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Homestead Act
The Homestead Act, enacted during the Civil War in 1862, provided that any adult citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. government could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land. Claimants were required to live on and “improve” their plot by cultivating the land.
To help develop the American West and spur economic growth, Congress passed the Homestead Act of 1862, which provided 160 acres of federal land to anyone who agreed to farm the land -
Standard Oil Creation
John D. Rockefeller formed the Standard Oil Company on January 10, 1870 with his business partners and brother. The success of this business empire made Rockefeller one of the world's first billionaires and a celebrated philanthropist. Standard Oil gained a monopoly in the oil industry by buying rival refineries and developing companies for distributing and marketing its products around the globe. In 1882, these various companies were combined into the Standard Oil Trust. -
The Great Railroad Strike
More than 100,000 workers participated in the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, at the height of which more than half the freight on the country's tracks had come to a halt. By the time the strikes were over, about 1,000 people had gone to jail and some 100 had been killed. In the end the strike accomplished very little.The strikes and the violence it spawned briefly paralyzed the country's commerce and led governors in ten states to mobilize 60,000 militia members to reopen rail traffic. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The law excluded merchants, teachers, students, travelers, and diplomats.
It was the first significant law restricting immigration into the United States. -
JP Morgan
JP Morgan was a american financier. during the Gilded Age. In 1885, America was years into a depression, and gold reserves were down more than 50%. Morgan feared that if the U.S. dollar was devalued, his fortune would be in jeopardy. -
Haymarket Riot
Wage workers also protested the developments of the Gilded Age and brought Illinois into the national spotlight. On May 4, 1886 several police officers were killed when a bomb exploded at a Chicago labor rally. The so-called Haymarket Affair saw eight avowed anarchists sentenced to death for the bombing. -
Statue Of Liberty
No symbol of freedom is more revered than the “Statue of Liberty.” Its a global icon and a celebrated symbol of Liberty that embodies America. The Statue of Liberty was built in 1886, during the Gilded Age when America passed through a time of unprecedented economic growth and prosperity. -
Interstate Commerce Act
On February 4, 1887, both the Senate and House passed the Interstate Commerce Act, which applied the Constitution's “Commerce Clause”—granting Congress the power “to Regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States”—to regulating railroad rates. -
The Sherman Antitrust Act
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act authorized the federal government to institute proceedings against trusts in order to dissolve them. Any combination "in the form of trust or otherwise that was in restraint of trade or commerce among the several states, or with foreign nations" was declared illegal. -
Andrew Carnage (Carnage Steel)
He led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century. He was also one of the most important philanthropists of his era. he created a steel empire, maximizing profits and minimizing inefficiencies through ownership of factories, raw materials and transportation infrastructure involved in steel making. In 1892, his primary holdings were consolidated to form Carnegie Steel Company.