-
Factory workers start using collective bargaining
By the 1820's, factory workers started using collective bargaining, which was group negotiation for higher wages or better wprking conditions. -
Socialism spreads
Socialism, or the economic and philosophical movement favoring the public at large, spreads. It was expanded in a treatise called Communist Manifesto. -
Wilmont Proviso
In 1848, David Wilmont proposed the Wilmont Proviso, which would call for a ban on slavery in the states that the US gained from Mexico as a result of the war. -
Compromise of 1850
In 1850, the Compromise of 1850 was passed to balance the power between the slave states and free states. Calfifornia was admitted as a free state, but those new states gained from Mexico would vote on whether they wanted to be a slave or free state. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
When Stephan Douglas couldn't get a government established for the Nesbraska Territory, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed.The territory was divided onto two seperate states, Kansas and Nebraska. Whether they were a free or slave state would be determined by popular sovreignty, -
The Dred Scott vs. Sanford Trial
In 1857, the Supreme Court had to deal with the court trial of Dred Scott and Sanford, a slave and his owner. Scott was suing for his freedom because Scott had kept him as a slave even when they lived in free states. Scott lost his case, but the trial led to media attention to the issue of slavery and many people began to make a change. -
John Brown and army attach Harper's Ferry
John Brown, an abolitionist, gathered an army of men to take action against powerful slave owners living in Harper's Ferry. In the night, Brown and his men captured five of these owners and brutally killed them. This act of rebellion sparked a fire that led to many more people standing up for the enslaved people. -
The Origin of Species is published
In 1859, Charles Darwin published the Origin of Species. He said that animals evolved by a process of natural selection. This inspired the idea of Social Darwinism, which referred to American capitalism. -
The first oil well is drilled
In 1859 Edwin Drake drilled the first oil well in Titusville, Pennsylvania. -
Jefferson Davis convinced Congress to adopt resolutions restricting federal control over slavery in Southern territories
These restirctions prohibited COngress from interferring with territories where slavery existed, which caused Southerns (pro- and antislavery) to feel as if their way of life was being threatened. This led to the Democratic party being split in half. -
The South begins secession from the Union
The Southern states began their secession. South Carolina was the first to seperate. On Decemeber 20, their union was "dissolved". -
The Confederacy is formed
The seven Southern states that seceded from the Union banded together to form the Confederacy. They created a constitution similar to the USA's. It stressed the independence of each state and allowed secession. -
Lincoln is inaugarated as the 16th President of the USA
Lincoln won the 1860 election without a single Southern vote. -
The Civil War begins (at Fort Sumpter)
The people of South Carolina became suspicious of Lincoln's motives while Northerners were at Fort Sumpter. When Lincoln refused to surrender their fort, fighting began. -
Northerners execute the "Anaconda Plan"
In efforts to starve the Southerners, the Northerners seized the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico so they couldn't recieve or send out shippments. They also captured the Mississippi Valley and seized the railroad junction at Chattanooga. -
Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to free all the slaves. These freed slaves would have the opportunity to fight in the war. This greatly contributed to the number of Union troops that fought in the Civil War. -
Battle of Gettysberg
The Union troops defeated one-third of Lee's army. This was the final Confederate attempt to invade the North. Lincoln gave a speech known as the Gettysberg Address at the dedication of a battle cemetary. -
The Civil War ends
Lee surendered to Grant when he total war was declared. -
Andrew Johnson becomes President
Johnson wanted to gice Southerners power if they swore allegience to the USA and followed the 13th amendement (antislavery). He was impeached. -
Ragged Dick (Street Life in New York) is published
In 1868, Horatio Alger published Ragged Dick. It was about a poor boy who became rich. It inspired entrepreneurs to start their own buisnesses and get rich. -
The 14th Amendement is ratified
Radical Republicans passed the this amendment (all US-born people got citizenship). -
Number of corporations in America begin to increase
After 1870, more corporations started popping up. This helped in industrial capitalism, or the economic free-market system centered around industries. -
"New Immigrants" start coming to America
Starting in the 1870's, "new immigrants" begin coming to America. They were often unkilled, uneducated, and worked on farms. -
The 15th Amendment is passed
All males could vote! -
Yellowstone Park becomes the first National Park
In 1872, Congress made Yellowstone Park the first National Park. This was the first response to concerns about the enviornment. -
Edison establishes his research labratory
In 1876, Edision established his labratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey. In this lab, he receved over 1000 patents for inventions, one of which was the lightbulb. -
Election ends Reconstruction
Hayes won, but troops retreated from the South, -
The American Federation of Labor is formed
In 1886, Samuel Gompers established the AFL to improve the wages, working hours, and working conditions of factory workers. -
The Interstate Commerce Commision is created
In 1887, the United States government created the Interstate Commerce Comission. It was the first federal body set up to ever monitor American buisness operations. -
Social workers take action to get children out of factories and into schools and child care
In the end of the 1800's, many children were working in factories to support their families. By the 1890's, social workers tried to get children out of these factories. -
Immigrants are "Americanized"
Beginning in the 1890's, Americans tried to "Americanize" the immigrants. They tried to get them to eat, dress, and act American. -
Urbanization occurs
In the late ninteenth century, urbanization occured. Many people moved to urban areas to find work. -
Coming through Ellis Island when moving to America becomes a requirement
European immigrants were required to pass through Ellis Island when arriving in the New York Harbor. They had to be healthy, show skills, or have a sponsor.