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Elected president.
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The Supreme Court decides in Lochner v. New York that states
are forbidden from restricting working hours in private
businesses. Labor advocates argue, and four dissenting justices
agree, that some hazardous jobs require state oversight.
Lochner is a victory for big business. -
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President Roosevelt signs a comprehensive Pure Food and Drug
Act and the Meat Inspection Act. The Acts, passed after
“muckraking” journalists reveal unsanitary conditions in food
production and the existence of fraudulent medicines, impose
fines on companies that endanger the health of consumers. -
As a result of Roosevelt’s reform agenda and the publication of
“muckraking” works like The Jungle, the federal government
passes the Meat Inspection Act. As with the Pure Food and Drug
Act (passed the same day), the government steps in to restrain
big business and protect the public’s health and welfare. -
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