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Tammany Hall
Formed in opposition of the Federalist party, the Tammany Hall was a political safehouse for people with Democratic beliefs. The establishment was built to help people in need of political assistance. -
Temperance Movement
The Temperance movement was a big push to reduce alcohol consumption (or even try to eliminate it) beginning in the 1820s. Society portrayed alcohol to be poisonous to your health and mind and family. -
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Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (aka Mark Twain) was an American writer who wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He challenged many issues such as racism, class barriers, access to education, and more. -
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JP Morgan
John Piermont Morgan was one of the most powerful bankers of the time, and with this power he helped finance railroads and organize businesses like General Electric, US Steel, and other large companies. JP was also able to use his expertise to help in the Panic of 1907. -
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John Muir
The “Father of the National Parks” was responsible for the creation of the Grand Canyon, Kings Canyon, Petrified Forest, Yosemite, Sequoia, and Mt. Rainer National Parks. -
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John Rockefeller
As the founder of the Standard Oil Company and the first US business trust, John Rockefeller was the wealthiest man in the world and a great philanthropist. -
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Joseph Pulitzer
A strong Democrat and powerful journalist of his time, he was one of the trailblazers of the modern newspaper and how it’s published. He created the Pulitzer Prize to award works of art in American Journalism. -
Seneca Falls
The Seneca Falls Convention was a women’s suffrage convention meant to spread awareness and gain supporters of the movement. Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote the Declaration of Sentiments, which took inspiration from the Declaration of Independence. -
Social Darwinism
Social Darwinism is the idea that Darwin’s natural selection theory from 1859 applies to the social and economic parts of society. It was eradicated after WWII because of its extreme views being similar to Nazism. -
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Cornelius Vanderbilt and the Railroad
Cornelius Vanderbilt built his fortune off the railroads and steamboats of the United States. He owned several railroads which fueled westward expansion and helped the industries of the US grow. -
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William Hearst
William Hearst was a huge influence to American journalism, as he created the nation’s largest newspaper company, Hearst Communications. He lost a lot of money by spending large amounts of money on art and failed real estate. -
The Salvation Army
Founded in 1865 by William Booth, the Salvation Army’s purpose was to provide for the poor by feeding and housing them. He was a minister and wanted to help the needy in any way he could. -
The Grange
The Grange was an organization that strived to improve agricultural practices and provide benefits for farmers socially and economically. The Grange failed because of how it avoided issues like the railroad and money problems (which didn’t work). -
W.E.B. DuBois
Born 1868, W.E.B. DuBois was a sociologist who started the Niagara movement, which was a push for racial equality. He was a civil rights worker who had many accomplishments to help the African Americans of the United states get the freedoms they deserved. -
Ghost Dance
The Ghost Dance was a ritual where Native Americans would dance to try and get rid of the white settlers and their evil ways. It was so cultural that it was banned in some parts of the US, and was not only a dance, but a movement for other natives. -
Knights of Labor
A large labor union group founded in 1869, consisting of 700,000 members at one time. They supported workers of medium to low skill and were badly affected with the Haymarket riot in 1886. -
Labor Unions in the United States
Labor unions started forming and getting big post-Civil War. The first effective labor union (the Knights of Labor) originated in 1869, but smaller ones existed before it. -
Transcontinental Railroad
The Transcontinental Railroad was one of the greatest systems in the United States history. It shipped over $50 million of goods across the country yearly, promoted and helped westward expansion, and built industries across the country. -
Laissez Faire
Laissez faire, or in other words Capitalism, is a self motivated form of leadership in which leaders are hands-off and members of large groups make decisions. It reached its peak in the 1870s. -
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Gilded Age
The Gilded Age was an era of huge developments and growth in the industrial and manufacturing parts of the economy of the United States. It was a time for both corruption and progress alike. -
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The Second Industrial Revolution
The Second Industrial Revolution, also known as the Technological Revolution, was a period of huge advancements in steel, electricity, and petroleum industries. There was insane amounts of production and manufacturing all throughout the country, strengthening the economy. -
Munn vs Illinois
In this court case the Supreme Court questioned the states’ abilities to regulate private industries. It was ruled that the state government can only regulate private industries if they are for public interest. -
The Railroad Strike of 1877
Beginning on July 14th and lasting until September 4th, the workers of the Ohio and Baltimore railroad protested their third wage cut by blocking all train traffic. This crippled the country for a while since no goods were being moved. -
Tuskegee Normal
