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Missouri Compormise
Missouri Compormise of 1820 stated that Missouri would be a slave state, and all land about 36 degrees 30 N would be free. -
National Trades Union
The first national labor union was founded in 1834 as the National Trades Union, open to workers from all trades. It lasted only a few years, and no new unions formed in the wake of the depressions of the late 1830s. -
Wilmot Proviso
David Wilmot proposed the Wilmot Proviso which called for a ban on slaver in any territory that the U.S gained from Mexico as a result of the war. However, this was defeated in the senate. This was important because it helped spur the rise of antislavery political parties. -
Communist Manifesto
The German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels expanded on the ideas of socialism in a treatise tilled Communist Manifesto. This pamphlet denounced capitalism and predicted that workers would overturn it. -
Fugitive Slave Act
This act stated that all runaway slaves should/ will be arrested and given no trial. Also, all citizens must help capture them. -
Compromise of 1850
Congress passed the Compromise. It stated that California will come in as a free state. Also, the remaining territory will be decided by the popular vote. This was important becuase it heavily contrasted with the Missouri Compromise, -
Safety Elevator
In the 1850s, Elisha Otis developed a safety elevator that would not fall if the lifting rope broke. -
American Institute of Architecture
The American Institute of Architecture was established in 1857 to professionalize the practice. its members encouraged specific education and official licensing in order to become an architect. -
Department Store
Rowland H. Macy opened a department store in New York in 1858. It became the larges single store in America. -
Oil Well
Edwin Drake drilled what became the world's first oil well in Titusville, Pennsylvania. This became very important for light and fuel. After this, the oil industry grew quickly after 1859 and encouraged the growth of related industries such as kerosene and gasoline. -
On the Origin of Species
Biologist Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. This argued that animals evolved by a process of "natural selection" and that only the fittest survived to reporduce. This served as the basis of Social Darwinism -
Election of 1860
The Election of 1860 took place. Douglas, Bell, and Lincoln were the cadidates this year. In the end, Lincoln won. This is very important because this sparked South Carolina's decision to secede. -
Meeting in Charleston
Southern States hold a meeting in Charleston. This is where South Carolina officially decides to secede. Afterwards, six other states also do the same. -
Kansas Enters Free
Kansas enters the union as a free state. This results after the Kansas -Nebrakska Act. -
Confederacy is Formed
On this date, the Confederate States of America is formed by the seven seceded states. They formed a new constitution and had Jefferson Davis as their president. -
Battle at Fort Sumter
During this battle, there comes a point where the Union forces need supplies, but the southern ships cut off all resources. Eventually the Union runs out of ammunition and loses the fort. This sparks the Civil War. -
Anaconda Plan
This plan cut off the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexio in order to cut off the supplies of the South. -
Suspension of Habeus Corpus
Lincoln suspended Habeus Corpus as a result of the various riots against the Draft law. This allowed Union soldiers to make arrests on anyone who was thought to be "disloyal". -
Emancipation Proclamation
The draft issue of the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on this date. It freed the slaves in the "rebelling" states.i However it did not outlaw slaver, give them citizenship, or reimburse the owners. -
Draft Law
Congress passed a Draft Law which required able-bodied men to serve in the army. This sparked several protests and riots. In response to these riots, Lincoln suspends Habeas Corpus. -
Lee Surrenders
Robert E. Lee surrenders to Sherman after he begins a "total war". People consider this the end of the Civil War. -
Lincoln Assassinated
Lincoln was assassinated in Ford's Theater. He was shot by John Wilkes Booth. His vice president Andrew Johnson takes office. -
13th Amendment Adopted
The 13th Amendmet officially ended slavery. However, it did not grant previous slaves citizenship. -
14th Amendment Adopted
The 14th Amendment was adopted on this date. It stated that all people born in the U.S are U.S citizens. This included previous slaves. -
Knights of Labor
Uriah Smith Stephens founded a labor union called the Knights of Labor. -
15th Amendment Ratified
This amendment gave voting rights to all males. This took off the previous requirement of being a tax-payer. This also included previous slaves. -
Reasearch Laboratory
Thomas Edison established a research laboratory at Menlo Park, New Jersey. This was very important because it led to many of his various inventions. -
Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone. This was very important because it transferred messages to people much quicker than the telegraph. -
Election of 1876
This Election was between Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes. Tilden won the popular vote, but he did not win the election. Hayes & Tilden made an agreement that all troops will leave the South once Hayes enetered office. This essentially ended Reconstruction. -
Immigrants
In 1881, nearly three quarters of a million immigrants arrived in America -
Theater
IN 1881, an entrepreneur named Tony Pastor opened a theater in New York, aiming to provide families with a "straight, clean variety show." This sparked the increase of theaters and gave people more options for things to do during recreational times. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Extremem hostility toward Chinese laborers led Congress to pass the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. The act prohibited immigration by Chinese laborers, limited the civil rights of Chinese immigrants already in the US, and forbade the naturalization of Chinese residents. -
Roller Coaster
Lamarcus Thompson opened the world's first roller coaster. This enhanced the various ways people had fun at the time. -
Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)
The United States Senate created the INterstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to oversee railroad operations. This was the first federal boyd ever set up to monitor American business operations. -
Streetcars with Electric Cables
In 1888, Richmond, Virginia, introduced the streetcars powered by overhead electric cables. Within a decade, every major city followed. It was the beginning of a transportation revolution. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
The senate passed the Sherman Antitrust Act, which outlawed any trust that operated "in restraint of trae or commerce among the several states." This, paired with the ICC, began a trend toward federal liimitations on corporations' power. -
Ellis Island
Beginning in 1892, the immigrants were processed at Ellis Island. Here, they were inspected on the ship and released. -
Homestead Strike
This was part of an epidemic of steelworkers' and miners' strikes that took place as economic depression spread across America. This strike resulted from wages being cut. After this, the public opinion of unions began turning. -
Pullman
This strike was caused by wages being cut while the cost of living was not. This particular strike was important because unions began to lose their power. -
Wireless Telegraph
Guglielmo Marconi invented the wireless telegraph. This was important because it led to the innovation in developing the radio. -
Subway System
Boston began to run the cars underground in the nation's first subway system. This greatly helped solve the problem of traffic within the cities. -
Literacy Rate
The literacy rate climbed to nearly 90% by 1900 due to the increase of schools. -
Airplane Flight
IN 1903, the first successful airplane flight occured by Orville and Wilbur Wright. This was a major breakthrough for the country. -
Angel Island
Angel Island was opened in 1910. Here, Chinese and other Asian immigrants were processed.