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Pike's Peak Gold Rush
The boom in gold prospecting and mining in the Pike's Peak Country of western Kansas Territory and southwestern Nebraska Territory of the United States that began in July 1858 and lasted until the creation of the Colorado Territory. -
Period: to
Gilded Age
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Charles Darwin Publishes On the Origin of Species
Darwin believed that higher forms of life or humans, had evolved from lower forms of life through mutatio and survival of the fittest. By the 1920s, many scientists accepted Darwins theory. This created a culture war between the Fundamentalists, Liberal Christians, and the Modernists. -
Homestead Act
Provided free land in the west as long as the person would settle there and make improvements in five years -
Morrill Act of 1862
This law and the Hatch Act helped the growth of colleges. These laws provided money to states for "land-grant colleges". This created over 100 colleges focusing on mainlu on agricultural research. -
Navada Admitted into the Union
Navada is admitted to the union as the 36th state. -
Sand Creek Massacre
An attack on a village of sleeping Cheyenne Indians by a regiment of Colorado militiamen on 29 November 1864, that resulted in the death of more than 200 tribal members. -
National Labor Union Organized
Made up of 600,000 skilled and unskilled farmers. They fought for 8 hour work days. -
ASPCA Created
(American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) A non-profit organization that was created to prevent cruelty towards animals. -
National Grange Organized
It was a farmer's movement involving the affiliation of local farmers into area granges to work for their political and economic advantages. -
Election of 1868
The Republican Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Democrat Horatio Seymour. The main issue in this election was a bitter monetary policy. -
Knights of Labor Organized
The Knights of Labor was a labor union that fought for economic and social reform. Union was made up of the skilled and unskilled, men and women, and blacks. The leader of this organization was Terence V. Powderly. -
Wedding of the Rails
The first transcontinental railroad was finished on this date when the Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad met in Ogden, Utah. -
Fisk and Gould Corner The Gold Market
They madly bid the price of gold up, while honest businesspeople were driven to the wall, but the Treasury burst their bubble and released the gold. -
Standard Oil Company Organized
Established by John D. Rockefeller, became the worlds largest oil refiner. By 1877. controlled 95% of all the oil refineries in the U.S. -
Tweed Scandal
"Boss" Tweed milked the city of New York of $200 Million through bribery, graft, and fraudulent elections. -
Cre'dit Mobilier Scandal
The Union Pacific Railroad formed the Cre'dit Mobilier construction company and hired themselves at inflated prices to build the railroad. This earned them dividends of 348 percent. -
Election of 1872
Grant defeats the Democratic nominee Horace Greeley. The key issue of the election was the scandalous actions of Grant's office. -
Panic of 1873
Started by banks making large loans to companies that went under, and inflation of money. -
Comstock Law Passed
This law made it illegal to send obscene material thhrough the mail. -
Whiskey Ring
Robbed the Treasury of millions in excise tax revenues. -
Woman's Christian Temperance Union Organiized
An organization led by Francis E. Willard and Carrie A. Nation that worked to prohibit alcohol. These women believed that alcohol and bars took the men away from work and increased violence at home. They were known to walk into a bar and simply chop it ip with a hatchet. -
Invention of the Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell, a teacher of the deaf, invented the telephone in 1876. Women were most effected by this invention because they found jobs as switchboard operators. -
Johns Hopkins University Established
A medical/ graduate school that became the first top-rate graduate school. -
Battle of Little Bighorn
General Custer and his men were wiped out by a coalition of Sioux and Cheyenne Indians led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. -
Colorado Admitted into the Union
Colorado was admitted to the union as the 38th state. -
Election of 1876
Republican, Rutherford B. Hayes beat out Samuel J. Tilden for president. Neither had the majority and 3 states returns werent counted until the Compromise of 1877 gave the remaining votes to Hayes. -
The Compromise of 1877
Compromise gave Hayes the presidency. Also, it signaled the end of reconstruction. -
Nez Perce War
On October 5, 1877, Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph formally surrendered his forces to General Nelson A. Miles and General Oliver Otis Howard at Bear Paw Mountain. This ended the Nez Perce War of 1877. -
Invention of the Electric Light Bulb
Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb after experimenting with six thousand filaments. -
Salvation Army Begins Work in America
An organization that helped anyone struggling to make ends meet by simply handing out soup. -
Dumbbell Tenement Intoduced
High rise urban building that provided barrackslike housing for urban slum dwellers. -
Mary Baker Eddy Establishes Christian Science
A a system of religious thought and practice adopted by the church of Christ. It says that healing does not come from medical treatment, only through faith and prayer. -
Henry George publishes Progress and Poverty
A best selling book that advocated social reform through the imposition of a "single tax" on land. -
Election of 1880
Republican, James A. Garfield defeated Democrat, Winfield Scott Hancock. -
American Red Cross Founded
Founded by famous Civil War nurse, Clara Barton; the American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. -
Garfield's Assassination
James Garfield was assassinated by Charles J. Guiteau. Chester A. Arthur became President. -
