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The Gilded Age
A time of the rich getting richer and therefore becomoning flashier with their wealth. The term gilded refers to the fact that the only image of America at the time was of the rich when in fact the conditions of the country were in fact artocious while the poor became poorer. -
The Grange Movement
A group of farmers who fought against the idea of a monoply and agribusiness. When farmers began to gets their views across to the state legislature, laws began to be passed that fixed the rates railroads could charge. The laws passed by the state legilature were challenged and the cases were known as the "Granger cases", the most famous being Munn v. Illinois.
"The Grange Hat." . N.p.. Web. 27 May 2013. -
Work Day
Congress enacts an 8-hour workday for workers employed by the government. -
The Fourteenth Amendment
The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution grants citizenship to anyone born in the United States and guarantees due process and equal protection of the laws. It serves as the basis for applying the rights specified in the US Constitution to the states. -
Grant Elected President
Republican candidate Ulysses S. Grant defeats Horatio Seymour and is elected president of the United States. Grant recieves 214 of the 294 electoral votes.
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Promontory Point
A golden spike is driven into a railroad tie at Promontory Point, Utah, completing the transcontinental railroad. Built in just over three years by 20,000 workers, it had 1,775 miles of track. The railroad's promoters received 23 million acres of land and $64 million in loans as an incentive. -
Knights of Labor
American labor organization that promoted the social and cultural lift of the working man. Also for an 8hr workday and more equality for the workingmen.
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Standard Oil Company
John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company is incorporated in Ohio.
"Rockefeller creates Standard Oil Co.." . N.p.. Web. 24 May 2013. -
Indian Nations
Congress declares that Indian tribes will no longer be treated as independent nations with whom the government must conduct negotiations. -
The Great Chicago Fire
A fire ravaged the city of Chicago from October 8th to the 10th. Despite the fact that the fire destroyed most of the city, reconstruction began almost immediately which allowed new developments to appear in Chicago. Chicago then became a symbol of American ingenuity and technological prowess.
. N.p., 11 Oct 2010. Web. 24 May 2013. -
Steel Business
Andrew Carnegie returns to America in the hopes of expanding the steel business.
.American Premier Underwriters, Inc., n.d. Web. 25 May 2013. -
Crédit Mobilier Scandal
The New York Sun reports that Vice-President Schuyler Colfax, and several members of Congress, including future President James Garfield, received what amounted to free stock in return for protecting the Crédit Mobilier, a railroad construction company, from investigation for financial irregularities.
Nast, Thomas. N.p., 15 Mar 1873. Web. 27 May 2013. -
Grant Re-elected
President Ulysses S. Grant is reelected to a second term as president of the United States, defeating Horace Greeley, the nominee of both the Democratic and Liberal Republican Parties. Grant receives 56% of the popular vote and 286 of 352 Electoral College votes. The National Labor Party (formerly the National Labor Union) candidate, Charles O'Connor, receives only 29,489 votes, ending the National Labor Union's experiment in direct political ac
Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Gilded Age Timeline of -
First Abduction
4-years-old Charley Brewster Ross is abducted, the country's first kidnapping for ransom. The child was never found. -
Mark Twain
Mark Twain publishes "The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today" this year.
Twain, Mark. "The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today." . N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2013. -
Panic of 1873
The collapse of Jay Cooke and Company, a Philadelphia investment bank, triggers a nationwide financial panic that leads to a broader economic depression which lasts until 1879.
Chronicle of Higher Education, . N.p., 17 Oct 2008. Web. 27 May 2013. -
Women's Christian Temperance Union
One of the first female groups of social reform who's leader is Annie Wittenmyer and Frances Willard that was directly tied to the christian belief system. It became one of the largest women's influential groups and is focused on women's suffrage and prohibition.
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Civil Rights
Congress passes the Civil Rights Act of 1875 to guarantee equal use of public accommodations and places of public amusement. It also forbids the exclusion of African Americans from jury duty. -
The Invention of the Telephone
Inventor Alexander Graham Bell successfully transmits a human voice over a wire. The telephone will revolutionize personal and business communication.
