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Establishment of Jamestown
This was the first successful English colony in North America. This helped others looking for freedom to come to the United States. With this establishment the colonists could now make other establishments in the new land. This shaped America by being the first successful colony in America and influenced many other colonist to come to America because of this establishment's success. -
Mayflower Compact
This helped shape the U.S. by being the first document to establish self-government in the new world. This was made to help Englishmen traveling to the new world seeking freedom to have a set of rules to follow. Furthermore this led to the creation of Plymouth and was the foundation of Plymouth's government. This also laid the foundation for the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. -
First Navigation Act
This act said that only English ships would be allowed to bring goods into England, and that the North American colonies could only export its goods to England. This was intended to promote the self-sufficiency of the British Empire. This would benefit the colonies by allowing them to get help from the British navy. This shaped America by angering American colonists and proving to be a significant contributing event leading up to the revolution. -
Steam Engine
This is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. It uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This became the energy source for many machines and vehicles, making it cheaper and easier to produce commodities in large amounts. This shaped America by increasing the demand for raw materials used to build more machines that can produce even more commodities. -
Proclamation of 1763
This was a British made boundary marked in the Appalachian Mountains at the Eastern Continental Divide. The Proclamation Line prohibited Anglo-American colonists from settling on lands acquired from the French following the French and Indian War. Americans felt that Britain placed this law to keep them "protected" and confined them to the east. This shaped America by showing how Americans did not need protection from Britain and could survive on their own. -
Townshend Acts
This imposed duties on British china, glass, lead, paint, paper and tea imported to the colonies. These policies prompted colonists to take action by boycotting British goods. This shaped America by showing that America did not want to be under control of the British. This led to the Boston Massacre and then to the start of the Revolutionary War. -
Boston Massacre
This was a street fight between a patriot mob, throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers. This event helped shape America by sparking the colonists toward independence. One of the main reasons causing this event to occur was when Great Britain passed the Townshend Acts to gain authority over the colonists. This started as a minor fight but was then escalated into the beginning of the American Revolution. -
The Boston Tea Party
In this event, chests of tea were thrown from ships into Boston Harbor by American patriots disguised as Indians. This shaped America by being the first major act of defiance against British rule. This occurred due to the colonists being frustrated at Britain for imposing taxation without representation. This showed that Americans wouldn't take taxation from Great Britain. This would led to the American Revolution and get one step closer to American Independence. -
The Declaration of Independence
This helped shape the U.S. by creating doctrines of natural rights and of government under social contract and declaring the American colonies independent from Great Britain. This help unify the colonies into one so they wouldn't have to all make separate peace agreements. This impacted America by inspiring movements for independence, self-determination, and revolution. -
Battle of Saratoga
This included two crucial battles and was a decisive victory for the Continental Army. This was a crucial turning point in the Revolutionary War. It was able to renew the morale of the American public, but it convinced France, that American could win the war, and that it might be in their best interests to send help. This shaped America by getting closer to winning the war to be an independent country. -
Articles of Confederation
This document established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. This was the United States first constitution and created a national government composed of a Congress. This shaped America by creating a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments. This showed us that there was a need for a Stronger Federal government. -
Shay's Rebellion
This was an uprising in Massachusetts in opposition to high taxes and strict economic conditions. Shays led a force of about 1,200 men in an attack on the federal arsenal at Springfield, which was repulsed. This helped shape America by creating a stronger national government. This also led to the first constitutional convention and the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. -
Constitutional Convention
This was a convention of delegates from all the states except Rhode Island met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At this meeting it was decided that the best solution to the young country's problems was to set aside the Articles of Confederation and write a new constitution. This shaped America by deciding how America was going to be governed. Furthermore this led to the creation of the U.S. constitution. -
Washington's Inaugural address
In this address Washington expressed his anxiety at being elected the first President under the new Constitutional charter. He directly addressed the need for a strong Constitution and Bill of Rights and frequently emphasized the public good. This shaped America because Washington started the first precedents of Presidency. This would impact every president after him by giving them something to follow along with, as what would be considered something precedent. -
