-
Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881) 19th President of the United States
Brought post-Civil War reconstruction to an end in the South -
Great Railroad Strike of 1877
Strikes held on July 20, 1877 in Baltimore and on July 21, 1877 in Pittsburgh to protest the 10% pay cuts issued and the change in operating rules issued by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroads. -
Dawes Act of 1877
Authorized the Federal government to breakup tribal lands into individual plots. Each family head received 160 acres and only those Native American Indians who accepted the individual allotments were allowed to become U.S. citizens. -
James A. Garfield (March 1881-Sept. 1881) 20th President of the United States
Second shortest serving President of the U.S. assassinated by a disgruntled constituent -
Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885) 21st President of the United States
Took office upon the assassination of President Garfield -
Chinese Exclusion Act
First significant law restricting Chinese immigrants into the U.S. for 10 years -
Grover Cleveland (1885-1889 & 1893-1897) 22nd and 24th President of the United States
First Democrat elected after the Civil War and the only President in American history to serve two non-consecutive terms in office -
Founding of the American Federation of Labor by Samuel Gompers
organized group of skilled workers into national unions whose purpose was aimed at gaining shorter hours, higher wages, and better working conditions. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Landmark case in which the U.S. Supreme court upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation. The case established the idea of "separate but equal." -
United American Laborers culminated in a national strike
300,000 and 500,000 workers struck across the country protesting poor working conditions and long hours. -
HayMarket Square Riot
Labor protest rally near Chicago's HayMarket Square in response to Chicago police's action during a strike at McCormick Reaper works. After a bomb was thrown at a group of policemen, policemen respond with gunfire killing eight people. -
Interstate Commerce Act
Established the Federal government's right to oversee railroad activities. Required railroads to submit annual reports to the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) -
Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) - 23rd President of the United States
Republican elected President supported protective tariffs and introduced the McKinley tariff -
McKinley Tariff
Increased the rates for many manufactured goods while it placed items such as sugar and coffee on the free list; and raised the average duty on imports from 38% to 50%. The goal of the tariff was to protect domestic industries from foreign competition. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
First Federal Anti-Trust law enacted to maintain free competition in business and made it a crime to monopolize any part of trade or commerce. -
Sherman Silver Purchase Act
adopted in response to pressures from mine-owners who were concerned about the falling prices of silver and the Western farmers suffering from depressed pricing of their products. The Act required the Secretary of the Treasury to purchase 4,500,000 ounces of silver each month at market price. -
Homestead Steel Strike
resulted when the Carnegie Steel Company announced it would no longer deal with the nation's strongest trade union, the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers. After the union refused to accept the new conditions of production demands, the steel company locked workers out and by July 2nd all workers were discharged. -
Populists
nominated former Civil War general James B. Weaver as their Presidential candidate at the party's first national convention in Omaha, Nebraska. -
Depression of 1893
Began with the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad went bankrupt; which led to bank failures, the halting of construction, steel companies collapsed, factories closed, and unemployment soared. -
Sherman Silver Purchase Act repealed
-
Pullman Strike
Workers in George Pullman's Pullman car factories struck when he cut wages by a quarter but did not lower the rent and cost of utilities on company housing -
William McKinley (1897-1901) 25th President of the United States
Assassinated six months into his second term on September 14, 1901.
