social reforms and movements

Woman's Christian Temperance Union founded

The Woman's Christian Temperance Union was founded in 1874 by women who were concerned that the consumption of alcohol was having negative effects on American society. The women who joined this group pledged not to drink alcohol at all and publicly proclaimed their opposition to alcohol. Leaders like Carrie Nation protested saloons and destroyed bar windows.

: Pendleton Act

Passed by Congress in 1883, the Pendleton Act reformed the civil service system. It required that people be hired for federal jobs based on their qualifications instead of their political ties. Previously, the patronage system, or spoils system, was used to give government jobs to people who were the supporters of a political party.

Samuel Gompers founds the American Federation of Labor

a union made up of skilled workers. The AFL was one of many labor unions that sprang up in the late 1800s as workers fought to improve wages and working conditions in factories and businesses across the United States. Labor unions fought for the eight-hour workday, improved wages, and an end to child labor.Interstate Commerce Act

Interstate Commerce Act

Passed by Congress in 1887, the Interstate Commerce Act imposed regulations on the railroad industry by prevented the railroad from charging unfair rates, forming pools, or giving rebates. This act was significant because it marked the first time that Congress had attempted to regulate Big Business.

Jane Addams opens Hull House

Jane Addams, a prominent Progressive leader, supported the Prohibition movement and many other social reforms. Addams opened Hull House in Chicago, a settlement house that helped poor immigrants that lived in the slums. Hull House became an important part of the community for immigrants and the poor.

Sherman Antitrust Act is passed

Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act to prevent monopolies and trusts in American industries, specifically in the railroad and steel industries. It was the first law to deal with monopolies and trusts and, along with the Interstate Commerce Act, was one of the first acts to regulate Big Business.

acob Riis exposes conditions in tenements

Photojournalist Jacob Riis published the book How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York, which exposed the horrible conditions faced by immigrants living in the slums of New York. By using photographs, drawings, and written descriptions, Riis's book included images of sweatshops, child labor, and overcrowded and unsanitary tenements. Riis used his book to advocate social reform.

Sierra Club is founded

The Sierra Club was founded in 1892 by John Muir as an environmental organization. The goals of the group were defined as protection of the wilderness, the responsible use of natural resources, and education regarding the benefits of conservation.

: Homestead Strike

The Homestead Strike took place in 1892 when iron and steel workers who belonged to the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers struck the Carnegie Steel Company in Homestead, Pennsylvania, to protest a proposed wage cut. The company's manager hired 300 Pinkerton detectives to protect the plant and the strikebreakers who were still working. In an armed battle between the workers and the detectives, several men were killed or wounded. The governor called out the state militia, and the nonunion workers stayed on the job, ending the strike.

: U.S. v. E.C. Knight & Co goes to Supreme Court

In 1892, the American Sugar Refining Company acquired the E.C. Knight Company, creating a 98% monopoly of the American sugar refining industry. The U.S. government sued the E.C. Knight Company, arguing that this monopoly violated the Sherman Antitrust Act. The Supreme Court ruled the manufacturing of sugar could not be regulated by Congress because it was a local activity.

1900: Carrie Chapman Catt becomes president of the National American Women's Suffrage Association

Carrie Chapman Catt was a notable leader of women's suffrage. She was the president of the National American Women's Suffrage Association in 1900-1904, and again from 1915-1920. Because of the efforts of Catt and other suffragists, women finally gained the right to vote in 1920

1901: Theodore Roosevelt becomes president

Theodore Roosevelt supported many progressive reforms. He was also a strong supporter of the conservation movement. He expanded the amount of land that was used for national parks and national forests. He realized that natural resources, especially forests, needed to be managed in a way so that they would not be depleted. Roosevelt also worked to ensure that ordinary citizens got a "square deal." He did not want people to be mistreated by big corporations. He supported government regulations of the railroad industry, and he expanded the government's role in protecting consumers.

Anthracite Coal Strike occurs

In May, coal workers in Pennsylvania's anthracite fields struck, demanding higher wages, union recognition, and an eight-hour workday. Anthracite coal was necessary for heating homes. President Theodore Roosevelt met with coal workers in October, five months after the strike began, to help resolve the strike. It was the first time the president personally intervened in a labor dispute. During President Theodore Roosevelt's administration, the government played a more active role in regulating Big Business and was able to use its power in a more effective manner.

