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Compromise of 1850
California was admitted as a free state, undid the Missouri Compromise, and also included a Fugitive Slave Act which allowed officials of arresting any person accused of being a runaway slave. -
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" is Published
Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, it put a human face on slavery for those who have never witnessed it firsthand. It sold 300,000 copies in its first year. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act divided the Nebraska Territory into Kansas & Nebraska.Voters in each state would vote on the slave issue by popular sovereignty. -
Dred Scott VS. Sanford Case
A slave named Dred Scott believed he shouldv'e been considered to be free because his master moved & lived in Illinois, a free state, for 4 years. It went to the Supreme Court and caused the slavery issue to be bigger than ever. -
The first Macy's opens
Rowland H. Macy opened what he called a department store. It then became the largest single store in America. Within the next 20 years, many big cities had department stores -
Election of 1860
Lincoln VS. Douglas VS. Bell VS. Breckenridge - Lincoln wins - no longer any national parties -
Seceding states establish the Confederate States of America
The seven seceding states made their constitution that stressed the independence of each state and implied that every state has the right to secede -
Kansas enters Union as a free state
Because of the violence and killings caused by John Brown, the state decided to enter as a free state. -
Lincoln becomes President
Lincoln was sworn in as President on this day. -
Lincoln calls for volunteers to fight
Lincoln declares "insurrection" existed and calls for 75,000 volunteers to fight against the Confederacy. However, he only gets 16,000 volunteers. -
Victories for the North
With victories in Mississippi & New Orleans, the North had captured the Mississippi Valley. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln issued the Emacipation Proclamation which freed slaves under certain states, not all. The freed slaves then had the choice to fight in the army. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Union troops defeated Lee at the town of Gettysburg, which marked the last major Confederate attempt to invade the North. -
The War Ends
In the small Virginia town of Appomattox Court House, Robert E. Lee surrenedered to Ulysses Grant. -
Freedman's Bureau
The Freedman's Bureau was a federal agency designed to aid freed slaves & relieve the South's immediate needs. -
Lincoln is assassinated
Lincoln was assassinated & vice president Andrew Johnson became President -
Clashing caused impeachment
Congress voted to impeach Johnson & Ulysses S. Grant took office -
John D. Rockefeller establishes Standard Oil Company
Rockefeller was an oil tycoon who used horizontal integration to boost his business. He would then become one of the very first billionaires in the country. -
The Great Chicago Fire
The Chicago Fire destroyed the city, killing between 200-300 people. It is said to have started by a cow kicking over a lantern in a barn. The fire then spread because of the wooden buildings all throughout the city. -
Yellowstone Park is established
When industrial waste began to destroy land, people wanted to protect natural resources. So in 1872, the first national park-Yellowstone Park-was created. -
Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone
Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone making it possible to make long-distance calls to cities in the Northeast & Midwest. By 1900, there were more than 1 million telephones in the US. -
The Election of 1876
Tilden (Democrat) VS. Rutherferd B. Hayes (Republican)-Tilden wins popular vote, but Hayes wins electoral vote & becomes president. This ends the Reconstruction. -
Pulitzer find success in journalism
Joseph Pulitzer began publishing his own newspaper, the Evening World, in the 1880s, gaining a lot of success. He wanted to inform people of the news and stir up controversy. -
Thomas Edison patents the light bulb
Thomas Edison patented the electric light bulb. Within two years, he installed a street-light system in NYC. -
New York theaters provide entertainment
Tony Pastor opened a theater in New York, wanting to provide families with fun, entertaining shows. Twenty years later, companies owned chains of theaters, stretching all across the country. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act prohibited immigration by Chinese laborers, limited the civil rights of Chinese immigrants already in the US, & forbade the naturalization of Chinese residents. -
Architectural Revolution
William LeBaron Jenney designed the Home Insurance Company building in Chicago. It was the first building in which a steel frame supported outside walls, allowing more space and windows on loweer floors. -
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was created by Samuel Gompers. It was a craft union, a loose organization of skilled workers from local unions who were devoted to specific crafts or trades. -
Haymarket Riot
Thousands of workers wanting an eight hour workday gathered at Haymarket Square in Chicago. Dozens of people were killed & eight anarchists were tried for murder & executed. -
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commision (ICC) was created to oversee railroad operations. They could monitor railroads that crossed state lines, but could not control the transactions. -
Streetcars come to Richmond
In 1888, Richmond, VA, introduced a revolutionary invention-streetcars powered by by overhead electric cables. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
The Sherman Antitrust Act was passed to regulate trusts & regulate corporations' power. -
Basketball is invented
James Naismith invented the sport in at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. -
Andrew Carnegie launches Carnegie Steel Company
Carnegie was a steel tycoon who was worth hundreds of millions because of his use of vertical integration. In 1892, he combined his assets combing Carnegie Steel Company. -
Immigrants begin to come to Ellis Island
Ellis Island was a processing station where immigration officials decided who could stay in the United States. All third-class passengers were sent there. The immigration officers then conducted legal and medical inspections. -
Homestead Strike
Carnegie Steel Plant cut workers' wages & the union immediately called a strike. Carnegies' partner, Frick, brought in the Pinkertons for reinforcement. A battle between the Pinkertons and the workers broke out, but in the end, the plant was shut down. -
Pullman Strike
Workers of the A.R.U. went on strike, halting railroad traffic and mail delivery. It was led by Eugene V. Debs & he was later convicted of going against interstate commerce. -
First subway system
Boston started running cable cars ungerground in the nation's first subway system. -
Congress passes another immigration act
Congress passes another act that prohibited the entry of anyone who was a criminal, immoral, a pauper, or likely to need public assistance. -
First Successful Airplane Flight
Brothers Orville & Wilbur Wright were responsible for the first successful airplane flight in 1903, marking the birth of a new industry. -
Angel Island opens
Chinese and other Asian immigrants were processed at Angel Island after crossing the Pacific Ocean. It was designed to filter out Chinese residents.
