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A Century of Progress: 1890-1939
Transition to a New CenturyLarge numbers of Europeans continued to migrate to Illinois in the 1890's and early 1900's. As earlier immigrants moved up to better jobs, Italian, Polish, Serbian, Russian and other Eastern European immigrants replaced them in the low paying and dangerous jobs. These poor conditions continued to cause labor problems in many industries. One industry affected by labor strife was the railroads. Workers at the Pullman Company struck the company in 1894. To show their support, other members of the American Railway Union (ARU) refused to handle any traffic involving Pullman cars, and the strike spread nationwide. United States Army troops were called in by President Grover Cleveland to end the strike over the protests of Illinois' governor and Chicago's mayor. A number of people were killed in the ensuing violence. An injunction against the strike was issued in federal court and the union leaders were jailed. The strike ended and the ARU was disbanded. By 1900, the population of Illinois was more than 4,800,000. Chicago had grown to more than 1,700,000 and more than 75% of its population was foreign born. By 1914, Illinois was the third leading manufacturing state in the country. Upton Sinclair's novel, The Jungle, shed light on the poor working and living conditions of immigrants in the Chicago area. This prompted the state government to enact legislation to improve worker conditions. The eight hour workday was established in 1903. Following a coal mine fire at Cherry in 1909 that killed 259 men, legislation was passed requiring firefighting and rescue stations at all coal mines. A worker's compensation act was passed in 1911. At the beginning of the 1900s, oil production in Illinois increased dramatically. By 1910, Illinois was the third leading oil producing state in the country with 33 million barrels. By 1913, most of the easily reached oil deposits had been depleted and oil production in Illinois declined until new drilling techniques were discovered in the 1930s.
Chicago architects developed their own unique styles, two of which are the Chicago School and the Prairie School of architectures. Frank Lloyd Wright, founder of the Prairie School, became one of the country's preeminent architects and operated a studio in Oak Park. One example of Wright's work is the Dana Thomas house in Springfield. Tragedies also struck Chicago during this period. In 1903, almost 600 persons died in a fire at the Iroquois Theatre. The excursion steamer Eastland sunk in the Chicago river in 1915 and 812 persons perished. Political reform movements arose in response to economic and social problems at the beginning of the 20th Century. The Progressive movement wanted to make government fairer and more accountable to the people. Among the reforms recommended by Progressives were consumer protection laws, child labor laws, juvenile courts, women's right to vote and direct primary elections. Theodore Roosevelt, a Progressive Republican, was elected to a second term as President following his nomination at the Republican National Convention held in Chicago in 1904. The Republicans held their national conventions in Chicago again in 1908, 1912 and 1916. William Jennings Bryan of Salem was nominated for President in 1896, 1900 and 1908 by the Democratic Party, but was defeated all three times. The Progressive Party, formed by Roosevelt after a falling out with the more conservative wing of the Republican Party, also held their national convention in Chicago in 1912. The two Republican candidates divided the party's vote and the Democratic candidate, Woodrow Wilson, was elected President. Following that election, the influence of the Progressives began to decline.
Additional Resources
Study Guide Questions
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