The Progressive Era was one of the most important stages in the development of American society. Social, economic and cultural changes of this period made the United States one of the most developed countries of that time. Progressivism united different sections of society in the face of the threat of economic and political domination of corporations. The whole nation has benefited from the reforms of the Progressive Era.
The Progressives achieved the greatest progress in the field of political reforms. The XVII amendment to the Constitution, 1913 which transferred the right to elect senators from the legislature of states to ordinary voters was one of the most important among them. This reform helped to reduce corruption and the influence of political elites on politics. From 1898 to 1918, 22 states made amendments to their constitutions and gave to voters the right of a legislative initiative and a referendum at the territory of their state. Moreover, 44 states approved a law on the direct primary elections, voters had the right to nominate candidates for elective office. The final political reform of the Progressive Era was the XIX Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which in 1920 granted women the right to vote. Corporations and banks have lost their right to finance the election campaign, which, in my opinion, was the most important component of a democratic government.
At the turn of the XIX and XX centuries in the drug market of the USA, there was a situation which demanded strengthening of regulatory activity of the state authorities. Narcotic substances such as opium, morphine, cocaine were a part of the composition of many drugs, but unfortunately, the labels did not indicate this. The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was adopted due to the problems with the safety of food and medicines. This act was passed in connection with public and congressional concern about the poor quality of food and medicine. Under this law, the drugs that were not proven by the scientific methods were forbidden. The law prohibits the manufacture, sale, and transportation in interstate commerce of food and medicines with falsified or deceptive labels (“U.S. History”, 630). This reform was very important because in order to support new standards the Food and Drug Administration was established. This institution works and is now and monitors the quality of the food and drug at the USA market.
Among the democratic socio-economic measures that were taken in the Progressive Era in order to provide antitrust laws, the most radical were the Sherman Act of 1890. The Sherman Act outlawed all contracts and associations in the form of trust or in another form, as well as raw deals aimed at the restriction of trade between states or with the foreign states. However, the organization of tests with holding structure allowed, so entrepreneurs were able to circumvent the Sherman Act, and after 1890, all trusts were renamed into holdings. Nevertheless, the Sherman Act has led to numerous processes of de-monopolization of the monopoly corporations in the United States. A striking example of the effectiveness of antitrust laws was the case of Standard Oil Company Trust, founded by John D. Rockefeller. The Sherman Act has a number of gaps so in 1914 the Congress passed Clayton Act. The main provisions of Clayton Act: 1) prohibits practically all forms of discrimination in pricing policies; 2) set restrictions on the realization of goods with the compulsory range; 3) introduced a ban on the combination of positions in councils of directors of various companies, and etc. Along with the Clayton Antitrust Act, the US Congress ratified the decree of the Federal Trade Commission of the United States. Today the antitrust law developed by Sherman and Clayton plays an important role in carrying out mergers and acquisitions both at national and international level.
Works Cited
OpenStax College, U.S. History. OpenStax College. 23 December 2014. Web. Accessed 04 March 2016 at <https://openstaxcollege.org/files/textbook_version/low_res_pdf/41/USHistory-LR.pdf >