Whiskey Rebellion
This was an uprising of farmers and distillers in western Pennsylvania in protest of a whiskey tax enacted by the federal government. Opposition to the whiskey tax and the rebellion itself built support for the Republicans. This shaped America by being the first test of federal authority in the United States. This rebellion also enforced the idea that the new government had the right to levy a particular tax that would impact citizens in all states. -
Eli Whitney’s cotton gin
This machine enabled the rapid separation of seeds from cotton fibers. It helped make cotton a profitable export crop in the South and further promoted the use of slavery for cotton cultivation. This cash crop would sky rocket in the cotton industry and it actually increased the need for enslaved labor to grow and pick the cotton. This shaped America by boosting the Souths slavery and made work more regimented and relentless. -
Alien and Sedation Acts
They were four internal security laws passed by the U.S. Congress, restricting aliens and curtailing the excesses of an unrestrained press, in anticipation of an expected war with France. These laws raised the residency requirements for citizenship from 5 to 14 years. It also authorized the President to deport aliens and permitted their arrest, imprisonment, and deportation during wartime. This shaped America by showing how the government violated the first amendment to the constitution. -
Revolution of 1800
This was an election where Vice President Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic-Republican Party defeated President John Adams of the Federalist Party. This was the first time the world had seen power be peacefully handed over to the other party. The election was a political realignment that ushered in a generation of Democratic-Republican leadership. This shaped America by showing that political power can be handed over without conflict. -
Louisiana Purchase
This was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from Napoleon. In return for fifteen million dollars, the United States acquired a total of 828,000 square miles. This shaped America by doubling its size and granting the access to now move west and expand the size of the country. This also greatly strengthened the country materially and strategically and confirmed the doctrine of implied powers of the federal Constitution. -
Marbury v. Madison
This was a landmark legal case wherein the U.S. Supreme Court first declared an act of Congress as unconstitutional. It established the principle of judicial review; the power of the federal courts to declare legislative and executive acts unconstitutional. This shaped America by strengthened the federal judiciary by establishing for it the power of judicial review. -
Panic of 1816
This was the first widespread and durable financial crisis in the United States that slowed westward expansion in the Cotton Belt. This was also followed by a general collapse of the American economy. This caused banks around the country to fail and trigger widespread unemployment. This shaped America because it allowed for people not to trust in the American Banking system and changed the countries attitude toward wealth and poverty. -
American System
This economic plan included a tariff to protect and promote American industry, a national bank to foster commerce, and federal subsidies for roads and other internal improvements to develop profitable markets for agriculture. This shaped America by leading to improvements to the nation's infrastructure leading to trade advancements and increased the accessibility to markets. -
Spoils System
This was the name given to the practice of hiring and firing federal workers when presidential administrations changed. President Jackson was the the cause of this system and his supporters advocated it and viewed it as a way to reward party loyalists and build a stronger party organization. This shaped America by showing the unfair power of government and it opened many government positions to Jackson's supporters in a corrupt government way. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
This revolt destroyed the white Southern myth that slaves were actually happy with their lives. This revolt also hardened the proslavery attitudes of Southern whites and lead to stricter slave laws. This shaped America by leading to new oppressive legislation prohibiting the education, movement, and assembly of slaves. This further led to angry white people killing over 200 African Americans in the days after the rebellion. -
McCormick’s Reaper
This was a straight blade that was linked to a drive wheel and as the drive wheel turned, the blade moved back and forth in a sawing motion, cutting through stalks of grain. The machine increased crop yields and decreased the number of farmhands needed. On the downside this meant less jobs were needed on farms. This shaped America by turning the Midwest into the nation's breadbasket region and allowing growing wheat in this region to become profitable. -
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
The Cherokee Nation sought a federal injunction against laws that were passed by the U.S. state of Georgia depriving them of rights within its boundaries. In this case the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Cherokee Nation was sovereign. This meant that Georgia had no rights to enforce state laws in its territory. This helped shaped America by the court defining them as domestic nations rather than foreign nations and allowed them not to follow imposed Georgia laws. -
Gag rule
The House of Representatives used the this rule to prohibit discussions and debates of the anti-slavery petitions. They passed this to prevent the discussion of slavery and to ignore the thousands of petitions that were pouring into Washington to abolish slavery. This was unconstitutional because congress had no right to interfere with slavery. This shaped America by outraging Americans from Northern states and contributing to the country's growing polarization over slavery. -
