Download - U.S. History Timeline (Nikki)
U.S. History TimelineNikki Madle
KEY
Political/Social
Major Events Important People
Organizations
Other
1850 1850 1857
Soddy
A house made mostly of actual land. It stayed cool in the summer, and warm in the winter. The main problem, was the fact that it constantly leaked.
Frederick Law Olmstead
He drew up the plans for what would
become Central Park.
Bessemer Process
This process was developed independently by the British manufacturer Henry Bessemer, and American iron maker William Kelley. This process increased the steel production rate.
1850’s
Bimetallism
This monetary system consisted of
the government giving gold or silver to citizens in return for paper money. Greenbacks were usually the only
thing used after the 1850’s, though this
system lasted nearly 60 years.
1859 1860 1860Social DarwinismIt grew out of an English Naturalist, Charles Darwin, and his theory of biological evolution. His observations about natural selection, made him a very famous scientist.
Kickback
Illegal payment for service. It was a corrupt method in politics, used for personal gain.
Graft
The illegal use if of political influence for
personal gain.
1860’sGreat Plains
Beginning in the 1860’s, life began to flourish in this area. The people had distinct and highly developed ways of life, and trade was regulated by tribal law.
1860’sLong Drive
The cowboy lifestyle became well known during this period of time. The long drive was the overland transport of about 250 to 300 head of cattle, which lasted about 3 months. Cowboys lived with the constant fear of losing their cattle.
Charles Darwin
1862 1862 1864
Homestead Act
Offered 160 acres of land free to any citizen or intended citizen who was the head of the household. It attracted people to the west.
Massacre at Sand Creek
Wanting the Native Americans to suffer more, General Curtis ordered John Chiving and his troops to attack the Sand Creek Camp. They killed over 150 inhabitants, mostly women and children.
Exodusters
African Americans who moved from the post reconstruction south to Kansas.
Credit Mobilier
A construction company formed by the union pacific railroad that was able to lay and sell tracks at two to three times the actual cost. They pocketed the profits.
1864
Sand Creek Massacre
1867
Grandfather Clause
It stated that even if a man failed the
literacy test, or could not afford the poll tax, he could still
vote if his father or grandfather had
voted before January of 1867.
Oliver Kelley
This man started the patrons of husbandry, an organization for farmers that later became known as Grange. This organization led to many other alliances between farmers and sympathetic citizens.
1867 1868
Sitting Bull
He refused to sign the treaty of Laramie, which would turn over he and his people’s land.
1865
Andrew Carnegie
Born in poverty, he began working at a railroad station. After solving a train back up, his boss allowed him to invest in stock. By 1865, he made enough money to quite his job and begin investing in other things. He donated a lot of his money to charity.
1868
Tammany Hall
The name of the New York political machine. It was extremely corrupt, and run by Boss Tweed.
1870
Jacob Riss
He left his life in Denmark so he could dedicate his life to police reporting. In his reports, he exposed the horrifying conditions of the poor section of New York.
1869
Tweed Ring
It was a group of corrupt politicians who set out to defraud the city. The group was led by Boss Tweed
Transcontinental Railroad
Began to span the nation as more and more tracks were
laid down. The first railroad met at
promontory Utah. The railroad system
made trade and supply transportation much more efficient.
1869
1870’s
Fredrick Law Olmestead
He planned landscaping for
Washington D.C., and St. Louis. He also drew up the designs for ‘The
Emerald Necklace,’ Boston’s park
system.
Grange
An organization for farmer that’s original
purpose was to provide a social
outlet and an educational reform
for isolated farm families.
Segregation
This movement was instated to separate
white and black people in public and
private facilities.
Tenement
Multifamily urban dwellings that were overcrowded and unsanitary. These buildings were filled with immigrants.
(Grange)
1872 1876 7/2/1877
Mail Order Catalog
Ward’s catalog went from being only a
single page, to becoming an entire
booklet, with directions in seven different languages. It was a landmark for American efficiency.
Telephone/ Alexander Bell
He unveiled the telephone, opening
new opportunities for office work. Women began to enter the
workforce in greater numbers, and the
doorway to nationwide
communication had been opened.
The Great Strike
Workers for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad struck to
protest their second wage cut in two
months.
1870’s
Jim Crow Laws
Segregation laws became later known as Jim Crow laws.
Eugene V. Debbs
He helped to form the first lodge for
The Brotherhood of Locomotive
Firemen.
1875
(Montgomery Ward)
1880’s 1880
Wild Bill Hickock
He became well known during this time, when he began to appear in the Wild West show, which reenacted fights between Indians and cowboys. Before his time there, he served as a spy in the Civil War, and became a Marshall in Kansas.
Thomas Edison patented his long lasting lamp, made of bamboo filament. Soon after, he produce an entire system for generating and distributing electrical power.
