The Progressive Era

Recall

A way for citizens to remove an elected official before their term is over.

Referendum

A way for citizens to vote “yes” or “no” on a proposed law.

Initiative

When citizens (regular people) suggest a new law by collecting signatures and then voting on it.

Prohibition

A law that made alcohol illegal in the United States.

Muckrakers

Journalists (writers) who told the public about problems, such as bad working conditions or dirty food factories.

Suffrage Movement

The fight to give women the right to vote in elections.

Populism

A movement where farmers and common people wanted the government to help them more and limit the power of big businesses and banks.

Ida B. Wells

An African American journalist and activist who spoke out against unfair treatment of Black people, especially the violence of lynching. She also fought for women’s right to vote.

Upton Sinclair

An author who wrote The Jungle, a book about unsafe and dirty meat factories.

Alexis De Tocqueville

A French writer who visited the United States in the 1830s to study democracy. He wrote a book called Democracy in America about what he saw.

NAACP

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. It is an organization started in 1909 to fight for the rights of African Americans and to end racial discrimination.

Laissez-Faire

A French word that means “let do” or “hands off.” In history, it means the government does not get involved in businesses or the economy.

16th Amendment

A law that let the government collect income taxes from people’s pay.

17th Amendment

A law that let the people (not state leaders) directly elect U.S. Senators.

18th Amendment

The law that banned alcohol (Prohibition).

Pure Food and Drug Act

A law made in 1906 that said food and medicine must be safe to eat or take, and labels had to tell the truth.

Meat Inspection Act

A law passed in 1906 that made sure meat was clean and safe to eat. Government workers inspected meat in factories to prevent sickness.

Pendleton Civil Service Act

A law made in 1883 that said government workers must be hired for their skills, not because of who they know (no more “spoils system”).

Child Labor Act

A law that made it illegal for very young children to work in factories or dangerous jobs.

W.E.B DuBois

An African American leader and thinker who worked for equal rights and higher education for Black people. He believed African Americans should fight for full equality right away.

Theodore Roosevelt

A U.S. President (1901–1909) who worked to protect nature, fight big businesses that were unfair, and help the American people.

Jane Addams

A leader who started Hull House in Chicago, a famous settlement house to help immigrants.

Settlement House

Community centers in cities that helped immigrants and the poor with housing, food, and education.

Egalitarianism

The belief that all people should be treated equally and have the same rights.

Susan B. Anthony

A leader who worked for women’s right to vote. She fought for equality and helped start the fight for the 19th Amendment.