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60 Million Buffalo
It has been estimated that even in the year 1800, there were probably more than 60 million bison roaming the prairies of North America, feeding entirely on grasses and gradually migrating from north to south as winter approached. -
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California Gold Rush
The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. The sudden influx of gold into the money supply reinvigorated the American economy. -
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Zachary Taylor's Presidency
General Zachary Taylor, a hero of the Mexican War, was an ideal Whig candidate — a military hero (appealing to Northerners), a slave-holder (appealing to Southerners) and a non-politician uncommitted on the pressing issues of the day. In a three-way race against the Democrat Lewis Cass and the Free Soil Party candidate Martin Van Buren, Taylor won a narrow victory over Cass. November 7, 1848, was the first time that presidential elections in all states were held on the same day. -
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Know-Nothing Party
The best known of these nativist groups came to be called the American Party, and its adherents as Know-Nothings. The aim of the Know-Nothing movement was to combat foreign influences and to uphold and promote traditional American ways. -
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Millard Fillmore Presidency
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Pikes Peak Gold Rush
The Pike's Peak gold rush (later known as the Colorado gold rush) was the boom in gold prospecting and mining in the Pike's Peak Country of western Kansas Territory and southwestern Nebraska Territory of the United States that began in July 1858 and lasted until roughly the creation of the Colorado Territory. -
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Comstock Lode
In June of 1859, one of the most significant mining discoveries in American history was made in the Virginia Range of Nevada. The discovery of silver and gold in the area drew people in from across the country, and the town of Virginia City was created almost overnight. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act, enacted during the Civil War in 1862, provided that any adult citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. government could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land. Claimants were required to live on and “improve” their plot by cultivating the land. -
Pacific Railway Act
The Pacific Railway Act, which became law on July 1, 1862, offered government incentives to assist “men of talent, men of character, men who are willing to invest” in developing the nation's first transcontinental rail line. -
Morrill Act
First proposed when Morrill was serving in the House of Representatives, the Morrill Land Grant College Act of 1862 set aside federal lands to create colleges to “benefit the agricultural and mechanical arts.” The president signed the bill into law on July 2, 1862. -
Sand Creek Massacre
Cheyenne and Arapaho Vs. U.S. Army -
Medicine Lodge Treaty
The proceedings concluded with the signing of the Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867. Among its provisions, the Medicine Lodge Treaty relegated the Cheyenne to lands south of Fort Larned. The treaty also allowed the tribes to collect annuities, or gifts, from the government. -
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Knights of Labor
The Knights of Labor, founded in 1869, was the first major labor organization in the United States. The Knights organized unskilled and skilled workers, campaigned for an eight hour workday, and aspired to form a cooperative society in which laborers owned the industries in which they worked. -
Golden Spike Driven
The land run started at high noon (12:00 pm) on April 22, 1889. An estimated 50,000 thousands of people were lined up at the start, seeking to gain a piece of the available two million acres (8,100 km2). The Unassigned Lands were considered some of the best unoccupied public land in the United States. -
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National Woman Suffrage Association
NWSA favored women's enfranchisement through a federal constitutional amendment, while AWSA believed success could be more easily achieved through state-by-state campaigns. -
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Battle of the Little Bighorn
U.S. federal troops, led by George Armstrong Custer, and Lakota and Northern Cheyenne warriors, led by Sitting Bull. -
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Railroad Strike of 1877
More than 100,000 workers participated in the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, at the height of which more than half the freight on the country's tracks had come to a halt. By the time the strikes were over, about 1,000 people had gone to jail and some 100 had been killed. In the end the strike accomplished very little. -
Time Zones Established
Sir Sanford Fleming, who worked as an engineer for Canadian railways, knew this problem firsthand when he missed a train in 1876. This experience gave him the idea for a standard time, with hourly variations according to different zones around the world. -
American Federation of Labor Founding
The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutual support and disappointed in the Knights of Labor. -
General Allotment Act
the law authorized the President to break up reservation land, which was held in common by the members of a tribe, into small allotments to be parceled out to individuals. Thus, Native Americans registering on a tribal "roll" were granted allotments of reservation land. -
Hawaiian League
Shortly afterwards, a group of mostly non-Hawaiians calling themselves the Hawaiian Patriotic League began the Rebellion of 1887. They drafted their own constitution on July 6, 1887. -
Oklahoma Land Run
The land run started at high noon (12:00 pm) on April 22, 1889. An estimated 50,000 thousands of people were lined up at the start, seeking to gain a piece of the available two million acres (8,100 km2). The Unassigned Lands were considered some of the best unoccupied public land in the United States. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 is a federal statute which prohibits activities that restrict interstate commerce and competition in the marketplace. It outlaws any contract, conspiracy, or combination of business interests in restraint of foreign or interstate trade. The Sherman Act is codified in 15 U.S.C. -
