Reconstruction, Westward Expansion, and Gilded Age Politics

Homestead Act (1862)

Gave settlers 160 acres of free land if they farmed it for 5 years. Encouraged westward migration and settlement.

Pacific Railway Act (1862)

Provided land grants and loans to build the transcontinental railroad, linking East and West.

Red Cloud's War (1866-1868)

Armed Lakota resistance to U.S. forts along the Bozeman Trail. Ended with U.S. agreeing to abandon forts—rare Native American victory.

Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868)

Promised Sioux control of the Black Hills and hunting rights. Broken when gold was discovered, leading to new conflicts.

Transcontinental railroad completion (1869)

Symbolized industrial progress, opened trade and settlement in the West, displaced Native Americans.

Great Sioux War (1876)

Conflict after U.S. violated Fort Laramie Treaty. Included the Battle of Little Bighorn ("Custer's Last Stand").

Frederick Jackson Turner's thesis (1893)

The closing of the frontier ended a key stage of U.S. democracy and identity, stressing frontier life shaped American character.

Field Order No. 15 (1865)

General Sherman's order giving freedpeople land ("40 acres and a mule"). Later revoked, symbolizing broken promises to freedpeople.

Freedmen's Bureau (1865)

Education, food, legal aid, and land distribution to freedpeople. First large federal welfare program.

Presidential Reconstruction (1865-66)

Andrew Johnson's lenient plan: readmitted Southern states quickly, pardoned Confederates, resisted Black suffrage.

Congressional Reconstruction (1867-71)

Radical Republicans' plan: divided South into 5 military districts, required Black male suffrage, ratification of 14th Amendment.

New Orleans Massacre (1866)

White mobs attacked Black voters and Republicans, showing violent resistance to Reconstruction.

Camilla Massacre (1868)

White mobs attacked Black voters and Republicans, showing violent resistance to Reconstruction.

New constitutions of 1868 (Georgia & Louisiana)

Extended political rights to Black men, creating the most democratic governments in the South at the time.

1871 Congressional investigation into the Klan

Testimonies (like Alfred Richardson's) revealed widespread violence and intimidation against Black citizens.

Freedman's Savings Bank (1865)

A bank for freedpeople to save earnings. Mismanagement caused collapse in 1874, devastating Black communities' trust in institutions.

Standard Oil (1870)

Rockefeller's company dominated oil refining through monopolies, symbolizing the rise of trusts.

Crédit Mobilier scandal (exposed 1872)

A scandal involving corruption in the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad.

Railroad construction company bribery

Railroad construction company gave Congress members shares to avoid investigation of overcharging the government.

Panic of 1873

Railroad overexpansion and bank failures triggered an economic crash, starting the Long Depression.

Long Depression (1873-79)

Severe global downturn, high unemployment, wage cuts—sparked labor unrest.

Great Upheaval (1877)

First nationwide strike; railroad workers protested wage cuts. Federal troops crushed strikes with violence.

Compromise of 1877

Ended disputed election by giving Hayes presidency. In return, federal troops withdrew from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction.

Farmers' Alliances (1875)

Regional groups advocating for cooperatives, lower railroad rates, and currency reform. Laid groundwork for Populism.

Knights of Labor (1878)

Inclusive labor union (skilled/unskilled, men/women, Black/white) that sought broad reforms like shorter workdays and worker cooperatives.

Great Southwest Railroad Strike (1886)

Led by Knights of Labor against Jay Gould's railroads. Failed after violent suppression, weakening the union.

Haymarket Affair (Chicago, 1886)

Labor rally for 8-hour day turned violent when a bomb exploded. Union leaders were blamed, leading to anti-labor sentiment.

1887 Sugar Cane Workers' Strike (Louisiana)

Mostly Black workers demanded better wages; planters' militias massacred dozens. Showed violent repression of labor in the South.

Populist Party's Omaha Platform (1892)

Called for government control of railroads, free silver, direct election of senators, and support for farmers/workers.

President Garfield's assassination (1881)

Killed by a disgruntled office-seeker, showing corruption in the patronage system.

Pendleton Act (1883)

Merit-based civil service exams; reduced corruption by limiting spoils system.

Grover Cleveland's election (1885)

First Democratic president since Civil War; ran as an anti-corruption reformer.

Bayonet Constitution (Hawaii, 1887)

Forced the Hawaiian king to sign away power, increasing U.S. influence and control for sugar planters.

Billion Dollar Congress (1890)

Passed the McKinley Tariff (high tariffs) and admitted new states, showing Republican dominance and spending.

U.S. Marines in Hawaii (1893)

Supported American planters in overthrowing Queen Liliʻuokalani, paving way for annexation.

Panic of 1893

Railroad overbuilding, stock failures → deep depression, leading to strikes and protests.

Pullman Strike (1894)

Pullman Company cut wages but not rents. The American Railway Union led boycott; federal troops intervened violently, showing government siding with business.