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New Indian people move onto Great Plains
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Pikes Peak gold rush
Many did not get rich
Some went to Nevada for silver and gold- became a state to help Lincoln’s reelection in 1864 -
Charles Daarwin publishes "On the Origin of Species"
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Nevada Comstock Lode discovered
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Congress authorizes transcontinental railraod
Northern Pacific
Atchison, Topeka, Santa Fe
Southern Pacific
Great Northern- James Hill -
Morrill Act provides public land for higher education
Land-grant colleges- land was given by states for higher ed.
State universities- UC, OSU, TA&M -
Homestead Act
A settler could move west and have up to 160 acres if he lived on it for 5 years and paid a $30 fee.
Before, public land was sold for revenue. Now this land needed to be filled with farmers to help the country.
500,000 took advantage of this (but a lot more bought from RR companies)
The land was very dry though, and 160 acres was not enough
Fraud was prevalent- companies would buy the land, use it for its timber, minerals, or oil. -
World's first subway system opens in London
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Sand Creek massacre
Sand Creek, CO- Colonel Chivington’s militia massacred 400 innocent Indians -
Nevada admitted to Union
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National Labor Union organized first working transatlantic telegraph cable
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American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) created
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National Grange organized
Make farmers’ lives better- picnics, concerts, lectures
Mostly in midwest and south- 800,000 strong by 1875
Established co-op stores and grain elevators and warehouses- to get away from big business trusts
Entered politics to regulate RR and storage rates- did not always help -
Ulysses S, Grant becomes President
Most whites voted Seymor but Grant used his war glory from the Civil War in addition to gaining votes from blacks
Republican government now in power--which called for military reconstruction -
Transcontinental railroad joined near Ogden, Utah
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Wyoming Territory grants women right to vote
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Knights of Labor organized
Secret society until 1881
Most were allowed except liquor dealers, gamblers, lawyers, bankers, and stockbrokers
Not involved in politics, but economic and social reform
Achieved the eight hour workday for many
Had 750,000 members by 1885 -
Suez Canal completed
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Fisk and Gould corner gold market
Fisk and Gould bought lots of gold to try to inflate its price so they could sell it at high prices and get rich
They thought Grant would not allow the government to sell the gold, but it began to sell gold on “Black Friday” of Sept. 1869 -
Standard Oil Company organized
John D. Rockefeller- the oil baron
Horizontal Integration- allied with competitors to monopolize a market
Created the trust- smaller oil companies gave their stock to his Standard Oil Company -
Tweed scandal in New York
Tammany Hall Democratic machine- Corruption, graft, and rigging of elections was led by Boss Tweed in NYC
He was arrested after the NYT ran articles on his corruption
Thomas Nast published many cartoons against Tweed
Samuel Tilden prosecuted Tweed and gained fame -
"Woodhull and Clafin's Weekly" published
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Credit Mobilier scandal exposed
Union Pacific RR men created this construction company (Credit Mobilier of America) to build the transcontinental RR
This company got all the bids to build the RR, but the cost was listed as higher than necessary- giving the RR men extra cash
They paid off some Congressmen to keep quiet
The NY Sun newspaper eventually broke the story, but the men could not be taken for all their money, only the money they invested in the company -
Meaphysical Club meets in Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Liberal Republicans break with Grant
Liberal Republican Party formed to oust Grant and the cronies, and to end military Reconstruction
They nominated Horace Greeley for pres.- Democrats joined these ranks -
Grant defeats Greely for presidency
republicans renominated Grant
they helped Grant get reelected
They changed some things: Some 500 former Confederates were allowed to join politics again, reduced tariffs, civil-service reform -
Panic of 1873
Large economic growth took place, and banks gave out too many risky loans -
Comstock Law
Anthony Comstock- defended of sexual purity -
Chautauqua education movement launched
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Impressionist artists debut in Paris
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Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) organized
Frances Willard and Carrie Nation (violent) -
Whiskey Ring scandal
Treasury Dept. allowed distilleries to not pay excise taxes for years
Grant’s personal secretary and Sec. of War were involved
Grant defended and pardoned these crooks, which left a stain on Grant’s reputation -
Civil Rights Act of 1875
last effort of radical Rep.
Blacks would have equal accommodations in public
Tried to stop racial discrimination in jury selections
Did not work- SCOTUS did not help -
Resumption Act
remove greenbacks from circulation; greenbacks could be turned in for gold starting in 1879 -
Hayes-Tilden election standoff and crisis
Grant’s third term try was thwarted by Congressional resolution
Republicans put up Hayes (OH) as an unknown candidate
Democrats nominated Tilden (NY)
Tilden needed 1 more electoral vote to win, but some Southern state returns were contested (SC, FL, LA)
These states sent both Dem. and Rep. vote counts, which was no good- each party would declare itself as the winner -
Bell invents telephone
Telephone had a huge social impact (Alexander Graham Bell)
Women went to work at switchboards -
John Hopkins University graduate school established
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Battle of Little Bighorn
George Armstrong Custer led troops into Sioux territory and found gold- gold seekers flood the area
Indians (Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho) led by Crazy Horse were ready to fight
Custer’s militia is annihilated, but Indians are killed in the future for revenge
Called “Custer’s Last Stand” -
Colorado admitted to Union
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Compromise of 1877
Set up an electoral committee of 15 members (8 Rep., 7 Dem.)