Telegraph
This was a revolutionary method of communication. It worked by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations. This system allowed for messages to be transmitted much quicker and cheaper than old methods. Furthermore this shaped America by facilitating the growth in the railroads, consolidated financial and commodity markets, and reduced information costs within and between firms. -
Manifest Destiny
This is the idea that the United States is destined to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent. This impacted America by driving for expansion over the country. This would eventually lead to the Western Indian Wars and help with the Expansion of America. This also led to the government implying laws such as the Homestead Act to help America grow. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
This was a treaty that brought an official end to the Mexican-American War. With this Mexico ceded over 525,000 square miles of territory to the United States in exchange for $15 million and the assumption of Mexican debts to American citizens. This shaped America by extending the United States to the Pacific Ocean, and providing a bounty of ports, minerals, and natural resources for the country allowing the U.S. to grow in resources and land. -
Compromise of 1850
It admitted California as a free state and left Utah and New Mexico to decide for themselves whether to be a slave state or a free state. It also defined a new Texas and New Mexico boundary, and made it easier for slaveowners to recover runways under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This shaped America by dealing with the issue of slavery and territorial expansion. -
Dred Scott v. Stanford
In this case the Supreme Court ruled that Americans of African descent were not American citizens and could not sue in federal court. They struck down the Missouri Compromise as unconstitutional, maintaining that Congress had no power to forbid or abolish slavery in the territories. With this the court invalidated the Missouri Compromise of 1820. This shaped America by stating that no African American could be a citizen and showing the corrupt government power of the time. -
Election of 1860
Lincoln won the election, and had more electoral votes and more popular votes than any candidate. This demonstrated the divisions within the United States just before the Civil War. The election was unusual because four strong candidates competed for the presidency. When Lincoln was elected he refused to accept any resolution that would result in Southern secession from the Union. This shaped America by showing the division between the north and the south and led to the Civil War to end slavery. -
Anaconda Plan
This plan called for a naval blockade of the Confederate littoral, a thrust down the Mississippi, and the strangulation of the South by Union land and naval forces. This would split the south in half and making it easier for the South to surrender. This plan shaped America because it helped to gain closer to Union victory to end Slavery in the U.S. -
Morrill Act
This act set aside federal lands to create colleges to benefit the agricultural and mechanical arts. Land-grant colleges were funded by and given to states by the government and the land was then sold to start a university. This shaped America by leading to the establishment of many universities and opened the door for public college education in America. -
10 Percent Reconstruction Plan
This plan specified that a southern state could be readmitted into the Union once 10 percent of its voters swore an oath of allegiance to the Union. This plan devised by Lincoln was made to get the South to surrender. This impacted America by leading to a faster end to the war and joining the Union and Confederacy back together again. -
Emancipation Proclamation
This confirmed the slaves insistence that the war for the Union must become a war for freedom. It also added moral force to the Union cause and strengthened the Union both militarily and politically. This did not free slaves in the Union it only freed slaves in the South and showed that the main cause for the war was about slavery. This shaped America by paving the way for the permanent abolition of slavery in the United States. -
Thirteenth Amendment
This Amendment forever abolished slavery as an institution in all U.S. states and territories. It also outlawed the practice of involuntary servitude and peonage, which was used to work in order to pay off a debt. Even with this amendment being passed it did not mean it would end discrimination against those who had been enslaved. This shaped America by setting all of the slaves free and began the long-term goal of achieving equality for all Americans. -
Freedman's Bureau
This was an agency of the War Department set up to help with formerly enslaved people, freed from slavery by emancipation, in obtaining relief, land, jobs, fair treatment, and education. They also helped former slaves legalize marriages and locate lost relatives, and assisted black veterans. This shaped America by establishing public school systems and historically black colleges and universities in the South. -
Reconstruction Act
This outlined the terms for readmission to representation of rebel states. Newly enfranchised African Americans gained a voice in government for the first time in American history. This act also divided the South into five military districts and outlined how the new governments would be designed. This shaped America by laying out the process for readmitting Southern states into the Union. -
Fourteenth Amendment
