Domestic Policy

• Homestead Act - Legislation that granted 160 acres of public land to settlers willing to live on and cultivate it for five years


  1862
• Military Reconstruction Bill - Legislation passed by the U.S. Congress to divide the South into military districts + enforce Reconstruction policies, ensuring civil rights for freed slaves


  1867
• Transcontinental railroad - The completion of a railway line spanning the continent of North America, connecting the East and West coasts of the United States, facilitated transport + trade, financed by J.P Morgan


  1869
• Tammany Hall – political organisation in NYC (late 1800s + early 1900s) seeking political control by corruption, known for its influence in Democratic party politics


  1873
• Pendleton Act – Legislation that created a federal civil service so that hiring + promotion would be based on merit rather than patronage, aimed at ending the spoils system + reducing political corruption


  1883
• Interstate Commerce Act – Legislation passed to regulate railroad + interstate business


  1887
• Sherman Antitrust Act – banning any trust that restrained interstate trade/ commerce


  1890
• Manifest Destiny – John Sullivan, belief that the US is destined, by God, to expand across North America, spreading American institutions + culture


  1845
• Isolationism


  Foreign policy where a nation minimises all involvement in international affairs, focus on domestic policy + avoid foreign conflict
• Robber barons/ Captains of the industry

  • Cornelius Vanderbilt (railroad + steamships)
  • John D. Rockefeller (oil refineries)
  • Andrew Carnegie (steel)
  • JP Morgan (investment banker)