• Presidential Election

    Rutherford B. Hayes elected 19th President
  • 1877 Farmers alliance

    In 1877 Texas farmers form the first agricultural labor union in Lampasas, Texas. They call themselves the Farmers Alliance.
  • 1877 The Great Railroad Strike

    Railroad workers go on strike across the country. The workers' campaign for higher wages was ultimately a failure, but it sowed the seeds for the formation of the first labor unions.
  • 1877 End of Reconstruction

    The Federal Government pulls out of the South and the Democrats take power. This undid most of the building progress in the region.
  • 1879 Henry George

    Henry George's book Progress and Poverty becomes a best seller
  • 1879 Thomas Edison

    In 1879 Thomas Edison displays his invention of electrical lighting and generators to reporters and investors
  • Presidential election 1880

    James A. Garfield becomes the 20th president
  • 1880 Transformation of the Reaper

    Cyrus McCormick industrializes his plants to increase output
  • 1881 Sitting Bull Surrenders

    In 1881 Sitting Bull Surrendered to the US Army, which ended the Native American resistance to the white settlers.
  • 1881 Chester A. Arthur

    Chester Arthur becomes the 21st president
  • 1882 Chinese Exclusion

    Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act that barred the Chinese from entering the country.
  • 1882 Immigration Act

    Congress passes an immigration act that limits immigrants that have no means of support, mentally ill, and criminals from entering the United States.
  • 1883 Buffalo Bill starts Wild West Show.

  • 1885 Presidential Election

    Grover Cleveland became 22nd President
  • May of 1886 Nationwide strike

    The nation grinds to a halt as 3 out of 5 workers go on strike to fight for an 8 hour day.
  • 1887 Interstate Commerce Act

    Act stops discriminatory pricing in the business
  • 1887 Dawes General Allotment Act

    The act split tribes into individual family units, rather than a single tribal group.
  • 1888 Kaiser Wilhelm takes throne in Germany

  • 1889 Benjamin Harrison

    Harrison elected 23rd president
  • 1890 Sherman Anti-Trust Act

    Prevents monopolies in business
  • 1892 Iron Strike

    The Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steelworkers strike at one of Andrew Carnegie's steel mills. State militia called in to break the strike.
  • 1893 Frontier Thesis

    Frederick Turner publishes his Frontier Thesis
  • 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson

    Supreme court case that ruled discrimination is legal as long as separate facilities were equal.
  • Presidential Election 1897

    William McKinley becomes the 25th president
  • 1898 Hawaii becomes American territory

  • 1899 Open Door Policy

    The policy is passed to allow trade with China
  • 1900 Gold Standard

    Gold Standard Act ends the monetary debate by putting the US on Gold Standard