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Alaska is purchased from Russia
When the US purchased the territory of Alaska from the Russians, it ended the Russian efforts to expand their trade and settlements into North America. This purchase also allowed the US increased access to the Pacific northern rim, which boosted the power of the US in the Asia-Pacific region. After the purchase, Alaska was left with little to no rule or management from America until the gold-rich land was discovered. -
Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
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Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
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Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone
Bell was a teacher of hearing impaired students which is what led him to invent the telephone. His first device allowed several messages to be sent at the same time. Bell continued to work to create a device that would transmit voices, which is what led to the creation of the telephone. -
Thomas Edison brings light to the world with the light bulb
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Chinese Exclusion Act
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Samuel Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL)
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Sherman Antitrust Act
This was the first Federal act that outlawed monopolies. The intent of this act was not to protect businesses, but to protect the public in the case of the market failing. The focus was on not upsetting competition between businesses. -
Ellis Island opens
This location became the busiest immigrant inspection station in the US. Most of those coming to America were from Europe. The records that were kept there are often the place where people start when putting together a genealogy. -
Peak year of immigration through Ellis Island
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Carnegie Steel's Homestead Strike
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Plessy v Ferguson
This court case and the decision by the US Supreme Court established what we call today "separate but equal". It basically said that the constitution allowed for segregation in public facilities as long as those facilities were the same in quality. The case began with an incident on a train in which an African-American passenger refused to sit in a car that was designated for blacks. -
The U.S. declares war on Spain
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Rudyard Kipling published "The White Man's Burden" in The New York Sun
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The start of the Boxer Rebellion
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Tenement Act
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Pres. McKinley is assassinated and Progressive Theodore Roosevelt becomes President
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The Phillippine Insurrection comes to an end
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The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe doctrine declares the U.S. right to intervene in the Western Hemisphere
This document focused on the US being the last resort to intervene in the instance that other nations in the Western Hemisphere were not able to fulfill their financial obligations with international creditors. This led to the increased use of military force by the US to restore stability in other nations of the region. It was almost like the corollary gave the US permission to intervene in Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. -
Upton Sinclair releases "The Jungle"
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Pure Food & Drug Act and The Meat Inspection Act are passed
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Henry Ford produced his first Model T (car)
The invention of an automated vehicle was followed by changes in the way people work and live. The Model T was seen as affordable and practical. Many Americans were able to purchase a vehicle. The creation of the Model T also created the assembly line for increased production. -
Creation of the NAACP
This organization was formed by both black and white activists in an effort to address and stop the violence against African-Americans in the US. Its central focus was on an anti-lynching campaign. The organization uses peaceful protests, lobbying and the judicial system to further its goals and mission of helping equalize the rights and treatment of all people and eliminate race-based discrimination. -
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
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The assassination on Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand starts WW1
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The Panama Canal is completed and opened for traffic
The construction of this canal helped to reduce the distance it would take ships to travel from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This saved time and money and helped to lower prices on commercial goods that were shipped. There were military benefits in the creation of the canal as well, as they use it to transport military water vessels. -
The United States enters WW1
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Ratification of the 18th Amendment - Prohibition
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Women got the right to vote
The 19th Amendment was the first major action to help women move closer to equality when it comes to wages, education and employment. It also opened the door for the promotion of reproductive rights for women. The movement was sparked by women working for wide-spread equality in economic and political areas. -
Hawaii is annexed
