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The Gold Rush
The discovery of gold in the Pikes Peak district of what would soon be the territory of Colorado. The gold rush lasted until roughly the creation of the Colorado Territory on February 28, 1861. -
First Transcontinental RailRoad
President Abraham Lincoln signs the Pacific Railway Act, which authorizes the construction of the first transcontinental railroad. Theodore Judah had the vision to build a railroad across the Sierra Nevada mountains in California, and then to continue the railroad across the United States. -
The Western Cattle Bonanza
Cattle drives originated around 1866, as ranchers needed to move their cattle to areas ... leading to the movement which was known as "the Beef Bonanza -
National Labor Union
The National Labor Union (NLU) was the first national labor federation in the United States. Founded in 1866 and dissolved in 1873, it paved the way for other organizations, such as the Knights of Labor and the AF of L (American Federation of Labor). It was led by William H. Sylvis. -
Chicago and Boston great fire
The summer of 1871 was very dry, leaving the ground parched and the wooden city vulnerable. Other cities expereinced similar disasters. The experience of the great fire encouraged the construction of the fireproof buildings and the development of professional fire departments. -
The Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by Chester A. Arthur on May 8, 1882, following revisions made in 1880 to the Burlingame Treaty of 1868. Those revisions allowed the U.S. to suspend immigration, and Congress subsequently acted quickly to implement the suspension of Chinese immigration, a ban that was intended to last 10 years. This law was repealed by the Magnuson Act on December 17, 1943. -
Settlement House Movement
Settlement houses came from progressive ideas concerning the environments effect of the individual’s development. They adapted the idea from England. Many professional women staffed the settlement houses and educated immigrant families on how to adapt to the new culture, language, and customs in America. Hull House was a famous settlement house that opened in Chicago in 1889. -
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Progressive Movement
From the 1890’s to the 1920’s many Americans felt they could identify themselves as progressives. They believe in growth, progress, and advancement without being reckless while doing so. The progressives were antimonopoly and had faith in knowledge and the importance of social cohesion. The progressives raised many questions and had new ideas for the federal government. -
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General Federation of Women's Clubs
With the rise of professions and the progressive movement came women becoming professionals. In 1892 the General Federation of Women’s Clubs was formed. It gained 1 million members by 1917. Middle class women were now becoming college and university educated. Many of them became social workers and worked in settlement houses. 90 percent of the women became teachers. -
The Farmers’ Alliances and Peoples Party
Farmers were hit hard by the depression when the prices of crops dropped tremendously. The Farmers’ Alliances, in 1980, followed the Grangers by also trying to get farmers organized politically. The Farmers’ Alliances also were trying to form cooperatives and banks to get independence and get out of debt. This ultimately led to the formation of the Peoples Party and the movement better known as Populism in July 1892. -
The 1893 Depression
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in that year.[1] Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures. -
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Crisis of 1890's
In March 1893 the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad decaled bankruptcy follow six months later by the National Cordage Company. This triggered a stock market collapse resulting in the worst depression Americans had ever seen. Thousands of businesses, railroads and banks failed and went bankrupt. The situation did not fully recover until 1901. -
The Pullman Strike
The Pullman Strike was a nationwide conflict between labor unions and railroads that occurred in the United States in 1894 -
War with Spain
Despite rising anti-imperialism, imperial ambitions brought America into a war with Spain emerging out of Cuban resistance to Spanish rule, which upset many Americans. Known as the “Splendid Little War” we won pretty easily against the weakened Spanish. African Americans in the war felt injustice. This war led into the seizing of the Philippines and the Philippines War. Ultimately we bettered our military into a modern system afterwards and stopped territorial imperialism. -
The San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906 -
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
A New York shirtwaist company burned to the ground killing almost 150 people, whom most were women. They were locked inside in unsafe conditions. This brought great attention to the need for reform in modern labor conditions. -
Panama Canal Completed
The Panama Canal connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through Central America. Building the canal took amazing engineering at the time. With the push from Theodore Roosevelt, in October 1914 the Miraflores locks of the canal opened for the first boat to pass through. This occurred after Panama was recognized as an independent nation. -
