Boss Tweed
was an American
politician
most famous for his leadership of
Tammany
Hall
, the
Democratic Party political machine
that played a major role in the
politics
of
19th century
New York
. At the height of his influence, Tweed was the third-largest
landowner in
New York City
, a director of the
Erie Railway
, the
Tenth National Bank
,
and the New-York Printing Company, as well as proprietor of the
Metropolitan Hotel
.
Tweed was elected to the
United States House of Representatives
in 1852, and the New
York City Board of Advisors in 1856. In 1858, Tweed became the "Grand Sachem" of
Tammany Hall. He was elected to the
New York State Senate
in 1867.
Ellis Island:
Despite its small size, Ellis Island--a tiny strip of land located in Upper
New York Bay, near the New Jersey shore--holds a big part of the history of the United
States. Of the 16 million immigrants who arrived in the U.S. from 1892 to 1954, 12
million of them passed through the federal immigration station located on the island.
Social Darwinism
- Herbert Spencer, a 19th century philosopher, promoted the idea of
Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism is an application of the theory of natural selection
to social, political, and economic issues. In its simplest form, Social Darwinism follows
the mantra of "the strong survive," including human issues. This theory was used to
promote the idea that the white European race was superior to others, and therefore,
destined to rule over them.
Promotory Point, Utah
– a Promontory in
Box Elder County
,
Utah
,
United States
, is
notable as the location of Promontory Summit where the
United States
'
first
Transcontinental Railroad
was officially completed on May 10, 1869. In May 1869, the
railheads of the
Union Pacific
and
Central Pacific
railroads finally met at Promontory
Summit,
Utah Territory
.
The Panic of 1893
was a national economic crisis set off by the collapse of two of the
country's largest employers, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and the National
Cordage Company. Following of the failure of these two companies, a panic erupted on
the stock market. Hundreds of businesses had overextended themselves, borrowing
money to expand their operations. When the financial crisis struck, banks and other
investment firms began calling in loans, causing hundreds of business bankruptcies
across the United States. Banks, railroads, and steel mills especially fell into
bankruptcy. Over fifteen thousand businesses closed during the Panic of 1893.
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act
: Congress passed this act in 1890, and this is the source
of all American anti monopoly laws. The law forbids every contract, scheme, deal,
conspiracy to restrain trade. It also forbids conspirations to secure monopoly of a given
industry. The ideas were new and had to wait before they could achieve some
efficiency. Theodore Roosevelt committed himself in 1901 and during both of his
mandates to a strong war against monopolies, launching the federal government in 1906
in a lawsuit against the Standard because of discriminatory practices on the market,
abuse of power and excessive control on the American oil industry.