1902: Beginning of Election Reform

Many progressives sought to reform U.S. politics to give citizens more direct power over the government in order to circumvent political bosses or corruption. In 1902, voters in Oregon approved a ballot measure that created the initiative and referendum processes for citizens to directly introduce or approve proposed laws or amendments to the state constitution, making Oregon the first state to adopt such a system. These measures were further expanded in 1908 with the passage of an amendment giving voters the power to recall elected officials and the popular election of U.S. Senators. In 1911, California governor Hiram Johnson established the Oregon System of "Initiative, Referendum, and Recall" in his state, viewing them as good influences for citizen participation against the historic influence of large corporations on state lawmakers. These Progressive reforms were soon replicated in other states, including Idaho, Washington, and Wisconsin.

1904: Muckraker Ida Tarbell writes The History of the Standard Oil Company

Beginning her research into the company in 1900, Tarbell pieced together public documents from across the country to find instances of Standard Oil's aggressive approach to putting down its rivals. Organized into a coherent history, these documents became a stark portrayal of the company's policies and of big business in general. As a result, Standard Oil was exposed as a monopoly, and Tarbell's work eventually led to the breakup of the company.

1904: Northern Securities v. U.S. goes to Supreme Court

In 1904, the U.S. sued Northern Securities Company, a holding company made up of several railroad companies. The U.S. argued that Northern Securities violated the Sherman Antitrust Act. The Supreme Court ruled that Northern Securities was in violation of the act and ordered the company to break up. This marked a change to a more aggressive enforcement of the Sherman Antitrust Act than in earlier court cases

1906: Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act are passed

The Meat Inspection Act set sanitary standards for the meat-packing industry. It was passed the same year that Upton Sinclair's book The Jungle was published, as The Jungle had gained the country's attention over the poor conditions in slaughterhouses. The Pure Food and Drug Act, which required merchants to label their food and drugs correctly, was passed during the same time.

1909: Payne-Aldrich Tariff is passed

This act, passed during a special session of Congress called by President Taft, was the first change in tariff laws since 1897. The tariff changed over 650 tariff schedules, but it was not as aggressive as some members of Congress had hoped.

1910: Mann-Elkins Act is passed

Congress passed this act to strengthen the Interstate Commerce Act, which required railroad rates to be "reasonable and just." The law did not specify what "reasonable and just" meant, so the act was not effective in regulating rates. Under the Mann-Elkins Act, railroad companies were required to prove that their rates were reasonable.

1911: American Tobacco v. U.S. goes to Supreme Court

The U.S. sued the American Tobacco Company in 1911 for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. It was the first case brought against a tobacco company. American Tobacco was found in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act by the Supreme Court and broke up into several major companies.

1911: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City killed 146 garment workers who were trapped on upper floors due to locked doors and inadequate fire escapes. The fire spread quickly because of flammable materials in the factory. This tragedy highlighted unsafe sweatshop conditions and led to increased advocacy by the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union, resulting in new workplace safety regulations.

Woodrow Wilson is elected president of the U.S.

the Progressive Party, also called the Bull Moose Party, was formed by Theodore Roosevelt and his supporters after he failed to win the Republican nomination from President Taft. Robert La Follette, another progressive, had also sought the Republican nomination earlier. Democrat Woodrow Wilson, who had passed progressive reforms in New Jersey, ran on his "New Freedom" platform and won the election, defeating Roosevelt, Taft, and Socialist candidate Eugene Debs.

1913: 16th, 17th Amendments Ratified

In 1913, both the 16th and 17th Amendments were ratified. The 16th Amendment created a federal income tax. The 17th Amendment changed how senators were elected. It gave the people the power to elect senators in direct elections, rather than having senators appointed by state legislatures.

1913: Federal Reserve Act is passed

Congress passed the Federal Reserve Act in 1913, which created 12 regional Federal Reserve banks to be supervised by a Federal Reserve Board. The Federal Reserve System is the central banking system of the United States, and it is still in existence today.

1914: Clayton Antitrust Act is passed

Congress passed the Clayton Antitrust Act to act as an amendment to the Sherman Antitrust Act. This act prohibits exclusive sales contracts, local price cutting (to freeze out competitors), and interlocking directorates in corporations with capital of $1 million or more. This act was used to clarify the Sherman Antitrust Act.

1916: Alice Paul forms the National Women's Party

Alice Paul was a suffragist leader in the early twentieth century. She formed the National Women's Party in 1916, which worked hard to gain a constitutional amendment allowing women the right to vote. She was well known for leading protests and hunger strikes.