Alfred, Randy. "March 10, 1876: "Mr. Watson, Come Here..."." . N.p., 03 Oct 2008. Web. 27 May 2013. -
Custer's Army
George A. Custer and 265 officers and enlisted men are killed by Sioux Indians led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse at the Little Horn River in Montana. -
Hayes Election
Rutherford B. Hayes is elected president, as the 19th president of the United States in 1877.
Beschloss , . N.p.. Web. 27 May 2013. -
Strike of 1877
Brakemen and firemen from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad walk off the job at Camden Junction, Maryland, initiating a wildcat strike that will shut down thousands of miles of track throughout the northeastern United States.
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, . N.p., 05 Feb 2012. Web. 25 May 2013. -
Phonograph
Thomas Edison invents the phonograph. -
The Light Bulb
Thomas Edison invents the light bulb. -
James Garfield Election
Republican James Garfield is elected president of the United States. His popular-vote margin of victory over Democrat Winfield Hancock is 7,018 votes out of more than 9 million cast. Garfield receives 214 Electoral College votes; Hancock receives 155. James Weaver, the candidate of the Greenback Labor Party, receives 308,578 votes.
National Archives and Records Administration, . N.p.. Web. 27 May 2013. -
Mechanical Harvestor
Cyrus McCormick introduces a mechanical harvester and twine binder, one of several new technologies increasing agricultural productivity.
McCormick Harvesting Machine Co., . N.p.. Web. 27 May 2013. -
Garfield Assassination
President James Garfield is shot by Charles Guiteau, a deranged federal office-seeker. Garfield will die on 19 September. Vice-President Chester A. Arthur will be sworn is as president the next day
Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, . N.p., 21 Sep 2012. Web. 27 May 2013. -
Sitting Bull Returns
Sitting Bull and other Sioux Indians return to the United States from Canada. -
Pendleton Act
Hoping to reduce corruption in the distribution of government jobs, the United States Congress passes the Pendleton Act, introducing an examination system for selecting federal civil servants. Only 10% of all federal appointees are made subject to this process of selection by examination.
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Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge was finished in 1883 and stands today as a major mark in technoogical achievements. -
Standard Time Zones
America's railroads implement the standardized time zones (Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific) devised by William F. Allen of the General Time Convention.
Jones, Steve. N.p.. Web. 27 May 2013. -
Grover Cleveland Elected
Democrat Grover Cleveland defeats Republican James Blaine and is elected president of the United States. Cleveland's popular vote margin of victory is 62,683 votes out more than 10 million cast. Greenback Labor Party candidate Benjamin Butler receives 175,370 votes; John St. John, candidate for the Prohibition Party, receives 150,369 votes. In the Electoral College, Cleveland receives 219 votes to Blaine's 182.
. N.p.. Web. 27 May 2013. -
The Knights of Labor
The Knights of Labor join a strike against the Wabash Railroad, part of Jay Gould's Southwest System, paralyzing the entire system. Gould is forced to make concessions to the Knights, leading to a dramatic boost in their membership. Within a year the Knights of Labor will have more than 700,000 members.
Mason, Paul. Live Working or Die Fighting: How the Working Class Went Global (Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2010). web., 25, May 2013 -
Haymarket Riot
A rally in Chicago's Haymarket Square in support of striking workers from McCormick Harvester Works ends when a bomb is thrown, killing six policemen and wounding more than 60 others. Eight anarchists are convicted of the crime, but all supporters of unions and the eight-hour day are found guilty by association in the public eye. The influence of the Knights of Labor quickly diminishes; membership will decline by more than 50% over the next year.
Schaack, Michael J. N.p.. Web. 25 May 2013. -
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor, an alliance of independent craft unions, is founded. Samuel Gompers is selected to serve as its first president.
United States. Library of Congress. Hispanic Reading Room. Mark Twain. Jun. 1998. 27 May 2013 -
Harrison Wins Presidency
Republican Benjamin Harrison is elected president of the United States despite polling almost 100,000 fewer votes nationwide than Democratic incumbent Grover Cleveland. Harrison carries the critical swing states of Indiana and New York in winning 233 Electoral College votes to Cleveland's 168
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Gospel of Weath
Industrialist Andrew Carnegie publishes an essay entitled "The Gospel of Wealth," which outlines the social responsibilities and social benefits of vast personal wealth.
