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H.G Wells
H.G Wells, was best known for his science fiction stories. He was known as the father of the progressive era. He was a British writer who noted this aspect of patronage when he visited a powerful political boss in Chicago. -
ILGWU is established
The ILGWU,also known as the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union, was established in New York City in 1900. It sought to unionize workers mainly Jewish and Italian immigrant woman employed in sewing shops. The ILGWU used this tactic of striking to establish the union's power to negotiate for workers. This union also worked within the system and focused more on skilled workers. Thousands of woman walked off their jobs to demand that their own companies recognize the ILGWU their union. -
Wisconsin Idea
Robert LaFollette emerged early in the Progressive movement as one of the most energetic leaders. He won farmers, the working class, and the middle class to progressivism. He was elected governor in 1900 and he immediately started his reform program which soon became known as the Wisconsin Idea. La Follette's Wisconsin Idea provided an ideal model for reform in local and state governments and regulating big businesses. Progressive Robert La Follette fought for government uncorrupted by business influence. -
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Teddy Roosevelt is President
Teddy Roosevelt was the first progressive president of the United States. During his time as president Roosevelt impacted the progressive era by working to reform businesses and to help preserve natural resources for the future generations. Roosevelt fought corruption in businesses by breaking up illegal trusts and regulating railroads and the food and drug industries. He campaigned the Square Deal while in office, which pledged fair treatment for businesses, workers, and the public. -
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union
The Women's Christian Temperance Union, also known as the WCTU, was an offshoot of the mid-19th-century temperance movement. Their leader, Frances Willard made the WCTU a powerful national force for temperance, moral purity, and the rights of women. Also with the ASL which was known as the Anti-Saloon League led the crusade against alcohol. The ASL sent out thousand of volunteer speakers to spread their message in the nations' churches. -
Begining of Muckraker Journalism
A Muckraker was a name given to Theodore Roosevelt to progressive journalists who exposed political and social evils. Journalists Lincoln Steffens and Claude Wetmore wrote articles that exposed a political machine, and comparing corrupt city government to New York's government which was under control of Boss Tweed. This relates to the progressive era because the articles published many books that addressed political and corporate corruption, poor working conditions, slums, and racial injustice. -
Ida Tarbell's "History of the Standard Oil Company" begins publication
Ida Tarbell's, grew up the daughter of an independent oil producer. She was born in western Pennsylvania in 1857. She grew up admiring the independent oil man, and was very angered when Rockerfeller's standard oil company began swallowing up independent oil companies. She became a muckraker and exposed her thoughts in her new book. Muckrakers like her exposed political and corporate corruption, difficult working conditions, crowded slums, and racial injustice. -
Limited Working
Florance Kelley, in 1903 helped lobby the Oregon legislature to pass a law limiting woman laundry workers ten hours a day. Earlier the law that limited working days in dangerous occupations like mining and smelting to eight hours. Other states also started to pass similar laws. -
National Child Labor committee formed
The National Child Labor Committee was a committee founded in 1904. It worked to persuade state legislatures to pass laws against employing young children. Progressives also believed in laws that were sought out to end child labor, to limit working hours, raising wages, and to improve the safety of the work place. The new Industrial order changed American society in many ways, one was how many workers felt victimized by the unhealthy working conditions and more. The Committee helped change and improve conditions for workers. -
IWW founded
The IWW, which was also known as The Industrial Workers of the World, was founded in Chicago in 1905. Its leader, Haywood focused more on the unskilled workers in businesses and opposed capitalism. He vowed to organize migrant workers, lumber workers, and more to overthrow the capitalistic system. In addition the IWW recruited women workers. -
"The Jungle" is published
The Jungle was novel written by Upton Sinclair in 1906. The book illustrated the American corruption of the meatpacking industry. The novel mentioned the poverty, and unpleasant working conditions of the men and woman. In response Americans demanded laws prohibiting unhealthy conditions in the food industries. The Jungle was part of a reform movement that swept the country in the 20th century. The novel, The Jungle was significant to the Progressive era because it sought laws and limited working. -
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was nominated again by the Democrats in 1908. This pro-labor platform won the backing of the American Federation of Labor. Despite the labor's support, the Democrats lost the election though by a wide margin. -
NAACP founded
The NAACP, also known as the National Association for the Advancement of colored people, this group worked through the courts to end restrictions on voting and on other civil rights. This organization fought for racial justice. The NAACP publicized cases of racial inequality and called for social reforms that would ensure equal rights for African Americans, and they also worked to end restrictions on voting. -
Congress passes Mann-Elkins Act
The Mann-Elkins Act was passed in 1910. It was a federal law that extended the regulatory powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission to telephone and telephone companies. -
The Urban League is founded
The National Urban League was another group of people like the NAACP that fought for racial justice. It was founded in 1910 by concerned blacks and whites. The League tried to work by improving job opportunities and housing for urban blacks. Although most Africans still faced discrimination this group made some important gains for black citizens during the progressive era. -
The Society of American Indians is formed
The Society of American Indians was formed to address the problems facing the Native Americans. It worked to improve their image and to solve issues. One of their members, Arthur C. Parker urged the Native Americans to strike to try to gain all their rights back. The founder of the Society of American Indians fought to protect the Native Americans from exploitations. Even though this society didn't last long it attempted to improve a basis for later conditions for Native Americans. -
Massachusetts passes minimum wage law
The Minimum Wage Law was a very important part to this era because it was a form of Labor Reform. It set base wages for woman and children. This was in response to the progressive agitation because they knew over 30 million men and over 8 million women were living in poverty. These 'progressives' tried to solve social problems and sought laws and limited working. The Minimum Wage law is a perfect example of labor reform in the Massachusetts society. -
Democratic Victory in 1912
Eugene Debs, who was part of the Socialist Party, supported worker control of the government and public ownership of all major industries. Among Debs, American voters had a choice of three strong reform-minded candidates. In 1900 Eugene Debs accepted the united Social Democratic party's presidential nomination. This was because he was a labor hero during this time. -
Jane Addams
Jane Addams campaigned for the Progressive Party and its presidential candidate, Teddy Roosevelt. She worked with the Peace Party, helped found and served as president (1919-1935) of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and was a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). She also argued in Democracy and Social Ethics (1902) that democracy meant more than the right to vote. Progressive writers published many different social problems, and theories on how to solve them. -
The Sixteenth Amendment Ratified!