1919: 18th Amendment is passed

Due to pressures from members of the Temperance Movement, many state governments passed state-wide prohibition in the early 1900s. Responding to this growing support, Congress passed a resolution in 1917 regarding nation-wide prohibition to be presented to the states for ratification. The 18th Amendment was ratified on January 16, 1919, banning the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol. This began the Prohibition Era, which lasted until the passage of 21st Amendment in 1933.

1920: 19th Amendment is passed

In 1920, Congress passed the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. This amendment gave all women who were citizens of the United States the right to vote in local, state, and federal elections in the U.S.

W.E.B. Du Bois

W.E.B. Du Bois was an African American leader who strongly protested the segregation in the South. He and other leaders started the Niagara Movement in 1905 to protest racial discrimination. The movement ended a few years later, but many members continued the mission by joining the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Formed in 1909, the NAACP is still around today and continues to fight to achieve equality among all races.

Marcus Garvey

Marcus Garvey was an African American leader who encouraged blacks to leave America and return to Africa. He felt that blacks would never be treated fairly in a country that was mostly white. He thought African Americans should be proud of their race and return to the home of their ancestors. His campaign was called the "Back to Africa" movement. Marcus Garvey raised money from his supporters and started the Universal Negro Improvement Association in 1914. He started it overseas, but he brought it to the United States in 1917. The group helped African Americans, especially the poor.

Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington, a former slave and founder of the Tuskegee Institute, believed African Americans should focus on job training and improving their economic status before seeking equal rights. In his 1895 "Atlanta Compromise" speech, he urged acceptance of social segregation and encouraged whites to hire African Americans over immigrants. His views were criticized by other Black leaders, such as those in the Niagara Movement, who felt he was too accommodating to racism and that his approach would not bring true equality.

Ida Wells-Barnett

Ida Wells-Barnett was a former slave who became an influential journalist. She was concerned about lynching and other cruel acts toward African Americans. She published articles and pamphlets that exposed the mistreatment of blacks. She was also a part of the women's suffrage movement. She started the Alpha Suffrage Club in Chicago, which was the first organization that was focused on African American women's voting rights.

Susan B. Anthony

Susan B. Anthony was a leader in the fight for women's suffrage. Anthony illegally voted in the presidential election of 1872. She was arrested and charged a fine. She wanted Congress to pass an amendment that would give women the right to vote. She had trouble getting support early in the Progressive Era, but her goal was accomplished in 1920.

Jane Addams

Jane Addams was a humanitarian leader and social worker. She worked to help the poor, especially immigrants, in urban Chicago. She founded the Hull House, a mansion that was converted into a settlement house for the poor. She was also involved in fighting for other causes, including labor reform for women and children.

This was a very rare three-way race, on the republican side Bush was seeking for another term, they wanted to deal with the dwindling of family values, in addition, Bush had

ended the cold war and won the Gulf War, but the recession that happened soon after caused some people to not support him. Then an Independent candidate named H. Ross Perot, a rich Texas businessman was frustrated over government policies over the economy. He had no ties to politics previously, so he was a Washington outsider, and he pledged to consider the needs of the people as a whole.

. The Democrats nominated the governor of Arkansas Bill Clinton, he wanted to end the recession and promised to address the nations federal budget deficit, and

he wanted to end the recession and promised to address the nations federal budget deficit, and problems in the health care system. Cliton believed he needed to help America work again, and wanted to reconcile both liberal and conservative views, he called himself a “New Democrat”. As he tried to erase the stereotypes of democrats that taxed and spent, all the time.

In addition, many scandals started coming up about him having affairs with various woman, all of which he denied, and many questioned how he was able to avoid the draft for the Vietnam war. However, his strong character and will not to give up got him the nickname

“comeback kid”. Clinton would not win most of the popular vote, but he did win the electoral college and became president.

NAFTA- It is the North American Free Trade Agreement. and it was an agreement between Mexico, the U.S., and Canada to establish a trade free zone in North America, it

aimed to remove tariffs and other things in the way of trade between the three countries. However, some people argued that it would lead to job losses in the United States as companies went to Mexico because of lower wages and less strict environment laws

“Contract with America”-

Newt Gingrich called for republicans to endorse the Contract with America, this contract was a pledge to scale back on the role of the federal government and eliminate some regulations, cut taxes, and balance the budget. Many voters felt that democratcontrolled congress had lost touch with the concerns of the people, so they voted in Republicans which would be the first time they had control of Congress in 4 decades.

