1. (1869) Knights of Labor Founded: This was the first National Union. Uriah Stephens, a Philadelphia tailor, founded it. The union had many goals including an eight-hour workday, equal pay for men and women, no working children under 14, and government ownership of railroads and telegraph lines.
When this union was founded it had many political, social, and economic effects on the country. It affected the country politically because if the union got there way the government would control the railroads and telegraph lines, which would give the government more power. It affected the country socially because it strengthened ties between the lower class people in the union. They all worked together to try to accomplish their goals. It affected the country economically because the strikes they caused made big businesses lose money because there were no workers .
2. (1876) Sioux Defeat Custer at Little Big Horn: Prior to this battle there was a huge increase in competition for space and resources. This pushed the U.S. to fight the Indians. Custer’s men moved in thinking that it was going to be a very easy battle but they were shocked when they found out that the Indians didn’t try to run. The Indians won the battle.
When the Sioux won the battle it caused many political, social, and economic effects. It affected the country politically because it made the US have more respect for the Indians. The armies wouldn’t just rush in and use stupid strategy. It affected the country socially because it made the American people more afraid of the Indians. People were under the impression that the Indians massacred the American troops. There were newspapers that read, “Indian Savages Massacre US Troops.” It also affected the country economically because it didn’t allow the U.S. to expand to the Midwest and benefit from the resources for the time being.
3. (1876) Light Bulb Invented: Thomas A. Edison perfected the light bulb and made it more efficient. He created the light bulb in his workshop in Menlo Park, New Jersey. Many people were working the light bulb at the time but he was able to perfect it and make it efficient.
This had many effects on the country politically, socially, and economically. IT affected the country politically because it allowed big businesses to have workers work longer, which made labor unions furious. Many people lobbied for better working conditions, which put the government under a lot of pressure. It also affected the country socially because it extended the eight-hour workday and people didn’t have as much time to do other things. It affected the country economically because it increased the need for power plants. This created jobs to set up the infrastructure and work the power plants.
4. (1877) Railroad Strike: This strike took place in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The workers went on strike because there were bad working conditions and wage cuts. The strike ended up being put down by the state militia.
The strike affected the country politically, socially, and economically. It affected the country politically because it led to many statutes being created. States wanted to prevent future strikes like this one from happening. They also created more militias to be able to put down a future strike like the Railroad Strike. It affected the country socially because it brought union workers close together and it also gave union workers a bad name because they were considered dangerous. It also affected the country economically because railroad companies lost a lot of money because they were unable to run the system without the workers.
5. (1886) Haymarket Square Riot: This was a part of many labor demonstrations. The riot took place in Chicago’s Haymarket Square. Workers were very angered about working conditions. In the riot a bomb went off, which killed police. This had some serious consequences.
The riot affected the country politically, socially and economically. It affected the country politically because the riot was blamed on the influence of radicals. It also affected the country socially because it made people scared to join labor unions because of the violence. It also created a strong divide in the ideals between labor unions. It also affected the country economically because it made unions less respected and it didn’t help their cause. There agenda wasn’t passed either and it changed how big businesses worked.
6. (1889) Hull House Founded: This house worked to reform many things. They helped out many people during the late 19th century and they still do today. Jane Addams and Ellen Starr founded it. They worked on trying to get equal opportunity for women in the early 20th century.
When the Hull House was founded it affected the country politically, socially, and economically. It affected the country politically because it created many reform movements, which lobbied for that cause, which in turn changed laws. It also affected the country socially because it made people reform and have more respect for minority groups. It also made people caring and helpful. It also affected the country economically because the reform movements needed money, which drove the economy.
7. (1890) Sherman Antitrust Act: Prior to this act there were many financial panics, which led to the loss of jobs. This made the government need a way to keep the economy from getting hurt in any way. They created the Sherman Antitrust Act, which forbid “any combination… or conspiracy in the restraint of trade.”