1874
George A. Custer
A colonel who spread the word about gold in the Indian's land. The Indians appealed to congress for help protecting their land, but they were turned away. When Custer and his troops reached the Little Bighorn River, they were all killed by the Native Americans.
Eugene V. Debb
He formed the first industrial union-The Railway Union. In
1875, it won a strike for higher wages,
giving hope to unionists everywhere.
1875
1881 18831882
Booker T. Washington
After he graduated from Virginia's
Hampton University, he became the head of the Tuckasegee Normal Industrial
Institution, now called Tucasegee University.
Chinese Exclusion Acts
Banned entry to all Chinese, except
students, teachers, merchants, tourists,
and government officials It was in place for nearly twenty years..
Joseph Pulitzer
He was a Hungarian Immigrant who bough ‘The New York World,’ a popular news paper. He filled his stories with sex, sin, and sensation, to surpass his competitors.
1881
Assimilation
A plan under which Native Americans
would have to give up their beliefs and way of life to become part
of white culture.
1886 1886 1886
Settlement Houses
These were community centers
in slum neighborhoods, that provided assistance
to people in the area. It was
especially helpful to immigrants.
Samuel Gompers
This was the man who led the Cigar
Makers International Union, which later joined with other
craft unions. He later was elected
president of the American Federation
of Labor.
Haymarket Affair
Three thousand people gathered to
protest police brutality A bomb was
thrown, and police opened fire into
enemy lines. Seven police officers were killed, and a several
workers as well.
John D. Rockefeller’s
Monopoly
After surpassing his competition, by
making his oil prices cheaper than it cost to make them, he
gained control of the entire oil business.
This gave him a total monopoly over oil,
and gave him incredible wealth.
1885
1886 1887 1888
Colored Farmer’s National Alliance
This alliance was formed by a white
Baptist missionary. It promoted
cooperative buying and selling. Unlike
white organizations, they had to work in
secret to avoid racially motivated
violence.
George Eastman
He sold the first roll film camera, by developing an
alternative to the heavy glass plates
that were being used.
Dawe’s Act
The act broke up reservations, and while it gave some land to individual
Native Americans, most of the land
went to American settlers. They
received nothing in return for their land, though they were
promised payment.
1888
Poll Tax
This annual tax had to be paid before
qualifying to vote. It kept the poor from
voting.
1889 1890 1890
Jane Adams
She was a very influential women who believed in helping win child
labor laws. She also helped to found the
first Hull House.
Sherman Anti Trust Act
This act made it illegal to form a trust that interfered with free trade between states or with other
countries.
Ghost Dance
This ritual was explained by a
paiute prophet, who told them that if they performed a ghost dance, their way of
life would be restored. The dance
frightened nearby soldiers, and ended
in bloodshed.
1890
Vaudeville Theater
Performances were mainly done by
African American actors, and included
dance, juggling, slapstick comedy,
and sometimes chorus line of female
performers. It was the Broadway of the
19th century.
1890’s 1892 1892Political Machine
These were corrupt political parties that offered service to
voters and businesses who
offered them financial support.
Scab
During the Great Strike of 1877 and
other strikes, Scabs were hired to deal with the strikers. A scab is just another
name for a strike breaker.
Ellis Island
This was the major immigration station
in the U.S. Only about 2% of the immigrants who
applied for entrance, were denied. An
estimated 17 million people passed
through the facility.
1895W.E.B. Du Bois
The 1st African American to receive
a doctorate from Harvard University.
This was a landmark for the hopes of
African American education.
1892Mugawumps
In the presidential election of 1892, these republicans refused to vote for
the presidential candidate. They instead voted for
Grover Cleavland, winning him the
election.
1896 1896
Plessey Vs. Ferguson
In this court case, the supreme court
ruled that segregation of the
races in public facilities was legal, and did not violate
the fourteenth amendment.
Debt Peonage
A system that bound laborers into slavery in order to work off a
debt to the employer.
Cross of Gold Speech
This speech was given passionately at the democratic convention, by a
man named William Jennings Bryan. The
speech’s position was against the gold
standard.
19021895
William Hearst
He purchased the New York Morning
Journal. He filled the journal with
exaggerated tales of personal scandals, cruelty, hypnotism, and even imaginary conquests on Mars.
1907-1908 1910 1911
Gentlemen’s Agreement
Japan agreed to limit the emigration of
unskilled workers to the U.S., in
exchange for a repeal of the San
Francisco Segregation Order.
Debt Peonage
It was finally declared
unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
Angel Island
This was the Immigration Station for the west coast, located in the San
Francisco Bay, More than fifty thousand
Chinese immigrants entered the United
States here.
Oreville and Wilbur Wright
Their first flight was at Kitty Hawke, North
Carolina, and covered one hundred
feet in twelve seconds. In two
years, they increased the distance to twenty
four miles.
12/1903
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