-
Homestead Act Enacted
Homestead Act- A U.S. law enacted in 1862, that provided 160 acres in the West to any citizen or intended citizen who was head of household and would cultivate the land for five years; a law whose passage led to record numbers of U.S. Settlers claiming private property which previously had been reserved by treaty and by tradition for Native American nomadic dwelling and use; the same law strengthened in 1889 to encourage individuals to exercise their private property rights and develop homestead -
Sand Creek Massacre
Sand Creek Massacre- One of the most tragic events occurred on November 29, 1864 when Chivington and his troops attacked the Cheyenne and Arapaho camped at Sand Creek, and killed over 150 inhabitants mostly women and children. -
Period: to
Tweed Ring
Tweed Ring- 1869-1871, Boss Tweed led the Tweed Ring, a group of corrupt politicians, in defrauding the city. -
Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad- Completed May 10 1869, this railroad line linked the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States. The railroads were strong a unifying force, but also opened the way for abuses that led to social and economic unrest. -
Great Strike of 1877
Great Strike of 1877- July 1877, workers for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) struck to protest their second wage cut in two months. The work stoppage spread to other lines. The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 started on July 14 in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The strikers were impeding interstate commerce, federal troops ended the strike about 45 days later. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Chinese Exclusion Act- A law, enacted on May 6th, 1882, that prohibited all Chinese except students, teachers, merchants, tourists, and government officials from entering the United States. -
Pendleton Civil Service Act
Pendleton Civil Service Act- A law, enacted in 1883, that established a bipartisan civil service commission to make appointments to government jobs by means of the merit system. The Pendleton Civil Service Act was signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur on January 16, 1883 -
Haymarket Riot/Affair
Haymarket Riot/Affair- May 4, 1886, 3,000 people gathered at Chicago’s Haymarket Square to protest police brutality however, someone tossed a bomb into the police line and seven police officers and several workers died in the chaos that followed. After Haymarket, the public began to turn against the labor movement. -
Interstate Commerce Act
Interstate Commerce Act- In February 1887 this law established the federal government’s right to supervise railroad activities and created a five-member Interstate Commerce Commission to do so. It was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland on February 4, 1887 -
Dawes Act
Dawes Act - This law which was enacted in 1887 was intended to “Americanize” Native Americans by distributing reservation land to individual owners. Signed into law by President Grover Cleveland on February 8, 1887 -
Period: to
Beginning of Progressive Era
Beginning of Progressive Era- (1890-1920) An early-20th-century reform movement seeking to return control of the government to the people, to restore economic opportunities, and to correct injustices in American life. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
Sherman Antitrust Act- A law, enacted in July 1890, that was intended to prevent the creation of monopolies by making it illegal to establish trusts that interfered with free trade. The law was approved on July 2nd, 1890. -
Battle of Wounded Knee
Battle of Wounded Knee- On December 28, 1890 U.S. soldiers massacred 300 unarmed Native Americans at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota. -
Pullman Strike
Pullman Strike- The Pullman company laid off more than 3,000 of its 5,800 employees, a strike was called in the spring of 1894 (May 11), when the Pullman company failed to restore wages or decrease rents. The strike turned violent, and President Cleveland sent in federal troops. -
Spanish American War
Spanish American War- On February 15, 1898, the ship U.S.S Maine blew up in the harbor of Havana. More than 260 men were killed. American newspapers claimed the Spanish had blown up the ship. On April 11, 1898 McKinley asked Congress for authority to use force against Spain. Congress agreed, and on April 20 the United States declared war. -
Hawaii Annexed
Hawaii Annexed- William McKinley favored annexation. On August 12, 1898, Congress proclaimed Hawaii an American territory, although Hawaiians never had the chance to vote. In 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States. -
Open Door Notes
Open Door Notes- Messages sent by Secretary of State John Hay’s on September 6th, 1899 to Germany, Russia, Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan, asking the countries not to interfere with U.S. trading rights in China. -
Period: to
Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion- The Boxer Rebellion, Boxer Uprising also know was Yihetuan Movement started Nov 2nd , 1899 and lasted until about September 7, 1901. This was a rebellion in which members of a Chinese secret society sought to free their country from Western and Japanese influence. -
Platt Amendment
Platt Amendment- A series of provisions that, in 1901, the United States insisted Cuba add to its new constitution, commanding Cuba to stay out of debt and giving the United States the right to intervene in the country and the right to buy or lease Cuban land for naval and fueling stations. Cuba amended its constitution on June 12, 1901 to contain the text of the Platt Amendment. -
The Jungle
The Jungle - A novel by Upton Sinclair, published in 1906, that portrays the dangerous and unhealthy conditions prevalent in the meatpacking industry at that time. The book was published officially on February 26, 1906. -
Meat Inspection Act
Meat Inspection Act- A law, enacted in 1906, that established strict cleanliness requirements for meatpackers and created a federal meat-inspection program. Roosevelt was a supporter of the regulations on meat packing and signed the ACT on June 30th, 1906. -
Pure Food and Drug Act-
Pure Food and Drug Act- A law enacted in 1906 to halt the sale of contaminated foods and drugs and to ensure truth in labeling. The law was signed by President Theodore Roosevelt on same day of Federal Meat Inspection Act. This was the first of a series of consumer protection laws enacted by Federal Government and led to the creation of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). -
17th Amendment Ratified
17th Amendment Ratified- An amendment to the U.S. Constitution ratified April 8, 1913, that provides for the election of U.S. senators by the people rather than by state legislatures. -
Clayton Antitrust Act
Clayton Antitrust Act- A law, enacted on October 15, 1914, that made certain monopolistic business practices illegal and protected the rights of labor unions and farm organizations. -
Nineteenth Amendment Ratified
Nineteenth Amendment Ratified- An amendment to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in Passed by Congress June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote 1920, that gave women the right to vote.
