Food industry

• Problem:

• No inspections of factories or quality of product

• Businesses “fatten” bottom line by decreasing quality

• Example- meat industry

Proposed solutions

• Meat Inspection Act~– Guaranteed that the government inspects all

meat – Factories closed or fined if not following

regulations

• Pure Food and Drug Act~– Made sure what was advertised was in the

product, and what was in the product was advertised.

– Both are still effective in society today

Workers problems

• Problems:– Hours–Wages– Injuries– Conditions

Example: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory

Proposed solutions

• Adamson act~

– Set the working hours– Example: Railroad workers will work an average

of 8 hours a day (6 days a week)

• Minimum wage laws~

– Each state sets the minimum wage – Based on each states’ economy

• Workman’s compensation insurance~

– Receive money for each week out of work if injured on the job

– Could not be fired if hurt on job

Muller vs. Oregon (1908)– Louis Brandies– Persuaded the Supreme court to pass laws

protecting women’s weaker bodies from certain work conditions

– Hailed a success– Closed women out of “male” jobs

Workers gain control in work place

Political problems and solutions

• Problem:– Need to regain power lost by the people – Political Machines & Corruption

• Spoils system

• Voters have little to no power• (senators part of “millionaires club”)

• Political Bosses and individuals ran the cities as their own Kingdoms

Proposed solutions

• 17th amendment

• State Level– The initiative enables citizens to draft laws

and constitutional amendments and place them on the ballot for a popular vote.

– The referendum provides for a popular vote on laws passed by the legislature.

– The recall allows citizens to remove elected officials from office.

• Australian (“Secret”) Ballot

Social problems

• Problem:

– Tenement and slums

– The poor

– Conditions in the cities

Solutions:

• Housing regulations~– Each large city passes own regulations

• Settlement houses~– Set up to help poor and immigrant assimilation– Provide temporary relief– Ex. Hull House

• Salvation army~– Provided food, clothing, shelter to the needy

alcohol

• Solutions:

–18th amendment~

–Temperance movement~

• Women’s Christian Temperance

Movement

• Leader Carrie Nation

• Nation divided into “wet” & “dry”

• “dry” controlled congress in 1919

Women• Women defining a new social role• More active in unions and organizations• Wyoming 1st state to give vote to

women (1869)• Took 72 years for all states to allow

women to vote– 1st demand at Seneca Falls, NY in

1848• Elizabeth Cady Stanton• Susan B. Anthony• Carrie Chapman Catt• Alice Paul

Woman’s Suffrage

• Political reformers want the woman’s vote

• This would change the tone of elections

• Many were afraid woman would be a second vote for their husband