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Congress authorizes transcontinental railroad
This was the first railroad that stretched from the east coast to the west coast. It was an important advancement in the United States. This led to the network of railroad systems out west that made people migrating there possible. This railroad reshaped the country and changed the face of the United States, and the Native American population in the United States. -
World's first subway system opens in London
This was the establishment of the world's first railroad. It revolutiionized London's transit system and made city travel much easier. Getting from one side of the city to another would take just minutes. This made travel from work and home and vice versa for workers much easier. -
National Labor Union organized
The National Labor Union was the first attempt of "resistance" by workers towards their power hungry bosses. The union was a large group of workers that banned together to fight the power of the boss, through strikes and other resistant methods. They fought for an eighth hour work day. The depression of the 1870's shut them down. This was the first labor union in the United States. -
Wyoming Territory grants women right to vote
The decision to allow women the right to vote in the Wyoming Territory was an important decision. This was the first recognition of womens' rights during this time period. This was also the first time women were given suffrage, an important freedom. This would set a precedent for the future when women were finally allowed to vote everywhere. -
Standard Oil Company organized
The Standard Oil Company was organized by John D. Rockefeller. It mass produced oil. It had a monopoly on the trade because Rockefeller found a way to keep prices low, which helped sell his product. The need for things like kerosene lamps, that were dependent on oil, made the company effective. Rockefeller became a millionaire from his company. -
Bell invents telephone
Alexander Graham Bell inventing the telephone was revolutionary. The telephone made communication even easier than telegraphs. It allowed you to actually send voice messages across a landline. The beginning telephone created a precedent for the future telephones that we have now and the cell phones we have now. -
Edison invents electric light
Thomas Edison created the electric light. This was the first constant light source produced by electricity. It reduced the effectiveness of kerosene lamps. Electric lights made seeing at night much more possible than it was before, whole rooms could be illuminated by the lights. This changed the household and the workplace, making people able to see in any situation. -
Booker T. Washington becomes head of Tuskegee Institute
Booker T. Washington became the head of Tuskegee Institute. This was a school for African Americans. Washington wished to run the school so that he could advance the African American education system. He wanted African Americans to be the best they could be through education, so he taught them what was necessary. -
American Red Cross founded
American Red Cross was an important relief system set up. It was an organization that helped with healthcare during natural disasters. Red Cross would come to the scene and give medical attention to anyone that needed it. It was a nonprofit organization, and was kept running through donations of citizens. It is still helpful today in medical attention. -
Brooklyn Bridge completed
The Brooklyn Bridge was another important contribution to cities during this time. It connected different parts of New York together. It was an important passageway from one part of the city to another, people could use this to travel across to it rather than some other method of transportation. -
Mark Twain published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain was a very important writer in American history. He wrote this book to illustrate the dream that some Americans have. This book was very popular among people, and it is still popular today. This was just one of the many examples of how people settled down and found luxuries and entertainment in life. -
Louis Sullivan builds first skyscraper
The invention of the skyscraper revolutionized industry and growing cities. It allowed people to grow up rather than grow outwards. It allowed businesses to get bigger without taking up surface area of the city, allowing room for other businesses to build. Skyscrapers made cities what they are today, especially in industry. -
Elevator invented
With the invention of the skyscraper, problems arose. How could people get from the first floor to the tenth floor withouth having to walk? How could people get from floor to floor without using the stairs all day? The perfection of the elevator solved this. The electric elevator made travel up and down the skyscraper much more efficient. -
American Federation of Labor formed
The American Federation of Labor was the most effective workers union of the time. This union fought for better wages and really just better work conditions. They were a large labor union, it was really a culmination of multiple labor unions into one, but the individual unions kept their independence. They got government to establish Labor Day, and got the government to establish an eight hour work day. -
Statue of Liberty erected in New York
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French. They gave it to us for our assistance in the French Revolution and just for being an ally over the years. The Statue of Liberty was put on Ellis Island. It symbolized freedom for anyone that would come to the shores of the United States, like immigrants. The statue instantly respresented freedom and justice, and became an important landmark in the United States. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
This act was put in place to counter the almost monopoly on the railroad. Monopolizing the railroad would make travel hard because fees of the railroad would be drastically inflated. The Sherman Act prevented the railroad from monopolizing, keeping railroads a competitive business and keeping the railroad fees down. -
NAWSA formed
The National American Woman Suffrage Association was formed to support the rights of women. The most important of these rights, suffrage. The Wyoming Territory already allowed womens' suffrage, and this group wanted the rest of the country to follow suit. They worked endlessly to earn womens' suffrage. They were succesful in their endeavors. -
Basketball invented
Basketball was invented by James Naismith. The game began as a volleyball being shot into a peach basket. It was a very different game when it started, but it slowly grew into the game that it is today. Basketball was a recreational sport. This shows that the more people industrialized and urbanized, the more they focused on entertainment and recreation, like sports, like basketball. -
Library of Congress opened
The Library of Congress was an important contribution. The library is one of the biggest in the United States, and it has been since it was formed. This held countless important books. This also shows the growing emphasis on entertainment and recreation in the American way of life. If the government can open a library, then the country must be well developed. -
NAACP founded
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded. This was created to help advance African Americans. It fought for equal rights for African Americans. It also worked to educate and find jobs for colored people. This was an important organization to further fight for the rights of African Americans in the United States.