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Period: to
The Gilded Age
By Reid Mock, and Brady Bowen. -
Standard Oil incorporated
The beginning of Standard Oil signified a new type of business, using horizontal integration to form a monopoly, which characterized the era’s economics. -
Mark Twain published “The Gilded Age”
Twain exposed the rotten politics and economics hidden amongst the country’s growth. -
Panic of 1873
An economic depression caused by thousands of businesses going bankrupt, causing great economic instability. -
Hayes wins presidency (compromise)
The compromise of 1877 was called the Second Corrupt Bargain by many who felt that the ending of reconstruction was a move to win the Republicans the presidency. This foreshadowed the rotten core of gilded age’s economics and politics. -
Garfield’s Assassination
The assassination of James Garfield occurred because the future assassin was not given a job in politics after supporting Garfield, which was common if the candidate that was supported won. The assassin killed Garfield, and this lead to the Pendleton Act, which ended the spoils system. -
Pendleton Act
A new examination system that was introduced, that awarded people government positions based on merit, instead of being appointed. The hope was that the Spoils System, spearheaded by Andrew Jackson, which awarded political supporters high positions, would be eliminated. This was a major step in attempting to reduce the level of government corruption that is typically associated with the Gilded Age. -
Haymarket Square Riot
A strike in Chicago protesting the pay at McCormick Harvester Works. More than 60 people were injured when anarchists threw a bomb into the crowd. Although not involved with the bomb, the Knights of Labor union suffered a serious blow because people thought they were behind it. Membership declined, and generally weakened union activity in this era. -
American Federation of Labor founded
Initially led by Samuel Gompers, this federation of skilled laborers has been the longest lived, and influential labor unions in the USA, surviving to this day. The A.F.L. and other labor unions gave workers a voice during the Gilded Age. -
Homestead Steel Strike
The third largest union strike in US history, this strike in Homestead, Pennsylvania served as a major loss of labor unions attempting to unionize Carnegie Steel workers. It was a fight between the workers, and private security agents working with the state’s militia. Union activities many setbacks during this time period due to failures such as this. -
Pullman Strike
Disgruntled workers at the Pullman Palace Car Company manufacturing plant near Chicago were upset when the company decreased their wages to ⅔ of their original pay, while maintaining the same housing rents. Violence broke out, and Grover Cleveland ordered the army to end the strike. Laborers came to realize the alliance between the government and businesses, and thus gained a new awareness of the government corruption and bribery that characterize this era.
