1865: End of the Civil War; beginning of Reconstruction.
1869: Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.
1870: Standard Oil Company founded by John D. Rockefeller.
1872: Credit Mobilier scandal reveals corruption in railroad financing.
1873: Panic of 1873 leads to a severe economic depression.
1876: Battle of Little Bighorn ("Custer’s Last Stand").
1877: Great Railroad Strike marks first major nationwide labor conflict.
1880s: Rise of major trusts and monopolies (e.g., Standard Oil, U.S. Steel).
1882: Chinese Exclusion Act becomes the first significant law restricting immigration.
1883: Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act passes to reduce patronage.
1886: Haymarket Riot occurs in Chicago, leading to public backlash against labor unions.
1887: Dawes Act passes, aiming to assimilate Native Americans.
1889: Jane Addams establishes Hull House in Chicago.
1890(2nd event): Sherman Antitrust Act is passed to combat monopolies.
1890(3rd event): Wounded Knee Massacre marks the end of major Native American resistance.
1892: Homestead Strike against Carnegie Steel turns violent.
1893: Panic of 1893 leads to economic turmoil and unemployment.
1894: Pullman Strike disrupts rail traffic nationwide.
1896: Plessy v. Ferguson establishes the doctrine of "separate but equal."
1896(2nd event): Election of 1896 pits William McKinley against William Jennings Bryan, signaling the decline of the Populist Party.