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Knights of Labor Founded
The Knights of Labor (KOL) was a trade union that sought to give the laboring class of people a voice that they may fight together with one another for greater rights and provisions against their bosses and owners of capital. -
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877
This strike, also known as the "Great Upheaval," began when the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) railroad company cut wages for the third time consecutively in a year and lasted about 45 days when it was finally ended by force. -
Passage of the Bland-Allison Act
This act allowed Congress to one again buy silver, and although it was vetoed by President Hayes, Congress overturned this veto and passed the act regardless. -
Election of 1880 - James Garfield Wins
This election was between Winfield Scott Hancock for the Democratic party, James B. Weaver for the Greenback Labor Party, and James Garfield for the Republican Party. There were not a lot of hard issues discussed during this election, and it was mostly the candidates' differences on tariffs that dominated the political landscape of the time. -
President Garfield Shot
President James A. Garfield was shot twice on July 2, 1881, by Charles Guiteau, only a few months into his term as president. Nearly 80 days later, President Garfield died on September 19, 1881. The late president was succeeded by Chester Arthur. -
Election of 1884 - Grover Cleveland Wins
The presidential election of 1884 was one of bitterness and focused almost entirely on the candidates' shortcomings. There was a great deal of mudslinging and slander during this time, although Grover Cleveland supporting civil service reform would eventually come out on top, above the Republican Party nominated James G. Blaine. -
Alaska Purchased for $7.2 Million
Secretary of State William H. Seward purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. This became known as "Seward's Folly," although it is now remembered as an extremely wise purchase that was beyond worth its relatively minimal cost. -
Haymarket Square Incident
On May 4, 1886, a labor protest rally broke out near Chicago's Haymarket Square as a response to the Chicago police's actions during a strike at McCormick Reaper Works. The ensuing riot led to the death of eight people, and also gave labor organizations a bad reputation amongst the American people as the Knights of Labor were ultimately blamed for this incident, leading to their eventual decline. -
Interstate Commerce Act
With the passage of this act in 1887, the railroad industry became the first industry subjected to federal regulations. The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was created to enforce regulations and set guidelines, requiring railroads to submit annual reports. -
Dawes General Allotment Act
This act's passage in 1887 served to splinter Native American reservations into homesteads on a family-by-family basis. Each Native family was given 160 acres, and although many would point to this act as a great humanitarian reform effort, it was essentially Americanizing Indian culture and served to force them into the neat American mold that the government and people of the time wanted them to fit into. -
Election of 1888 - Benjamin Harrison Wins
In 1888, Republican incumbent President James G. Blaine had refused to run again, and so Benjamin Harrison was nominated for this run who ultimately won against former president Grover Cleveland. This election was particularly marked by corruption as Senator Matthew Quary of Pennsylvania bought votes on behalf of Harrison. -
Montana, Washington, North and South Dakota Admitted as States
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Midterm 1890 Elections
These midterm elections were of particular importance, as they marked a huge upheaval of Republicans within the House of Representatives, with many Republicans being voted out and the Democrats then outnumbering them 3 to 1. -
Dependent Pension Act
One of the greatest issues of this time was the need to provide for veteran union soldiers. Although a similar bill was proposed years earlier, it was vetoed by President Cleveland, much to the voters' displeasure. When this act was implemented, there was a great deal of support although the Congress that met during this time became known as the "Billion Dollar Congress" due to all of its lavish spendings on internal improvements and alike. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
This act passed in 1890 was the first of its kind–a federal anti-trust law that sought to break up large trusts of conspiring companies due to economic principals that competition was important, and no one or few companies should dominate an entire industry. -
Idaho and Wyoming Admitted as States
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American Federation of Labor Founded
In December of 1896, Samuel Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL), which would focus on the "pure and simple" doctrines of unionism. The pure being membership, the simple being their goals. The AFL, as did the Knights of Labor (KOL), sought to improve the standards of living for the laboring class, with practical goals such as 8-hour workdays.