progressive/gilded age

17th Amendment

Direct election of U.S. Senators by the people instead of state legislatures.

19th Amendment

Granted women the right to vote.

Initiative, Referendum, and Recall

Allowed citizens to propose laws, vote on them directly, and remove elected officials.

Australian Ballot

Secret ballot to reduce voter intimidation and fraud.

City Commission and City Manager Systems

Replaced corrupt mayoral systems with expert-led governance (Galveston Plan).

Sherman Antitrust Act

First federal law to prohibit monopolies and restraint of trade.

Elkins Act

Outlawed railroad rebates and enforced equal rates for all shippers.

Hepburn Act

Gave the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) power to set maximum railroad rates.

Clayton Antitrust Act

Strengthened the Sherman Act; protected labor unions from being considered illegal combinations.

Federal Trade Commission Act

Established the FTC to monitor unfair business practices.

16th Amendment

Authorized the federal income tax to fund government reforms.

Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

Banned interstate sale of goods produced by child labor (later struck down by Supreme Court).

Workmen’s Compensation Laws

Provided financial help for injured workers.

Tenement House Act

Improved housing standards (ventilation, lighting, sanitation).

Lochner v. New York

Set precedents for labor laws (mixed rulings, but upheld 10-hour workday for women in Muller v. Oregon).

Pure Food and Drug Act

Required accurate labeling of food and medicine; banned harmful ingredients.

Meat Inspection Act

Required federal inspection of meatpacking plants inspired by Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle.

Federal Reserve Act

Created the Federal Reserve System to regulate the U.S. money supply and banking.

Underwood Tariff Act

Lowered tariffs and introduced a graduated income tax.

Newlands Reclamation Act

Funded irrigation projects in the arid West.

Establishment of the U.S. Forest Service

Managed national forests.

Antiquities Act

Allowed the president to designate national monuments.

18th Amendment

Prohibition of alcohol (repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933).

Mann Act

Prohibited interstate transport of women for immoral purposes (targeted prostitution and trafficking).