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Homestead Act
It was 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. -
John D. Rockefeller incorporates standard oil
By 1870, Rockefeller and new partners were operating two oil refineries in Cleveland, then the major oil refining center of the country. The partners incorporated (under a charter issued by the state of Ohio) and called their business the Standard Oil Company. -
Election of Rutherford B. Hayes
The 19th President of the United States (1877-1881) -
Railroad workers go on strike
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 was the country's first major rail strike and witnessed the first general strike in the nation's history. The strikes were precipitated by wage cuts announced by the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad—its second cut in eight months. Railway work was already poorly paid and dangerous. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
In the spring of 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Chester A. Arthur. This act provided an absolute 10-year ban on Chinese laborers immigrating to the United States. -
The Pendleton Act
The Pendleton Act provided that federal government jobs be awarded on the basis of merit and that government employees be selected through competitive exams -
Haymarket Riot
On May 4, 1886, a bomb detonates near Haymarket Square in Chicago after police arrive to break up a rally in support of striking workers. -
The Dawes Severalty Act
to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream US society by annihilating their cultural and social traditions -
The Pullman Strike
widespread railroad strike and boycott that severely disrupted rail traffic in the Midwest of the United States in June–July 1894. -
The Election of 1896
William McKinley (Republican) defeated William Jennings Bryan (Democratic/Populist) in the 1896 presidential election