Today we started our Chapter 9 Progressive Era power points. First went Jessica...
*Worker Safety/conditions
Laborers worked at railroads, skyscrapers, in cities in mills. Worked every day of the week.12 hours a day. sometimes on sundays they worked for 24 hours.
Didn't have a minimun age to start work. Children were more likely to get hurt. They passed the Keating-Owen Act. Reformers helped ban child labor and set maximun hours in almost every state. The maximum hours was 10 per day and the minimum age was 12. Supreme Court declared in Unconstitutional. Muller vs. Oregon helped protect women against powerful employees. Gave women 10 hour work day. Bunting vs. Oregon was similar and gave men 10 hour work days. One by one states passed legislation requiring workers to get benefits when deaths in families occured. All states but four had finacial aid like welfare for working mothers. Welfare is getting money from the government. Some states had an early version of social security. They got accident insurance plans. This was in all states except five in 1920.
*Reforming elections
William U'Ren wanted Oregen to have a secret ballot. let people vote with out having persuasive people trying to get them to vote for whoever, it was secret, no one knew who you voted for. An initiative gave people the right to petition to help make laws. A referendum allowed voters to vote if a bill should be passed or not. Recall allows voters to vote and petition if they want to have elected representatives removed from office or not. Direct primary made sure voters elected candidates rather than party bosses. The 17th amendment was ratified in 1913. Made the direct election of senators. Helped the common people. By 1920. atleast 20 states had one of these procedures.
*Segregation
Roosevelt didn't support rights for blacks. Made many africans mad. Booker T. Washington blamed black poverty on the blacks and told them to just except discrimination.They joined white reformers to found NAACP - 6,000 members. Didn't get much support. Woodrow Wilson gained support from the group because he promised to treat all black and whites equally. The capitol and federal offices weren't segregated unil Wilson was elected. William Trotter was a black and ased Wilson to desegregate government employees and Wilson said no. The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and blacks felt betrayed.
*Regulating food & drugs
Roosevelt passed the Meat Inspection Act, after he read The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair. He found out about the disgusting habbits and work places the workers worked with. On the same day The Meat Inspection Act was passed the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed.
*Conservation
*Monopolies
*Taxation/Banking
*Aid Organizations-helping poor
*Muckrakers
*Efficiency in the workplace
*Women social changes
*Reforming Government
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