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A reform innovation, city management by commission, is established in Galveston, Texas.
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Robert La Follette, more truly a Progressive than Theodore Roosevelt, begins the first of three terms as a reform governor of Wisconsin. He fights for legislation to regulate corporations for the public good, provide for conservation of natural resources, and governance uncorrupted by business influence.
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William McKinley is assassinated. He was shot on September 6 in the stomach and died 8 days later.
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Employer's liability laws for workmen's compensation are passed at the state level from 1902 forward, beginning in Maryland.
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President Roosevelt interfered in this labor dispute, proving that the federal government would get involved in matters that could negatively affect citizens or the economy of the USA.
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The January issue of McClure's Magazine initiates "muckraking" journalism with articles on municipal government, labor, and trusts (the latter written by Ida M. Tarbell).
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Roosevelt establishes a cabinet-level Department of Commerce and Labor.
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The first national wildlife refuge, Pelican Island in Florida, is established.
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The prosecution of a a railroad holding company proves successful in Northern Securities Company v. United States, an important "trust-busting" precedent.
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The Socialist weekly magazine Appeal to Reason begins serial publication of author Upton Sinclair's book, The Jungle, which reveals the horrors of the meat packing industry.
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The Hepburn Act is passed, which serves to strengthen the Interstate Commerce Commission. This gives the federal government greater control over the railroad companies.
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The Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act are both passed, a direct consequence of the writings of investigative journalists (the "muckrakers").
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Roosevelt appoints a national commission for conserving natural resources.
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Race riots in Springfield, Illinois, which lead to the establishment of the NAACP in 1909.
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The first US minimum wage law is enforced in Oregon.
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By 1900, more than half of the States had become dry. Because the postal service was run by the federal government instead of the state government, liquor could be mail ordered from a wet state. This infuriated the dries and in 1913, the Interstate Liquor Act was passed. This act made it illegal to send liquor to a dry state, closing the only legal means of getting alcohol.
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The 16th constitutional amendment is approved, authorizing the federal government to collect income taxes.
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The 17th Constitutional Amendment is adopted, providing for the direct election of senators, rather than by state legislatures.
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The Federal Trade Commission is established, and begins to function to regulate interstate commerce.
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Many states have minimum-age child labor laws (typically set at 14 years of age); there is as of yet no federal protection.