Booker T. Washington Becomes Head of Tuskegee Institute
Booker T. Washington developed a plan for bettering the lots for blacks. He created Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. It was a normal school for black teachers and taught hands-on industrial trades. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Prohibited all further immigration from China. Done in response of Chinese immigrants taking jobs at low wages. -
Brooklyn Bridge Completed
This supension bridge came to symbolize American ingenuity, technology, commerce, and also a "can do attitude" within America. -
Metropolitan Opera House Built in New York
This brought European music to elite American audiences. -
Columbian Expostion Held In Chicago
This was held in 1893 in Chicago; honored 400th anniversary of Columbus's first voyage; revival of classical architecture in order to celebrate. -
Federal government outlaws Indian Sun Dance
"An annual Plains Indian culture ceremony given at midsummer when bands and tribes congregated at a predetermined location." This was outlawed by the government in 1884. -
Election of 1884
Democrat, Grover Cleveland defeated republican, James G. Blaine. Election had worst mudslinging of any election before. -
Louis Sullivan Builds First Skysraper
Lousi Sullivan, a Chicago architect, contributed to development of skyscrapers; "form follows function"; helped make sky scrapers popular. -
Linotype Invented
The linotype typesetting machine was used in the printing industry. This machine was able to produce entire lines of type at one time and it help to improve the production of typing. The linotype typesetting machine was able to produce a ninety character keyboard that could mold out the letter forms in no time. This machine would end up helping out the newspaper world, magazine world and much more. -
Wabash Case
The Supreme Court ruled that states had no power to regulate interstate commerce. -
American Federation of Labor Formed
The American Federation of Labor was formed by Samuel Gompers in 1886. It consisted of an association of self-governing national unions. It fought for a fairer share for labor. It was made up of only skilled craftsmen. -
Haymarket Square Bombing
Labor disorders broke out in Chicago, and the police advanced on a labor meeting. A dynamite bomb was thrown and killed or injured several dozen people. Eight anarchist were charged. This event led to the end of The Knights of Labor Union. -
Statue of Liberty Erected
Was built in 1886; located in New York harbor as a gift from France. -
Moody Bible Institute Established
A Christian institution of higher education that was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. -
Interstate Commerce Act
This act that was passed by Congress prohibited rebates and pools and required railroads to publish their rates openly. It forbade discrimination of shippers and outlawed charging more for a short haul than a long one. -
Dawes Severalty Act
Dismantled American Indian tribes, set up individuals as family heads with 160 acres, tried to make rugged individualists out of the Indians. -
American All-Star Baseball team Tours the World
Baseball became very popular and a professional league was started in the 70s. -
Election of 1888
Republican, Benjamin Harrison defeated Grover Cleveland. The main issue was a lower tariff. -
More states admitted into th union
North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming were admitted into the union. -
Jane Addams Founds Hull House
Jane Addams, a social reformer, founded this settlement house in Chicago. This was a place where immigrants came for counseling, literacy training, child care, cultural activites, etc. The creation of settlement houses would eventually lead to activism. -
McKinley Tariff Act
Congress passed this act raising the tariff to its highest peacetime level ever. Lower classes were outraged. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
Act forbade combinations in restraint of trade. -
Local Chapters of Farmers' Alliance formed
The Farmers' Alliance was an organized agrarian economic movement among American farmers that developed and flourished in the 1870s and 1880s. -
National American Woman Suffrage Association Formed
They fought for white woman's right to vote; excluded black women since it would be pushing their luck and gave limited membership to whites. -
Basketball Invented
Basketball was invnted along with several other sports in the 19th Century. William Naismith ivented basketball. -
Election of 1892
Grover Cleveland defeated Benjamin Harrison and Populist candidate, James B. Weaver. -
Depression of 1893
Depression was marked by railroad overbuilding, business failures, bank failures, and a run on the nation's gold supply. -
Anti Saloon Legue Formed
This increased the push against alcohol by singing anti-liquor songs. -
Plessy v. Feguson
Supreme Court ruled "seperate but equal" facilities were constitutional under the 14th Amendment. -
Utah Admitted into the Union
Utah is admitted into union as the 45th state. -
McKinley Defeats Bryan for Presidency
William Mckinley becomes the 25th president. He was a part of the Republican Party. -
Dingley Tariff Act
The William-Gorman Tariff wasn't bringing in enough money,s o congress worked through the Digley Tariff Act that eventually raised tariffs to 46.5%. -
Library of Congress Opens
By the 1900s people were eger to read, so libraries and newspapers satisfied that urge. The Libraryy of Congress opened in 1897. -
Gold Standard Act
People couuld trade in paper money for gold. This brought economic calm and stability. -
NAACP is formed
National Association for the Advancement of Color people; founded by W.E.B. Du Bois in order to achieve complete equality for blacks. -
Indians Granted U.S. Citizenship
Indians were granted citizenship after 25 years if they behaved properly(as white people did) -
Indian Reorganization Act
This secured Indian's rights in America. This is also known as the Indian New Deal.
