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Henry Bessemer Invents Steel
Henry Bessemer developes a process for purifying iron resulting in a strong but lightweight steel. By 1890, The US was outproducing the British steel manufacturers. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 undid the Missouri Compromise, permitting slavery north of the 36 30'N Latitude. -
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" is published
Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, the book was a powerful condemenation of slaver. Uncle Tom put a human face on slavery for readers who had never witnessed slavery firsthand. The book sold 300,000 copies in its first year, increasing the antislavery movement. -
Elisha Otis and the Safety Elevator
Elisha Otis developed the safety elevator which would not fall if the lift rope were to break. This make it safer to build taller buildings known as skyscrapers. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Congress is trying to settle the issue of slavery in the West. Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which divided the Nebraska Territory into Kansas and Nebraska. -
The Republican Party forms
Opposition to slavery led to the creation of the new Republican Party in 1853. Republicans included abolitionists, antislavery business leaders, and northerners who argued that the Figitive Slave Act intruded into state politics. The Party had 105 seats int he House of Reppresentatives in the 1854 congressional elections. -
Violence Erupts in Kansas
Southern Proslavery forces attacked the free-state town of Lawrence, Kansas. Swift realiation came from New York Abolitionist John Brown. -
The first Department store opens: Macy's
Opened by Rowland H. Macy, it was the first of it's kind. It becamre the largest single store in America. Many other companies followed this kind, Jordan Marsh, Marshall Fields, and Wanamaker's. -
Edwin Drake drilled First oil well
Edwin Drake drilled what became the world's first oil well in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Oil used to come from boiling down whale blubber. -
The Election of 1860
The main race was between Lincold and John Breckinridge. Lincoln wins -
The Union Collapses
Southern states begin to succeed from the Union which South Carolina is the first to do. In the South, The Confederacy is formed in the south and the North remains the Union. -
Fort Sumter Falls
The South had cut off supplies to Fort Sumter and the men that were fighting there ran out of ammo and eventually fell because they could not keep up. After that Lincoln called for 75,000 troops -
The Anaconda Plan
This was the plan that the north adopeted designed to starve the south into submission. -
The Confederacy is Formed
The Seven seceding states established The Confederate States of America. They made their own constitution for a government. -
Lincoln Takes Office
In his inaugural address, Linoln stated that "There would be no war unless the south started it. -
Women become busy
When the war took place, women played a major role in it. They were mostly nusrses that would take care of the wounded. And Many confederate women took to the fields to harvest crops. -
Emacnvipation Proclamation
When Lincoln called for 75,000 men he only got around 16,000. To fix this, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This freed all slaves in the states that were rebelling. They would be treated with respect and then would hopefully join the union Army. -
The Battle Of Gettysburg
This was the turning point for the Civil War. Union troops defeated Robert E. Lee and destroyed 1/3 of his troops. -
The 13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment ended slavery. -
Abraham Lincoln is Assassinated
Lincoln is assinated by John Wilks Booth in a theater and as the nation mourned, Andrew Johnson became president. -
The 14th Amendment
This amendment granted fill citizenship status and rights to every person born in the United Stated including African Americans. -
The Knights of Labor is formed
The Knights of LAbor is a labor union tthat was for workers in any trade, skilled or unskilled. ACtively recruited African Americans. -
The 15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment gaurenteed that no male citizen should be denied the right to vot on the basis of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." -
Troops are Withfrawn from the South
The troops that were in the south making sure that they make a peaceful recovery were withdrawn allowing the people to live their lives. -
Yellowstone National Parl is Created
In response to the rise of industrial waste affecting the environment, Congress set aside protected lands that would eventually become part of the National Park Service and Yellowstone National Park was the first nationsl park created. -
Novel "The Gilded Age" Published
Author, Novelist Mark Twain satirized American life in the novel, The Gilded Age. The thought the american society had a rotten core covered with gold paint. -
The Election of 1876 Ends Reconstruction
This is what signaled the end of Reconstruction. -
Thomas Edison establishes Research Lab
Thomas Edison was supported by wealthy industrialists like J.P. Morgan and then established a research laboratory at Menlo Park, New Jersey. Edison would go on to invent the light bulb and would revieve more that 1,000 patents. -
Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone
Bell patented the telephone and within a few years, 148 telephone companies had strung more than 34,000 miles of wire and long-distance lines linked to the Northesat and Midwest. -
Joseph Pulitzer changes the Newspaper
He pretty much founded the current newspaper including many different sections llike sports, cartoons, ads, and of course, news. -
Chinese Exclusion Act Passed
This act prohibited immigration by Chinese laborers limited, limited the civil rights of Chinese immigrants already in the US, and forbade the naturalization of Chinese residents. -
First roller coaster opens
Lamarcus Thompson opened the world's first roller coaster. It was opened at Coney Island in NYC. -
Formation of the American Federation of Labor (AFL)
Samuel Gompers formed the AFL, which was made up of craft workers. They retained their individuality but gained strength in bargaining throught their affiliation with the AFL. -
Violence Erupts in Haymarket Square
Thousands of workers mounted a national demonstration for and eight-hour workday. Strikes erupted in several cities and fights broke out between stikers and strikerbreakers. -
The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) is Created
In response to unfair rates and unjust business practices the US Senate created the ICC. The ICC monitors railroads and how they do business. -
Electric Streetcars
In Richmond VA, streetcars powered by over head electric cables were introduced to major cities. This began the mass transit system. -
Senate passes the Sherman Antitrust Act
The Sherman Antitrust Act outlawed any trust that operated "In restraint of trade or commerce among the several states." -
People move from Country to City
Many rural-to-urban migrants moved to cities in the 1890s because there were more jobs available, and you could make more money. -
Strike at Homestead
Carnegi Steel in Homestead, PA cut workers wages. The union immediately called a strike. This strik was part of an epidemis of steelworks and miners strikes that took place as economic depression spread across America. -
Angel Island opens
Angel Island in California was the place where immigrants went to. The officals there also filtered out the Chinese travelers were turned away unlesss they could prove that they were American Citizens.