This amendment granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States. This also guaranteed all citizens equal protection of the laws. This was passed during the Reconstruction era and meant that formerly enslaved people now had a citizenship to the United States. This shaped America by getting a step closer to achieving equality for all people in America. -
Transcontinental Railroad
This was a train route across the United States that connected the east and west regions. Construction of this began after the Pacific Railway Act was signed by Lincoln. The railroad opened the markets of the west coast and Asia to the east and it brought products of eastern industry to the growing populace beyond the Mississippi. This shaped America by ensuring a production boom, as industry mined the vast resources of the middle and western continent for use in production. -
Fifteenth Amendment
This amendment stated that the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. This helped lead to the voting rights act to be passed so that the majority of African Americans would be truly free to register and vote in large numbers. This shaped America by giving African-American men a right to vote and a step forward towards an equal society. -
Civil rights act of 1875
This act affirmed the equality of all men before the law. This also prohibited racial discrimination in public places and facilities such as restaurants and public transportation. The Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional and not authorized by the 13th or 14th Amendments. This shaped America by leading towards an equal society where all people were treated in the same manner. -
Pendleton Act
This act provided that Federal Government jobs be awarded on the basis of merit and that Government employees be selected through competitive exams. This destroyed the Spoils System and made it unlawful to fire or demote for political reasons. Employees now had to pass a civil service exam before going into the workforce. This shaped America by creating a merit-based system of selecting government officials and supervising their work. -
Depression of 1893
This was caused by the collapse of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and the National Cordage Company. This deeply affected the economy and produced political upheaval. During this many banks and businesses failed, railroads went bankrupt, unemployment rates rocketed and tens of thousands of ordinary people lost their homes and savings. This shaped America by leading to many people not trusting banks to hold their money and led to the political realignment of 1896. -
Cross of Gold Speech
This speech was delivered by William Jennings Bryan at the Democratic National Convention. In the address, Bryan supported "free silver", which he believed would bring the nation prosperity. This describes a metaphorical crucifixion of the working class by maintaining the gold standard. This shaped America by reversing the deflation which the U.S. experienced from 1873 to 1896. -
De Lome Letter
This was written by the Spanish Ambassador to the United States and criticized American President William McKinley by calling him weak and concerned only with gaining the favor of the crowd. This angered many Americans when the letter was intercepted and published in American papers. This shaped America by helping generate public support for a war with Spain over the issue of independence for the Spanish colony of Cuba. -
The Rough Riders
These were members of a regiment of U.S. cavalry volunteers recruited by Theodore Roosevelt and composed of cowboys, miners, law-enforcement officials, and college athletes. This was unique because everyone Roosevelt chose knew how to shoot and was especially tough. They shaped America by helping fight the Battle of San Juan Hill, which helped win the Spanish American War and which helped secure the position of the United States as a Pacific power. -
Elkins Act
This act prohibits railroad companies from giving rebates to businesses that ship large quantities of goods and giving power to those businesses to artificially lower shipping prices. This forbade the railroad industry practice of offering rebates for large-volume shippers. This shaped America because railroads had a stronger mechanism to protect their collusive prices and corporate trusts were weakened in their ability to gain shipping discounts. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This was passed right after the death of Kennedy and banned discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, and sex. This also addressed voting rights, employment, public accommodations, and education. This helped shape America by being the end of legal Jim Crow. It also secured African Americans equal access to restaurants, transportation, and other public facilities. -
Sacco and Vanzetti
They were Italian Immigrants that were charged for a crime of very little evidence. They were charged for murder on May 5 in 1920, and indicted four months later on September 14. This impacted America because Galleanists and anarchists in the United States and abroad began a campaign of violent retaliation. This symbolized red scare fears and caused many immigrants to fear. -
Stock Market Crash
The main cause of this was the long period of speculation that preceded it, when millions of people invested their savings or borrowed money to buy stocks, pushing prices to unsustainable levels. This affected America by crippling the economy; not only had individual investors put their money into stocks, so did businesses. Businesses lost their money and consumers also lost their money because many banks had invested their money without their permission or knowing. -
Election of FDR
This was significant because people believed he could take America out of the Great Depression. Not only did Roosevelt win a victory over Hoover, but Democrats significantly extended their control over the U.S. House, gaining 101 seats, and also gained 12 seats in the U.S. Senate to gain control of the chamber. This impacted America because of the New Deal programs setting a precedent for the federal government to play a key role in the economic and social affairs of the nation. -
