Government
Government
Year Event Location Impact
Post civil war government filled with corruption
1868 Election of 1868 N/A - Ulysses S. Grant becomes president
1869 Black Friday N/A - Jim Fisk and Jay Gould sought to
skyrocket the price of gold to make a
profit, treasury released gold, leading
gold prices to plummet
1872 Election of 1872 N/A - Ulysses S. Grant reelected as
president
1872 Credit Mobilier Scandal N/A - Union pacific railroad insiders formed a
company and hired themselves at an
inflated rate, kept congressman quiet
by distributing stock
1873 Panic of 1873 N/A - Too many banks made loans, leading
markets to become unstable when they
could not be paid off
1874-1875 Whiskey Ring Scandal N/A - Whiskey ring robbed the treasury of
excise task revenues
1875 Resumption act of 1875 N/A - Canceled greenback production
Compromise Of 1877 leads to the end of reconstruction
1877 Compromise of 1877 N/A - Rutherford B. Hayes becomes
president in exchange for the
withdrawal of federal troops in the west
- End of reconstruction
Forgettable presidents (Focused on appeasing their own parties ideals)
1880 Election of 1880 N/A - James A. Garfield becomes president
1883 Pendleton Act N/A - Made due to disdain for spoil system
- Made compulsory campaign
contributions from federal employees
illegal
- Established federal service commision
to screen applicants on ability rather
than loyalty
1884 Election of 1884 N/A - Grover Cleveland becomes president
of the United States
1888 Election of 1888 N/A - Benjamin Harrison becomes president
of the United States
1892 Election of 1892 N/A - Grover Cleveland becomes president
Mckinley Tariff act led to rise of populist party
1890 Mckinley Tariff Act N/A - Raised duties to 48.4% on dutiable
goods
Minorities and immigrants badly treated
1882 Chinese Exclusion Act N/A - Banned Chinese immigrants from
entering the United States for a time
1887 Dawes Severalty Act N/A - Dissolved many tribes as legal
entities, wiped out tribal
ownership of land→ Land sold to
railroad companies
1890 Jim Crow Laws N/A - Legal codes which allowed for
segregation of public facilities
1895 Grandfather Clause N/A - Exempted requirements for literacy
tests or poll taxes if anyone whose
forebear had voted in 1860 (Nobody
did)
1896 Plessy VS Ferguson N/A - Ruled that “separate but equal”
facilities were constitutional
Government responds to corruption of companies and trusts
1886 Wabash St. Louis and N/A - Concluded that individual states could
Pacific Railroad
Company vs Illinois
not regulate interstate commerce
1887 Interstate Commerce N/A - Congress prohibits rebates, pools and
Act
unfair discrimination in the railroad
industry
- First attempt by government to regulate
the economy
1890 Sherman Antitrust Act N/A - Forbade combinations in restraint of
trade
- Was used to restrain labor unions and
labor combinations contrary to its
original purpose
Government helps to establish educational infrastructure
1862 Morrill Act of 1862 N/A - Allowed for the creation of land grant
colleges
1887 Hatch Act of 1887 N/A - Provided federal funds for
establishment of agricultural
experiment stations in connection with
land grant colleges
Government helped farmers to develop
1862 Homestead Act of 1862 N/A - Provided 160 acres of land to be
developed by pioneers
Silver coinage
1873 Crime of 73’ N/A - Congress drops silver dollars from
official coinage→ Leads to
adaptation of gold standard in the
US
1878 Bland Allison Act N/A - Limited silver coinage to $2-4 million
per month
1890 Sherman Silver N/A - US treasury must purchase $4.5 million
Purchase Act
of silver per year
Reform Movements
Reform movements
Year Name Location Impact
Labor unions
1866-1873 National Labor Union N/A - Accepted skilled and unskilled workers
- Called for 8 hour work days
1869-1886 Knights of Labor N/A - Accepted skilled and unskilled laborers
- Barred “non producers” (Lawyers,
bankers, stockbrokers ETC)
- Called for code for worker safety and
health
- Launched successful strikes for 8 hour
work days
- Dissolved after the Haymarket Square
incident
1886-present American Federation N/A - Only accepted skilled laborers
of labor
- Closed shop: Trade agreement where
only union members are hired
Farmers organizations
1867 National Grange of N/A - Sought to enhance the lives of farmers
Patrons of Husbandry
through social activities
- Established cooperatively owned
operations to combat trusts
- Involved in politics and fought for
inflation
1870 Farmers Alliance N/A - Sought to break the grip of railroad
corporations
- Excluded blacks and landless farmers
- More political and less social than
grange
Religious organizations
1800- Liberal protestants N/A - Group which sought to reconcile
christianity with new scientific and
economic doctrines
1844 YMCA N/A - Organization which combined physical
education with religious instruction
Feminist organizations
1874 Woman’s Christian N/A - Militant women's organization which
Temperance Union
called for temperance
1890 National American N/A - Organized female rights conventions
Woman Suffrage
Association
and fought for suffrage
