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Bessemer process
The first inexpensive mass-producing steel method. -
Discovery of gold at Pikes Peak
A major boom in gold mining in the Pikes Peak country of the Kansas and Nebraska territory. -
Homestead Act
Where applicants could acquire federal land, typically called a homestead. -
Morill Land grant project
Allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges in U.S states. -
Transcontinental railroad completed
A technological marvel, this railroad connected the West Coast with the East, making travel much easier and less dangerous. -
Battle of little bighorn
An overwhelming victory from combined forces of several Native American tribes, the US will have to increase their efforts to pull Natives onto reservation lands. -
Farmers alliance created
An organization created in Texas in order to form cooperatives. They set up retail stores and marketing organizations to give them more control market-wise. -
Carlisle School established
The first government-run boarding school for Native American children, this school worked to try to assimilate Native children into American society. -
Thomas edison invents light bulb
The first electric light bulb, capable of lighting up a room for many hours. -
Chinese exclusion act
Meant to curb the influx of Chinese immigrants into the US, this act prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. -
Edison lights up NYC
The switch was flipped, and hundreds of homes were now provided with electricity. -
Statue of Liberty built
A gift from the people of France, this statue symbolized centennial freedom and the US' relationship with the French. -
American federation of labor founded
This national federation of labor unions was formed to voice the working class, and to fight back against labor forces in hopes to improve overall working conditions. -
Interstate commerce act passed
Designed to regulate the railroad industry, this law applied the Constitution's "Commerce Clause" to railroads, particularly its monopolistic practices. -
Dawes Act
In an attempt to assimilate Native Americans into white culture, the Dawes Act broke up reservation land (often populated by tribes) to be parceled to individuals. -
Jacob Riis published his book of photos
In a way that was unique and innovative at the time, Jacob Riis used photographs to depict the reality of quality of living in New York's slums. -
Alfred T Mahan writes his book on sea power
A major impact on the US military and Congress, this book was written on the theme that sea supremacy was key for a nation's political and commercial success. -
Sherman anti-trust act passed
This law prescribed free competition, which worked to end monopolistic practices, which were rapidly on the rise. -
Wounded knee massacre
The last showdown between the US Army and Native Americans, the 7th Cavalry regiment slaughtered hundreds of Sioux people to end Indian resistance. -
Fredrick Jackson Turner writes essay of settling the west.
One of the most influential essays from a American historian, this essay discussed the "frontier" and American culture and what could follow after. -
Pullman strike
This was a major strike relating to worker conditions that severely disrupted railroad traffic. This was also the first time that injunction was used to break a strike. -
Plessy v Ferguson
A landmark court case, one that included the "separate but equal" doctrine. -
Holden v hardy
This case stated that limitations on working time for miners was unconstitutional. -
Spanish-American war begins
In the aftermath of the sinking of the USS Maine on February 15, 1898, the US declared war on Spain in April 25. -
Hawaii is annexed
Spurred by the nationalism by the Spanish-American war, the US annexed the Hawaiian Islands in 1898. -
Philippines Islands are annexed
The US paid Spain 20 million dollars to annex the entirety of the Philippine Islands. This would not allow to be stood by the natives... -
Newlands reclamation act
This act allowed designation of irrigation sites and establish reclamation funds from the sale of the public lands to finance said sites. -
Hepner act
This act regulated the immigration of "aliens" into the country. -
Panama canal is built
Connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as dividing North and South America, this canal served as a conduit for maritime trade. -
Lochner v New York
A landmark case in which the court ruled that the New York statue forbidding bakers of maximum work hours violated their right of contract under the 14th amendment of the US Constitution. -
Sinclair's the jungle written
This book served to expose the corruption and treatment of workers in the meat-packing industry in the hopes that new food safety laws would be passed. -
Pure food and drug act passed
This act prohibited the sale of misbranded and adulterated food and drugs in interstate commerce. This also laid the foundation for the creation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). -
Muller v Oregon
A landmark decision which stated that businesses are prohibited from making female employees work shifts of longer than 10 hours. -
Founding of the NAACP
A civil rights organization founded in 1909, this group served to advance justice for African Americans, -
17th adm
Passed on May 13th, 1912, and ratified on April 8th, 1913, the 17th amendment allowed voters to cast direct votes on US senators. -
Ford Motor company's full assembly line starts
In December 1st of 1913, Henry Ford installs the first moving assembly line for the mass production of an entire vehicle, which took significantly less time than traditional systems. -
Federal reserve act
This law created the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the US, which would establish economic stability in the US. -
U-boats created
These were the first German-built submarines ever built in existence. -
Beginning of the first world war
After the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the world would go on to start a conflict that would become super deadly. -
Clayton antitrust act
This act furthered the antitrust regime and states the prohibition of price discrimination; selling the same product and charging different prices depending on who is purchasing the goods. -
Lusitania sunk
The RMS Lusitania, a British-registered ocean liner, was sunk by a German Navy U-boat on May 7, 1915 -
US enters WWI
With German submarine attacks on merchant and passenger ships in 1917, the US formally declared war on Germany in April 7th, 1917. -
Selective service act
The Selective Service Act allowed the federal government to expand their military through conscription, or drafting. People ages 18 through 45 are required to register for Selective Service. -
WWI ends
After four years of gruesome fighting, and the collapse of the German Army, Germany sought an armistice with the Allies. -
18th amendment
This amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibited the sale of alcohol in the country. -
18th amendment
This amendment to the Constitution prohibited states from denying people the right to vote on the basis of gender, effectively allowing women to vote for the first time. -
Immigration quota act.
This act limited the number of immigrants allowed into the US through a national origins quota. -
National origins act
A law that severely restricted immigration through national quotas that discriminated against immigrants from Europe and basically cut off Asian people from the American country. -
Scopes trial
A legal case in which John Scopes, a high school teacher, was accused of violating a Tennessee Act which prohibited the teachings of human evolution.