Adolf Hitler
He was one of the most powerful and notorious dictators of the 20th century. Hitler capitalized on economic woes, popular discontent and political infighting to take absolute power in Germany beginning in 1933. It impacted America because immigration to the United States was limited during the early years of Nazism and opened many Americans eyes to racism. -
Social Security Act
This is a federal system that provided aid and benefits to the elderly, unemployed, handicapped, and dependent mothers and children after society began to suffer after the Stock Market Crash of 1929. This impacted America by creating a social insurance program designed to pay retired workers age 65 or older a continuing income after retirement. This Act provided for unemployment insurance, old-age insurance, and means-tested welfare programs. -
D-Day
D-Day marked the turn of the tide for the control maintained by Nazi Germany; less than a year after the invasion, the Allies formally accepted Nazi Germany's surrender. This affected Americans because all of northern France had been liberated, marking the beginning of the liberation of western Europe from Nazi control. It also served to convince the German High Command that their total defeat was now inevitable. -
Executive order 8802
This order banned discriminatory employment practices by Federal agencies and all unions and companies engaged in war-related work. It impacted America by helping to eliminate racial discrimination in the U.S. defense industry and was an important step toward ending it in federal government employment practices overall. The order also established the Fair Employment Practices Commission to enforce the new policy. -
Executive order 9906
This order authorized the evacuation of all persons deemed a threat to national security from the West Coast to relocation centers further inland. This impacted life in America because families were forced to leave their homes and businesses and move inland to camps, sometimes thousands of miles from home. Many families also were not allowed to return to their homes for years and had to adapt to a new life. -
GI Bill of RIghts
This would guarantee American citizens employment, health care, education, and housing. This impacted Americans because this allowed Veterans to transition into a civilian lifestyle. This bill is also widely credited with being a key contributor in establishing the American middle class and expanding access to education. -
Auschwitz concentration camp
This was located in Poland Auschwitz and it initially served as a detention center for political prisoners. It evolved into a system of camps where Jewish people and other enemies of the Nazi state were exterminated, in gas chambers, or even used as slave labor. This impacted America because it shaped Americans' responses to Nazism and willingness to aid European Jews. -
US bombs Hiroshima and Nagasaki
This decision was hard for America but it really brought the war with Japan to a speedy end and spare American lives. This impacted America because they saved American troops from being killed and it led to a quicker end to the war. The second objective was to demonstrate the new weapon of mass destruction to the Soviet Union. -
Surrender of Japan
This was caused directly from the US bombing Japan. This affected America because it ended the War and led to the United States leading the Allies in the occupation and rehabilitation of the Japanese state. By the summer of 1945, the defeat of Japan was a conclusion. -
Creation of United Nations
This was established following World War II when international leaders proposed creating a new global organization to maintain peace and avoid the abuses of war. This impacted America because it broadened the scope of American foreign policy and made it more quickly conscious of and responsive to political, economic and social problems which sooner or later must affect the interests of the United States as a world power. -
First Levittown built
These were built after World War II for returning veterans and their new families, the communities offered attractive alternatives to cramped central city locations and apartments. This impacted America by being one of the first to introduce the idea of a pre-planned, mass-produced uniform suburban community. The suburban community rapidly grew and expanded by almost 50 percent. -
Truman Doctrine
This document established that the United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces. This impacted America by effectively reorienting U.S. foreign policy, away from its usual stance of withdrawal from regional conflicts not directly involving the United States, to one of possible intervention in far away conflicts. -
Investigation of the Hollywood 10
They were 10 motion-picture producers, directors, and screenwriters who appeared before the House Un-American Activities Committee in October 1947. They refused to answer questions involving their possible communist affiliations and were mostly blacklisted by the Hollywood studios. -
USSR imposes a blockade on Berlin
Stalin imposed the Berlin Blockade from 24 June 1948 to 12 May 1949, cutting off all land and river transit between West Berlin and West Germany. This impacted America because it led us to impose a plan for an airlift of supplies to West Berlin. The Western Allies responded with a massive airlift to come to West Berlin's aid. -
Washington treaty signed, creating NATO
The Washington Treat forms the basis of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was signed in Washington D.C. on 4 April 1949 by 12 founding members. This impacted America because it was the first peacetime military alliance the United States entered into outside of the Western Hemisphere. -
Armistice signed ending the Korean war
