1872- Agreed to limit protective duties to 10%

1873 Price Fixing The railroad industry was plagued by tremendous excess capacity. One line could obtain business by cutting
rates on through traffic, but only at the expense of another company, which then found its own capacity in excess. Rate wars during
during the depressed years of the 1870s led to efforts to stop ruinous activities.

1873 The Crime of 73 Only a few short years after the end of the Civil War ended it was decided to simplify the coinage in
circulation. However, the government feared the silver dollar at the time so they left it out of authorized mint. They feared it because it
was worth more in the market then the mint could actually produce it for. Eventually after 3 years of furious debating and near rioting
of silver proponents against the government, a compromise was made that was suitable for both sides.

the Timber-Culture Act of 1873

Passed ostensibly to encourage the growth of timber in arid regions, this law made available 160 acres of free land to anyone who
would agree to plant trees on 40 acres of it.

1871 to 1874 The Granger Laws A series of laws that were passed by the supreme court which allowed states the ability to
enforce stricter regulation on the railways. This gave the largely agrarian society, at that time, a big win in the books.

1875- Earlier levels were restored

1877: New York to Chicago line completed
the Desert Land Act of 1877
By the terms of this law, 640 acres at $1.25 an acre could be purchased by anyone who would agree to irrigate the land within three
years. One serious defect of this act was its lack of a clear definition of irrigation.

the Timber and Stone Act of 1878

This statute provided for the sale at $2.50 an acre of valuable timber and stone lands in Nevada, California, Oregon, and Washington.

the Timber-Cutting Act of 1878

This law authorized residents of certain specified areas to cut trees on government lands without charge, with the stipulation that the
timber be used for agricultural, mining, and domestic building purposes.

1878 Bland Allison Act This act was created in response to the uproar that was generated from the Crime of 73. Ultimately,
Congress passed a compromise between the positions of the sound money and free-coinage forces. The law provided for the coinage
of silver in small amounts and the treasury was directed to buy no less then 2 million and no more then 4 million.

1879 Investment Banking J. P. Morgan and Company were the original pioneers in Investment banking. This was largely because
early banks in America didnt have the ability or liberty to draw capital from large international firms. This is where Morgan thrived,
he would find capital any way he could and ensure that large sums could be raised.

Trusts, were a legal contract that stock holders of several operating companies turned over their shares to a group of trusties and
received cirtificates of trust. Was created in 1880
-1879 1899 - The five key cotton states of the Deep South have been shown to have experienced the greatest setbacks. This
precipitous decline occurred for three principal reasons.
1-the highly efficient plantation system was destroyed, and attempts to resurrect plantation methods proved futile
2-significant withdrawal of labor from the fields, especially labor by women and children
3- The growth of the demand for southern cotton slowed because of competition from India, Brazil, and Egypt, and
because the growth of world demand slowed

1880- America begins to manufacture more goods, while also improving the quality
1880-1920

Immigration fluctuations- 23 million immigrants came to the United States.

1880s: Railway network grows 70,000 miles.

Refrigerated railcar 1880
Invention of the refrigerated railcar introduced in the 1880s, created a national market.

Biological Innovations 1880

Modified the planting and growing environment. Changes include plant varieties, irrigation systems, fertilizers, and other biological
inventions

1884 Duke installed two Bonsack cigarette-making machines in his factory. Each could turn out 120,000 cigarettes per day, in contrast

to the 3,000 that a skilled worker could produce by hand.

1885- American exports to Europe declined

Hatch Act of 1887
Provided federal assistance to state agricultural experiment stations, many of which had already been established with state funds.
provided for the establishment of an Office of Experiment Stations in the Department of Agriculture to link the work of the department
with that of the states

dawes Act of 1887

Nearly the Dawes Act of 1887 and subsequent measures, ignored promises made to Native Americans, opened 100 million acres from
the Indian territories for purchase.

1887 Act to Regulate Commerce This acts chief purpose was to bring all railroads engaged in interstate commerce under federal
regulation. The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was then created, which was one of a kind. This was incredibly important
because is was the historical event that created modern day regulation on interstate commerce.