Lusitania
Lusitania was a British passenger liner. German submarines, known as U-boats, sank the Lusitania. 1,198 people dies during the attack and 128 of them were citizens of America. Americans thought the U-boats attack was unwarranted. -
America Delares War Against Germany
The declaration of war passed on April 6, 1917. This was 4 days after Wilson asked on April 2. The Allie forces were depending on America to gain the lead. -
The Rise of Consumerism
The Consumer Culture that is America began in the early 1920s. With a growing middle class, people had money to spend on luxurries and things that were not of vital neccessity. Identifying products with a particular lifestyle, the advirtising industry blossomed to bring new products to the front of consumers' minds. -
Prohibiton of Alcohol
On January 16 1920, the prohibition of alcohol caused less drinking in most states. But the outlaw of alcohol lead to a rise in violence, crime rates, and a growing number of violations of the law. It is this which gave birth to American organized crime groups. -
Prohibition of Alcohol
The majority of progressives believed prohibition of alcohol in society was needed to restore and maintain order. Alcohol intoxication led to domestic and non-domestic violence and many working class wives thought this needed to change. Many men also missed work because of intoxication. In 1873 the movement gained much more strength than is previously had. With the help of the Anti-Saloon League, in 1916 nineteen states passed prohibition laws and in 1920 the 18th amend -
Sharp Tax Reduction
Secretary of Treasury Andrew Mellon worked hard to achieve tax cuts for corporations, personal incomes and inheritance. The Federal Government and the private sector worked together and lowered half the national WWI debt. -
The National Origins Act
The National Origins Act banned immigrants from East Asia. This dropped the percentage of immigrants due to Nativist attitudes. This came from prejiduce fears that an overwhelming minority could infiltrate the middle class. With rise of other hate groups such as the KKK, this became a commonly spread fear. -
The Scopes Trial
The State of Tennessee vs. John Scopes.
John Scopes had been accused of violating the Butler Acts which made it illegal to teach evolution. The trial attracted the media and national attention. Scopes was found guilty but the verdict was eventually overturned and evolution was allowed to be taught in public schools. -
Agricultural Marketing Act
The Agricultural Marketing Act is a bill passed to help farmers. This bill would help farmers get loans and resources needed to desperate families who lived off the farms. -
Stock Market takes a dive
The Stock Market begins its crash. Before steadily declining the stocks rose. On October 29th, "Black Tuesday" the stocks continued lowering until the market was in a depression -
The Dust Bowl
Stretching from Texas to Dakota, dust engulfed the bread basket of America. The decline of rainfall and increasing heat caused top soil to dry into dust. The area of the nation was engulfed in dust, it blanketed communities and nothing grew, adding to the economic depression -
FDR Elected
Franklin Delenor Roosevelt was elected president in the 1932 election with a LANDSLIDE victory. c;laiming 472 electoral votes and all but 4 states. FDR created government assistant programs and appealed to democrats with economic policies. -
Banking Crisis of 1933
On this date depositors and investors started drawing out thier money in a panic that they would not get it back. This wide spread idea caused a banking collapse and worsened the great depression. By March 4th the economic problem had skyrocketed. -
Ratification of the 21st Amendment
The repeal of the prohibition of Alcohol.
To restore confidence, FDR allowed beer to be sold in stores in 1932. By 1933, Alcohol was re-legalized and the economy benifited. -
Industrial Recovery Act
The Industrial Recovery Act was a plan to get more Americans back into the workplace and ensure the income of workers would continue to rise by offering appropriate salaries. This created jobs and industry, lightening the burden of the Depression. -
FDR's New Deal
FDR's plan for getting America out of the Depression was called "The New Deal". It focused on relief reform and recovery. Banking holidays were declared, money was put aside to aid where the country needed it most, and help put over a billion dollars back into the system within a month. This New Deal aided in helping America out of hard times, but it wasnt until WWII that led America out of the Depression -
Social Security Act
Under FDRs' second New Deal, the Social Security Act was passed to ensure finscal security for the unemployed and elderly, or those not able to work. This social security system is still in play today and is a hot topic in Washington. The nation was changed forever with the creation of this act. -
The End of the New Deal
By the end of 1938, the New Deal was coming to a close. Opposition in cogress had made it hard to maintain the New Dealer's way of doing buisness. Especially after FDR attacked the big buisnesses that helped him launch his presidency in the first place. America was preparing for war which would lead to WW2
