Starting in 1865 many Americans started pushing westward again after the interruption of the civil war
Sioux wars
Sioux initally won a deceive victory against the U.S. army.
Bessemer process
Enabled manufacturers to produce huge quantities of steel
Booker T. Washington
Anti-Saloon league
Worked to close down saloons
Tammany Hall
The most famous political machine organized and met the needs of immigrants and the poor in exchange for votes
Made monopolizing an entire market illegal
Indian appropriation act
congress sparked a new fight with the Sioux, by passing a law that nullified all previous treaties made with native Americans
Dawes act
Assimilationist movement
Wanted to end indian culture by forcing them to assimilate to American values.
White collar workers
By 1890, the U.S. Census Bureau declared that the frontier was officially settled
Gospel of wealth
Andrew Carnegie argued that those with wealth should invest it into society
Interstate commerce act
Required railroad rates to be reasonable and just, and established a federal commission to oversee the railroads
Haymarket square riot
Chinese exclusion act
Nativists successfully pressured Congress to stop the flow of Chinese immigrants who were coming over during the gold rush.
After a railroad car manufacturer cut wages, and the union tried to negotiate, the company failed them all. The railroad union decided to not work on any trains with Pullman cars in them. The railroad owners tied the Pullman cars to mail trains in order to get the government to keep them moving, and the union members were jailed
Railroads
Massive extension of the railroad system created a truly national market for goods
Settlement houses
Provided resources to the poor to enrich the neighborhood. Largely led by women
Gave settlers 160 acres of land if they lived there for 5 years.
Panic of 1893
Changes in farming
A new focus on cash-crops in the north and west, and a shift to more expensive mechanized farming methods put smaller farms out of business. Big trusts that farmers relied on (like railroads) also raised prices, making it even harder for farmers to make a living
Growth of immigration
American federation of labor
National Grange movement
Social and educational collective aimed at brining farmers together. Soon became political to lobby for farmers
Labor unions
Workers formed labor unions to have more negotiating power and fight for better pay and working conditions
Facilitated the migration of black people to africa
Worked to secure voting rights for women
Women's Christian Temperance Union
Worked to ban alcohol, had over 500,000 members
Debates over money
