1. 17th AmendmentAmendment XVII of the United States Constitution was passed by the
Senate on June 12, 1911 and by the House on May 13, 1912. It was ratified on April 8,
1913 and was first put into effect for the election of 1914. It amends Article 1 Section 3 of
the Constitution to provide for the direct election of Senators by the people of a state rather
than their election or appointment by a state legislature, thus effectively eliminating state
representation in Congress. It was passed and ratified during the Progressive Era. Popular
election of senators – This amendment lets the people from each state elect their state’s
senators. Prior to this, Senators were appointed by the state legislature, which could be
manipulated.
2. Henry FordHenry Ford was the founder of the Ford Motor Company. He invented the
Quadricycle, the first “horseless carriage” that he produced. Its popularity helped fund and
launch Ford’s business, and the new Ford Motor Company was founded 7 years later, on
16 June 1903. Ford used the assembly line concept to build his cars relatively cheaply, and
revolutionized transportation by making automobiles affordable to the common man, and
not just to the rich, as had been the case previously. His mass production methods included
the use of completely interchangeable parts. His massive River Rouge plant began with
raw materials (e.g. iron) and produced finished cars. Ford’s other innovation was to pay the
then unheard of high wage of $5 a day. He believed that the producers of his automobiles
should be able to afford to buy them.
3. Grant’s AdministrationThe election of Grant. Ulysses S. Grant was nominated as the
Republican candidate for president in 1868. The man who accepted Lee’s surrender at
Appomattox Court House was expected to earn the veteran vote, while his lack of political
experience meant he would likely follow the lead of Congress. Grant easily won the
electoral vote over his relatively unknown Democratic challenger, Horatio Seymour, the
popular vote was much closer than anticipated.the Grant administration settled the
simmering dispute with Great Britain over the damages caused by British-built
Confederate ships during the Civil War
4. Populist Party Also known as the People’s Party, the Populist Party was formed by a
group of small farmers and sharecroppers to oppose large-scale commercial agriculture
that they feared would put them out of work. The national party was officially founded in
1892 through a merger of the Farmers’ Alliance and the Knights of Labor. That year the
