(1889) On the West Side of Chicago, Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr created the Hull House, a settlement-house to serve the poor. Theses houses were created to serve as community centers supported by middle-class residents. They contained meetings rooms, art studios, kindergarten, and clubs. These houses were put on by woman progressives in order to achieve reform in the world. Addams also wanted better living conditions in the cities. The Hull House was her own personal form of work that allowed her to achieve some small accomplishments and make a difference.  

 (1890s) Muckrakers was a form of journalism that was created by the progressive mind and thought style. This new type of journalism was filled with exposés, investigative journalism, hard facts, and current events. This journalism movement was fostered by the progressives’ ideas on confidence and how everything is possible if you know the facts. Journalists began to expose mischief and evil in America. The muckrakers exposed the undercurrents of American life, from political machines to child labor. The Muckrakers were preceded by Jacob Russ and his book on the poverty in urban New York, How the Other Half Lives.  

 (1900s) James and George were both active progressive appealers. William James was an advocate of the progressive mind. He wanted to resist the ways of thinking that didn’t encourage action with purpose. Henry George’s Progress and Poverty was a book that asked why Americans have poverty in the midst of lots of wealth. This book helped in the progressives awakening. George believed that the private control of land gave all the money to the landlords, creating poverty. George wanted a single tax movement that advocated a confiscatory tax on the unearned value of land. George became a teacher and guide to many up and coming progressives. James believed in the philosophy of pragmatism, which judged things based on their usefulness and on their consequences. He denied the existence of absolute truths and believed that instead of focusing on absolute ends or purposes, philosophy should work on solving problems.

 (1902) The Justice Department began its attacks on the businesses and antitrust with this first trust bust of the Northern Securities Company. The Northern Securities Company was a complex railroad system in the Northwest. The Supreme Court, because of the trust busting wave, dismantled Northern Securities, leading to many more trusts to be dissolved in the future. 

 (1902) A miners' strike rose up during the winter, the main time period that coal was needed to heat homes. Miners of the United Mine Workers, with their leader John Mitchell, were willing to submit to arbitration while the coal operators still carried a vendetta against the union. Roosevelt was forced to intercede in the conflict, bring both sides to a conference in the white house while he threatened a government take over of the mines. With this threat and the influence of J.P. Morgan, the coal operators gave in with the appointment of an arbitration commission. This event showed Roosevelt's hatred towards the "tyranny of wealth" and his use of presidential power against businesses. Roosevelt intervened between business and management, showing his presidential power. 

(1906) which sparked a wave of a movement towards more consumer protection. Through the muckraker style, Sinclair wrote about the horrid working conditions of the meat packing industry. The novel best became known for, though, was the rotten meat and filthy conditions of packing. The general public became worried for their food, so Roosevelt ordered federal inspections of the stockyards, instituting Pure Food and Drug and the Meat Inspection Acts. Adding to the bureaucracy, Roosevelt created the Food and Drug Administration to monitor the conditions and packing of food. 

 (1908) Led on by the Consumers’ League, this court decision upheld the Oregon law that limited the woman’s workday to ten hours. This was the most important action that the woman of the National Consumers’ League achieved. Lawyer Louis D. Brandeis defended the Oregon Law in Supreme Court, using data on the declining health and family roles of woman from the long work hours. This decision also ultimately created an expansive welfare role for each state. The Muller decision made it able for more protective laws to be passed across America. This decision came about through the many woman organizations that came into power through the progressive ideals and thoughts.

 (March 25, 1911) A horrible fire broke out in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York. 99 were killed in the fire, and another 47 jumped out of the building to their deaths. Most killed in the fire were young immigrant woman. After this event, the New York State Commission created a new program for labor reform in the work place. This 46 year plan included 56 laws that included changes with fire hazards, machinery, industrial homework, and other issues of the workplace with children and woman. Robert Wagner and Alfred Smith, both leaders in the Tammany machine, served as leaders of this commission, giving the Tammany approval on the actions of the New York State legislature that created this commission. Tammany Hall recognized that the problems of the workplace were too big to be handled by party machines; the state had to be involved. These reforms were based upon the ideal of urban liberalism.

