16th Amendment
(Last edited: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 01:19 PM)
Ratified in 1913, this amendment authorizes government collection of graduated income taxes.
Keyword(s):
Sixteenth Amendment
17th Amendment
(Last edited: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 01:20 PM)
Ratified in 1913, this amendment was first put into effect for the election of 1914. It amends Article
I, Section 3 of the Constitution to provide for the direct election of Senators by the people of a
state rather than their election or appointment by a state legislature. Also, it allows the governor
or executive authority of each state, if authorized by that state's legislature, to appoint a senator in
the event of an opening, until an election occurs.
Keyword(s):
Seventeenth Amendment
18th Amendment
(Last edited: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 01:21 PM)
Along with the Volstead Act (which defined intoxicating liquors excluding those used for religious
purposes), this amendment established Prohibition, banning alcohol in the U.S. Ratified in 1919, it
is notable as the only amendment to the U.S. Constitution that has been repealed (by the 21st
Amendment).
Keyword(s):
Eighteenth Amendment
19th Amendment
(Last edited: Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 08:11 PM)
Ratified in 1920, the women's suffrage amendment stated that neither the individual states of the
U.S., nor its federal government, may deny a cititzen the right to vote because of the citizen's sex.
Keyword(s):
Nineteenth Amendment
21st Amendment
(Last edited: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 01:21 PM)
Ratified in 1933, this amendment repealed the 18th Amendment which had mandated nationwide
Prohibition.
Keyword(s):
Tw enty-First Amendment
Addams, Jane
(Last edited: Saturday, May 17, 2008, 04:50 PM)
(1860 – 1935) A founder of the U.S. Settlement House movement, and the first American woman
to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1889 she and a friend co-founded Hull House in Chicago,
Illinois, one of the first settlement houses in the U.S. At its height, Hull House was visited each
week by around 2,000 people. Its facilities included a night school for adults, kindergarten classes,
clubs for older children, a public kitchen, an art gallery, a coffeehouse, a gymnasium, a girls club, a
swimming pool, a book bindery, a music school, a drama group, a library, and labor-related
divisions. She is probably most remembered for her adult night school, a forerunner of the
continuing education classes offered by many community colleges today. Her efforts continued
well into the Progressive Era and led to her being known as the founder of the modern human
services movement.
Keyword(s):
Jane Addams
Anthracite Coal Strike
(Last edited: Sunday, February 24, 2008, 09:23 PM)
A 1902 strike by the United Mine Workers of America in the anthracite coal fields of eastern
Pennsylvania. The strike threatened to shut down the winter fuel supply to all major cities because
homes and apartments were heated with anthracite, or hard coal ,because it had higher heat value
and less smoke than bituminous, or soft coal. President Theodore Roosevelt became involved and
set up a fact-finding commission that suspended the strike. The strike never resumed, as the
miners received more pay for fewer hours; the owners got a higher price for coal, and did not
recognize the union as a bargaining agent. It was the first labor episode in which the federal
government intervened as a neutral arbitrator.
Keyword(s):
Coal Strike of 1902
Bull Moose Party
(Last edited: Sunday, March 2, 2008, 08:51 PM)
In 1910 Roosevelt broke with his friend and anointed successor William Howard Taft, and sought
the Republican presidential nomination, but lost to Taft. Roosevelt ran for President anyway in the
1912 election on his own one-time Bull Moose ticket also known as the Progressive Party.
Roosevelt beat Taft in the popular vote and pulled so many Progressives out of the Republican
Party that Democrat Woodrow Wilson won in 1912. Thus, Roosevelt's efforts resulted in
conservative control of the Republican Party, formerly known for many reforms during
Reconstruction. Today, the Republican Party is still a conservative political organization.
Keyword(s):
Progressive Party
Clayton Antitrust Act
(Last edited: Sunday, March 2, 2008, 09:46 PM)
Enacted in 1914 in the U.S. to remedy deficiencies in the antitrust law created under the Sherman
Antitrust Act, the first federal law outlawing practices harmful to consumers. The act prohibits
particular types of conduct, not deemed in the best interest of a competitive market. Notably, the
act prohibits:
price discrimination between different purchasers if such discrimination substantially lessens
competition or tends to create a monopoly in any line of commerce;
sales on the condition that (A) the buyer or lessee not deal with the competitors of the seller or
lessor ("exclusive dealings") or (B) the buyer also purchase another different product ("tying") but
only when these acts substantially lessen competition;
mergers and acquisitions where the effect may substantially lessen competition (e.g., a holding
company);
any person from being a director of two or more competing corporations.
comission form of government
(Last edited: Sunday, February 24, 2008, 08:39 PM)
A popular city government reform during the Progressive Era in which the power to run a city is
entrusted to non-partisan commission of three to five members, each of which heads a major city
function (e.g., Police, Fire, Sanitation, etc.).
