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Morrill Act
This act allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges. The purposes of these colleges were to teach specific studies that were related to agriculture and mechanical arts, in order to premote teh liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions. Each eligible state to build one of these colleges were given 30,000 acres of land to be used to establishing and funding the colleges. -
National Labor Union organized
This was the first labor union in the US, and it paved the way for other unions such as the American Federation of Labor and the Knights of Labor. It followed efforts of activists to form a coalition of local trade unions to bring togteher the labor foce and press for labor rights, such as an 8-hour workday. It drew much of its support from groups of skilled workers. It also campaigned for the exclusion of Chinese workers and also African Americans, though not necessarily on purpose. -
Knights of Labor organized
This was one of the larges and most influential labor organizations. It promoted social and cultural uplift of the workingperson, rejected radicalism and socialism, strove for a 6-hour workday, and promoted the ethic of republicanism. It wasn't well organized and after reaching 700,000 supporters, it fell into decline. -
Women's Christian Temperance Union organized
This was the first massive organization of women dedicated to the social reform of temperance and the ban of alcohol. Its goals were to establish a sober and pure world, premoting abstinence, purity and evangelical Christianity. It wanted things that were good to not be done in excess and things that were bad to be avoided all together. It blamed alcohol for the a cause and consequence of social problems instead of a personal issue. -
Henry George publishes Progress and Poverty
Henry George, a realist, published this book to explain why poverty exists with all of the widespread advances in technology and even where there is a large concentration of wealth. He examined how social and technological advances increased the value of land. He also investigated strategies to avoid unemployment, poverty, and business failure, and shows them to be not sufficient. Instead, he proposed a single tax on land for everyone, and this would decrease poverty. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
This law suspended immigration for the Chinese that was intended to last only 10 years, but lasted until 1943. The influx of Chinese was created by the California Gold Rush which required large labor forces. During early stages, the Chinese were not liked, but they were tolerated. The Anti-Chinese feeling increased as gold became harder and harder to find and the bad wages in California. However, they did provide an essential tax revenue so California didn't want to exclude them early on. -
Statue of Liberty erected in New York
The Statue of Liberty, created by Frederic Bartholdi, is a robed figure depicting the Roman goddess of freedom, Libertas, who bears a tablet of law which is inscribed the date of July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet, and she holds a torch. The statue was erected in 1886 and is 151 feet tall. She was gifted to the United States from France and has become an iconic symbol of freedom of the US, as well as a beacon of hope for those immigrating to the USA through Ellis Island. -
National American Woman Suffrage Association formed
This organization was formed to promote women's rights and united two groups together. It aimed to pass women's suffrage at both state and national level and was the primary promoter of women's right to vote. It pushed for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing voting rights to women. Women were finally granted the right to vote in 1920 with the passing of the 19th Amendment -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This landmark Supreme Court decision said that state laws requiring racial segregation in private businesses was consitutional under the doctrine of "separate but equal". However, the law was anything but equal and provided yet another degrading point for African Americans, especially in the South, where Jim Crow laws were prevelant. -
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People founded
This African-American civil rights organization was founded to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of all colored persons and eliminate racial hatred and discrimination. It still exists today and premotes public education, health care, and other areas of life to the black minority.