1877: New York to Chicago line completed

1885-1910: Total track mileage doubled

1888-clevlands defeat blasted hope of genuine reform

1890- 90% of energy in manufacturing was by coal

1890- Raised level to 50% once the goods reached American shores
1890
Typewriter was invented- In 1886, limited demand and financial difficulties forced philo Remington to sell his typewriter
company. By 1890, the boom was on remaking the office and bringing large numbers of women into the paid labor force. Clerical
workers as a percentage of the nonagricultural workforce grew from 1.2 to 9.2 percent between 1870 and 1920, while women as a
percentage of all clerical workers grew from 2.5 to 49.2% over these 50 years. The office workforce, however, remained segregated by
sex. Women were confined to routine clerical jobs, while personal secretaries and other decision-making jobs remained a male
province.

1890 the Sherman Antitrust Act, declared illegal every contract combinations in the form of trust. Prescribes punishment of a fine for
every person who shall monopolize
in 1890 U.S. became the leading industry power
1890s; Improved roads and automobiles eliminate the monopoly of country stores.
-During 1890 boot and shoe industries were the second fasted growing.
-Agriculture was starting to fall not because of the quantity they were producing but because industrial supply was increasing more
rapidly
General Revision Act of 1891.
Law repealed measures that had been an open invitation to land fraud, making it more difficult for corporations and wealthy
individuals to steal timber and minerals.

general Revision Act of 1891

The main purpose was to closed critical loopholes. In addition, the Preemption Act and provisions defining irrigation were added to
the Desert Land Act of 1877.

1891 to 1896 Drain on Gold Due to foreign and domestic drains on the gold, in the period between 1891 to 1896, there was a
massive dip in the reserves. For the first time since the war, the reserve had fallen below the 100 million mark. This gave people the
sense that the nation would have to abandon the gold standard, thus resulting in them taking their gold out. This only further
aggravated the issue but the people just didnt understand the damage they were doing.

In 1892 the Supreme Court ordered the standard oil trust dissolved

Peoples Party 1892

Famed agrarian and formidable orator General James Weaver was nominated for the presidency.

1893- Agitation to annex Hawaii had begun, but not finished until 1898
Farming trade 1895
The farmer had to produce about 16 percent more than in 1870 just to offset the fall in his terms of trade. Part of the explanation is the
rapid increase in the supply of agricultural products.

1896 coalition of Populists and Democrats

Not chosen to stand or fall on the issue of inflation, there is no telling what the future of the coalition might have been. But inflation
was anathema to property owners with little or no debt, and when the chips were down, rural as well as urban property owners
supported sound money.

1896 Capturing the Commission After only five years, and barely breaking from of its infancy, several members of the
Commission were bribed and used by the railroad cartels to ensure their need and desires were met. The ICC had effectively been
captured. Eventually, after WWI control of the railways was once again privatized.

1896- Rural free delivery

1897- Dingly act raised duties to 50%

1898- 1914- the prosperity made it easy to defend high tariffs

1898-1918- manifest destiny and extending the areas of freedom

Texas Agriculture 1900

Texas was the leading cotton producer as well as a major source of cattle.

1900 Gold Standard Act Republic, William McKinley, takes office in the summer of 1986 and, having ran on the platform of
restoring the gold standard, thats exactly what he did. It wasnt a miracle cure by any means but the actions he took truly restored
faith in gold and helped the markets repair.

1900- Many firms started implementing a continuous process

1900- U.S. leasing manufacturing country

1901, Bureau of Forestry
The national forests were to be more than just preserves; the crop of trees was to be continually harvested and sold such that everlarger future crops were ensured.

The Reclamation Act of 1902

provided for the use of receipts from land sales in the arid states to finance the construction of reservoirs and irrigation works, with
repayment to be made by settlers over a period of years.

Agricultural peak 1901

Wheat and flour exports reached their peak in 1901, at which time nearly one-third of domestic wheat production was sold abroad.

1905- Treaty between America and the Republic letting the U.S. collect customs

1906- The Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act. **The 1891 Meat Inspection Act for interstate trade was similar to an
1890 act on meat for export. Both acts largely beneted the producers by reinforcing each rms quality control standards for

shipment to markets at home and abroad.

