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New York State Tenement Act
Lawrence Veiller, a man with a passion against the tenement houses, finally succeeded in getting the states to pass laws on the sanitary conditions of the houses. The New York State Tenement Act forced new tenement buildings to be built in open, clean air to prevent the spread of disease. It also said that there must be one bathroom per every three rooms. Before this act, there was only one bathroom per floor. (Page 558) -
McClure's publication of "Tweed Days in St. Louis"
This story was written by journalists Lincoln Steffens and Claude Wetmore. This marked the begining of this style of journalism. The article exposed the corrupt political machine in St. Louis, comparing it to Boss Tweed's control of New York City. (Page 549) -
National Child Labor Comittee is formed
A reformer named Florence Kelley worked tirelessly against the child labor horrors that America was facing. She and other reformers organized the National Child Labor Comittee to fight against the awful conditions that the children and women were forced into. By 1912, Kelley had plenty of supporters and had passed child labor laws in 39 states. (Page 553) -
Du Bois organizes the NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or the NAACP, was formed in 1909 when W.E.B Du Bois and other American Indians met in Springfield. They talked about advancing their race, as well as helping with racial discrimination. Their magazine, The Crisis, advertised their doings.(Page 563) -
City Planning
Daniel Burnham, a brilliant architect of his time, met with others to create a plan to recreate Chicago. They planned to make the city a wonderful place, one that residents would be good citizens and the city would be forever beautiful. Despite the amazing arrangement of smart men they used, their plans never were completely accomplished. (Page 559) -
The ILGWU Strike
The International Ladies' Garment Workers Union began one of the biggest strikes of their time in November of 1909. Papers called it the "Uprising of 20,000" which was, actually, the truth. A vast number of workers simply walked from their jobs, demanding shorter hours and more pay. They were successful, and most of the employers gave in. (Page 556) -
American Indians Unite
In 1911, a group of 50 American Indians met to discuss their civil rights, education, health, and local government. They formed the Society of American Indians. It became a well publicized organization, and it had many supporters. (Page 564) -
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
On Saturday, March 25th, 1911, 500 women workers were just getting off of their shifts at the Triangle Waistshirt Company when an enormous fire broke out. The eighth floor was consumed in flames, and because of the lack of exits and only two staircases, many women became trapped. 140 workers perished that day, of the 500. (Page 554) -
The IWW Strike
The IWW, or the International Workers of the World, had their biggest riot in 1912. The union led 10,000 on strike against the textile mills they were working at. Their wages had been cut, and they decided to fight against their employers by striking. In the end, the employers gave in. (Page 557) -
The Proposal of the Eighteenth Amendment
Once the U.S Navy had banned the use of alcohol, thecitizens back in the US began to think prohibition was a good idea. The Eighteenth Amendment barred the manufacture, sale, and distribution of alcohol acrossed the states. However, it was repealed in 1933 because it was highly disliked and hard to enforce. (Page 561)