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Pullman Strike
Pullman Strike, (May 11, 1894–c. July 20, 1894), in U.S. history, widespread railroad strike and boycott that severely disrupted rail traffic in the Midwest of the United States in June–July 1894. The federal government's response to the unrest marked the first time that an injunction was used to break a strike. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
The ruling in this Supreme Court case upheld a Louisiana state law that allowed for "equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races." During the era of Reconstruction, Black Americans' political rights were affirmed by three constitutional amendments and numerous laws passed by Congress. -
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Klondike Gold Rush
In August, 1896, Skookum Jim and his family found gold near the Klondike River in Canada's Yukon Territory. Their discovery sparked one of the most frantic gold rushes in history. Nearby miners immediately flocked to the Klondike to stake the rest of the good claims. Almost a year later, news ignited the outside world. -
The sinking of the USS Maine
USS Maine, a second-class battleship built between 1888 and 1895, was sent to Havana in January 1898 to protect American interests during the long-standing revolt of the Cubans against the Spanish government. In the evening of 15 February 1898, Maine sank when her forward gunpowder magazines exploded. -
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Spanish American War
The Spanish-American War was a conflict between the United States and Spain that effectively ended Spain's role as a colonial power in the New World. The United States emerged from the war as a world power with significant territorial claims stretching from the Caribbean to Southeast Asia. -
Battle of San Juan Hill
Battle on a hill in Santiago de Cuba between the Rough Riders, led by Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt, and Spanish Troops. -
Treaty with Spain
The Treaty of Paris, signed on December 10, 1898, was a treaty between Spain and the United States ending the Spanish-American War. In the treaty the United States got Puerto Rico and Guam, and Cuba got independence. -
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Philippine–American War
The ensuing Philippine-American War lasted three years and resulted in the death of over 4,200 American and over 20,000 Filipino combatants. As many as 200,000 Filipino civilians died from violence, famine, and disease. The decision by U.S. policymakers to annex the Philippines was not without domestic controversy. -
U.S. Open Door Policy
The Open Door policy was a statement of principles initiated by the United States in 1899 and 1900. It called for protection of equal privileges for all countries trading with China and for the support of Chinese territorial and administrative integrity. -
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Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion was an uprising against foreigners that occurred in China about 1900, begun by peasants but eventually supported by the government. A Chinese secret society known as the Boxers embarked on a violent campaign to drive all foreigners from China. Several countries sent troops to halt the attacks. -
Tenement Act
a New York State Progressive Era law which outlawed the construction of the dumbbell-shaped style tenement housing and set minimum size requirements for tenement housing. It also mandated the installation of lighting, better ventilation, and indoor bathrooms. -
Teddy Roosevelt's Square Deal
The Square Deal was Theodore Roosevelt's domestic program, which reflected his three major goals: conservation of natural resources, corporate law, and consumer protection. These three demands are often referred to as the "three C's" of Roosevelt's Square Deal. -
Newlands Reclamation Act
Sometimes referred to as the Newlands Reclamation Act after its chief sponsor, Representative Francis Newlands of Nevada, the legislation authorized the Secretary of the Interior to designate irrigation sites and to establish a reclamation fund from the sale of public lands to finance the projects. -
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Russo-Japaneese War
Russo-Japanese War, (1904–05), military conflict in which a victorious Japan forced Russia to abandon its expansionist policy in East Asia, thereby becoming the first Asian power in modern times to defeat a European power. -
Food and Drug Administration Founded
The original Food and Drugs Act of 1906 was passed by Congress on June 30th and signed by President Theodore Roosevelt, created to prevent the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated or misbranded or poisonous or deleterious food, drugs, medications, and liquors..." -
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Founding
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest civil rights organization. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the association led the black civil rights struggle in fighting injustices such as the denial of voting rights, racial violence, discrimination in employment, and segregated public facilities. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire
Workers in the factory, many of whom were young women recently arrived from Europe, had little time or opportunity to escape. The rapidly spreading fire killed 146 workers. The building had only one fire escape, which collapsed during the rescue effort. Long tables and bulky machines trapped many of the victims. -
Federal Children's Bureau
The Children's Bureau's first efforts focused on decreasing infant mortality by determining how many babies were dying, through expanded birth registration efforts, and understanding why so many babies died before their first birthday. -
17th Ammendment
It altered the electoral mechanism established in Article I, Section 3, of the Constitution, which had provided for the appointment of senators by the state legislatures. Adopted in the Progressive era of democratic political reform, the amendment reflected popular dissatisfaction with the corruption and inefficiency that had come to characterize the legislative election of U.S. senators in many states. -
