19th Century

Though the 19th century saw the rise of populism, the labor movement and Jacksonian democracy, it also ushered in the Gilded Age, when men like Cornelius Vanderbilt and J. P. Morgan wielded vast control over politics and business.

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Illustration by Eduardo Ramón Trejo. Photos from Getty Images.

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As American industrialists and financiers accumulated incredible wealth during the Gilded Age, they strove to outdo one another with lavish spending.

Facing economic threats and violence, early Chinese immigrants banded together and created communities to survive—and thrive.

The swift, often comfortable ride on the Transcontinental Railroad opened up the American West to new settlement.

The Klondike Gold Rush was a mass influx of prospecting migrants to the Canadian Yukon Territory and Alaska after gold was discovered in those regions in 1896.

Labor Movement

Labor Movement

Analyze the impact of the labor movement in America throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

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19th Century

The bodybuilder built a global wellness brand around his chiseled physique. Then World War I derailed his career.

19th Century

How America's First Pharmacist Fought Yellow Fever

In 1823, New Orleans, French immigrant Louis Joseph Dufilho uses a scientific approach to treating victims of the Yellow Fever epidemic.

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The official declarations of war occurred during five separate military conflicts, starting in 1812 and, most recently, in 1942.

Between 4,000 and 10,000 ships perished on the Great Lakes.

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Billionaires. Assassinations. And the ballooning of big beef.

The short-lived 19th-century party focused on anti-immigrant policies.

The first modern U.S. presidential poll was a 1936 Gallup survey. But informal straw polls started much earlier.

The infamous novel tackled child labor, racial identity, abusive marriages and more.

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The Mexican-American War was a 1846-1848 conflict over vast territories in the American West, which the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gave to the United States.

The steel titan used his fortune to fund philanthropic projects.

19th Century

More To History: Cornhole

This backyard game has a surprisingly rich and complicated history.

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19th Century

The Rise of Populism

Populism refers to politicians claiming to represent the people—but its roots trace back to the 19th century.

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19th Century

The First Coney Island Amusement Park

Paul Boyton founded Sea Lion Park at Coney Island, which created the business model of the first Coney Island Amusement Park.

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19th Century

The Whitmans’ Oregon Journey and Their Mission to the Cayuse

After braving the Oregon Trail, Protestant missionaries Marcus and Narcissa Whitman seek to spread their Christian faith.

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19th Century

The First Skyscraper

Out of the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire came a new and better way to build.

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19th Century

Bloody Consequences in the Fight for Free States

When Kansas becomes a battleground in the debate over slavery, settlers on both sides pour into the territory to determine its future.

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