Federal Judge David C. Westenhaver sentenced five-time Socialist Party presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs to ten years in federal prison for violating the Espionage Act by delivering an antiwar speech in Canton, Ohio on June 16, 1918. Before sentencing, Debs delivered his famous statement: …
Eugene V. DebsSocialist Party of AmericaPresident Woodrow WilsonJudge David C. Westenhaverfree-speechstate-repressionlabor-movementprogressive-eraespionage-act
Congress passed the Sedition Act on May 16, 1918, extending the Espionage Act of 1917 to cover a broader range of offenses, notably speech and expression of opinion that cast the government or war effort in a negative light or interfered with the sale of government bonds. The Act forbade the use of …
U.S. CongressPresident Woodrow WilsonU.S. Postmaster Generalcivil-libertiesfirst-amendmentpolitical-repressionprogressive-era
The United States government established the War Industries Board (WIB) to coordinate the purchase of war supplies between the War Department and Navy Department during World War I. The WIB existed from July 1917 to December 1918 to coordinate and channel production by setting priorities, fixing …
Bernard BaruchPresident Woodrow WilsonWar DepartmentNavy Departmentworld-war-icorporate-powergovernment-industryrevolving-doorinstitutional-capture
President Woodrow Wilson signed the Espionage Act into law, prohibiting interference with military operations or recruitment, preventing insubordination in the military, and preventing support of U.S. enemies during wartime. The Wilson administration, knowing many Americans were conflicted about …
President Woodrow WilsonIndustrial Workers of the World (IWW)Eugene V. DebsVictor L. BergerEmma Goldman+1 morelabor-suppressionfree-speechworld-war-iiwwstate-repression
One week after Congress declared war on Germany, President Woodrow Wilson created the Committee on Public Information (CPI) by executive order, establishing the first large-scale government propaganda apparatus in American history. Journalist George Creel was appointed chairman, heading a massive …
President Woodrow WilsonGeorge CreelSecretary of State Robert LansingSecretary of War Newton BakerSecretary of the Navy Josephus Danielspropagandaworld-war-istate-repressionprogressive-eramedia-manipulation
Congress passed the Adamson Act on September 2, 1916, and President Woodrow Wilson signed it the following day, establishing a standard eight-hour workday with additional pay for overtime for interstate railroad workers. Named for Georgia Representative William C. Adamson, this was the first federal …
President Woodrow WilsonRepresentative William C. AdamsonRailroad Labor BrotherhoodsAustin B. GarretsonU.S. Congresslabor-rightsprogressive-eraworker-protectionregulatory-enforcement
Congress passed the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act in September 1916, the first federal statute to impose restrictions on child labor. Also known as Wick’s Bill, the law prohibited the sale in interstate commerce of goods produced by factories that employed children under 14, mines that employed …
U.S. CongressPresident Woodrow Wilsonlabor-rightschild-laborprogressive-eraregulatory-enforcement
President Woodrow Wilson signed the Clayton Antitrust Act, enhancing previous antitrust legislation and explicitly exempting labor unions from antitrust laws. Alabama Democrat Henry De Lamar Clayton Jr. introduced the legislation in anticipation of the Commission on Industrial Relations report. The …
President Woodrow WilsonHenry De Lamar Clayton Jr.Samuel GompersAmerican Federation of LaborE. Y. Webbprogressive-eraantitrustlabor-organizingregulatory-reform
In August 1914, as World War I erupted in Europe, JP Morgan & Co. approached the U.S. government about making loans to the French Government and the Rothschilds. Despite Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan’s principled position that “loans by American bankers to any foreign …
JP Morgan & Co.British GovernmentFrench GovernmentThomas LamontPresident Woodrow Wilson+1 morewar-profiteeringbanking-consolidationjp-morganworld-war-ifinancial-capture
President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act at 6:00 p.m., creating the Federal Reserve System as the central banking system of the United States. The need for a central bank became evident during the Panic of 1907, when the federal government lacked tools to respond and had to depend on …
President Woodrow WilsonCarter GlassRobert Latham OwenJP MorganWilliam Jennings Bryanbanking-consolidationprogressive-erafinancial-regulationfederal-reservejp-morgan
President Woodrow Wilson signed the Revenue Act of 1913, also known as the Underwood Tariff or Underwood-Simmons Act, slashing average tariff rates from 40 percent to 27 percent and establishing the modern federal income tax for the first time since 1872. Wilson made tariff reduction his first …
President Woodrow WilsonOscar UnderwoodDemocratic Partyprogressive-eratax-policytariff-policyincome-taxcorporate-power
Within months of taking office, President Woodrow Wilson’s administration began systematically segregating the federal government, reversing decades of relative integration in civil service employment. Postmaster General Albert Burleson proposed segregation at an April 11, 1913 cabinet …
President Woodrow WilsonPostmaster General Albert BurlesonTreasury Secretary William McAdooNAACPBooker T. Washington+1 morecivil-rightssegregationprogressive-erafederal-governmentinstitutional-racism