Keyword(s):
city commission
Conservation
(Last edited: Sunday, March 2, 2008, 08:19 PM)
Roosevelt was the first American president to consider the long-term needs for efficient
conservation of national resources, winning the support of fellow hunters and fishermen to bolster
his political base. He worked with the major figures of the conservation movement, especially his
chief adviser on the matter Gifford Pinchot. Roosevelt urged Congress to establish the United
States Forest Service (1905), to manage government forest lands, and he appointed Gifford Pinchot
to head the service. Roosevelt set aside more land for national parks and nature preserves than all
of his predecessors combined, 194 million acres. In all, by 1909, the Roosevelt administration had
created an unprecedented 42 million acres of national forests, 53 national wildlife refuges and 18
areas of "special interest", including the Grand Canyon.
Keyword(s):
Gifford Pinchot
council-manager form of government
(Last edited: Sunday, February 24, 2008, 08:41 PM)
A system of municipal [city] government in which the administrative powers of a city are entrusted
to a professional manager, instead of an elected mayor, who is selected by the city council.
Keyword(s):
city manager
Declaration of Sentiments
(Last edited: Friday, June 5, 2009, 09:39 PM)
A document signed in 1848 by 68 women and 32 men, 100 out of some 300 attendees at the first
women's rights convention, in Seneca Falls, New York, now known as the Seneca Falls Convention.
The principal author was Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who based it on the form of the United States
Declaration of Independence. According to the North Star, published by Frederick Douglass, whose
attendance at the convention and support of the Declaration helped pass the resolutions put
forward, the document was the "grand basis for attaining the civil, social, political, and religious
rights of women."
Keyword(s):
Declaration of Rights and Sentiments
Direct Primary
(Last edited: Sunday, April 27, 2008, 06:44 PM)
A method of democratic reform where a preliminary election is held in order to choose candidates
for public office by the direct vote of the people, instead of by delegates of a convention.
Keyword(s):
Primary
Elastic Currency
(Last edited: Sunday, March 2, 2008, 09:19 PM)
The condition that permits the amount of money in circulation to increase or decrease depending
on the economy's needs. Currently, this is done by the Federal Reserve Board (the Fed) as they
regularly meet to discuss and vote on changes to the prime interest rate. If inflation is threatening,
the Fed will increase the prime rate to discourage spending to slow the economy down. In case of a
recession, the Fed will decrease the primate rate to encourage spending in order to encourage
economic growth.
Elkins Act
(Last edited: Sunday, March 2, 2008, 08:24 PM)
Passed in 1903, this act was designed to strengthen the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 by
granting the Interstate Commerce Commission the ability to impose heavy fines on railroads
offering rebates and on the shippers accepting them.
Federal Farm Loan Act
(Last edited: Sunday, March 2, 2008, 09:32 PM)
A U.S. law passed in 1916 which established 12 regional Farm Loan Banks to serve members of
Farm Loan Associations. Farmers could receive competitive rates and be able to borrow up to 50%
of the value of their land and 20% of the value of their improvements.
Federal Reserve System
(Last edited: Monday, February 23, 2009, 07:53 AM)
The central banking system of the U.S. Created in 1913 by Congress, it is a quasi-public [part
private, part government] banking system composed of:
the presidentially-appointed Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington,
D.C.;
the Federal Open Market Committee;
12 regional Federal Reserve Banks located in major cities throughout the nation acting as fiscal
agents for the U.S. Treasury, each with its own nine-member board of directors;
numerous private U.S. member banks, which subscribe to required amounts of non-transferable
stock in their regional Federal Reserve Banks;
various advisory councils.
Keyword(s):
Federal Reserve Board
Federal Trade Commission Act
(Last edited: Sunday, March 2, 2008, 09:39 PM)
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the U.S. government, established
in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act. Its principal mission is the promotion of consumer
protection and the elimination and prevention of what regulators perceive to be anti-competitive
business practices.
Keyword(s):
Federal Trade Commission
Hepburn Act
(Last edited: Sunday, March 2, 2008, 08:28 PM)
An act passed in 1906 which gave the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) the power to set
maximum railroad rates, thereby increasing the U.S. Government's regulatory powers over the
railroad industry.
