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The Dead Rabbits Riot
The Dead Rabbits riot was a two-day civil disturbance in New York City evolving from what was originally a small-scale street fight between members of the Dead Rabbits and the Bowery Boys into a citywide gang war. It was important to the era of Immigration and Industrialization because it was the largest disturbance since the Astor Place Riot in 1849 and the biggest scene of gang violence until the New York Draft Riots of 1863. -
The Ku Klux Klan is Established
The Ku Klux Klan, commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Catholics, and Native Americans as well as immigrants, leftists, homosexuals, Muslims, abortion providers, and atheists. It was important to the era of Immigration and Industrialization because many people died as a result of the KKK’s actions. -
John D. Rockefeller Creates Standard Oil
He established Standard Oil, which by the early 1880s controlled some 90 percent of U.S. refineries and pipelines. Critics accused Rockefeller of engaging in unethical practices, such as colluding with railroads to eliminate his competitors to gain a monopoly in the industry. It was important to the era of Immigration and Industrialization because these various companies were combined into the Standard Oil Trust, which would control some 90 percent of the nation's refineries and pipelines. -
Alexander Graham Bell Patents the Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell receives a patent for his revolutionary new invention: the telephone. It was important to the era of Immigration and Industrialization because it revolutionized communication as we know it. -
The Great Oklahoma Land Race
The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 was the first land run into the Unassigned Lands of former Indian Territory, which had earlier been assigned to the Creek and Seminole peoples. It was important to the era of Immigration and Industrialization because it set the stage for non-Indian settlement of other sections of the Indian Territory. It quickly led to the creation of Oklahoma Territory under the Organic Act of 1890 and then to the formation of the forty-sixth state of the Union, Oklahoma, in 1907. -
Ellis Island Opens to Process Immigrants
The first Ellis Island Immigration Station officially opens as three large ships wait to land. Seven hundred immigrants passed through Ellis Island that day, and nearly 450,000 followed over the course of that first year. It was important to the era of Immigration and Industrialization because it served as the nation's major immigration station from 1892 to 1924, after which its role was reduced; during that period an estimated 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island. -
The Wizard of Oz (Book) is Published
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is an American children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It was important to the era of Immigration and Industrialization because the references to The Wizard of Oz serve as a reminder of how America has changed. -
J.P. Morgan Founds U.S. Steel
J. P. Morgan formed U.S. Steel by financing the merger of Andrew Carnegie's Carnegie Steel Company with Elbert H. Gary's Federal Steel Company and William Henry "Judge" Moore's National Steel Company. It was important to the era of Immigration and Industrialization because it was the world's first billion-dollar corporation. -
Teddy Roosevelt Becomes President of the United States
Theodore Roosevelt became the 26th president of the United States upon the assassination of President William McKinley and ended on March 4, 1909. It was important to the era of Immigration and Industrialization because Theodore Roosevelt intervened federally, and resolved the dispute through arbitration. -
Ford Motor Company is Founded
Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated in 1903. The company sells automobiles and commercial vehicles under the Ford brand and luxury cars under its Lincoln luxury brand. It was important to the era of Immigration and Industrialization because Ford revolutionized the factory environment, creating an assembly-line system that vastly improved production efficiency. -
Ida Tarbell Publishes Her Article About Standard Oil
Ida Tarbell’s work was a sensation and the installments became a two-volume book entitled, The History of the Standard Oil Company. It was important to the era of Immigration and Industrialization because Tarbell's study of Standard Oil excoriated Rockefeller and his company and helped spur new legislation and litigation to regulate interstate commerce and counter monopoly. -
The 16th Amendment is Passed
The 16th amendment established Congress's right to impose a Federal income tax. It was important to the era of Immigration and Industrialization because it played a central role in building up the powerful American federal government of the twentieth century by making it possible to enact a modern, nationwide income tax. -
Angel Island Opens to Process Immigrants
The new Immigration Station opened and became the major port of entry to the U.S. for Asians and other immigrants coming from the west. The Immigration Station opened for partial operation on the northern neck of the island, later called China Cove. It was important to the era of Immigration and Industrialization because Angel Island was an ideal location for an immigration station due to its isolation from the mainland. -
The 17th Amendment is Passed
The 17th Amendment modified Article I, Section 3, of the Constitution by allowing voters to cast direct votes for U.S. senators. It was important to the era of Immigration and Industrialization because it removed state government representation from the legislative arm of the federal government. -
The Empire State Building Opens
President Herbert Hoover officially dedicated New York City's Empire State Building, pressed a button from the White House that turned on the building's lights. It was important to the era of Immigration and Industrialization because it symbolized the development of skyscrapers in the interwar years. The building embodied the refinement of steel construction that had been maturing over the previous decades.