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The Missouri Compromise is accepted
In 1820, the Missouri Compromise was passed. This was important because it said that Missouri would be a slave state and all territory above 36 degrees 30 North would be free. -
The Fugitive Slave act was passed
This act stated that runaway slaves were to be arrested, given no trial, and all citizens must help capture runaways. This proved to be a problem for some citizens because it said that all citizens had to help, including abolitionists. -
The Compromise of 1850 is passed
The Compromise of 1850 said that California is free and the rest of the new territory is decided by popular vote in the territory. This was important because it undid the Missouri Compromise. -
The novel Uncle Tom's Cabin is published
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe was written in response to the Fugitive Slave Act. It was an important part of the time period because it started the abolitionist movement of the 1850s. -
Elisha Otis invents the safety elevator
The safety elevator was important because it provided workers security when they wanted to go up higher in skyscrapers. -
Rowland H. Macy opens a department store in New York
His department store became the single largest store in America. It used widespread advertising and offered high-quality products at fair prices. -
Edwin Drake drilled the world's first oil well
Before the oil well, oil came from burning whale blubber. However, that was very time consuming, so after Edwin Drake's invention, the oil industry grew. -
Abraham Lincoln wins the election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln was able to elected without a single electoral vote in the south. He was against slavery, which was the main reason that southern states started seceding. -
South Carolina leaves the union
South Carolina was the first southern state to leave the union. They did not support Lincoln's view on slavery and their leaving led to six other states seceding also. -
The Confederacy is formed
When the confederacy was formed, they made their own constitution which protected slavery and promoted state independence. The secession angered the Union and would eventually lead to the Civil War. -
The Civil War begins
Following the attack on Fort Sumter, Abraham Lincoln responds by calling for 75,000 men. This act would officially start the Civil War. -
Abraham Lincoln ends slavery as "official war measure"
To make the war only about slavery, Lincoln passed this act. It stated that any states under rebellion had to free their slaves. It did not outlaw slavery, give free slaves citizenship, and it did not compenstate the owners. -
The Union captures Vicksburg, Mississippi
During the Siege of Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Grant gained five victories in three weeks, resulting in the surrender of 30,000 Confederate troops. Also, due to the Anaconda Plan, the Confederate territory was split apart. -
The Union troops win the Battle of Gettysburg
General Lee from the South wanted to win a surprise victory and then continue on to Washington D.C. However, the Union soldiers defeated his army at the town of Gettysburg. This would mark the last major Confederate attempt to invade the North. -
General Lee surrenders to Grant
By this time, the Confederate soldiers were greatly exhausted. Their capital had been captured by the Union soldiers. These two reasons led to General Lee surrendering to Grant. -
Abraham Lincoln is assassinated
Before he was killed, Lincoln was working on a Reconstruction plan for the nation. However, he was still trying to gain support for his plan before he was killed. Andrew Johnson, the Vice President, would become the new President. -
The 13th amendment is ratified
When the 13th amendment was adopted, it officially ended slavery. Also, the states' rights were upheld and the laws of the individual states would take precedence over federal regulations. -
Horatio Alger publishes Ragged Dick, or Street Life in New York
The novel was very successful and told the story of a poor boy who rose to wealth and fame by working hard. It stressed the possibility that that anyone could go from poverty to wealth and fame. -
The 14th amendment is ratified
The 14th amendment gave anyone who was born in the United States full citizenship and rights. This included African Americans. -
The number of corporations in America increased dramatically
Corporations were important because the economy was centered around industries. They were trying to maximize their profits by advertising their products widely. -
The 15th amendment is ratified
The 15th amendment said that any male citizen had the right to vote. It also says the right to vote can not be denied because of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. -
Mark Twain wrote the novel The Gilded Age
The novel described America as being covered by gold but having a rotton core. This would be the name to describe America in the last decades of nineteenth century. -
Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone
Bell's patent would lead to telephone companies stringing more than 34,000 miles of wire, and links between cities in the Northeast and Midwest. -
The Railroad strikes began
The Railroad strikes were caused in response to cuts in workers' wages. The effect of them was it set the scene for violent strikes to come. -
The Chinese Exclusion Act is passed
This act prohibited immigration by Chinese laborers, limited the civil rights of Chinese immigrants already in the United States, and forbade the naturalization of Chinese residents. -
Lamarcus Thompson opens the world's first rollercoaster
Thompson earned a very big profit from the rollercoaster. Although some people enjoyed other activities, many payed the fees to ride the exciting new rollercoaster at Coney Island. -
The Haymarket Square strike began
The Haymarket Square strike was caused because it was part of a campaign to acheive an eight-hour workday. The effect of the strike was labor unions were starting to lose power in the U.S. -
The American Federation of Labor was founded
The AFL was focused on workers' specific issues such as wages, working hours, and working conditions. It also wanted workplaces where only union workers were working. -
The U.S. created the Interstate Commerce Commision (ICC)
The ICC was created in order to watch over railroad operations. It was the first federal body ever set up to monitor American business operations. -
Streetcars powered by overhead electric cables were invented
Streetcars were important because they started a transportation revolution. They led to Mass transit or public systems that could transport large numbers of people. -
Many cities had large immigrant populations
In some cities, immigrants made up a large part of the population. They worked in factories and started to assimilate into the American society. -
The United States started outproducing British steel manufacturers
Steel brought many new inovations to the United States. It was used to build skyscrapers and elevators. Its most important use was for suspension bridges. -
Senate passes the Sherman Antitrust Act
The act outlawed any trust that operated in restaint of trade or commerce among the several states. This act and the ICC began a trend toward federal limitations on corporations' power. -
Jacob Riis wrote the newspaper article called "How the other half lives"
Jacob Riis wrote this article to tell people what living in the Tenements was like. He wrote that they had few windows, little sanitation, were unhealthy, and dangerous. -
The Homestead strike begins
The Homestead strike was caused by steelworkers being angry because their wages were being cut. The effect of the strike was Unions continued to lose power in the U.S. -
The Pullman strike begins
The Pullman strike was caused by wages being cut without the cost of living being decreased. The effect of the strike was employers used the coutts to limit the influence of unions. -
A court case establishes that Chinese people born in America were United State citizens
This case established that Chinese people who were born in America could come and go as often as they wanted. Sadly, many immigration officials ignored this ruling.
