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"Narrative of Frederick Douglass, American Slave" is Published
Beginning in 1841, slave Frederick Douglass traveled attended his first abolitionist meeting where he met William Lloyd Garrison with whom he would travel to tell his stories of slave life. He was met with opposition, with people insisting that he only relate the facts of his slave life, so he did when he published this autobiographical narrative. -
Charles Dickens publishes "Hard Times'
"Hard Times" by Charles Dickens satirizes the economic and social conditions during the Industrial Revolution. -
Battle of Fort Sumter, igniting the Civil War
The United States Army returned fire and surrendered to the Confederates, who had bombarded Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, effectively starting the Civil War. -
Homestead Act signed into law by President Lincoln
The Homestead Act opened up millions of acres to (almost) any U.S. citizen who had not taken up arms against the country, including men, women and immigrants who had applied for U.S. citizenship, but the Act excluded Blacks from being eligible. This Act was one of many at the time that gave the opportunity of land ownership for most U.S. citizens. -
President Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation
Slaves are "freed" by President Abraham Lincoln's signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that all slaves in all states against the rebellion "shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free." -
The First Transcontinental Railroad was completed
With the help of engineers, treasurers and managers of railroad companies, several short line railroads began to pop up throughout the country, eventually leading to the First Transcontinental Railroad built across North America, linking the eastern and western coasts. The First Transcontinental Railroad is considered to be the greatest physical feat of 19th century America. The railroads met in Promontory, Utah in May 1869 as a completed railway. -
Married Women's Property Acts
The Married Women's Property Acts gave women legal to inherit and own property, then to keep their own income, and finally, to engage in business, such as writing wills and entering into contracts. However, these were not enacted for the equality of women, but to prevent the dissolution of the marriage and family for economic reasons. -
American annihilation of Native Americans
By 1890, the Native Americans left in the United States were not considered citizens by the U.S. Constitution, instead being regarded as "sovereign nations." -
Indian Territory Naturalization Act
Congress passes the Indian Territory Naturalization Act which allowed any Native American from any Territory to apply for U.S. citizenship in federal courts, although few took the opportunity under this legislation. -
"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is published
Written by American Civil War soldier Ambrose Bierce, "An Occurence" is set during the Civil War and told through the perspective of Peyton Farquhar, a plantation owner preparing for his execution, and the flashbacks of his life leading up to the execution. It is regarded as one of the most influential short stories of 19th century literature. -
Stephen Crane publishes "The Red Badge of Courage"
This war novel was published by Stephen Crane, taking place during the War about a young man, Henry Fleming of the Union Army who flees the field of battle who longs for a wound, a "red badge of courage" to offset his shame. Although having never been a soldier, Crane's novel is considered one of the most influential stories ever written and is best known for its realism. -
Kate Chopin authors "A Pair of Silk Stockings"
"A Pair of Silk Stockings" is a short story written by Kate Chopin, mirroring the suppressed desires of women in a tale that made women appear unsightly and deceiving. The protagonist, Mrs. Sommers, who was once a wealthy woman, spends $15 on herself for the first time in a long time, instead of on her children. She buys silk stockings, a luxury item at the time. -
"The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer" is published
African-American author Oscar Micheaux anonymously publishes a very rare account of post-war Black life in "The Conquest," the tale of a Black homesteader in 20th century South Dakota. This slightly deviates from realist literature of the period as it is well known that Blacks were excluded from the Homestead Acts. Very realistically, Micheaux wrote the story in a desperate for money after the year's previous drought left him and other agriculturalists penniless.