Jungle, The
(Last edited: Monday, February 23, 2009, 07:48 AM)
A 1906 novel written by Upton Sinclair about the corruption of the meat-packing business during
the early 20th century. Sinclair's account of workers falling into meat processing tanks and being
ground, along with animal parts, gripped public attention. The morbidity of the working conditions
as well as the exploitation of children and women alike that Sinclair exposed, showed the
corruption taking place inside the meat packing factories. Foreign sales of American meat fell by
one-half. In order to calm public outrage and demonstrate the cleanliness of their meat, the major
meat packers lobbied the Federal government to pass legislation paying for additional inspection
and certification of meat packaged in the United States. Their efforts, coupled with the public
outcry, led to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906,
which established the Food and Drug Administration.
Keyword(s):
The Jungle
Meat Inspection Act
(Last edited: Sunday, March 2, 2008, 08:40 PM)
a U.S. law passed in 1906 that authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to order meat inspections
and condemn any meat product found unfit for human consumption.
Muckrakers
(Last edited: Friday, June 5, 2009, 10:11 PM)
A muckraker is a journalist, author, photographer or filmmaker who investigates and exposes
political and/or social corruption. During the Progressive Movement, famous muckrakers included:
Ida M. Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens, Frank Norris, John Spargo, and Upton Sinclair.
Keyword(s):
muckraking
Nast, Thomas
(Last edited: Saturday, May 17, 2008, 04:46 PM)
(1840 - 1902) A German-born American editorial cartoonist whose caricatures in Harper's Weekly
contributed to the downfall of the New York City political machine of the Democratic Party which
operated out of Tammany Hall under the leadership of Boss Tweed. He also established the
elephant as the symbol of the Republican Party and popularized the use of the donkey as a symbol
for the Democratic Party. Many historians consider him to be one of the first muckrakers based on
his work and efforts.
Keyword(s):
Norris, Frank
Thomas Nast
(Last edited: Saturday, May 17, 2008, 01:23 PM)
(1870 - 1902) An American novelist during the Progressive Era, Norris wrote predominantly in the
naturalist genre. His notable works include McTeague (1899), The Octopus: A California Story
(1901), and The Pit (1903). Although he did not support socialism as a political system, his work
nevertheless evinces a socialist mentality and was influential among socialist and progressive
writers.
Keyword(s):
Frank Norris
Northern Securities Company v. United States
(Last edited: Friday, June 5, 2009, 11:31 PM)
Citation: 193 U.S. 197 (1904) Concepts: Restraints of Trade/Federal Anti-Trust/Commerce Clause
Facts
The major stockholders of two competing railroad companies set up a holding company to buy the
controlling interest of the two railroads. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890 forbade unreasonable
restraints on trade. The constitutionality of the holding company was brought into question by the
United States government during President Theodore Roosevelt's trust busting campaign.
Issue
Whether the United States Congress had the authority under the Commerce Clause in the
Constitution of the United States to regulate the holding company's effort to eliminate
competition.
Opinion
The Supreme Court of the United States in a 5-4 decision found that a holding company formed
solely to eliminate competition between the two railroads was in violation of the Federal Anti-Trust
Act because it unreasonably restrained interstate and international commerce. The Court ruled
that the Federal Anti-Trust Act could apply to any conspiracy which sought to eliminate
competition between otherwise competitive railroads.
Keyword(s):
Northern Securities v. US
Progressive Movement
(Last edited: Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 08:16 AM)
An effort begun in the early 1900s by reformers and investigative journalists known as muckrakers
which sought to return control of the government to the people, restore economic opportunities
and correct injustices in American life. Progressivism historically advocates the advancement of
workers' rights and social justice. The progressives were early proponents of anti-trust laws,
regulation of large corporations and monopolies, as well as government-funded environmentalism
and the creation of National Parks and Wildlife Refuges. Politically, this movement resulted in the
creation of the Progressive Party by President Theodore Roosevelt.
Keyword(s):
progressives
Pure Food And Drug Act
(Last edited: Sunday, March 2, 2008, 08:37 PM)
A U.S. law passed in 1906 which that created the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a federal
agency which was entrusted with the responsibility of testing all foods and drugs destined for
human consumption and enforcing the requirement that manufacturers label the ingredients in
their products.
Keyword(s):
Food and Drug Administration
Riis, Jacob
(Last edited: Saturday, May 17, 2008, 05:11 PM)
(1849 - 1914) A Danish-American muckraker journalist, photographer, and social reformer, he was
born in Denmark. As America's first photojournalist, he dedicated his photographs and writing to
exposing the living conditions of the less fortunate in New York City, resulting in the publication of
How the Other Half Lives in 1890. Many historians consider Riis to be one of the first muckrakers
based on his work and efforts. For examples of his work, refer to the Jacob Riis: American
Photojournalist presentation.
