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Alaska is purchased from Russia
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Completion of Transcontinental Railroad
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John D. Rockefeller starts Standard Oil
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Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone
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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 Anti-trust Act
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Ellis Island opens
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Carnegie Steel’s Homestead Strike
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Plessy v Ferguson
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Rudyard Kipling published “The White Man’s Burden” in The New York Sun
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Hawaii is annexed
Happened during a time of extreme american nationalism. Many business owners had fruit plantations in the nation. However the US imposed tariffs on all goods from Hawaii. They told the business men to change this they must get Hawaii to open up a naval base. Then held the king of Hawaii at gun point to sign their treaty. They then soon overthrew the queen and the US decided to just annex it. -
The U.S. declares war on Spain
After the sinking of the USS Maine the USA finally had enough of Spain and Declared war on them. There had already been tension between the two with two separate rebellions in their colony's and they horrible things Spain had done to them. This with many Americans want to start an empire to compete with Europeans resulted in a declaration of war on Spain. -
The start of the Boxer Rebellion
The Chinese had finally had enough of foreign powers messing with their country. The people rose up to take back china from the influence of western powers and japan. The western powers and japan didn't like this a promptly dealt with the rebellion themselves. -
Tenement Act
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Pres. McKinley is assassinated and Progressive Theodore Roosevelt becomes President
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The Philippine 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
While the Monroe doctrine starts off saying that the USA will stop anymore colonization by European powers in the western hemisphere. Roosevelt added on to this saying the USA has the right to intervene in any affairs in the hemisphere as a last resort. This was to stop any foreign aggression. -
Upton Sinclair releases “The Jungle”
This book details the horrors of the meat packing industry. At the time the industry had no regulations and did whatever they wanted like sell rotten meat as fresh meat. People were shocked that this could ever been true and many believed it to be fake until the government proved it wasn't. -
Pure Food & Drug Act and The Meat Inspection Act are passed
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Peak year of immigration through Ellis Island
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Henry Ford produces his first Model T (car)
This was the first car that was made affordable to the average person. They were made on mass at a extremely fast rate which had never been seen before. They were made so fast and cheep because of the assembly line which Henry Ford had made. -
Creation of the NAACP
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The Triangle Shirtwaste Fire
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The Assassination on Austria’s archduke Franz Ferdinand starts WWI
The heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire was shot by a member of the black hand in Sarajevo. Austria believed the Serbian government had a hand in this. They soon declared war not to long after kicking off World War 1 -
The Panama Canal is completed and opened for traffic
The panama canal had been a dream of many people but none had ever gotten it done due to the massive project. This until Teddy Roosevelt became president. He took the canal and finished what had been stared and connected the two oceans to cut down on travel time to the west by boat. -
The United States enters WWI
The USA had not planned on entering the war in Europe but Germany made that harder and harder not to. The Germans kept sinking civilians ships with US citizens on them but this wasn't enough to go to war over. But then the Germans sent a telegram to Mexico telling them to attack the USA but it was intercepted by the allies and the US had finally had enough. -
Ratification of the 18th Amendment - Prohibition
This amendment passed banned the sale, production, and consumption of alcohol. This was a main focus point for progressives at the time. They believed that it was associated with crime, poverty and domestic abuse. -
Women got the right to vote
