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Seneca Falls Convention
This was the first women's rights conference in America. It was held in New York and had 300 in attendance. 40 of those were men. They made a Seneca Falls Declaration that was modeled after the Declaration of Independence but it included women. -
Fort Sumter
The battle of Fort Sumter marks the beginning of the Civil War. It is located in Charleston, South Carolina. During the battle the Confederates fired cannons and it ended with the Union surrendering giving the Confederates the first win of the war. -
The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad
The bill to start building the transcontinental railroad was signed on this date. The transcontinental railroad made transportation much easier across the US. The two companies that built it were the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific. This railroad only passed through one city which was Salt Lake City. -
The Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest single day of the Civil War. This battle was the Confederate attempt to invade Maryland. This battle is known as one of the greatest threats to Washington D.C. (the Union’s capitol). -
The Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction
This proclamation was Lincoln’s plan for the unification of the United States after the war made before the end. This plan made it so that a new state government could be made once 10% of the eligible voters had taken an oath of allegiance to the United States. Tennessee ended up being the only state to come back into the country under this plan. -
The End of the Civil War
The end of the Civil War or Appomattox happened in the McLean household. Making so that the war started and ended on the McLean property. On this date, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant met for the Confederates surrender and to negotiate the terms for the end. -
The 13th Amendment
On this date, the 13th Amendment was ratified. This amendment abolished slavery in the United States and all of its territories. It also banned any involuntary servitude except for as a punishment for a crime. -
President Johnson’s Impeachment
President Johnson was impeached by the House of Representatives for going against the Tenure of Office Act. This act was put in place to protect those in office from Lincoln’s Cabinet. But Johnson removed Edwin Stanton from office leading to his impeachment. -
Barbed Wire Patented
Joseph Glidden invented barbed wire. He patented his invention on this day. Barbed wire changed life in the west in both good and bad ways like making sure to keep the animals together but affecting the natives that used to roam the land. -
The Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge opened on this day. It was the longest suspension bridge at the time of it opening. It was 1,595.5 ft. It was designed by John Roebling and his son Washington Roebling was the chief engineer. -
Ida B. Wells Sues
Ida B. Wells bought a first class ticket like she had done several times but this time she was asked to move but she refused. They were forcing her to move so she bit them and sued. She got a $500 settlement that later got overturned. -
The Statue of Liberty Dedicated
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. It was for the 100 year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The full name of the statue is “The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World.” This was the date of its dedication. -
The Oklahoma Land Rush
On this day thousands of white settlers rushed to claim two million acres of land that once belonged to Native Americans. They would rush to the land they wanted and would remove the stake on the land and put their flag down to claim the land. This event symbolized the closing of the frontier. -
Ellis Island Opens
Ellis Island was known as “The Golden Door.” Approximately 12 million people came over through Ellis Island. When passing through everyone was tested for medical purposes and asked 29 questions. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
Homer Plessy was arrested for sitting in a whites only section on a train and refused to move when asked. He was only 1/8 black and did this to make a point. Hs sued and the case went all the way to Supreme Court. It was ruled that segregation was legal as long as it was “separate but equal.” -
The Declaration of War on Spain
On this day the U.S. declared war on Spain. The Americans sympathized with Cuba when they heard of the things the Spanish governor of Cuba was doing. America sent a ship to watch over Cuba and when that ship sank Spain was blamed leading to the declaration of war. -
The Spanish Fleet Destroyed
At Manila Bay the Spanish fleet was destroyed. The Battle of Manila Bay was the first major battle of the Spanish-American war. The U.S. Asiatic Squadron lead by George Dewey defeated them. -
Manila Surrendered
Spain surrendered Manila to the U.S. This event lead to the end of the war and the Philippines being given to the U.S. This also lead to theTreaty of Paris being signed in December. -
Women’s Suffrage Parade in D.C.
