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National Trades Union was founded
National Trades Union was founded in 1834, and it was the first national labor union. This union only lasted didnt last very long due to the depression -
Wilmot Proviso
In 1846, Pennsylvania congressman David Wilmot proposed an ammendment to an appropriations bill, called the Wilmot Proviso. The point of the Wilmot Proviso was to prevent the south from extending slavery into western territories -
Free-Soil Party forms and elects Martin Van Buren as presdential candidate
In i848, the free-soil party was formed as the new political party that opposed slavery, and wanted to prevent the expansion of it into western territories. The party selected Martin Van Buren as their first presidential candidate. -
Communist Manifesto
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels expanded on the ideas of socialism Communist Manifesto. This packet denounced capitalism and predicted workers would overrun it. -
The Compromise of 1850
On September 19, 1850 Congress passed the Compromise of 1850 in order to ease tensions on slavery. The compromise said that California would be admitted as a free state, but any territroy acquired from Mexico would decide the slavery issue for themselves. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
In 1854, Congress attempted to once again settle the slavery dispute in the west with something called the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The act said that the Nebraska territory would be divided into Kansas and Nebraska, and the issue of slavery would be decided by popular sovereignty. -
American Institute of Architecture
1857 marked the beginnig of the American Institute of Architecture. This was significant because it professionalized the profession of architecture. -
Supreme Court rules on Dred Scott v. Sanford
In March of 1857, the Supreme Court finally made their ruling on the case of Scott v. Sanford. This case was an arguement to determine whether or not Dred Scott should become a freed slave after living on Northern Territory. -
Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species
Biologist Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1858. This was significant because many people related the theory of natural selection back to the American economy. -
First Department Store
Rowland H. Macy opened the first department store. This store was called Macy's and it was opened in New York -
First oil well
In 1859, Edwin Drake drilled what became the world's first oil well. The oil well was drilled in Titusville, PA. -
Presidential election of 1860
The presidential election of 1860 was unique because many people still had recent issues such as John Brown's raid and Dred Scott on their minds during the vote. The election had 4 cantidates, but the eventual winner was Abraham Lincoln. -
South Carolina secedes from the Union
On December 20, of 1860 there was a convention in Charleston where South Carolina made their official announcement that they were seceding from the Union -
Confederate States of America is formed
In February fo 1861, the seven states that chose to secede from the Union form their own "country", it was known as the Confederate States of America. The Confederate States of America chose Jefferson Davis as their president. -
Lincoln calls for the troops
On April 15, 1861, after attempts at peacefully regaining Fort Sumpter failed, and the Confederacy killed all Uniion soldiers stationed there, Lincoln called for 75,000 troops to start a war against the Confederate States of America. In actuality, Lincoln received 16,000 -
Horatio Alger publishes "Ragged Dick, or Street Life in New York"
Horatio Alger published his first novel, "Ragged Dick, or Street Life in New York", on May 5, 1861. The novel told the story of a poor boy who grew to fortune and fame by working hard. -
The North adopts Anaconda Plan
The North had developed a plan to defeat the south that involved starving them into submission. The north's plan involved surronding the Mississippi River and The Gulf of Mexico so the south could not receive or send shipments. -
The 1862 Homestead Act
The Homestead Act was passed in 1862. It helped make western farmland inexpensive. -
LIncoln's Emancipation Proclamation
In an attempt to receive more soldiers, Lincoln gave the Emancipation Proclamation which freed slaves so that the freed slaves would become union soldiers. -
Battle of Gettysburg
General Robert E. Lee and his troops had been dominating Union forces and continuing to push them forward into the north all the way to Gettysburg PA. The batle of Gettysburg was the turning point in which the Union won a large battle and took over control. -
Lincoln delivers Gettysburg Address
A few months after the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln could tell the North was becoming weary of the war and didnt still see a reason to fight. In November of 1863, LIncoln delivered the Gettysburg Address to reaffirm the ideas of why they were fighting. -
Lincoln gets assassinated and Andrew Johnson becomes president
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in April of 1865 while watching a play. Vice President Andrew Johnson took over his duties as president -
Andrew Johnson impeached by Congress
Johnson and the Radical Republicans in Congress clashed continuously on many things. After a long debate, Congress decided to impeach President Johnson in 1868. -
Knights of Labor is founded
Knights of Labor is founded by Uriah Smtih Stevens. It was a labor union that also actively recruited African Americans. -
Chicago Fire
An almost city wide fire started in Chicago and caused unimaginable amounts of damage. This caused many cities to start fire fighting teams. -
Freedmen's Bureau is Dissolved
Freedmen's Bureau was created after in 1865 to help with the reconstruction of the country, it dealt with education, and church along with other things. It was dissolved in 1872 after the war was over. -
Baseball Becomes a Business
After being around for a while, baseball was made into a business called the National League. Baseball soon became a public show. -
Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone
Alexander Graham Bell created a new form of communication with the telephone in 1876. Within a few years, more than 34,000 miles of telephone wires had been hung. -
Rutherford B. Hayes wins the 1876 Election
The winner of the 1876 electioin was the Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes. This election marked the end of the Reconstruction era. -
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was formed by Samuel Gompers in 1886. The AFL was a craft union made up of skilled workers from local unions devoted to a specific skill or trade. -
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Act was passed under the Cleveland presidential Administration. This commission was created to oversee railroad operations. -
Richmond VA introduces streetcars
Richmond, VA introduced a revolutionary invention: streetcars powered by overhead electric cables. Within a decade, every major city followed. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
As the federal government got more involved in regulating trusts, it passed the Sherman Antitrust Act. This act basically said that any trust was illegal if it got in the way of trade between several states. -
Immigrants processed at Ellis Island
Most Europeans arrived in New York Harbor. Beginning in 1892, they were processed at Ellis Island. -
Publishing of Maggie: A Girl of the Streets
This novel was yet another one to criticize how society was. It was written by Stephen Crane and exposed the slums of New York. -
Boston introduces Subway System
Boston was the first city to introduce the Subway system. This was in an attempt to keep trains on schedule by avoiding the congestion of street traffic. -
United States vs. Wong Kim Ark
There was a large amount of unhappiness among the chinese immigrants about the treatment they received from immigration offices. In 1898, a court case established that Chinese people born in America were United States citizens and could, therefore, come and go freely. -
First Airplane Flight
On December 17, 1903 Orville and Wilbur Wright conducted teh first airplane fli\ght. This was a huge step towards the future of transportation and trade. -
Asian Immigrants processed at Angel Island
Asian immigrants arrived in the Pacific Ocean, at Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay. Chinese immigrants were only allowed if they had relatives living in America or were citizens.
