Progressive Era Legislation:
1897-1901
1901-1909 1909-1913
William McKinley,
TR
William H. Taft
1913-1921
Woodrow Wilson
Sherman Antitrust Act 1890- outlawed monopolies and practices that
restrained trade such as price fixing- (difficult to enforce)
United States Forest Service 1905- created to manage nation’s water and
timber resources (TR)
Hepburn Act- 1906 – authorized Inter State Commerce Commission(ICC)
to regulate railroads (TR)
Pure Food and Drug Act 1906 Banned interstate shipping of impure food
and deliberate mislabeling of food and drugs (TR)
Meat Inspection Act- 1906 Required Federal Inspection of meat
processing to assure sanitary conditions (TR)
Department of Labor 1913 – Cabinet department created to promote
welfare and employment of working people (WT)
16th Amendment 1913- gave Congress power to levy income taxes (after
lowering tariffs) (Taft/Wilson)
17th Amendment 1913- provided direct election of Senators (Wilson)
Federal Reserve Act 1913- created Federal Reserve System of gov. banks to
supervise private banks and provide flexible money supply- avoid panics
Clayton Anti-Trust Act 1914- allowed for prosecution of all
monopolies/trusts
Also, ruled that labor unions were not monopolies and thus couldn’t be
prosecuted as such.
National Park Service- 1916- created to administer the nation’s parks
18th Amendment 1919- prohibited the manufacture and sale of liquor
(repealed 1933)
X 19th Amendment- 1920- Granted women full suffrage (Post WWI)
Women’s Bureau 1920 – created with Dept of Labor to improve status of
working women
Key Terms to know- Injunction- court order limiting activity- (you can’t
do something)