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John D. Rockefeller
Rockefeller forms Standard Oil of Ohio, which would become the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller became one of the world's wealthiest men and was often known for his philantropy. -
Indian Nations
Congress declares that Indian tribes will no longer be considered independent nations. -
Crédit Mobilier Scandal
Vice President Colfax and several members of Congress recieved free stock in return for protecting the Crédit Mobilier railroad construction company. -
No Voting For Women
Susan B. Anthony and other women's rights supports were arresting in Rochester, New York for attempting to vote. -
The Election of 1872
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. -
Mark Twain: The Gilded Age
Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner publish a book called The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today which talked of the greed and malice in society at the time. -
Coinage Act of 1873
Government stated that they were only going to use gold in their coins. -
Period: to
Panic of 1873
Caused by the fall of demand for silver. Several businesses failed. -
Barbed Wire
Barbedwire was invented by Lucien B. Smith. It proved effective in keeping cattle fenced in. -
Henry Ward Beecher sued
The Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, the nation's best-known preacher, is sued by newspaper editor Theodore Tilton for alienation of his wife's affections. The trial resulted in a hung jury. -
Civil Rights Act of 1875
Made it so there would be equal use of public accommodations and places of public amusement. Also included African Americans in jury duty. -
A Corrupt Administration
Many people in President Grant's administration is indicted by a federal jury for conspiring to defraud the U.S. government of tax revenues. -
The Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone. -
Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse Attack
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. -
The Election of 1876
The Electoral Commission established by Congress to investigate the presidential election of 1876—in which disputed returns from Louisiana, South Carolina, Oregon, and Florida have left the outcome undecided—declares that Rutherford B. Hayes is elected president of the United States -
End of Reconstruction
President Hayes pulls out troops in the South. -
Railroad Strike of 1877
Brakemen and firemen from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company walk off the job at Camden Junction, Maryland. This ushers in a strike that will cause the shuting down thousands of track across the northeastern United States. -
The Salvation Army is established
The Salvation Army was established to help revive the Protestant faith more so than help the less fortunate. -
Woman Attorneys
Woman attorneys are granted by Congress the right to argue cases before the Supreme Court. This was a small step forward for women's rights. -
The Light bulb
Thomas Edison invents the light bulb. Edison was one of the first great American inventors and implemented the use of mass production in his inventions. -
The Election of 1880
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. -
McCormick's Reaper
Cyrus McCormick invents a mechanical "reaper' that harvests crops. It is one of the many new inventions that has aided the agricultural field. -
President James Garfield Shot
President James Garfield was shot by Charles Guriteau, an office-seeker looking for revenge. Garfield later died on September 19th. -
The Tuskegee Institute
Booker T. Washington opens the Tuskegee Institute. -
Pace v. Alabama
The Supreme Court rules that an Alabama law imposing severe punishment on illegal interracial intercourse than for illegal intercourse between parties of the same race did not violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
The U.S. bans Chinese immigration for ten years. -
The Pendleton Acts
Creates a Civil Service Commission and fills government positions by a merit system. -
The 1884 Election
Rev. Samuel D. Burchard of New York calls the Democrats the party of "Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion." With help of Irish-American voters, Democratic presidential nominee Grover Cleveland carried New York by 1,149 votes and won the election. -
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 -
Rail Gauge Standardization
Most southern railroads adopt the standard rail gauge of 4' 8.5", completing the process of standardizing the nation's rail system begun in the North several years earlier. -
American Federation of Labor
The AFL was founded. The AFL is an alliance of independent craft unions. One of the first American labor unions. Membership included only skilled craftsmen. -
The Election of 1888
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. -
U.S. > Britain
For the first time, the U.S. produces more steel than Great Britain. -
The Gospel of Wealth
Andrew Carnegie, an industrialist, published an essay that told of the social responsibilities and benefits of a wealth. -
The Union Stockyards
The Union Stockyards was a meatpacking district run by several railroad companies. The Union Stockyards slaughter nearly nine million animals every year. They become known as the "hog butcher of the world." -
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act
Congress passes the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, which allowed the federal government to investigate business activities that were deemed anticompetitive. -
Wounded Knee Massacre
The last battle of the American Indian Wars. The Lakota tribe was massacred by U.S. troops. -
Basketball
The game of basketball is invented by James Naismith, a P.E. instructor at the YMCA Training College in Springfield, Massachussetts. -
The Mobs of New Orleans
A New Orleans mobs breaks into a prison and kills eleven Sicilian immigrants accused of murdering the city's police chief. -
The Populist Party
The Populist Party is founded in Cincinnati, Ohio. James Weaver is elected as their presidential candidate in the 1892 election. -
Ellis Island
Ellis Island opens to screen immigrants. Twenty million immigrants passed through it before it was closed in 1954. -
The Battle Of Homestead Steel
Two barges filled with armed Pinkerton Detectives attempt to land at Homestead to guard Carnegie's steel plant. Striking steel workers prevent the barges from landing. During the fourteen-hour battle, seven steel workers and three detectives are killed. -
Henry Frick a survivor
Alexander Berkman, a labor activist and anarchist, attempts to kill Henry Frick, plant manager at Andrew Carnegie's Homestead steel plant. Despite being stabbed several times in the neck and torso, Frick survives—and refuses to seek medical treatment until the end of his normal workday -
The Significance of the Frontier in American History
Frederick Jackson Turner delivers his address on "The Significance of the Frontier in American History," exploring the the frontier experience's role in shaping American character. -
Coxey's Army
Jacob Coxey leads a march on Washington by the unemployed. -
The 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. -
Pullman Strike Extended
The American Railway Union, led by Eugene Debs, instructs it members not to handle Pullman cars in support of the striking workers at Pullman's factory. -
The End Of The Pullman Strike
President Grover Cleveland sends federal troops to Pullman to enforce a court order prohibiting American Railway Union leadership from encouraging striking workers. Rioting in several cities will lead to the deployment of more than 14,000 state and federal troops. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Segregation is permitted under the Constitution. -
The 1896 Election
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. -
Works Cited
“The Gilded Age Timeline” shmoop.com. Web. 26 May 2013.
“A Chronology of the Gilded Age” digitalhistory.uh.edu. Web. 26 May 2013.
“The Gilded Age and Progressive Era” americanhistoryusa.com. Web. 26 May 2013.
commons.wikimedia.org. Web. 26 May 2013. (All pictures)