This act affected the country politically, socially and economically. It affected the country politically because the wording wasn’t very good so it allowed the Supreme Court to interpret each case as fit, which usually was against the labor unions. An example of this was the case U.S v. E.C. Knight Co. in 1895. They ruled that the law didn’t apply because it was local manufacturing. It also affected the country socially because it stopped people from coming together and creating labor unions because they always got stopped because they were supposedly in “restraint of trade.” It also affected the country economically because it was supposed to stop monopolies and it didn’t help laborers.
8. (1890) Battle of Wounded Knee: This battle started because American troops felt threatened by the “Ghost Dance.” The “Ghost Dance” is said to get rid of the white people and allow all Indians to take their land back but the US troops thought it was a war dance so they attacked. The US just annihilated the Indians with machine guns. This was the last chapter in the Indian wars.
This battle affected the country politically, socially, and economically. It affected the country politically because it showed that the government didn’t care about the Indians. It also showed that the US really believed in Manifest Destiny. It also affected the country socially because it made it so assimilated Indians were completely subordinate to whites. Indians had no respect. It also affected the country economically because now that the Indians were all gone they received all that land that the Indians were on and were able to expand.
9. (1890) Close of the Frontier: This made it so there were no more grants of land in the frontier. It forced the country to expand internationally rather than just in the continental US. It forced the US to think about foreign policy.
The close of the Frontier affected the country politically, socially, and economically. It affected the country politically because they had to create ties with other countries so they could trade and find more resources. It affected the country socially because it made people more interested about the rest of the world rather than just the US. Many people thought about expanding or going somewhere else. It affected the country economically because it put a lot of pressure on the agricultural market of America. They suffered from overproduction and had to find other markets outside the US.
10. (1890) Influence of Sea Power on History, 1660-1783 Published: It was written by Captain Alfred T. Mahan. It explained how successful countries of the past had very strong navies. It also influenced policy makers and changed many thing.
This book affected the country politically, socially, and economically. It affected the country politically because it expanded foreign commerce. It showed the policy makers the importance of getting involved in the world. It also made the US start to expand. The US realized that if they expanded they would emerge as a world power and they wouldn’t fall behind. It also affected the country socially because it showed people why it was important to expand. It made people want to take the risk and get new lives. It also affected the country economically because it led to expansion, which opened new trade options with other countries. This was beneficial to the economy.
11. (1892) Ellis Island Opens: Ellis Island opened for immigration purposes. Castle Garden and the Battery in Lower Manhattan were inadequate to support all of the immigrants coming through New York. Between 1892 and 1924, 22 million immigrants entered through Ellis Island.
This had many effects on the country politically, socially, and economically. This affected the country politically because it led to laws to limit immigration because so many immigrants were coming in. Also the immigrants who did come in created more schools to educate themselves. It also affected the country socially because immigrant communities grew and were created throughout cities. It also led to many conflicts between ethnic groups. A positive effect that came of the immigration was an increase in culture. It also affected the country economically because it increased the amount of workers available and allowed goods to be produced cheaper. It also put many people out of work as a result of the increased work force.
12. (1894) Pullman Strike: George Pullman invented the railroad sleeping cars and a “model” town to create them. In this town the workers payed higher rents and prices for goods than other nearby towns on average about 10%. Pullman them raised rents and didn’t raise wages. The workers then went on strike.
This strike affected the country politically, socially, and economically. It affected the country politically because it showed that the government would intervene in strikes. It also divided the Democratic Party on what should be done. It also affected the country socially because it made Unions subject to laws and wouldn’t let people try to change things. It also affected things economically because the unions were unable to get any benefits from companies.
13. (1896) Plessy v. Ferguson: This all started when Homer A. Plessy appealed a decision about holding segregation in railroad cars. It was decided that it was legal to have “separate but equal” facilities. The Supreme Court voted 7-1 in favor of Ferguson.
This case had many affects on the country politically, socially, and economically. This affected the country politically because it set the precedence of the “separate but equal” facilities. It also affected the country socially because it made blacks subordinate to whites. Although it says equal it is clearly not equal in all facilities. It also affected the country economically because it allowed discrimination on things if there was another equal thing. It was not equal so blacks didn’t get equal opportunity.
14. (1898) Teller Amendment: This was an amendment that said that the U.S. had no intention to annex or control Cuba. They wanted other countries to know their intentions. They only wanted to help out Cuba and not try to take over it.