The Sixteenth Amendment, was proposed in 1909 and ratified in 1913. The amendment authorizes a national tax based on an individual income. Progressives had long supported this tax because it was a way to fund needed government programs in a fair manner. The sixteenth amendment finally gave a right to impose a tax. -
The Federal Reserve Act
The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 which was passed my Wilson combined two views, It created a three level banking system. At the top was a group appointed by the president, then the second level had 12 federal reserve banks under both private and mixed public control. And finally the third level had the more private banks. Wilson worked to secure passage of the Underwood Tariff Act and the Federal Reserve Act. -
Period: to
Woodrow Wilson is President
Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States. He won the presidential election against William Taft and Theodore Roosevelt. He served from 1913 to 1921. Wilson was also a leader of the Progressive movement. He argued for a strong central government, and fought for labor rights. As President he passed importance legislation on many issues. -
The Seventeenth Amendment is ratified!
The Seventeenth Amendment which was ratified in 1913, authorized voters to elect their senators directly. Progressives proposed to change this method of electing U.S Presidents, and sought to reform the voting process. This was a significant change in the Progressive era that was apart of Political Reform. This was a law that made it easier for bosses to control the government. Political Reform was important to the creation of the amendment because it let people from each state elect their own state's senator's. -
AFL membership grows
The AFL, also known as the American Federation of Labor, was a major organization during this time. The AFL stood firmly in working within the system. It focused on skilled workers, and excluded most unskilled workers which were mostly immigrants. They did this because it left most urban workers without organized support. This major labor organization was important because it provided change for workers and grow drastically from 500,000 to 2 million in 1914. -
The Clayton Anti-trust Act
The Clayton Anti-Trust Act was a federal law that clarified and extended the 1890 Sherman Anti-trust Act. Wilson wanted to limit the power of monopolies which he viewed as a threat to small businesses. So for this he backed passage of the Clayton Antitrust Act which extended the Sherman Antitrust act by clearly stating what corporations could not do. For example companies could not sell goods below cost to drive competitors out of business. They also could not buy competing companies' stock to create a monopoly. -
The Keating-Owen Child Labor Act
The Keating-Owen Child Labor Act was a federal law passed in 1916. This act which had Wilson's backing, outlawed the interstate sale of products produced by child labor. Congress passed this act because they were not in favor for Child Labor. Later on in 1918 the Supreme Court declared this law unconstitutional. -
The Passing of a Great Race
The Passing of a Great Race, was written by Grant in 1916. Grant was a prominent New Yorker. In his book he expresses racism about African Americans, Jews, and immigrants. Grant was also a progressive who supported the urban planning and other reforms. Immigrants supported progressive reformers on practical health and welfare issues. He believed that immigrants who were coming to America needed to be "Americanized" as quickly as possible. -
The Eighteenth Amendment is ratified!
The Eighteenth Amendment was passed by Congress in 1917, but was then ratified in the United States in 1919. The Amendment bares the manufacture, sale, or importation of alcoholic beverages. The Amendment was very unpopular throughout the people and was very hard to enforce. This event in time is very important to the Progressive era because during this time one main goal of the progressive movement was to purify government and support prohibition in order to destroy all political power. -
The Nineteenth Amendment Ratified
The Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in 1920. It granted woman full voting rights, a long battle they had been fighting for years. This was an enormous impact in reform for woman during the progressive era because during this time woman were not treated the same as men. This right gave men and woman equal voting rights. This reform was important because before this women did not have the same rights as men, and now they could vioce their own opinions.
