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Alexis de Tocqueville
Alexis de Tocqueville was a French citizen who traveled to America and wrote about his observations of American culture and politics. In
discusses how Americans viewed the equality of the sexes. Tocqueville acknowledged that women were not completely equal in American society, but he also claimed that they enjoyed greater equality here than in Europe. -
Doughboys
This was a widely used nickname for American soldiers during World War I, but where did the name come from? Actually, there are multiple theories. According to one explanation, the term dates back to the Mexican War of 1846-48, when American infantrymen made long treks over dusty terrain, giving them the appearance of being covered in flour, or dough. -
The Seneca Falls Convention
The first women’s rights conference in America held in Seneca Falls, NY. About 300 people in attendance, including about 40 men. They passed 10 resolutions unanimously relating to women’s rights, and just barely got enough votes to pass the resolution on women’s suffrage. Frederick Douglass was among the supporters who attended and spoke in its defense. -
Medical And Eye Exams
Medical Inspectors watched the people & marked them with chalk. Many varied ailments could send you home. Eyes were a special focus. Each person had their eyes examined, usually with a hook to flip them up. They were looking for Trachoma -
Commodore Perry
Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay with a bunch of warships and tried to open up trade with Japan, who was very isolationist at this time. With a combination of the threat of the gunboats in the harbor, and the showering of gifts to the Emperor, the Japanese finally signed a trade agreement with America. -
THE PONY EXPRESS
Railroads, along with telegraph, made the need for
the Pony Express obsolete.Between April, 1860 and Oct., 1861.
Delivered news and mail between St. Louis, MO
and San Francisco, CA. Took on average 10 days.
Replaced by the completion of the trans-
continental telegraph line. -
THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD
The railroads also began work to fulfill a
longtime goal—to build a transcontinental
railroad that would stretch from coast to
coast.
Two railroads were given charters in
1862 to build the tracks.
They would start from opposite
directions, eventually meeting in the
middle.
Now they would attempt to lay 1,775
miles of track from Omaha to
Sacramento. -
Ida B. Wells
Ida B. Wells was born as a slave in Mississippi in 1862.
• During Reconstruction, her parents were active in the local
Republican Party. An important moment for her came in 1884, when she was riding a train from Memphis to Nashville. She had bought a first-class ticket but was told she had to back to the “colored” car. She refused on principle and had to be forcibly removed. In the
process she bit one of the crew, and later sued the railroad,
winning a $500 settlement, -
The Battle of Antietam
This is the South’s first attempt to invade the North.
Union soldiers found a piece of paper wrapped around 3 cigars detailing Lee’s military plans. The battle is essentially a draw, but considered a Northern victory because the Southern army must retreat back to the South, and it gave Lincoln the win he needed to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. This was the bloodiest single day battle of the war, with between 20,000 and 25,000 casualties. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
A Southern victory, but Stonewall Jackson is shot accidentally by his own men. His arm is amputated, but he soon gets pneumonia and dies. Lee said about Jackson: “Jackson has lost his left arm, and I have lost my right arm.” -
The Battle of Gettysburg
The second and last attempt by the South to invade the North.
General Lee commands the South: The Army of Northern Virginia.
General Meade commands the North: The Army of the Potomac (He is put in command only a few days before this battle)
This is the bloodiest battle of the whole war, with over 50,000 casualties. -
13th Amendment
Ratified in December, 1865. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. -
Grandfather Clause
In order to help poor, illiterate
whites to vote, a grandfather
clause was passed.
It stated that if a voter’s father or
grandfather was eligible to vote on
January 1, 1867, they did not have
to take a literacy test. This allowed whites to vote, but
not freedmen. -
14th Amendment
Ratified in July, 1868. Provide a constitutional guarantee of the rights and security of freed people. -
THE IMPACT OF THE RAILROADS
In 1869, George Westinghouse helped make
railway travel safer and faster with the
invention of a new air brake.
On early trains, each railroad car had its own
brakes and brake operator.
If different cars stopped at different times,
accidents resulted.
The new air brake allowed an engineer to
stop all the cars at once.Railroad lines also added dining cars where
porters, conductors and waiters attended the
needs of passengers. -
15th Amendment
Ratified in 1870.
