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Wright Brothers fly the first airplane
Flew the first official airplane (glider that could be propelled by an engine) in Kitty Hawk, NC. Orville and Wilbur Wright took the first flight in "Miracle Kitty Hawk"on December 17th, 1902 that started the new era of flight technology. Orville Wright credited with the design and construction of the first practical airplane. -
Industrial Workers of the World created (IWW)
Also called Wobblies who stressed solidarity. Was a radical union aimed to unite the American working class into one union to promote labor's interests. It worked to organize unskilled and foreign-born laborers, advocated social revolution and led several major strikes. -
Hepburn Act passed
Act was signed by Teddy Roosevelt to give the ICC the right to set rates that would be reasonable. It extended the jurisdiction of the ICC to cover express, sleeping car, and pipeline companies and prohibited free passes and rebates. This was the first time in U.S. history that a government agency was given power to establish rates for private companies. -
Meat Inspection Act passed
Required strict cleanliness requirements for meat packers and created a program of federal meat inspection. It came about in 1906 as a result of President Roosevelt reading Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle". Roosevelt appointed a commission of experts to investigate the meat packing industry and the commission issued a report backing up Sinclair's account of the disgusting conditions in the industry. -
Payne-Aldrich Tariff
The tariff was signed by Taft in March of 1909 in contrast to campaign promises. Was supposed to lower tariff rates but Senator Nelson N. Aldrich of Rhode Island put revisions that raised tariffs. This split the Republican Party into Progressives (lower tariff) and conservatives (high tariff). -
Ballinger-Pinchot Controversy
Ballinger, who was the Secretary of Interior, opened public lands in Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska against Roosevelt's conservation policies. Pinchot, who was the Chief of Forestry, supported former President Roosevelt and demanded that President Taft dismiss Ballinger. Taft, who supported ballinger, dismissed Pinchot on the basis of insubordination which divided the Republican Party. -
Election of 1912
The Democrats nominated Woodrow Wilson, giving him a strong progressive platform called the "New Freedom" program. The Republicans were split between Taft and Roosevelt's Bull Moose Party, a Democratic victory was ensured for Woodrow Wilson and the Republicans were thrust into a minority status in Congress for the next 6 years. -
Underwood-Simmons Tariff
Act passed Congress during the administration of Woodrow Wilson that lowered tariffs on hundreds of items that could be produced more cheaply in the U.S. than abroad. Sponsored by Representative, Oscar W. Underwood of Alabama, the tariff reduced the rates of the Payne-Aldrich Tariff by about 10%. As the first bill since the Civil War to lower tariff rates, the Underwood Tariff included an income tax to make up for the loss in revenues caused by the lower tariffs. -
Clayton Anti-Trust Act passed
The act added to the Sherman Law's list of objectionable trust practices by forbidding price discrimination. It exempted labor unions and agricultural organizations from anti monopoly constraints. It also legalized strikes as a form of peaceful assembly and ultimately helped cut down on monopolies. -
Federal Trade Commission created
This law was a banner accomplishment of Woodrow Wilson's administration. It empowered a standing, presidentially appointed commission to investigate illegal business practices in interstate commerce like unlawful competition, false advertising, and mislabeling of goods. The commission was created to stop unfair trade practices and to regulate and crush monopolies. -
Keating-Owen Child Safety Act
Act signed by Woodrow Wilson to forbid the shipment of products whose production had involved child labor. The power of enforcement derived from interstate commerce, so the federal government could regulate it rather than states. It was eventually declared unconstitutional because it interfered with the power of states.