The Progressive Era

The Progressive Era saw many reforms and changes in the government and the

nation. Taking place from the 1890s to the 1920s, three different presidents with three

different views were in charge of the country. There were many successes and limitations

with the Progressive Era but all managed to change the country in one way or another.

Four successes on the national level were the four amendments passed during the

time of the Progressive Era, the sixteenth through nineteenth amendments. The 16th

amendment authorized the income tax, the taxation of financial entities. The 17th

amendment introduced direct election of senators. No longer were they elected by the

government, but by the people (Doc D). The 18th amendment brought about Prohibition or

the illegalizing of alcoholic beverages and the 19th amendment gave women the right to vote.

Upton Sinclair wrote a book titled. In it, Sinclair discusses the lack of

hygiene and sanitation in a meatpacking factory. Upon reading the book foreign buyer

sales dropped by half. This caused the passing of the Meat Inspection Act and thePure Food and Drug Act of 1906, which established the Food and Drug Association (Doc B). The Meat Inspection Act allowed the inspection and condemnation of meat deemed unfit

for sale. The Pure Food and Drug Act provided for federal inspection of meat products,

and forbade the manufacture, sale, or transportation of dangerous food products or medicines.

The Sherman Anti¬Trust Act of 1890 stated that monopolies were illegal and

considered felonies. The Clayton Anti¬Trust Act of 1914 was enacted to remedy

deficiencies created under the Sherman Anti¬Trust Act (Doc E). The Clayton Anti¬Trust

Act prohibited but wasn't limited to the belief that price discrimination tended to create a

monopoly in any line of commerce, mergers and acquisitions where the effect may

substantially lessen competition and any person from being a director of two or more

competing corporations.

Since the 1800s people had been trying to abolish child labor. In 1904, the

National