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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