On this day there was a march for women’s suffrage that Ida B. Wells wanted to participate in. They were going to allow her but they were going to force her to stand in the back. She decided to just stand in the crowd and join in at the front instead. -
The Sinking of the Lusitania
The Lusitania was bombed down by German U-boats. This was a main reason for Americans joining the war because it was a passenger boat and not only that but there were American passengers on board as well. -
The Espionage Act
This act was put in place to ban any interference with recruitment and it also ordered for the removal of any communist looking mail. This law was one of the few laws out in place that violated Americas freedom of speech. -
Battle of Belleau Wood
This was the first bug battle that America was involved with after they joined the war. The Germans had made their way in within 45 miles of Paris. They successfully stopped the Germans and this war also officially showed that America could really help. -
The End of World War 1
The central powers were exhausted after America joined the war so they wanted an armistice. So the Treaty of Versailles was signed at 11 am at the Palace of Versailles. The treaty took so much away from Germany. -
19th Amendment Ratified
This amendment gave women the right to vote. When if was being voted on they just needed one more state which was Tennessee. Tennessee did vote for it with Harry Burn getting a note from his mom and changing his vote from a no to a yes. -
Scopes Trial
The Scopes trial occurred because teaching evolution was illegal. In Tennessee one teacher was paid to teach evolution and ended up going to court for it. It became a very big deal because both sides of the trial had big name judges. -
Steamboat Willie came out
Steamboat willie was the first animated movie to come out with sound. It was the first Mickey Mouse show to come out. It it was a short black and white film. -
Black Tuesday
Black Tuesday was the day that the stock market crashed. It was the biggest crash in US history. It ended the economic expansion that was occurring in the 20s. It also was a big contributor to the beginning of the Great Depression. -
Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930
President Herbert Hoover supported this tariff. This tariff raised prices on imported goods by a lot. They wanted it to make people buy from each other instead of from others out of the country but instead it made the other countries just stop trading with us at all which lead to people ending up even worse in the depression. -
Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected for President
Roosevelt was elected during the Great Depression. During his term he did a lot during his first hundred days and started the New Deal. The New Deal started programs and passed laws to try and improve the economy in the depression. -
21st Amendment
The 21st amendment was passed to repeal the 18th amendment. The 18th amendment started prohibition but when prohibition failed they had to pass the 21st amendment to appease the people. -
Fair Labor Standards Act
This was the day that the Fair Labor Standards Act was signed. This act set minimum wage in place along with overtime pay, record keeping, and come youth employment standards. This was the last act to come from the New Deal. -
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
On this day Japan surprise attacked the US navy. This event is what brought America into World War II. 1100 lives were lost on the Arizona out of the 3000 losses in total. -
MacArther ordered out of the Philippines
General Douglas MacArther was in charge of American and Filipino troops in the Philippines. But the problem was that they weren’t well enough trained. So on this day he was ordered to withdraw his troops from the Philippines and he promised, “I will return!” -
The Battle of Stalingrad Starts
Battle was the first great turning point in the war for the Allies. The Germans were not prepared for the harsh weather because they were wearing their summer uniforms. Though the Soviets lost more than a million men in this battle. -
D-Day
D-Day is the largest land-sea-air operation in military history. The German retaliation was brutal. It is also otherwise known as “Operation Overload.” -
V-E Day
General Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich. On this day, Victory in Europe Day, the Allies celebrated with the war in Europe finally being over. -
V-J Day
On August 14, 1945 Japan surrenders after 2 atomic bombs had been dropped on two of their cities. September 2, 1945 is the day that the war officially ended and is the day that people celebrated. This making the war 6 years and a day long. -
The “Easter Parade”
During the time of the Berlin blockade they used Berlin airlifts to get food and supplies to the people. They called this “Operation Vittles.” This was the day that the most flights occurred. There were 1,398 flights on this day. There was one leaving every minute. -
Mao proclaims the Peoples Republic of China
Chang Kai-shek was defeated by Mao Zedong. This was the fall of China with Mao Zedong being communist. Mao proclaims the republic and then meets with Stalin and becomes friends. -
Armistice Agreement signed to end the Korean War
This truce was signed after two years of truce talks. Korea remained separate after this war. The North remained communist and the South was saved from being taken over. -
The Last immigrant Passes through Ellis Island
Arne Petersen, a Norwegian merchant seaman, became the last immigrant to pass through Ellis Island. After having 12 million immigrants pass through the doors to Ellis island were closed. -
Alaska becomes a state
Alaska was brought from Russia for 7.2 million dollars in 1807 by William Seward. Everyone thought it was a waste for the barren, icy land. Later they found gold and oil on the land and everyone rushed there to find gold and it became a state in 1959. -
Hawaii becomes a state
Hawaii was ruled by queens and kings but all the Americans living there wanted it to be annexed so that they didn’t have to pay a tariff on sugar. So they overthrew the queen and Sanford B. Dole stepped in as President until they got it annexed by President McKinley. -
The Berlin Wall goes up
On this day communist authorities begin constructing the Berlin Wall. It was put up to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin. The wall went up very quickly which resulted in many families being separated. -
The Soviet Union is formally dissolved
The day before this Gorbachev resigns and declares his office as extinct. Then President Boris Yeltsin comes to power and the Soviet flag was lowered. On this day the Soviet Union was formally dissolved.