This amendment affected the country politically, socially, and economically. It affected the country politically because it was the start of the US helping other countries in the Western Hemisphere for the sake of helping and not getting anything in return. It also affected the country socially because it brought the citizens together made them want to get involved. It also affected the country economically because it made sure that US wouldn’t be able to expand into Cuba. We also got good relations with Cuba, which meant good sugar trade with them.
15. (1898) Sinking of the Maine: This was a US ship that was sunk off the coast of Cuba. It was there to watch over Cuba and make sure Spain didn’t try to attack. It exploded and US thought Spain did it so they got very mad. They never found out if it was an internal explosion or if Spain did it.
The Sinking of the Maine had many effects on the country politically, socially, and economically. It affected the country politically because it made President McKinley push Spain to agree to an armistice in the fighting. It also affected the country socially because it made people scared about a war possibly about to breakout with Spain. People were also scared of the loss of lives. It also affected the country economically because they lost a ship and it led to a war where they had to pay a lot of war costs.
16. (1898) The Spanish American War Begins: The US wanted to help Cuba achieve their independence and America was angry about the loss of the Maine. The US tried for the longest time to reach a diplomatic solution but couldn’t get one. Both sides believed that their cause was just. The war began with a naval victory for the US on May 1, 1898.
This war affected the country politically, socially, and economically. It affected the country politically because at the conclusion of the war the US was awarded the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Also McKinley needed to advertise his foreign policy so he took tours around the country, Presidents usually didn’t do that. It also affected the country socially because it brought a greater sense of nationalism because the people wanted to unite against Spain and many people signed up for the army. It also affected the country economically because they got the Philippines at the end of the award, which was a very good trade spot in the Pacific. They also had to pay the costs of war.
17. (1900) Gold Standard Act: President McKinley wanted to have an international agreement with silver but failed. The Senate them passed the Gold Standard Act, which reaffirmed gold and only gold was the basis for the US currency.
This act affected the country politically, socially, and economically. It affected the country politically because it showed that the president couldn’t get anything he wanted from Europe and that the US wasn’t the biggest world power. It also affected the country socially because it made the currency inflate because of discoveries of gold and this brought a lot of people’s confidence up. It also affected the country economically because it relieved pressures on agriculture because there was inflation. This helped the economy a lot.
18. (1901) President McKinley Assassinated: He was assassinated in Buffalo New York. Theodore was the vice president at the time and then he became the president. When Roosevelt became president it led to the progressive era. This was a very big deal.
The Assassination affected the country politically, socially, and economically. It affected the country politically because it led to the reform of the political parties. People thought the government had too much power. Obviously it also changed the president. It also affected the country socially because Roosevelt dealt more with reform than expansion and they got better working conditions and equal opportunity with the square deal. It also affected the country economically because it led up to arguments if the government should regulate the economy and Roosevelt dealt more with equal economic opportunity.
19. (1902) The Square Deal: This was a plan by Theodore Roosevelt to provide equal opportunity for all. He was not about communism but he wanted equal opportunity and the chance to improve and make a good life. He liked big business but he wanted the lower class to have opportunity also.
The Square Deal had many affects on the country. It affected the country politically because it led to the passing of some laws and statutes to help out the lower class and make sure they have an opportunity also. It affected the country socially because the lower class felt more connected and helpful to the country. It affected the country economically because it prevented big businesses from getting monopolies.
20. (1903) Wright Brothers Complete First Successful Airplane Flight: The first flight lasted 12 seconds and traveled a total of 120 feet. From this first flight it slowly grew and safer and more efficient ways to fly came about,
This really affected the Country. It affected the country politically because it led to many laws and regulations of the airplane. It also led to international competitions to have the best airplane. It also affected the country social because it allowed people to travel faster and see family and friends across the country. Also people saw the world in a different way. It also affected the country economically because it created a market of commercial and non-commercial flights. It also created many jobs to build and run airplanes.
*All dates and Statistics are from the text book “American Passages
Edward L. Ayers, David M. Ochinsky, Lewis L. Gould, Jean R. Soderlund, “American Passages”