Keyword(s):
Jacob Riis
Roosevelt, Theodore
(Last edited: Saturday, May 17, 2008, 05:17 PM)
(1858 - 1919) The 26th President of the U.S. (1901-1909), and a leader of the Progressive
Movement. He served in many roles including: Governor of New York, historian, naturalist,
explorer, author, government administrator and soldier. As Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Navy, he
prepared for and advocated war with Spain in 1898. He organized and helped command the 1st
U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, the Rough Riders, during the Spanish-American War. Returning to
New York as a war hero, he was elected Republican governor in 1899. In 1901, as Vice-President,
the 42 year-old became President after McKinley's assassination in Buffalo, NY. He distrusted
wealthy businessmen and earned a reputation as a trust-buster by dissolving forty monopolistic
corporations. He did not disagree with trusts and capitalism in principle but would not tolerate
corrupt, illegal business practices. As an outdoorsman, he promoted the conservation movement,
emphasizing efficient use of natural resources. He negotiated for the U.S. to take control of the
Panama Canal and its construction in 1904; he felt the Canal's completion was his most important
and historically significant international achievement. He was the first American to be awarded the
Nobel Prize, winning its Peace Prize in 1906, for negotiating the peace in the Russo-Japanese War.
After 1906 he attacked big business and suggested the courts were biased against labor unions.
After losing the Republican nomination for President in 1910, he campaigned independently by
creating the Progressive Party, coming in behind Woodrow Wilson who won the election.
Keyword(s):
Theodore Roosevelt
Sanger, Margaret
(Last edited: Saturday, May 17, 2008, 05:20 PM)
(1879 – 1966) An American birth control activist and the founder of the American Birth Control
League, which eventually became known as Planned Parenthood. Initially met with fierce
opposition to her ideas, she gradually won some support, both in the public as well as the courts,
for a woman's choice to decide how and when, if ever, she will bear children. In 1916, she
published What Every Girl Should Know which provided information about such topics as
menstruation and sexuality in adolescents. It was followed in 1917 by What Every Mother Should
Know. She also launched the monthly periodical The Birth Control Review and Birth Control News.
In her drive to open the way to universal access to birth control, Sanger was a progressive force
ahead of her time.
Keyword(s):
Margaret Sanger
Sinclair, Upton
(Last edited: Sunday, February 24, 2008, 08:10 PM)
(1878 - 1968) A prolific American author who wrote over 90 books in many genres and was widely
considered to be one of the best investigators, advocating socialist views. He gained particular
fame for his 1906 novel The Jungle, which dealt with conditions in the U.S. meat packing industry
and caused a public uproar that partly contributed to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act
and the Meat Inspection Act in 1906.
Keyword(s):
Upton Sinclair
Socialist Party
(Last edited: Sunday, February 24, 2008, 08:36 PM)
A political party founded in 1901 whose members wanted to end capitalism, by replacing private
ownership with state ownership of all means of production (e.g., factories, land, etc.). Members of
the Socialist Party were heavily influenced by the writings of Germany's Karl Marx and Friedrich
Engels. It flourished in numerous ethnic communities from 1904 through 1912, with Eugene V.
Debs nominated as its presidential candidate.
Keyword(s):
Socialist Party of America
Square Deal
(Last edited: Friday, March 7, 2008, 07:28 AM)
A campaign slogan used by President Theodore Roosevelt to describe the motive underlying his
basic programs consisting of: business regulation, labor relations, and conservation. In promoting
his Square Deal, Roosevelt promised a fair shake for both the average citizen through regulation of
railroad rates and pure food and drugs, and for U.S. businessmen who would often face regulation
rather than strict enforcement of anti-monopoly laws.
Standard Oil of New Jersey v. United States
(Last edited: Friday, June 5, 2009, 11:34 PM)
Citation: 398 U.S. 221 (1911) Concepts: Restraints of Trade/Federal Anti-Trust/Commerce Clause
Facts
John D. Rockefeller owned the largest and richest trust in America. He controlled the nation's oil
business and scorned congressional efforts to outlaw combinations in restraint of trade (i.e.,
antitrust). In 1909, a federal court found Rockefeller's company, Standard Oil, in violation of the
Sherman Antitrust Act. The court ordered the dissolution of the company.
Issue
Did Standard Oil violate the Sherman Antitrust Act?
