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First Transcontinental Railroad
Congress authorizes the first transcontinental railroad in 1862; which helped create the Union Pacific Railroad which joined with the Central Pacific in Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869, and this marked the linking of the continent. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act was signed by Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862. This act encouraged people to migrate to the West by giving settlers 160 acres of public land, in turn these settlers had to pay a small filing fee was required to complete five years of continual residence before obtaining full ownership of the land. -
Knights of Labour
In 1869 the Knights of Labour were organized. This was the first major labour campaign that was organized, which was composed of skilled and unskilled labourers that demanded an eight hour workday and they desired to have a society in which the labourers owned the industries they worked in. -
Local chapters of Farmers’ Alliance
The Local chapters of Farmers’ Alliance was formed around 1875 and did not expand into other states until 1886. This alliance wanted to change the way that Americans worked by pushing for an eight hour workday, it helped get rid of private banks which allowed local banks to be formed. The Alliance also wanted to have an income tax that gave them their freedom to coin money and the freedom to borrow money from the bank to buy land. -
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross was founded on May 21, 1881, in Washington, D.C. The Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton, with a mission to provide humanitarian aid to victims of wars and natural disasters in agreement with the International Red Cross. -
Immigration Act of 1882
The Immigration Act of 1882 was a federal law signed by President Arthur on August 3, 1882. This act imposed a head tax on noncitizens who came to American ports and also restricted certain classes of people from immigrating to America; such as criminals, the insane, or any person that is unable to take care of him or herself. -
Interstate Commerce Act of 1887
The interstate commerce Act of 1887 was a federal law designed to regulate the railroad industry, specifically its monopolistic practices. This act required that the railroad rates became reasonable and just, and that it could not help the government fix specific rates. -
Gold Standard Act
The Gold Standard Act was passed on March 14, 1900 and signed by President William McKinley. This Act established gold as the only standard to redeeming paper money and stopping bimetallism. -
United States Steel Corporation
On March 2, 1901, the United States Steel Corporation was formed. The U.S. Steel Corporation is made up of three huge steel companies: Andrew Carnegie's Carnegie Steel Company, Elbert H. Gary's Federal Steel Company, and William Henry "Judge" Moore's National Steel Company. -
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded on February 12, 1909, in New York, NY. The NAACP was created to guaranty the political, educational, social, and economic quality of rights to all persons and to abolish any race-based discrimination.