-
Missouri Compramise of 1820
Missouri would be a slave state and all land above 36º 30´ would be free. -
National Trades Union
First national labor union was founded. -
Telegraph is Perfected
Samuel Morse perfected telegraph technology. -
Free Soil Party
This party opposed the expansion of slavery into the newly acquired land from Mexico. -
Catnegie immigrated to the United States.
Andrew Carnegie and his family immigrated to the US. -
Martin Van Buren Loses
Van Buren of the Free Soil Party loses to Zachary Taylor of the Whigs Party. -
Compramise of 1850
California entered the union as a free state. The south was guaranteed that no federal restrictions on slavery would be placed on Utah or New Mexico. -
Kansas- Nebraska Act
Gave the people of Kansas and Nebraska the power do decide for themselves if they wanted slavery or not. Ended the Missouri Compramise by allowing slavery north of latitude 36°30´. -
Republican Party Forms
New political party forms to combat the Kansas- Nebraska Act. -
American Institution of Architecture
Established to professionalize the practice of architecture. -
Rowland H. Macy Opens Department Store
A department store is opened in 1858 and became the largest single store in America. -
Oil in Pennsylvania
Edwin Drake drilled what became the world's first oil well in Titusville, Pennsylvania. -
On the Origin of Species
Charles Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species. -
Harpers Ferry
John Brown attempts to take Harpers Ferry. -
John Brown Executed
John Brown is executed while surrounded by 2000 virginia millitia. His last words were, "beautiful country, beautiful country." -
Election of 1860
Lincoln wins the Election of 1860. -
Southern States Leave the Union
South Carolina and other southen states secede from the union. -
The Confederacy if Formed
The seved states that seceded from the union for the Confederate States of America. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Freed slaves in the rebelling states. -
Draft Law
All capable men were to be subject to military duty. -
Robert E. Lee Surrenders
Lee surrenders and reconstruction begins, -
Ragged Dick, or Street Life in New York
Horatio Alger published his first novel about the story of a poor boy who rose to wealth and fame by working hard. -
Knights of Labor
Uriah Smith Stephens founded a labor union called the Knights of Labor. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment is ratified that guaranteed all male citizens the right to vote. -
Great Chicago Fire
A fire destroys Chicago, kills between 200 and 300 people and leaves more than 100,000 homeless. -
Yellowstone Park
Yellowstone Park is established in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. -
The Guilded Age
Written by Mark Twain, it depicted American society as guilded, or having a rotten core covered in gold paint. -
Baseball becomes a Buisness
Baseball is organized into a buisness by the National League. -
Elecition of 1876
Rutherfod B. Heyes is elected president which in turn ends reconstruction. -
Railroad Strikes
The first major strike occurres in the railroad industry. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Prohibits immigration by Chinese laborers, limited the civil rights of Chinese immigrants already in the United States, and forbade the naturalization of Chinese residents. -
World's First Roller Coaster
Lamarcus Thompson opens the world's first rollar coaster that was ten cents to ride but brought in over $600 a day in income. -
Strike for Shorter Days
Thousands of workers mounted a national demonstration for an eight-hour workday. -
American Federation of Labor
Samuel Gompers formed the American Federation of Labor. -
Interstate Commerce Commission
The ICC is created to oversee railroad operations. -
Streetcars are Invented
Streetcars powered by overhead electric cables are invented in Richmond, Virginia. -
Sherman Antitrust Act is passed.
The Sherman Antitrust Act is passed that outlaws any truse operation. -
Carnegie cuts Wages
In the summer of 1892, a Carnegie Steel plant in Homestead, Pennsylvania, cuts workers' wages. -
Ellis Island
Beginning in 1892, immigrants that arrived in New York Harnor were processed at Ellis Island. -
Maggie: A Girl of the Streets
Written by Stephen Crane, exposed the slums of New York. -
A.R.U. Strike
The A.R.U. called for a nationwide strike and by June of 1894, nearly 300,000 railworkers had walked off their jobs. -
First Subway System
The nation's first subway system is created in Boston. -
Subway System in New York
New York follows Boston and established a subway system of their own. -
Industrial Workers of the World
Debs helps found the Industrial Workers of the World, or Wobblies. -
Edward Corsi comes to America.
!0-year-old Edward Corsi arrives with his family from Italy. He will eventually become an immigration official. -
American society becomes a "melting pot"
The term "melting pot" is used to describe America's diverse culture. The name comes from the name of a play that opened in 1908. -
Education Booms
The number of high schools in the nation jumps from a few hundred in 1870 to over 5,000 in 1910. -
Angel Island
Asian immigrants that arrived in San Francisco Bay were processed in the newly opened Angel Island.