 For this election, the Democrats nominated Woodrow Wilson and the Republicans nominated William Taft. Roosevelt became nominated by his progressive party full of Progressive Republicans, becoming the loose cannon. Roosevelt advocated New Nationalism which was human welfare over property rights, putting the government as the sweater of the public welfare. Wilson advocated New Freedom which wanted to pursue the preservation of political and economic liberty. Taft was the Republican nominee who was a safe and comfortable choice. Wilson was elected with his plan of action that would hopefully be able to end the crisis of corporate power. 

 (1913) Trying to solve the problem of the banks, Wilson created this Act to bring together the reformers and the bankers into unity. This act gave all the financial responsibilities of the nation to twelve district banks. A Federal Reserve Board was created to have public regulation on this banking structure. This new system was resistant to any financial panic that had previously plagued the banks. The Federal Reserve Act put new restraints on Wall Street while at the same time strengthening the overall banking system of America. 

 (1913) As one of the first democrats in power for a long time, Wilson instituted major tariff reform. The Underwood Tariff Act brought tariff rates down from 40% to 25%. Wilson and the Democratic party hoped this act would create healthy competition while reducing prices for American consumers. They also hoped this act would help out trust-dominated industries. 

 Clayton Antitrust Act

 (1914) Wilson, when entering office, had to take the task of how to maintain and curb the trust. Instead of strengthening the Sherman Act, Wilson amended it with this Act. This act did not create a clear definition of illegal practices but left it loose and flexible. They were to be tested as to whether an action lessened competition or would create a monopoly. In response to this act, Wilson created the Federal Trade Commission to use power to investigate and test companies to whether their actions violated antitrust laws. This act was created to make sure that trusts don't intervene in free competition. 

(1890) Captain Alfred Mahan was the leading naval strategist of America. Mahan believed that the key to becoming a world power was control of the seas, having a strong navy. This "big navy" concept was supported by Roosevelt and Lodge. Mahan believed that the US had to do a few key things in order to control the sea and become and imperial power. The first thing was to build coal stations far from home. The second thing was to raise up a merchant marine for trade and have a navy to protect it. The third thing was the creation of a canal across Central America to connect the Atlantic and the Pacific, acquiring access to the markets of East Asia to compete with Europe. The fourth thing was that Hawaii and Puerto Rico would have to be annexed in order to protect the Canal. Mahan thought the ocean was a great highway in which America could institute a "large foreign policy." America was not content with its current statues and wants to become a full-fledged world power. 

 (1898) After deciding to keep the Philippines, Hawaii was annexed in 1898 after the finish of the Spanish-American war. Hawaii became a halfway station from America to the Philippines, giving it great importance because the war was fought in Cuba (Puerto Rico) and the Philippines. The main reasons for this war were the harsh treatment of the Cubans by the Spanish as the Cubans cried for Independence. American yellow journalism showed the harshness of the Spanish concentration camps, creating humanitarian feelings in America. The attack on national honor of the destruction of the battleship Maine also challenged America. The two navy victories at Manila Bay in the Philippines and Santiago clinched the war for America.

(1899) The Philippines was about to be annexed when a fight between the American patrols and Filipino patrols broke out in Manila. Aguinaldo, leader of the Filipino forces, wanted to achieve his nation’s independence so he began to attack the American troops in the Philippines. Because they were fighting ferocious guerrilla forces, the US used re-concentration to move people into towns and attack their crops and villages. After a grueling three years and over 4,200 dead Americas, the war with the rebels ended. William Howard Taft, governor-general, set up a civilian administration of the area in order to make the Philippines a replica of American roads and sanitation. 

