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Alexander G. Bell Invents Telephone
Bells success came through his experiments in sound and him and his family having an interest in assisting the deaf. Before the invention of the telephone he was working on a harmonic telegraph with Watson, until he became interested in the idea of transmitting voices over wires. His invention of the telephone lead him to go and work on numerous of other inventions including flying machines and hydrofoils. -
Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
The completion of this railroad connected the west with the world, it lead California to rapid growth. It also made travel more affordable for everyone and changed where Americans lived. Unfortunately the railroad increased racial conflicts because white workers were running into immigrant laborers. -
Thomas Edison invents light bulb
Although Edison didn't come up with the concept of the light bulb his was the first affordable and practical one for home illumination. The trick was choosing a filament that would be durable and inexpensive, him and his team chose carbonized bamboo after testing multiple materials. He stated that the material would last a life time and give out the most brilliant light the world had ever seen. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion act had a big impact in 1902 when they made Chinese immigration illegal. The population of Chinese people in the US sharply declined. American experience with Chinese exclusion induced later movements for immigration restriction against other groups. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
The act was passed at a time when there was extreme hostility toward monopolies like standard oil. It received immediate public approval because these big businesses were running small ones out and consumers had to pay high prices. It is broken down into 3 sections, everyone explaining that part of the act. -
Carnegie Steel's Homestead Strike
Frick, the plant manager called for three hundred Pinkerton guards but when they arrived they were met by ten thousand strikers. They eventually had to surrender and run a gauntlet through the crowd. In total about 9 strikers and 7 guards were killed and many injured. -
Plessy V. Ferguson
The Plessy v. Ferguson verdict enshrined the doctrine of “separate but equal” as a constitutional justification for segregation. There were many segregated public facilities including pools, buses, schools, hotels, and theaters not just intrastate railroads. Some believed that segregated school violated the constitution and some didn't -
The Start of the Boxer Rebellion
A Chinese secret organization called the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists led an uprising in northern China against the spread of Western and Japanese influence there. The rebels referred to the Westerners as Boxers because of the physical exercises they did. The rebellion ended with the signing of the Boxer Protocol on September 7, 1901. -
Upton Sinclair releases "The Jungle"
Sinclair wrote this book to expose the shocking working conditions in the meat packing industry. His description of the unsanitary and contaminated meat lead to new federal food safety laws. The Jungle is about human greed and the social damage it does. -
Ratification of the 18th Amendment
The movement for the probation of alcohol began in the early 19th century. Americans were concerned about the unfavorable effects of drinking and started forming temperance societies. By the late 19th century these groups became a powerful political force.
