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Alaska is purchased from Russia
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Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
The railroad encouraged trade and westward expansion. The railroad allowed people to transport goods to different parts of the country to sell or trade and travel quicker. It also allowed people to live in the suburbs while working in the city. -
John D. Rockefeller started Standard Oil
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Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone
Alexander was the first person to figure out long distance communication. This was a big deal because things like phones and other technology took off quick. This helped people get messages to people a lot faster than sending a letter. -
Thomas Edison brings light to the world with the light bulb
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Chinese Exclusion Act
Lots of immigrants were coming to the U.S. Immigrants from Asia entered through Angel island and were held prisoner till they were approved. The Chinese exclusion act was passed to prevent Chinese immigrants from entering the U.S. -
Samuel Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL)
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Sherman Antitrust Act
Rockefeller tried to create a monopoly in the oil industry. If one industry creates a monopoly they can make prices a lot higher and regulate who get to use the product. So the Sherman Antitrust act was passed to prevent this from happening. -
Ellis Island opens
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Carnegie Steel’s Homestead Strike
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Plessy v Ferguson
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The U.S. declares war on Spain
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Hawaii is annexed
The US wanted Hawaii for sugar plantations. They also wanted it so they could build a military base. Hawaii is a good place for a military base because it gives ships a place to stop and its closer to some countries than other military bases -
Rudyard Kipling published “The White Man’s Burden” in The New York Sun
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The start of the Boxer Rebellion
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The Philippine Insurrection comes to an end
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Tenement Act
The tenement act outlawed the construction of new tenements. It created mandates that required more sanitary conditions. It also required fire escapes and access to lights. -
Pres. McKinley is assassinated and Progressive Theodore Roosevelt becomes President
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The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe doctrine declares the U.S. right to intervene in the Wesern Hem
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Upton Sinclair releases “The Jungle”
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Period: to
Peak year of immigration through Ellis Island
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Henry Ford produced his first Model T (car)
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Creation of the NAACP
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Pure Food & Drug Act and The Meat Inspection Act are passed
These laws were passed to ensure that all food and drugs that were to be consumed by humans were safe. The book "the Jungle" is what caused these acts because it exposed that these factories were doing and what they were selling consumers. Before these acts were passed old meat would be reprocessed and sold which could make people sick. -
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was when a factory caught fire and burnt down with workers inside. The building was not in good condition and because there was only one elevator to evacuate the building. This event lead to laws that would help create safer working conditions and safety laws for factories. -
The Assassination on Austria’s archduke Franz Ferdinand starts WWI
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The Panama Canal is completed and opened for traffic
President Theodore Roosevelt had The Panama Canal build in hopes of creating a faster way to travel between coasts. It allowed a shortcut so that ships didn't have to go around South America. This made getting goods to and from other countries and between US coasts a lot quicker. -
The United States enters WWI
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Ratification of the 18th Amendment - Prohibition
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Women got the right to vote.
The 19th amendment was passed giving the women the right to vote. This was important because women started getting more rights. Soon they would have all the same rights as men and be seen as equals.
