Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, defining citizenship
Period: to
Ulysses S Grant serves as President
Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads are joined at Promontory, Utah, creating the first transcontinental railroad
Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, giving blacks the right to vote
US Federation of Labor is organized
The Statue of Liberty is dedicated
National American Woman Suffrage Association is founded
Last major battle of the Indian Wars occurs at Wounded Knee in South Dakota
Grover Cleveland is inaugurated a second time, as the 24th president. He is the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms.
Plessy v. Ferguson: decision holds that racial segregation is constitutional, paving the way for the repressive Jim Crow laws in the South
Spanish-American War: USS Maine is blown up in Havana harbor
US annexes Hawaii
US declares war on Spain
Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Spanish-American War. Spain gives up control of Cuba, and cedes Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the U.S.
Galveston hurricane leaves an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 dead
U.S. acquires Panama Canal Zone
San Francisco earthquake leaves 500 dead or missing and destroys about 4 sq mi of the city