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Alaska is purchased from Russia
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Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
There was a problem finding routes through the west because of the lack of railways. Railways provided land and financing to the Central Pacific and Union Pacific to construct a Western line that would connect with the already existing Eastern lines. The completion of the transcontinental railroad made the west easily accessible, creating good trades, business, and population. The railroad also had an effect on bringing the country together. -
John D. Rockefeller starts Standard Oil
Standard's moved quickly controlling the majority of certain areas such as Cleveland within two years. The purchase of pipelines and terminals helped with the mking od the oil business. Rockefeller created a guiding light for other big businesses and and led to the first American monopoly. -
Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone
He worked with Thomas Watson on the telephone, which would allow him to work on numerous other inventions, including flying machines and hydrofoils. Alexander wasn't the only one to try and invent the telephone, and he wasn't technically the first either. Alexander was, however, the first to get a patent over the phone so we credit him with the invention. -
Thomas Edison brings light to the world with the light bulb
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Samuel Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL)
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Chinese Exclusion Act
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Sherman Anti-trust Act
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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
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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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Tenement Act
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Pres. McKinley is assassinated and Progressive Theodore Roosevelt becomes President
After Roosevelt became president, he confronted the struggle between management and labor and became known as the great “trust buster” for his efforts to break up industrial combinations under the Sherman Antitrust Act. He was the 26th president. Roosevelt also campaigned for McKinley, traveling by train for more than 21,000 miles to speak in 24 states, and McKinley and Roosevelt won in a landslide over Democrats William Jennings Bryan and Adlai E. Stevenson. -
The Philippine Insurrection comes to an end
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The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe doctrine declares the U.S. right to intervene in the Western Hem
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Upton Sinclair releases “The Jungle”
This book exposes different outcomes if unsafe environments. It has opened people's eyes to see death caused by chemicals that plant fertilizers use and chemicals infused into meats. This book leads to more precise safety precautions in the future. -
Pure Food & Drug Act and The Meat Inspection Act are passed
This requires that all food and drugs meant for human consumption must pass strict testing to assure safety and cleanliness. It also made drugs that were habit-forming require a doctor's prescription and have warning labels. The Meat Inspection Act enforced needed regulations in an industry that was revealed to have sanitation and health issues. -
Peak year of immigration through Ellis Island
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Henry Ford produced his first Model T (car)
The idea of Ford was actually stolen from C.R. Patterson which had the only African-American owned automobile company. The Ford Model T was named the most influential car of the 20th century. This car was generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, as well as the car that opened travel to the common middle-class Americans. -
Creation of the NAACP
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The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
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The Assassination on Austria’s archduke Franz Ferdinand starts WWI
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The Panama Canal is completed and opened for traffic
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The United States enters WWI
We joined with our allies Britain, France, and Russia. We entered the war because of the sinking of American merchant ships. To end the war the Treaty of Versailles was signed. -
Ratification of the 18th Amendment - Prohibition
This prohibited the manufacturing, transportation, and sale of alcohol within the U.S. This happened because people believed that alcohol was the reason for violence and other bad things. Not too long after the ratification, the amendment became repealed. -
Women got the right to vote.
Many people did not want women to vote because they believed women could not handle the responsibilities and also because women should worry about nothing except the house and family duties. Women were treated poorly (to put it lightly) and thrown into jails for protesting their wanted right. After a period of time, President Wilson finally caved in and supported the amendment.