This was signed on July 27, 1953 and it formally ended the war in Korea. The signed armistice established the Korean Demilitarized Zone, the de facto new border between the two nations, put into force a cease-fire, and finalized repatriation of prisoners of war. This impacted America because it boosted GDP growth through government spending, which in turn constrained investment and consumption. -
Brown v Board
This marked a turning point in the history of race relations in the United States. This affected America because striking down segregation in the nation's public schools provided a major spark for the civil rights movement, making possible advances in desegregating housing, public accommodations, and institutions of higher education. -
Murder of Emmett Till
This was a spark in the upsurge of activism and resistance that became known as the Civil Rights movement. The sight of his bruised body leaded many people directly into the fight. This affected America by leading to a growth in the Civil Rights movement and affecting many people to join in on the movement. -
Rosa Parks arrested
This event with Rosa Parks helped initiate the civil rights movement when she refused to give up her seat. This impacted America by starting a movement to end the racial discrimination in the United States. Her actions also inspired the leaders of the local Black community to organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott. -
Eisenhower Interstate Highway Act
This act authorized the building of highways throughout the nation. This is considered the largest public works project in Americas history. The Highway act impacted America because it allowed Americans faster transportation which opened up the opportunity for farther jobs and faster travel. The interstate highway system also reduced manufacturing and distribution costs in the large domestic market -
Gary Powers captured
He was an American pilot whose plane was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission in Soviet Union airspace in 1960, causing an international incident. This impacted America because the Soviet's had someone they could try and gain information from. He tried to limit the information he shared with the KGB to that which could be determined from the remains of his plane's wreckage. -
Freedom riders
This was a series of political protests against segregation by Blacks and whites who rode buses together through the American South. This impacted America because it challenged segregation on interstate buses and bus terminals. The Riders were successful in convincing the Federal Government to enforce federal law for the integration of interstate travel. -
MLK assassination
This led to an outpouring of anger among Black Americans. It impacted America because there was a period of national mourning that helped speed the way for an equal housing bill that would be the last significant legislative achievement of the civil rights era. This also led to a wave of civil disturbance which swept the United States following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. -
Watergate Scandal
This stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual attempts to cover up its involvement in the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters. It resulted in 69 government officials being charged and 48 being found guilty This impacted America because many Americans lost faith in the government and caused the reputation of the presidency to be greatly damaged. -
Antiquities Act
This was the first U.S. law to provide general legal protection of cultural and natural resources of historic or scientific interest on Federal lands. This shaped America by being an important achievement in the progress of conservation and preservation efforts in the United States. The Act also created the basis for the federal government's efforts to protect archeological sites from looting and vandalism. -
Ford's Model T
This car created by ford was a car that most people could actually buy. This vehicle shaped American culture by being one of the first mass production vehicles, allowing Ford to achieve his aim of manufacturing the universal car. The Model T was successful not only because it provided inexpensive transportation on a massive scale, but also because the car signified innovation for the rising middle class and became a powerful symbol of the age of modernization. -
NAACP founded
This was founded in 1909, by Du Bois as a direct result of lynching. It was an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans. Their mission was to ensure the political, educational, equality of minority group citizens of States and eliminate race prejudice. This affected America by playing a pivotal role in the civil rights movement and worked to end racial discriminations -
17th amendment
This said that United States Senators would now be directly elected by popular vote. Prior to this, senators were chosen by state legislatures. This impacted America because the Senators now had to gain the popularity of the public and couldn't just rely on the state legislatures. -
Sedition Act of 1918
This act made it a felony to convey false statements interfering with American war efforts. It permitted the deportation, fine, or imprisonment of anyone deemed a threat or publishing “false, scandalous, or malicious writing” against the government of the United States. This affected American society because it curtailed the free speech rights of U.S. citizens during time of war. -
18th Amendment
This prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors. This impacted America because it made brewing and distilling illegal, expanded state and federal government, inspired new forms of sociability between men and women, and suppressed elements of immigrant and working-class culture. -
Treaty of Versailles
This was signed by Germany and the Allied Nations on June 28, 1919, formally ending World War One. The terms of the treaty required that Germany pay financial reparations and give up all of its overseas colonies. This meant a loss of territories, reduction in military forces, and reparation payments to Allied powers. -