The Tuskegee Normal was founded in 1881 by Booker T. Washington for African American men. The purpose was to promote African American men learning and working in industries like agriculture and industrial settings. He received a lot of criticism because he was undoing racism in the country. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Signed by President Chester Arthur in 1882, the Chinese exclusion act prohibited all Chinese immigrants from entering the United States. It was a step back in the reformation the country was going through and only made matters worse for the economy. -
Civil Rights Cases of 1883
The Supreme Court ruled that prohibiting discrimination, and the Civil Rights act of 1875, in public places was unconstitutional. In other words, discrimination was legal. -
Pendleton Act
The Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883 changed the way government jobs were awarded: competitive testing would decide the next job holder, not political reasons. It led to less corruption and more productiveness, and also made it more fair to run for a job. -
Wabash v Illinois
This court ruled that the Illinois granger laws were unconstitutional because of how they interfered with regulation of commerce of the railroads. The states have no power to control how the railroads work. -
Haymarket Riot
Some laborers in Chicago went on strike in Haymarket Square, starting the Haymarket Riot. Someone threw a bomb that killed several police. This event was a huge setback in labor unions causing positive effects on the workforce. -
American Federation of Labor
The AFL was created to support Union workers, similar to the Knights of Labor. Everyone was allowed into the AFL, but it was mostly made up of white men and skilled workers. Strikes were supposed to change their working conditions. -
Solid South
A southern voting bloc that was in favor of the Democratic party and their beliefs at the time. If politicians needed support from Democratic party, they would simply rely on the Southern bloc since most people down in the South were Democratic. -
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act destroyed the freedom of land the natives already had alongside whites living in the United States, forcing them to move to reservations or individual land plots. -
Interstate Commerce Act
The purpose of the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 was to regulate trade between States and different foreign nations. It failed because not every railroad or shipping company operated in several states or nations, so Congress could not control them. -
Gospel of Wealth
A book written by Andrew Carnegie about how important philanthropy is in society from the rich. The book promoted the idea of the rich supporting the poor, which brought more attention to the subject and made it happen. -
Hull House
Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr founded the Hull House in Chicago in 1889 for the public well being. Thousands of people regained their lives through services and programs provided by the Hull House. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
The Sherman Antitrust Act was meant to prevent any sort of monopolies from beginning. The point was to try to slow an economic force that would interfere with other parts of the economy. -
Populist Party
The Populist Party (aka the People’s Party) were agrarian based and wanted to improve the working conditions for farmers and agricultural workers. The Democrats ended up soaking up the Populist Party and their beliefs. -
Ellis Island
The biggest immigration station of the country was set in New York and opened in 1892. It served as a hub for immigrants to enter the country legally, and travel to their destinations. -
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Homestead Strike
The Homestead steel strike lasted 6 days, and was a battle between laborers and a private detective group. This involved shooting, fire, and other violence as the hired detectives attempted to end the strike. It was a major event for labor workers. -
Pullman Strike
After the Pullman Car Company lowered the pay of the workers but not lowering rent or working hours or price of goods from the local store, the workers went on strike. Federal troops were sent to disperse the strike from blocking the postal service and railways of Chicago. -
Cross of Gold Speech
William Jennings Bryan gave his speech to inform the public that they were going to base currency off the silver and not gold standard. He believed the gold standard benefited the wealthy at the expense of the standard worker. -
Andrew Carnegie and the Steel Industry
By 1897, Andrew Carnegie controlled almost the entire steel industry in the United States, from the beginning of the process to the end (called vertical integration). By minimizing costs and maximizing profits, Andrew Carnegie became one of the richest American men in history. -
Founding IWW
The Industrial Workers of the World was founded in Chicago in 1905 by Eugene Debs as a labor union. It was a radical group (with some success) that wanted to overthrow the capitalists. -
Founding of NAACP
The National Association for Advancement of Colored People was founded by Ida B. Wells, and is the largest civil rights organization in the country. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
This factory fire was a very dangerous event, killing 146 workers in Manhattan. Workers could not escape due to locked factory doors, and were burned to death because the fire hoses were rusted closed and firefighters couldn’t reach the 8th and 9th floor. Fire safety laws were passed after the event. -
Hawaii Becomes a State
Hawaii has been a US territory since 1898, but finally became a state in 1959. There was over 50 years of debate on whether or not Hawaii should become a state, and eventually Queen Liliuokalani was overthrown. -
Public School Funded
Public school K-12 funding began in 1965 with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, funded by tax dollars.
