The Progressive Era was a period of just that: progress. Reformers on a variety of levels (city, state, and federal) sought to improve conditions on numerous issues, including work conditions and the environment. The Progressive Movement was the result of the combination of a variety of forces and ideas; even after the collapse of the Populist Party, the reform spirit was still strong in America, especially amongst the middle and upper classes, which led the Progressive Movement. Among things, Prohibition, working condition reforms, and consumer protection fed into the stream of ideas known as Progressivism. Progressives had a variety of goals. One of these was to shift the balance of power from the political machines and powerful industrialists to the people. The Progressives sought to accomplish this through many methods. An example of one such was the passing of the 17th amendment, which granted direct election for U.S. Senators, thereby giving the people more direct political power. The 19th amendment stating that "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex" gave individual groups of people the power to vote, thereby giving the United States citizens as a whole more political power. Political democracy was also extended with initiative (where voters initiate specific laws through initiation), and referendum (where an issue is submitted to popular vote), both of which aided in the shift of the balance of power. Spurred by the dramatic writings of authors such as Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, and Lincoln Steffens, consumer protection reforms took hold during the Progressive Era. The authors' gut-wrenching revelations of the true corruptions and horrors of the industrial giants produced public outrage and led to the passing of several consumer protection laws, such as the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act. Also, the government, pressured by the Progressives, passed many anti-trust acts to help lessen the enormous and previously unrestrained power of the industrial giants, helping the working class by lessening the horrors and conditions such as that described in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. Other major reforms on working conditions included the prohibition of child labor and adoption of new adequate factory and building inspection codes. Various measures were taken to protect the poor as well. Social welfare programs and reforms provided protection by establishing a basic standard of living to fight against poverty. Farmers also took up the fight under the banner of Progressivism, in hopes to have their voices heard and problems to be recognized, which led to the curbing of unfair railroad power and corruption which cheated farmers. Also, the farmers were protected from large companies and industrial giants buying out their land, due to government protection against monopolies. Thus, under Progressivism, the government did provide protection for these various groups. The Progressive Movement did successfully fight for and shelter the environment as part of its many causes. This is evident with the creation of the world's first national park, Yellowstone National Park. Other Acts which serve as examples for the government's role in protecting the environment are the Forest Reserve Act of 1891, which authorized National Forests, and the Lacey Act of 1900 which established the first wildlife safety measures by restricting commercial hunting and the trading of unlawfully killed animals. Under the heading of Gifford Pinchot, the U.S. Forest Service developed its first formal natural-resource policy, called the principle of multiple use. All of these are very suggestive of the government's strong role in protecting our nation's environment during the Progressive Era. While the majority of groups were represented during the Progressive Era, one in particular stands out as not being: African Americans. In a time of "progress", despite the numerous other reforms and changes, very few were made that directly affected African Americans situation, political power, or their role in society. They were seemingly left behind in the torrent of streaming ideas and reforms taking place in America throughout the Progressive Era. Thus, the Progressive Era accomplished many things that quite obviously helped to better our nation. Despite a few slight flaws, and despite disagreement between many of the Progressives, they were nonetheless able to represent a wide variety of people and groups to better the standard of life, politics, and economy of the United States of America in the early 20th century.