Progressive era

16th Amendment

Established a gradual federal income tax to provide revenue for government programs and reduce reliance on tariffs.

17th Amendment

Allowed voters to directly elect U.S. Senators, reducing political corruption and increasing democratic participation, which were previously selected by State Legislatures.

18th Amendment

Began Prohibition by banning the production, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the U.S.

19th Amendment

Guaranteed women the right to vote, thereby expanding democratic rights and political participation among women.

Booker T. Washington

Advocated for vocational training and economic self-reliance for African Americans; founded the Tuskegee Institute.

Bull Moose Party

A progressive political party formed by Theodore Roosevelt that advocated for reforms such as women's suffrage and trust regulation, playing a significant role in the Election of 1912.

Child Labor

The exploitation of children in dangerous factory jobs and mines, characterized by long hours and low pay, particularly during the industrialization period.

Clayton Anti-Trust Act

Enhanced the Sherman Anti-Trust Act by defining unethical business practices, protecting labor unions' rights, and making it easier to close trusts.

Cross Gold Speech

William Jennings Bryan’s famous 1896 speech criticizes banks and businesses for becoming wealthy at the expense of workers and farmers.

Direct Election of Senators

Transferred the power of Senate elections from state legislatures to the public, increasing democratic participation.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

A leading women suffragist and abolitionist who co-organized the Seneca Falls Convention and co-authored the Declaration of Sentiments.

Federal Reserve Act

Established the Federal Reserve System to stabilize the economy by controlling the money supply and interest rates.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

A regulatory agency created to ensure the safety of food and medicine, prompted by public outcry over unsanitary conditions in industries.

Francis Willard

A temperance reformer and women's suffragist who led the Women’s Christian Temperance Union to promote moral reform.

Gilded Age

A period marked by rapid industrialization, economic growth, and considerable political corruption from the 1870s to 1900.

Grandfather Clause

A voting restriction that targeted African Americans by allowing those whose grandfathers had voted before the 15th Amendment to cast ballots without facing poll taxes or literacy tests.

Gradual Income Tax

A tax system that required the wealthy to pay a higher percentage of their income compared to poorer individuals, addressing income inequality.

Grange Movement

A social group that grew into a political force supporting farmers' interests, influencing the Populist movement and advocating for government-regulated utilities and railroads.

Hull House

A community center in Chicago founded by Jane Addams aimed at assisting immigrants through education, housing, and job training as part of the Social Gospel Movement.

Ida B. Wells

A journalist and activist known for her anti-lynching campaign and advocacy for African American civil rights, as well as women’s suffrage.

Ida Tarbell

An investigative reporter who exposed corruption in Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company, leading to significant public reforms and anti-trust laws.

Immigration Restrictions

Policies pushed by nativists during the Progressive Era, notably targeting Chinese immigrants through the Chinese Exclusion Act.

Industrial Age

An era characterized by significant industrial growth, leading to urbanization, technological innovations, and the rise of big business, along with worker abuses and child labor issues.

Initiative

A process allowing citizens to propose laws through petitions, which are then voted on by the public.

Interstate Commerce Act

A law that regulated railroad practices and rates to protect farmers and small businesses from monopolistic control.

Interstate Commerce Commission

A government agency created to enforce the Interstate Commerce Act and oversee fair trade in transport.

Jacob Riis

A photojournalist whose work "How the Other Half Lives" exposed slum conditions in tenements and influenced housing reforms.

Jane Addams

A social reformer and founder of Hull House, a key figure in both the settlement house movement and women's suffrage, aligning with the Social Gospel Movement.

Jim Crow Laws

Laws that enforced racial segregation and discrimination in public facilities, schools, and transportation, exacerbated by the Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson.

John Muir

An environmentalist known for promoting conservation and helping to establish national parks like Yosemite during Theodore Roosevelt's presidency.

Literacy Tests

An electoral tool used to suppress African American voters by requiring reading and writing tests, which were often unfairly administered.

