911, the workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, many of them young women, were trapped inside as the eighth floor of the building caught fire. The building had only two stair cases, and no extra exits. Out of the 500 workers, 140 of them perished in the flames. (Page 554) -
The Industrial Workers of the World fight back
The Industrial Workers of the World, also called the IWW, hosted an outrageous strike against the textile mills in 1912. The workers protested the cut wages, that had already been too low in the first place. After a bitter two-month strike, the employers finally gave up. (Page 557)
