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Homestead act
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Grant elected president
Republican Ulysses S. Grant defeats Democrat Horatio Seymour and is elected President of the United States. -
Rockefeller incorporates standard oil
John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company is incorporated in Ohio. Rockefeller has been active in the oil business since 1863. Standard Oil was first formed as a partnership in 1868. -
Gilded age starts
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Carnegie Imitates Bessemer Steel
After visiting Henry Bessemer's steel plant in England, and noting the demand in Britain for steel rails, Andrew Carnegie returns to America intent on expanding his steel business. -
Ulysses S. Grant Reelected
President Ulysses S. Grant is reelected to a second term as President of the United States, defeating Horace Greeley, the nominee of both the Democratic and Liberal Republican Parties. -
Corruption in Grant Administration
A federal grand jury indicts 238 people—including President Ulysses S. Grant's personal secretary, General O.E. Babcock, and dozens of whiskey distillers and revenue officials—for conspiring to defraud the United States government of tax revenues. -
Railroad Strike of 1877
Brakemen and firemen from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad walk off the job at Camden Junction, Maryland, initiating a wildcat strike that will shut down thousands of miles of track throughout the northeastern United States. -
Pendleton Act
Hoping to reduce corruption in the distribution of government jobs, the United States Congress passes the Pendleton Act, introducing an examination system for selecting federal civil servants. Only 10% of all federal appointees are made subject to this process of selection by examination. -
Gilded age ends