Meat Inspection Act

A law mandating federal inspection of meatpacking plants to ensure cleanliness and consumer safety, prompted by Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle."

Muckrakers

Writers and journalists who exposed political corruption, business abuses, and social injustices during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

A civil rights organization founded in 1909 to challenge segregation and promote equal rights for African Americans.

National Child Labor Committee

A group that exposed child labor abuses and advocated for reforms aimed at protecting children's welfare and education.

National Woman Suffrage Association

A women's suffrage organization led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony that fought for voting rights for women.

New Freedom

Woodrow Wilson's reform plan that aimed at promoting stronger antitrust laws, banking reform, and tariff reductions.

Pendleton Act

A law that reformed the federal hiring process by requiring government jobs to be filled based on merit through a Civil Service Exam, thus ending the Spoils System.

People’s Party

Also known as the Populists, this third political party represented farmers and laborers and called for economic reforms, including government ownership of utilities and railroads.

Plessy v. Ferguson

A landmark Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine, which was later overturned by Brown v. Board of Education.

Poll Taxes

Fees required for voting that disenfranchised many African Americans by making it financially burdensome to vote.

Progressive Era

A reform era from the 1890s to the 1920s focused on correcting social, political, and economic injustices stemming from the Industrial and Gilded Ages.

Spoils System

A practice that awarded government jobs to political supporters, often leading to incompetence and corruption, which was ended by the Pendleton Act.

Prohibition

A nationwide movement aiming to ban alcohol to reduce crime, family abuse, and poverty.

Pure Food and Drug Act

Legislation that ensured truthful labeling of food and medicine and banned harmful substances in consumer products, influenced by women's organizations and muckrakers.

Recall

A political process that allows citizens to vote to remove elected officials from office before the end of their term, enhancing voter power.

Referendum

A method that permits voters to approve or reject laws passed by the legislature, thus empowering the electorate.

Secret Ballot

A voting method that ensures privacy during elections, aimed at reducing voter intimidation and fraud, thereby limiting the control of political machines.

Segregation

The enforced separation of races in public spaces and institutions, especially in the Southern U.S., which was supported by the Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson.

Settlement Homes

Community-based housing that provided support services for immigrants and the urban poor, integral to the Social Gospel Movement, with Hull House as a prominent example.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

A law that outlawed monopolies and practices that restrained trade, and was used by Theodore Roosevelt to curb trusts, earning him the nickname "trustbuster."

Social Gospel Movement

A reform movement advocating that individuals needed to perform good deeds to earn salvation, focusing on social problems like poverty and injustice.

Square Deal

Theodore Roosevelt’s policy aimed at balancing the interests of business, labor, and consumers through progressive reforms.

Susan B. Anthony

A key figure in the women’s suffrage movement who significantly contributed to the campaign to secure the 19th Amendment.

Temperance Movement

A campaign advocating for the prohibition of alcohol to combat its negative effects on families and society.

Theodore Roosevelt

A progressive president known for breaking monopolies, expanding federal authority over businesses, and creating national parks, as well as passing the Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act.

Third Party

A political party outside the dominant two-party system, often representing specific interests and reforms, which can influence larger parties to adopt their platforms.

Trustbuster

A nickname for reformers, particularly Theodore Roosevelt, who worked to break up monopolies and enforce antitrust laws.

Upton Sinclair

An author whose novel "The Jungle" prompted significant food safety reforms, including the Meat Inspection Act.

Unlimited Coinage of Silver

A policy advocating the use of silver as currency alongside gold, aimed at assisting farmers in managing debt.

W.E.B. Du Bois

An African American intellectual who co-founded the NAACP and promoted the immediate civil rights of African Americans.

William Howard Taft

The U.S. President who continued the trust-busting policies of Theodore Roosevelt and implemented further reforms during his administration.

William Jennings Bryan

A prominent Populist leader and orator known for advocating for farmers, free silver, and economic reforms, recognized primarily for his Cross of Gold speech.

Women’s Suffrage Movement

The campaign aimed at securing voting rights for women, culminating in the achievement of the 19th Amendm