Opinion
Standard Oil lost, but due to the majority ruling, the Supreme Court managed to amend the
language of the Sherman Act such that only "unreasonable" contracts and combinations in
restraint of trade would violate the law. Heretofore, the Act made all contracts and combinations
in restraint of trade into law violations. In this case, the record shows that the Standard Oil trust
was unreasonable.
Keyword(s):
Standard Oil of NJ v. US
Steffens, Lincoln
(Last edited: Saturday, May 17, 2008, 05:23 PM)
(1866 – 1936) An American journalist and one of the most famous and influential practitioners of
the journalistic style called muckraking. At McClure's magazine, Steffens specialized in investigating
government and political corruption, and two collections of his articles were published as The
Shame of the Cities (1904) and The Struggle for Self-Government (1906). In The Shame of the
Cities, he sought to bring about political reform in urban America by appealing to the emotions of
Americans. He tried to make them feel very outraged and shamed by showing examples of corrupt
governments throughout urban America.
Keyword(s):
Lincoln Steffens
Taft, William Howard
(Last edited: Saturday, May 17, 2008, 05:26 PM)
(1857-1930) He served as both the 27th President of the U.S. (1909-1913), and later, as the 10th
Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1921-1930). He was a leader of the conservative wing of
the Republican Party in the early 20th century. After being hand-picked by Roosevelt to succeed
him as President, his conservative policies would mean he would only serve one term in office.
Roosevelt challenged his reelection by first running for the Republican nomination, and later
forming his own Bull Moose Party to run as a third-party candidate, resulting in Woodrow Wilson
easily winning the election.
Keyword(s):
Taft
Tarbell, Ida M.
(Last edited: Saturday, May 17, 2008, 05:27 PM)
(1857 - 1944) A teacher, an author, and a journalist famous for her articles published in McClure's
magazine. One of the leading muckrakers of her day, she wrote a series of investigative reports
detailing corporate corruption which was later collected and published as The History of the
Standard Oil Company in 1904.
Keyword(s):
Ida M. Tarbell
Temperance Movement
(Last edited: Sunday, February 24, 2008, 08:27 PM)
An organized attempt to greatly reduce the amount of alcohol consumed or even prohibit its
production and consumption entirely. Religious or moralistic beliefs have often been the catalyst
for temperance, though secular advocates do exist. The Women's Christian Temperance Union is a
prominent example of a religion-based temperance movement organization. Most of the biggest
supporters of temperance have been women, often as part of what some describe as feminism.
The strong temperance movements of the early 20th century found most of their support in
women who were opposed to the domestic violence associated with alcohol abuse, and the large
share of household income it could consume, which was especially burdensome to the low-income
working class. In the U.S., the movement culminated in Prohibition, first introduced with the 18th
Amendment in 1919. By 1933, Prohibition was repealed by the 21st Amendment.
Underwood Tariff
(Last edited: Sunday, March 2, 2008, 09:10 PM)
Passed in 1913, this U.S. law mandated the first federal income tax following the ratification of the
16th Amendment, and lowered basic tariff rates from 40% to 25%. This reduction reflects the shift
in federal revenue from import taxes to income taxes.
Wilson, Woodrow
(Last edited: Saturday, May 17, 2008, 05:36 PM)
(1856 - 1924) The 28th President of the U.S. (1913-1921) was a devout Presbyterian and leading
intellectual of the Progressive Era. He served as president of Princeton University then became the
reform governor of New Jersey in 1910. With Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft
dividing the Republican vote, he was elected President as a Democrat in 1912. He proved highly
successful in leading a Democratic Congress to pass major legislation including the Federal Trade
Commission, the Clayton Antitrust Act, the Underwood Tariff, the Federal Farm Loan Act and most
notably the Federal Reserve System. Narrowly re-elected in 1916, his second term centered on
World War I. He tried to maintain U.S. neutrality, but ultimately asked Congress to declare war on
the Central Powers. He focused on diplomacy and financial considerations, leaving the waging of
the war primarily in the hands of the military establishment. On the home front he began the first
effective draft in 1917, raised billions through Liberty loans, imposed an income tax, and set up the
War Industries Board. In the late stages of the war he announced his famous Fourteen Points and
then went to Paris in 1919 to create the League of Nations and shape the Treaty of Versailles. He
refused to compromise with the Republicans who controlled Congress after 1918, effectively
destroying any chance for ratification of the Treaty of Versailles. He was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize for his international efforts in 1919 and then suffered a debilitating stroke later that year. The
League of Nations went into operation anyway, but the U.S. never joined, and ratified a separate
treaty with Germany.