 (1899) American policy with East Asia, especially China, was dominated by commercial interest. Other countries such as Japan, Russia, Germany, France, and Britain had begun to claim areas of China, leading the US to fear their chance for involvement in the China market. John Hay, US Secretary of State, sent these countries an Open Door Note that stated the right of all nations that wanted to have dealings with China to equal trade access there. Essentially, everyone had an open door to China. Hay believed the other countries accepted this, though he never got full confirmation. After the Chinese Nationalists the Boxers rebelled and the US responded with troops, a second principle was added to the open door policy: China would be protected as a “territorial and administrative entity.” While Roosevelt valued this open door policy in Asia, he also recognized that there were more important issues and he tried to address and appease them as well, such as the Russo-Japanese War. 

 The Treaty of Paris officially ceded the Philippines to the United States for 20 million, while giving Cuba their independence and also gaining Guam and Puerto Rico. McKinley felt their was no other option than to annex the Philippines after 5 years because he couldn't give it back to Spain and couldn't give it to any other European country and couldn't make the Philippines independent yet. McKinley wanted to take them, Christianize them, and civilize them. There was much debate over Philippines annexation and over its secession. After this treaty, many anti-imperialists rose up in the United States. 

 (1901) Britain surrendered its join canal rights in 1901, giving Roosevelt the opportunity to pursue a canal in Panama. Roosevelt proposed a treaty to Colombia, who owned Panama, but Colombia turned the treaty down. Instead, Roosevelt covertly supported a revolution for an independent Panama in Colombia. In November 1901 the Untied States recognized an independent Panama, allowing Roosevelt to get a lease on a canal zone there. It cost 40 million for a 10 mile wide canal zone. The construction was difficult and including the building of a large series of locks and the eradication of malaria and yellow fever. Roosevelt considered this the greatest engineering feat in history and his greatest contribution during his presidency. The canal was finished in 1914. 

(1902) After the Spanish-American war, the US stayed in Cuba to reorganize their financial system and clear the swamps to destroy yellow fever. The US would leave Cuba and give them their independence if they accepted the Platt amendment. The Platt amendment stated that the US had the right to intervene in Cuban independence if it was threatened or damaged internally. The US also got a lease on Guantanamo Bay after they had occupied it for a long while. 

(1904) Roosevelt added to the Monroe Doctrine with this; it addressed the European Powers in Latin America. Roosevelt said that the US is in charge of the western hemisphere and that it would be the policeman of the region. It ultimately gave America unrestricted rights to regulate all Caribbean. This was a declaration by the United States and backed by its own power and national interest. Roosevelt would back up the Roosevelt Corollary with his "big stick" diplomacy and make no reason for European powers to intervene in Latin America. 

 (1915) Germany raised a new naval power called the U-Boat during WWI. After issuing a warning to civilians saying that all boats with British flags were susceptible to fire, a German U-Boat destroyed the Lusitania which was carrying 128 American civilians. This attack directly affected Americans and engraged the general population, sparking newspapers to speak out about the sinking of the ship. The destruction of the Lusitania forced Wilson to rethink his views on the Great War, beginning to get America ready and armed for war if it should come. This event, along with the Germans continuance of unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmerman note which urged Mexico to join Central Powers in return for the help to recover lost territories of the United States, was a direct threat to America. After the U-Boats kept attacking American ships, Wilson declared war on April 6, 1917. 

 (1917) Because of the war, the government instituted various restrictions on free speech in America. The Espionage Act of 1917 gave the government to ban treasonous and anti-war material that appeared in the mail. It also put heavy financial penalties on any anti-war activities people undertook. The United States Postmaster even had the power to take away mailing rights from radical and treasonous groups, stopping their publications and influence. The Sedition Act of 1918 also accompanied this act. Many people were punished because of the loose terms of these acts. Eugene Debs, leader of the Socialist Party, was sentenced to ten years in jail for saying that the Master classes of society declare war while the subject classes actually do the fighting. He was later pardoned. Over socialists also suffered because of these acts. 

