MAIN FOCUS: Conditions for industrial workers - by 1914 25 states had passed laws making employers liable for job-related injury/death and NY passed 56 protection laws
Child Labour - by 1907 outlawed in 30 states
Public Health - garbage collection & street cleaning, parks in the city, street lights (between 1900-20 infant mortality dropped to 75/1000)
Social behaviour:restriction on immingrants, increase in temperance movement, tackled prostitution, regulate movies, proposed racial segregation, female suffrage, educational reform, battle against drugs, sterilisation
Big Business: consumer protection, proper application of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, regulation of private monopolies that owned water, gas, electricity and transport.
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State & Local
ROBERT LA FOLLETTE - aimed to tackle the power of trusts and monopolies, set up a railroad regulatory comission, increased corporate taxes
SAMUEL M JONES - profit sharing, established playgrounds, free kindergartens, lodging for homeless
HAZEN PINGREE - public baths/local services for the poor, fairer tax
OTHERS - campaigned against corruption in government
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"that damned cowboy in the White House!" Roosevelt
1902 United Mine Workers Union Strike - called both sides to the White House, threatened to take over the mines and won a reluctant acceptance of a 10% wage increase and a 9 hour working day (instead of 10)
"Square deal for all Americans" - no special treatment of capitalists!
1902 State of the Union - high priority to breaking up monopolies/trust busting
1902 - National Recllamation Act - designated money from the sale of public land for water management in western regions
1904 - Northen Securities Company were charged on violating the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and were ordered to dissolve, 43 other anti-trust laws (including break-up of the Standard Oil Company and the reorganisation of the American Tobacco Company)
1906 Hepburn Act - Interstate Commerce Commission empowered to set max railroad rates
1906 - Pure Food & Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act
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"i feel as fit as a bullmoose" Taft & Progressivis
Roosevelt refused to stand so Taft stepped in and continued to support him, (actually prosecuted more anti-trust cases than Roosevelt but was very shy!!!)
1910 Mann-Elkins Act - extended the authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission (telephone/telegraph companies, increased rate-setting powers)
THE RIFT - between Taft and the progressivists, a rift grew. Especially over tarriffs. Taft signed the Payne-Aldrich Tariff which raised duties and angered the progressivists. Tafts interior secretary Ballinger, approved the sale of several millions acres of public land to Seattle business men.
Roosevelt eventually stood against him in the "Bullmoose Progressive Party"
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Wilson & Progressivism - The Democrat of 1912
Underwood Simmons Act- reduced tariff rates on a 15% average
1913 Federal Reserve Act - 12 regional Federal Reserve banks under mixed public/private control
Federal Trade Commission Act - power to investigate violations of federal regulations
Clayton Antitrust Act - listed specific corporate activities that could lead to federal law suits, a response to the vaguness of the Sherman Anti-trust Act. (nearly 100 corporations filed under this)
Improved working conditions
Keating-Owen Act 1916 - barred interstate-commerce products manufactured by child labour (unconstitutional in 1918)
1916 Adamson Act - 8 hour day for interstate railway workers
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