1908 National Monetary Commission The Aldrich-Vreeland Act of 1908 provided for the organization of national currency
association to be composed of no fewer than 10 banks in sound financial condition. The purpose of this formation was to ensure that
the smaller banks that were being ran on would have the back up of a large secure institution that could use bank notes against the
securities of bonds in a panic

1909- Payne- Aldrich bill failed to bring any relief from high tariffs

1909- Congress passed an amendment providing for an income tax

1910- First automobile and electric appliances started changing the way America worked

1910- After the Mexican Revolution, efforts were made to restore order
1910 the U.S doubled the industry power to its nearest rival Germany and was the producer of 1/3 of the whole world production of
finish goods

1910- Nearly 10percent of the total population lived in three main cities: New York, Chicago, Philadelphia each having a million plus
residence

1912- Democrats promised a downward revision of imports

1913- The U.S. controlled 65% of the worlds petroleum, 56% copper, 34% coal, 37% zinc, 36%iron ore, 34% lead

1913- Underwood Simmons bill carried the duties of the Payne- Aldrich bill
1913- U.S. lead has increased, and Britain fell to third

1913 The Federal Reserve Act Two days before Christmas, President Wilson signed the bill that established the Federal Reserve
System. The system was composed of 12 Federal Reserve Banks, one in each of 12 separate districts. This was done to protect the
interests of all the different regions. Unlike the 20-year charter like the first and second banks of the United States, this was
permanent. Also, the Federal Reserve Act made membership compulsory for national banks. Furthermore, it was hoped that if the plan
was followed well enough than monetary upsets would be nearly eliminated.

The Clayton act of 1914 intend to remove ambiguities in existing law and force the courts to take stronger actions against big
corporations by making certain practices illegal. These was a weakly drawn and added little government power to enforce this.

1914- U.S. came into its own economic power. The trade surplus shot up to more than $9 billion

1914- Haiti was made a protectorate of the U.S.

1914- Panama canal. Ensuring American interest in the Caribbean and Central America
1914: Henry Ford develops continuous-flow production reducing chassis assembly time from 12 hours to 1.5 hours.

1916- Dominican government tried to escape American domination, but failed

1916
Child Labor- The employment of children decrease primarily because various advocates for children, including religious
groups and trade unions, worked to obtain protective legislation at the state level. Federal legislation that outlawed child labor was
passed in 1916, but the Supreme Court struck it down on the grounds that the federal government had no power to regulate intrastate
commerce.

stock-Raising Home- stead Act of 1916

Allowed the homesteading of 640 acres of land suitable only for grazing purposes.

1917- Turmoil subsided after the adoption of the Mexican revolution

Smith Hughes Vocational Education Act of 1917
Provided funds to states that agreed to expand vocational training at the high-school level in agriculture, trades, and home economics.

1920-80% of all industrial energy was from coal petroleum

1920: Railroad employment reaches peak (1 in 20 workers) main hubs in New York, Chicago, and St. Louis. 2ndary hubs include
Kansas City, Minneapolis. Omaha, and Denver.
By 1920, immigrants accounted for:

33% railroad laborers, 22% of railroad foremen, 33% percent of jewelers and watchmakers, and 17% of policemen, 25% of
the labor force in manufacturing, 35% in mining, 18% in transportation.

1920
Labor gains and the unions- In1920; the American factory worker could look back on 66 years of substantial
improvement. Real wages had risen, hours were shorter, and laborers, children, and women were protected by law. The fundamental
ideas of social security were being more generally discussed, and clear-cut legislative victories had been won to reduce the hardships
caused by industrial accidents. In addition, urban dwellers of all kinds saw vast improvements that brought about sharp long-term
reductions in mortality.
In 1920 coal was the main energy source and supported 80% of the U.S
Continues Flow was an assembly line that help create Fords car production, meat lines, and other products.

1920- Retailers in urban centers were attracting customers from distances that had been unimaginable just a few years earlier.

1920- Advertising was a billion dollar industry

1920- Department stores start popping up. Allowed consumer to find all the thing they would need for a given task. A one stop shop

1920 towns were closer to farmers making them easily accessible

1920-1930- the full growth of chain stores emerge wiping out independent markets

1945 petroleum and natural gas became strategic fuels and by WWI 1/3 of the nations industrial power was electricity of urban
dwellings had electricity
In 1990 annual value of manufactures was more than twice that of agriculture products
Late 19th century railroad companies charged monopoly rates on freight, spawning several Agrarian Political Organizations.

Evidence of monopoly prices on railroads is not completely supported, as long-haul railroad rates fell relative to agricultural
prices during the period, however certain sections of track charged permitted monopoly prices on short-hauls.
Late 19th century/early 20th century: South lags in railroad construction due to war induced poverty and competition in coastal
shipping.