Massachusetts establishes minimum wage
In 1912 Massachusetts passed the nation's first minimum wage law, applicable only to women and children under 18, but it had little effect. It set no standard wage, instead establishing a panel to study complaints about low pay. -
Anti-Defamation League Founding
ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. -
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Congressional Union for Woman Sufferage
The Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage was an American organization formed in 1913 led by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns to campaign for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women's suffrage. -
16th Amendment
Amendment Sixteen to the Constitution was ratified on February 3, 1913. It grants Congress the authority to issue an income tax without having to determine it based on population. -
Department of Labor Founded
The Department of Labor (DOL) was created by act of March 4, 1913 (29 U.S.C. 551). A Bureau of Labor was first created by Congress by act of June 24, 1884, in the Interior Department. The Bureau of Labor later became independent as a Department of Labor without executive rank by act of June 13, 1888. -
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WWI
World War I, also known as the Great War, started in 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. His murder catapulted into a war across Europe that lasted until 1918. During the four-year conflict, the Central Powers fought the Allied Powers.. By the time the war was over and the Allied Powers had won, more than 16 million people—soldiers and civilians alike—were dead. -
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First Battle of the Marne
In saving Paris from capture by pushing the Germans back some 72km (45 miles), the First Battle of the Marne was a great strategic victory, as it enabled the French to continue the war. However, the Germans succeeded in capturing a large part of the industrial north east of France, a serious blow. -
Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914
This law aims to promote fair competition and prevent unfair business practices that could harm consumers. It prohibits certain actions that might restrict competition, like tying agreements, predatory pricing, and mergers that could lessen competition. -
Germans sink British passenger ship Lusitania
On May 7, 1915, the German submarine (U-boat) U-20 torpedoed and sank the Lusitania, a swift-moving British cruise liner traveling from New York to Liverpool, England. Of the 1,959 men, women, and children on board, 1,195 perished, including 123 Americans. -
Germans sink French passenger ship Sussex
The Sussex was sunk on March 24, 1916. The Germans sunk the ship, a French passenger liner, and 50 people were killed. Many Americans were on board. The U.S. greatly protested this. -
Sussex Pledge
The Sussex Pledge was a statement by the Germans that they would not sink passenger ships without warning during World War I. The significance was that the Germans were limiting their use of submarine warfare during World War I, which kept the United States a neutral country. -
Zimmerman Note
The telegram further conveyed Germany's intentions should America enter the war. That included urging Mexico to join Germany in declaring war against the United States. In exchange, Germany committed to assist Mexico in regaining its lost territories of Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. -
U.S. Declares War on Germany
On April 4, 1917, the U.S. Senate voted in support of the measure to declare war on Germany. The House concurred two days later. The United States later declared war on German ally Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917. -
Selective Service Act
On May 18, 1917, Congress passed the Selective Service Act, which authorized the Federal Government to temporarily expand the military through conscription. -
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Second Battle of the Marne
The second battle of the Marne resulted from the third major thrust of the great German offensive of 1918. Beginning in late May 1918, the German advance reached the Marne River in early June leaving Paris dangerously exposed. On 15 July the Germans launched their final drive towards the French capital. -
Armistice Day Declared
Armistice on the Western Front. On Nov. 11, 1918, after more than four years of horrific fighting and the loss of millions of lives, the guns on the Western Front fell silent. Although fighting continued elsewhere, the armistice between Germany and the Allies was the first step to ending World War I. -
18th Amendment
By its terms, the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquours” but not the consumption, private possession, or production for one's own consumption. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment makes it illegal to deny the right to vote to any citizen based on their sex, which effectively granted women the right to vote. It was first introduced to Congress in 1878 and was finally certified 42 years later in 1920. -
21st Amendment
Constitutional Amendments – Amendment 21 – “Repeal of Prohibition” Amendment Twenty-one to the Constitution was ratified on December 5, 1933. It repealed the previous Eighteenth Amendment which had established a nationwide ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol. -
United States establishes minimum wage
$0.25 -
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Brown V. Board of Education
In this milestone decision, the Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional. It signaled the end of legalized racial segregation in the schools of the United States, overruling the "separate but equal" principle set forth in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case. -
Veterans Day Declared
The event was held on November 11, then designated Armistice Day. Later, U.S. Representative Edward Page 2 Rees of Kansas proposed a bill that would change Armistice Day to Veterans Day. In 1954, Congress passed the bill that President Eisenhower signed proclaiming November 11 as Veterans Day.