When disputed votes were announced in Congress, the committee obviously said the votes would favor the Republican party
Democrats threatened with filibuster -
Nez Perce War
Chief Joseph and some Nez Perce are captured on the way to meet Sitting Bull in Canada
Told they would get put back in Idaho, but were moved to Kansas -
Reconstruction ends
The Birth of Jim Crow in the Post-Reconstruction South
Reconstruction is over- Democrats take advantage and intimidate and harm blacks -
Railroad strikes paralyze nation
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Edison invents the electric light
changed sleeping habits -
Mary Baker Eddy establishes Christian Science
illness can be healed through prayer -
Salvation Army begins work in America
helped the poor -
Henry George publishes "Progress and Poverty"
Said there should be a 100% tax on profits from landowners
Wealthy were scared of him, left a mark on socialist ideas
The Landlord’s Game was made to expound on this idea (later Monopoly) -
Dumbbell tenement introduced
Slums were characterized by dumbbell tenements and awful smells -
Garfield defeats Hancock for presidency
Garfield barely beat Winfield Scott Hancock in the election of 1880 (39,000 votes) -
Garfield assassinated; Arthur assumes presidency
Garfield was assassinated by Charles J. Guiteau (stalwart)
Claimed insanity, but was hanged
Positive note: civil-service reform was about to occur -
Barnum and Bailey first join to stage "Greatest Show on Earth"
Circus -
Helen Hunt Jackson publishes "A Century of Dishonor"
about how the gov’t dealt with Natives
People were split
Some wanted humane treatment
Others wanted reservations and punishment
Either side was not very nice -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Passed by Congress
Prevented Chinese from immigrating until 1943
Some who were born in the US were allowed to be citizens (US v. Wong Kim Ark) -
First immigraion-restriction laws passed
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Civil Rights Cases
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
Separate but equal facilities were acceptable under the “equal protection” clause of the 14th amendment
Blacks were second-class citizens -
Brooklyn Bridge completed
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Metropolitan opera House built in New York
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Pendleton Act sets up Civil Service Commission
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
Separate but equal facilities were acceptable under the “equal protection” clause of the 14th amendment
Blacks were second-class citizens -
Cleveland defeats Blaine for presidency
This election was more about personality than issues (the parties agreed on most issues)
Big change was when Irish votes in NY went to Cleveland
Cleveland barely won -
Mark Twain publishes "The Adventures of Huckleberry FInn"
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Federal Government outlaws Indian Sun Dance
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Linotype invented
Newspaper publican grew (Linotype) but editorials were on the decline as to not offend buyers/funders -
Louis Sullivan builds first skyscraper, in Chicago
US cities grew up (skyscrapers and elevators) and out (trains, trolleys, etc.) -
Canadian Pacific Railway, first transcontinental rail line, completed across Canada
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Period: to
Local chapters of Farmers' Alliance formed
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Haymarket Square bombing
Police went to break up a meeting and a bomb was thrown, killing several dozen
Anarchists were sentenced to death for this (even though the evidence was weak)
Hurt the Knights, and their fall was evident -
Statue of Liberty erected in New York harbor
a gift from France
Nativists ignored the quote at the bottom -
American Protective Association (APA) formed
Against immigrants, especially Catholics -
Hatch Act supplements Morrill Act
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Dawes Severalty Act
Many tribes were no longer legally recognized
Indians could not own land anymore
Indian family heads were set up with 160 acres each
If they “behaved” they would get the land and citizenship in 25 years
All Indians became citizens in 1924 -
Interstate Commerce Act
Passed by Congress without Pres. Cleveland’s help
RR cannot form pools
RR must publicly disclose rates
RR cannot discriminate in shipping rates (long vs. short haul)
Set up the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)
Did not do much to help the little guys
It did help stabilize prices though
Also set a precedent for gov’t involvement in private business -
Edward Bellamy publishes "Looking Backward"
Utopian society (socialist)- had an impact later -
American all-star baseball team tours world
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Oklahoma opened to U.S citizen settlement
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Jane Addams founds Hull House in Chicago
In poor immigrant city area
Helped children learn English and American-ness, provided services
A settlement house -
Period: to
North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming admitted to Union
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"Billion-Dollar" Congress
Republicans were ready to get their power back
Barely had enough seats in the House- Dems threatened with quorum calls
Rep. Speaker was Thomas Reed (ME) who was sharp with his words and scared his opponents
He still counted Dems. as present even if they did not say they were
Reed dominated the “Billion-Dollar” Congress- first to approve a budget of $1 bill.
