| 1869 | National Woman Suffrage Association founded. |
| 1870 | John D. Rockefeller incorporates Standard Oil Company. |
| 1872 | Andrew Carnegie builds world's largest steel plant. |
| 1873 | Wall Street panic leads to major economic depression. |
| 1874 | Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) founded. |
| 1876 | Alexander Graham Bell demonstrates telephone. |
| 1877 | Rutherford B. Hayes sworn in as president. Munn v. Illinois. |
| 1880 | James A. Garfield elected president. |
| 1881 | Garfield assassinated; Vice President Chester A. Arthur becomes president. |
| 1882 | John D. Rockefeller develops the trust. |
| 1883 | Pendleton Civil Service Act. |
| 1884 | Grover Cleveland elected president. |
| 1886 | Wabash v. Illinois. |
| 1887 | Interstate Commerce Act. |
| 1888 | Benjamin Harrison elected president. |
| 1890 | McKinley tariff. General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) founded. Sherman Antitrust Act. |
| 1892 | Ida B. Wells launches antilynching campaign. |
| 1893 | Wall Street panic touches off national depression. |
| 1895 | J. P. Morgan bails out U.S. Treasury. |
| 1901 | U.S. Steel incorporated and capitalized at $1.4 billion. |