Charges of scandals in Clintons first term, which Bob Dole had emphasized continued into the next administration, it was called the Whitewater Affair, Clinton was accused of having taken part in

fraudulent loans and land deals in Arkansas and using his influence as governor to block an investigation of his businesses partners, then Attorney General Janet Reno appointed a special prosecutor to look into these charges as a result some of Clintons friends and former associates were convicted of various crimes but none linked to the president. Another charge made shortly after the election was that he illegally campaigned for donations in return for political favors

. In his sixth year of office he had achieved a budget surplus, but this win would be looked over due to another scandal, Kenneth Star who had been looking into the Whitewater affair found out that

Clinton might be sleeping with one of the young white house interns, under oath he said that he did not have sexual relations with the woman. But he would finally admit to doing so and Starr sent a report listing numerous grounds for impeachment to the House of Reps this would lead to a debate in the House and across the country, though they felt the cheating was wrong, on part of his actual job he was doing well as a President and should not be impeached

But he would still be impeached on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, most of the votes were republican. The Senate trial that followed would lead to the Senate voting to

acquit the President, but support for him would increase due to the economic boom, which increased the surplus even more.

a mixture of a strong economy and a scandal filled presidency closed this election, during the campaign Republicans preached of returning the morality and respect of the White House, leading up to the election Texas governor

George W. Bush, the son of the previous Bush was tied with the democratic candidate vice president Al Gore. it was mainly focused on what the government should do with the surplus, republicans wanted to cut taxes to give the money back to the people, while democrats believed this would only help the rich and wanted to give the money to social security and pay down national debt

But on the day of the election the popular vote was too close, and Florida became the last state to determine who would win. However, some of the ballots were

not counted since there holes were not punched in correctly, it then reached supreme court ho leaned more conservative. In the end Bush would have the majority electoral vote and would become president.

He is often known to be one of the most powerful vice presidents, he helped develop the

department of homeland security, and was a strong supporter for the invasion of Iraq, but he was also criticized for his role in the NSA surveillance program since he supported the use of torture as an interrogation technique

Americans watched as terrorists struck the twin towers in New York City and another plane who was being hijacked used the commercial plane as a weapon and crashed into the Pentagon, a fourth plane crashed in a field near Pittsburgh, about 266 passengers on the plane lost their lives. The attack in the

Pentagon took place less than an hour after the first plane hit New York, when it crashed both buildings were almost in accessible due to the fire ignited from the fuel and hundreds of fire fighters and police men died trying to help, about 3,000 people died the day of 9/11. The attacks were attributed to Osama bin Laden; the head of a Muslim group called Al Qaeda.

Believing that bin Laden was hiding in Afghanistan the U.S. tried to find him there, but they were in Turmoil since the Soviets had just left, and they were in the middle of a civil war. The Taliban would seize the capital

Kabul, Taliban leaders sought to set up their version of a pure Islamic state, banning such things such as music and television. The Taliban also provided sanctuary for bin Laden, who had established a terrorist training camp in the countryside, when they ignored American demands to shut it down, Bush decided to take military action.

A bombing campaign known as Operation Enduring Freedom began and was followed by ground attacks. The U.S. defeated the Taliban in two months, but they

did not find bin Laden. Bush said that this was their first victory in the war on terrorism

The president was also concerned about terrorism at home to the end less than a month after the attacks he created Home Land Security, which soon became a Cabinet-Level Department of Homeland Security as it

got organize it faced many strange biological warfare attacks with anthrax spores that appeared in letters mailed to various officials, it was the largest government reorganization since the Department of Defense, it brought, Customs Service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Coast Guard, and Secret Service, together they would work to prevent terrorism.

following the terrorist attacks on 9/11, Bush sent a warning to hostile nations to stop developing weapons of mass destruction, he then declared Iran, Iraq, and North Korea to be enemies of evil. Iraq's leade

Saddam Hussien continued his brutal oppression of the IRaqi people and he did not want to corporate with the UN inspectors that were sent to ensure that the nation had destroyed their most dangerous weapons, Bush would use these actions as cause to get Congress to support an attack on Iraq. Congress would pass a joint resolution allowing the President to use force if necessary.

The war called “Operation for Iraqi Freedom” would start with precision guided missiles and bombs struck at key targets paving the way for ground troops, the troops had begun to move towards

Baghdad. The Iraqi military resistance wasn't consistent and after the start of the fight the U.S. would arrive, and Saddam's regime would fall. But peace was not yet achieved, Americans and supporters of Saddam, religious militants, and foreign fighters kept on battling, meanwhile a new Iraqi government was established, a civil war of the factions followed soon after.