(1917) The government came together to collaborate during the war, suspending many anti-trust laws in order to cooperate and work efficiently. The War Industries Board was created to be a central agency to centralize and empower industry during the time of the Great War. Under the leadership of Bernard Baruch, the WIB allocated limiting resources, organized data and statistics, instituted war time production methods, set prices, brought efficient procedures to industry, and regulated the flow of all raw materials. Baruch, through personal intervention, won the support of industries. Amazingly, the profits accumulated through this new organization of industry, that helped all businesses, created an economic boom that lasted until 1920. Promising to give the owner’s a “standard return,” the Railroad War Board took ultimate power of the railroads to regulate the transportation of troops better. Herbert Hoover led the Food Administration that allowed more wheat and grains to be produced and other foods to be rationed by women in the home. It also created regulations and rules for producers and retailers. Hoover’s efforts created a large conservation of food resources. This was Herbert Hoover’s claim to fame at the time. 

 (1917) The CPI, created by Wilson, was an American Propaganda Organization that rallied to create public support for the war. Journalist George Creel led the charge, bringing many other newspapers and reformers into the pro-American propaganda business. The main reasons the CPI gave for supporting the war were democracy, national unity, immigration assimilation, and breaking down isolation of the farms. The CPI encouraged people to buy bonds and support the conflict. The media, actors and actresses, even got involved on supporting the war. Speeches, pamphlets, and literature flooded America, some of it even ragged on Germans. 

 (1917) A fear of radicalism and communism spread across America, worrying over a radical infiltration and takeover because of Bolshevik Russia. Even though radicals were losing members and power, America fear of the radicals increased. Bombings began, such as the one in Atorney General Palmer’s house that led to action. Palmer Raids were started to track down anarchists in the United States. Palmer rounded up thousands of radicals and communists, deporting them back to the Soviet Union. Many immigrants were pulled into being though to be an anarchist because of their backgrounds, deporting them without formal trial. By 1920, the red scare died out after a period of inactivity. 

 (1919) The Germans ended the war knowing that this would be the basis of the peace treaty. these wanted to bring American ideals, democracy, freedom, and good economy, to the rest of the world. Wilson also drew out new foreign nation borders in many countries. The backbone of the points, the League of Nations, was to become a mediator and prevent future wars. The Points also included freedom of navigation on the seas, open diplomacy, no trade barriers, national self-determination, and the end of secret diplomacy. This was a progressive declaration. The Points, in the end, were too far reaching for the treaty as people wanted harsher punishment on the Germans, giving them the blame and reparations. 

 (1919) 27 Countries met in Versailles, Paris to negotiate the peace treaty of the Great War. European leaders, contrary to Wilson’s desires, wanted to punish Germany and demand reparations as the spoils of war. Wilson was able to negotiate quite well. National Self-Determination, a principle of Wilson, created numerous independent states while, at the same time, isolating Soviet Russia from the whole of Europe. The League of Nations lived on in the treaty, along with the continuing administration of colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East to the victorious Allied nations. Because senate was split in three, loyalists, isolationists, and lodge recreationalists, the senate would not ratify the treaty. Wilson went to the American people, traveling around trying to get them to support the treaty. In the end, the United States never ratified the treaty and did not join the League of Nations. 

 (1919) This case shows the usage of the wartime restrictions of freedom of speech. Socialists Party Secretary Charles Schenck was convicted of mailing out pamphlets that encouraged people to avoid the draft. Justice Holmes stated that any speech that “creates a clear and present danger to the safety of the country.” The country held the restriction on the freedom of speech, dashing the hopes for progressive ideals in the country. 

 (1920) Sacco and Vanzetti, two anarchists and alien draft evaders, were arrested for robbery and murder in a shoe store. As the two sat on death row, this case stirred up Americans as many pleaded for their release. Many believed that the two were labeled because of their radical beliefs and immigrant origins, giving them a completely unfair trial and conviction. This case exemplifies the American fear of the anarchists and of immigrants that could cause terror to America. Sacco and Vanzetti were casualties to this fear.