19th Amendment ratified
This amendment granted women the right to vote. Its ratification limited a movement for women's rights that dated to the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. This impacted America because although women were voting in state elections in 12 states when the amendment passed, it enabled 8 million women to vote in the presidential election of 1920. -
Immigration act of 1924
This limited the number of immigrants allowed entry into the United States through a national origins quota. It was designed to keep wages and living standards high for both the existing population and the new arrivals that made it through legally. The quota provided immigration visas to two percent of the total number of people of each nationality in the United States as of the 1890 national census. -
Bonus Army March
This was a group of almost 20,000 World War I veterans who were hard-hit victims of the depression, who wanted what the government owed them for their services and "saving" democracy. They marched to Washington and set up public camps and erected shacks on vacant lots. This impacted America because the bonus marchers became highly symbolic of the federal government's responsibility for the prosperity of the American worker. -
Pearl Harbor
This event occurred when Japanese crippled or destroyed nearly 20 American ships and more than 300 airplanes. Dry docks and airfields were likewise destroyed. Most important, 2,403 sailors, soldiers and civilians were killed and about 1,000 people were wounded. This impacted the U.S. because it drove the United States out of isolation and into World War II. -
Surrender of Germany
General Alfred Jodl, with the German High Command, signed a document unconditionally surrendering all German military forces, to take effect the following day. This finally ended World War II in Europe. This affected America because the United States was in better economic condition than any other country in the world. -
Election of 1960
This was the first election that TV had a major impact on the final result. John F. Kennedy, was elected president in 1960, defeating Vice President Richard Nixon. Though he clearly won the electoral vote, Kennedy's received only 118,000 more votes than Nixon in this close election. After 1960, TV became extremely important in elections. This impacted American politics by being an election that was influenced by TV. -
Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges went to school at the age of 6 and advanced the cause of the civil rights when she became the first African American student to integrate an elementary school in the South. Her bravery impacted America because she helped pave way for action to start happening in the south. She ultimately helped reform education to where it is now; no more white and African American schools just one school all together. -
Bay of Pigs invasion
This began when a CIA-financed and -trained group of Cuban refugees lands in Cuba and attempts to topple the communist government of Fidel Castro. The plan was to overthrow Fidel Castro and his revolution. This impacted America because the plan ultimately failed when JFK did not follow orders that were left from Eisenhower. -
U2 missile photographs
These photos proved that the Soviet Union was building secret sites for nuclear-tipped missiles. After the photographic had been confirmed, President Kennedy organized a secret meeting of senior advisors at the White House. This impacted America because they now discovered that the soviet was suppling Cuba with missiles and it led to the Cuban Missile Crisis. -
16th St. Baptist Church bombing
A bomb exploded before Sunday morning services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. This was a church with a predominantly Black congregation that also served as a meeting place for civil rights leaders. This impacted America because it marked a turning point in the United States during the civil rights movement and also contributed to support for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by Congress. -
Voting Rights act of 1965
This outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting. This impacted America because by the end of 1965, a quarter of a million new Black voters had been registered. This aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. -
Selma to Montgomery Marches
The first march took place on March 7, 1965. State troopers attacked the unarmed marchers with Billy clubs and tear gas after they passed over the county line. This event became known as Bloody Sunday. This impacted America because the assault on civil rights marchers in Selma, Alabama helped lead to the Voting Rights Act. -
Platt Amendment
This was a treaty between the U.S. and Cuba that attempted to protect Cuba's independence from foreign invasion. This shaped America because it outlined the role of the United States in Cuba and the Caribbean. The U.S. limited Cuba's right to make treaties with other nations and restricting Cuba in the conduct of foreign policy and commercial relations. It also permitted extensive U.S. involvement in Cuban international and domestic affairs for the enforcement of Cuban independence. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
This prohibited the sale of misbranded or adulterated food and drugs in interstate commerce. This affected America because it provided Americans with safer foods, drinks, and medicines by government power. The law also provided improved medical care for people sickened by unsafe food and laid a foundation for the nation's first consumer protection agency, the FDA. -
Zimmermann telegram
This was a a secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico if the United States entered World War I against Germany. It effected America by helping turn the U.S. public firmly against Germany. It was also considered Britain's greatest intelligence coup of World War I.