Carnegie, Andrew. "Gospel of Wealth." . N.p., 26 Jun 1889. Web. 27 May 2013. -
Homestead Steel Strike
Henry Frick, Chairman of the Board of Carnegie Steel and plant manager at Carnegie's Homestead steel plant, shuts down the factory and locks out its employees when negotiations with representatives from the Amalgamated Association of Steel and Iron Workers break down.
Sargent, Walter. N.p.. Web. 27 May 2013. -
Populist Party Convention
Thirteen hundred delegates gather at Omaha, Nebraska to select a presidential nominee and draft a platform for the recently formed Populist (or People's) Party. James Weaver is selected as the party's presidential candidate; James G. Field is named the party's vice-presidential candidate.
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Cleveland Returns
Democrat Grover Cleveland is elected president of the United States, returning to a second term in the White House after a four-year hiatus. He receives 5,554,414 popular votes; Republican Benjamin Harrison receives 5,190,802; Populist James Weaver receives 1,027,329. In the Electoral College, Cleveland receives 277 votes to Harrison's 145 and Weaver's 22.
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Pullman Strike
Workers employed at the Pullman Company, outside of Chicago, go on strike when the company's owner, George Pullman, refuses to reduce rents in the company housing to match announced wage cuts.
. N.p.. Web. 27 May 2013. -
Venezuela
The Venezuela Crisis of 1895 occurred over Venezuela's longstanding dispute with the United Kingdom about the territory of Essequibo and Guayana Esequiba, which Britain claimed as part of British Guiana and Venezuela saw as Venezuelan territory. As the dispute became a crisis, the key issue became Britain's refusal to include in the proposed international arbitration the territory east of the "Schomburgk Line", which a surveyor had drawn half a century earlier as a boundary. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
The Supreme Court case that debated equality clause in the Fourteenth Amendment. The outcome of the case was that the equality clause was not being interfered with if the rule was that it was "separate but equal". -
Democrats Nominate Jennings Bryan
The Democratic Party meets in Chicago and nominates William Jennings Bryan as its presidential candidate. The Party Platform calls for the free and unlimited coinage of silver at ratio of 16 to 1.
A E Networks, . N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013. -
William McKinley Elected
Republican William McKinley is elected president of the United States, receiving 7,035,638 popular votes. Democrat and Populist candidate William Jennings Bryan receives 6,467,946 votes.
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The Maine
The US ship that was destroyed by the Spanish. Urging from secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt, led the United States to declare war with the Spanish. -
Rough Riders
Theodore Roosevelt resigns as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in order to form a volunteer cavalry regiment to fight in Cuba after the United States declares war against Spain.
. N.p., 16 Jan 2001. Web. 27 May 2013. -
Open Door Policy
This term usually refers to the policy in 1898 allowing multiple Imperial powers access to China, with none of them in control of that country. As a theory, the Open Door Policy originates with British commercial practice, as was reflected in treaties concluded with Qing Dynasty China after the First Opium War (1839–1842). Although the Open Door is generally associated with China, it was recognized at the Berlin Conference of 1885, -
Boxer Uprising
The increase of foreign missionaries caused Chinese resent towards the interference of missionaries in village life and the preference and protection they afforded their Christian converts. Many Chinese boxers stood up and rebel, not against the Chinese Qing government, but the foreign missionaries. However, the rebels were finally crushed by both the Chinese government and foreign armies. -
Platt Amendment
The Platt amendment, proposed to congress by Senator Orville H Platt in 1901. The amendment defined the role of the U.S. in Cuba and the Caribbean. -
McKinley Assassination
Theodore Roosevelt is sworn in as president of the United States after President William McKinley dies eight days after being shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz.
Santoso, Alex. N.p., 10 Mar 2008. Web. 24 May 2013.