Many pensions given
Purchased more silver
McKinley Tariff Act of 1890- rates were up to 48.4%; hurt farmers
These policies hurt the Rep., be -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
No more combinations that would restrict trade
Did not really work: no power, loopholes, small companies could escape
Hindered labor unions or combinations that restrained trade too
More trusts were formed during McKinley’s administration than other other period
Forces did begin to slowly mobilize against big business though -
Census Bureau declares frontier line ended
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Emergence of People's party (Populists)
Made up of farmers who wanted to fight the monied interests
Wanted nationalization of RRs, telephones, and telegraphs
Wanted a graduated income tax (didn’t happen until 1910s)
Wanted loans for crops stored away until prices rose
Wanted free silver -
National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) formed
Stanton and Anthony
Carrie Chapman Catt- a new breed of feminist
Didn’t use the old argument that women are equals
Argued that women in cities should vote because they need to be in charge of things to properly do their duties as homemakers and moms
Helped women slowly gain suffrage
WY granted complete suffrage first (1869)
Many states followed, at least with partial voting rights
Most states allowed women to hold property after marriage by 1890 -
McKinley Tariff Act
ates were up to 48.4%; hurt farmers
These policies hurt the Rep., because upset rural voters caused the Dems. to crush in the mid-term elections of 1890 (and pres. election of 1892)
Nine new congressmen were of the Farmers’ Alliance -
Sherman Silver Purchase Act (repealed 1893)
Gov’t had to issue notes for silver, people would then turn in notes for gold, draining fed. gold reserves
Cleveland had to repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act
Free Silverites fought this repeal, notably Dem. William Jennings Bryant (NE)
Cleveland won in the end when he promised jobs for votes, but he divided his own party
Repeal did not help much, and gold reserves were dwindling
Cleveland asked J.P. Morgan and other bankers to lend the government $65 mill in gold
This worked for the short t -
Basketball invented
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Battle of Wounded Knee
Ghost Dancers- an Indian religious group that believed Natives would inherit the Earth- were sought after by the US gov’t
Sitting Bull and Big Foot were captured
When Big Foot’s people were surrendering at Wounded Knee, SD, an Indian’s gun went off
Troops panicked and many Indians were wiped out -
Construction of Trans-Siberian Railroad begins
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Homestead steel strike
in Carnegie's Homestead Steel plant started because workers were upset over pay cuts.
Carnegie sent in 300 Pinkerton detectives to crush the strike, but the laborers won
Fed. troops intervened and stopped the strike and the union -
Populist party candidate James B. Weaver polls more than 1 million votes in presidential election
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Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) silver miners' strike
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People's party candidate James B. Weaver wins twenty-two electoral votes
-
Cleveland defeats Harrison and Weaver to regain presidency
Cleveland won (again) in the election of 1892- Populists divided and Republicans a mess -
Depression of 1893 begins
Speculation, overbuilding, labor disorders, agricultural depression, free silver issues, inability to pay loans to other nations
Many businesses closed, jobs gone, many homeless
Gov’t did not do much to help -
Anti-Saloon League formed
some states became dry (temperance) -
Lillian Wald opens Henry Street Settlement in New York
settlement house -
Frederick Jackson Turner publishes "The Significance of the Frontier in American History"
Put the pioneers on a pedestal as champions of civilization and democracy -
Republicans regain House of Representatives
-
"Coxey's Army" marches on Washington Pullman strike
Eugene Debs led the American Railway Union led a strike against cut wages
They stopped a lot of RR traffic across the west
The AF of L did not come to their aid- they were not peaceful
US attorney gen. ordered troops- they were hindering US mail (Sherman Antitrust Act)
Troops crushed the strike
Debs was arrested, and later became a socialist
Strikers could be jailed without jury trials -
J.P. Morgan's banking syndicate loans
$65 million in gold to federal government -
Plessy v. Ferguson
legitizizes "seperate but equal" doctrine -
Utah admitted to Union
-
McKinley defeats Bryan for presidency
-
Library of Congress opens
-
Dingley Tariff Act
Senate added amendments, causing average rates to be 46.5%- did not change the McKinley or Wilson-Gorman tariffs much -
Carlotte Perkins Gilman pubishes "Women and Economics"
Argued for more involvement in society
“Day-care centers,” and “convenience food stores” -
Kate Chopin publishes "The Awakening"
adultery, suicide, women -
Theodore Dresier publishes "Sister Carrie"
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Gold Standard Act
paper currency was traded with gold
Due to better economy, more discoveries of gold (inflation in the markets), and better extraction methods -
United States Steel Corporation formed
JP Morgan
Financed the reorganization of RRs, insurance companies, and banks
Did not think he was a dangerous money man
organized his new still industry and founded US Steel Corporation
Worth $1.4 billion -
Henry Adams privately publishes "The Education of Henry Adams"
Henry Adams (grandson of JQA) wrote American history
Henry James- used women as main subjects -
Oklshoma admitted to Union
-
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) founded
Dr. WEB Du Bois was different than Washington (northern man vs. southern man)
Demanded social and economic equality for blacks
Helped start the NAACP in 1909 -
Indians granted US citizenship
-
Indian Reorganization Act