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. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Women’s rights groups were furious that they were not granted the vote -
Statue of Liberty,
It’s complete name is “The Statue of
Liberty Enlightening the World”
o It was a gift from France in
commemoration of the 100 year
anniversary of the American Revolution
and the friendship between France and
America.
o Designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi
o He also came to America to pick out the
island in the harbor he thought would
best fit the idea of being the “gateway to
America”
o It was first constructed in France, then
taken apart and shipped to America,
where it had to be reassembled -
America’s Premier Immigration Station
Federal Government establishes Bureau of Immigration & selects Ellis Island as site of new immigration station for port of New York – Ellis Island opens it doors January 1 – Fire destroys original wood buildings – Ellis Island re-opens in its present Beaux-Art style -
Crusade against Lynchings
In 1892, she became an advocate of anti-lynching reform after a
friend of hers along with 2 other associates were lynched,
basically for starting a grocery store that became competition
for a white-owned store nearby. The police refused to arrest the killers, and Wells tried to start a boycott against white-owned stores and public transportation. At one point, one of her articles angered some people enough
that they stored one of her newspaper offices and destroyed all
the equipment. -
Alfred T. Mahan
Mahan was a military historian and officer in the U.S. Navy. He played an important role in the strengthening of America’s Navy. He stressed the importance of a strong navy, of establishing naval bases around the world, and building a canal through Central America that would allow ships to pass through rather than going around the tip of South America. By 1900, America had the world’s third largest navy. -
Sinking of the Maine in Havana Harbor
On February 15, 1898, USS Maine explodes in Havana, Cuba Harbor
260 American sailors are killed (out of a total of less than 400 sailors on board. Most Americans believe it was Spain’s fault It is the “spark” that started the war “Remember the Maine!” becomes the rallying cry .In 1976, the US Navy analyzed the sunken ship and decided that the hull blew OUT not IN -
War in the Philippines
Filipinos were angry with the U.S. for refusing to grant them independence. Therefore, Emilio Aguinaldo and his troops continued to fight against the U.S. The war ended in 1901 when Aguinaldo was captured. Over 4,000 Americans and 220,000 Filipinos died in the war,
including 20,000 Filipino soldiers. The Philippines were finally given their independence in 1946. -
The Brooklyn Bridge,
Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn
Bridge was the longest suspension bridge
in the world at the time of its opening, with
a main span of 1,595.5 feet.
Designed by John Roebling.
His son Washington Roebling was the
chief engineer, but when he got sick, his
wife Emily was involved in helping to
complete the bridge. She also was the
first to officially cross the bridge when it
was completed. This bridge was a major symbol
of American ingenuity. -
The First World War
World War I began after the assassination of Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand by South Slav nationalist Gavrilo Princip -
The Lusitania
Germany told Americans to stay off British ships, and they could and would sink them. Germany torpedoed the Lusitania, sinking it with 1200 passengers and crew (including 128 Americans). It was eventually found to be carrying 4200 cases of ammunition. -
Ruling Puerto Rico
The Foraker Act of 1900 gave Puerto Ricans their own
government.Puerto Rico's official flag was adopted in 1952 on the same day that Puerto Rico became a commonwealth. The red
symbolizes blood, the white symbolizes individual liberty and
rights, and the blue triangle symbolizes the three branches of
the republican government (and also the sky and coastal
waters of this beautiful Caribbean island). -
The 14 Points Plan
President Wilson’s Fourteen Points was his vision for the future after the war, including freedom of the seas and a League of Nations to work for world peace. Wilson had to convince American that this would be the War to End All Wars. He had to convince American that beating the Germans and its allies would make the world safe for democracy. -
Battle of Belleau Wood
The first large-scale battle fought by American soldiers in World War I. In late May 1918, the Germans had pushed into France to within about 45 miles of Paris. The Battle of Belleau Wood, starting June 1, 1918, was the attempt by U.S. forces under General John J. Pershing (largely Marines) to halt the German advance. After a lot of hard fighting, the battle ended on June 26. It was an allied victory, but at the cost of nearly 10,000 dead, wounded, or missing in action. -
Organized Crime.
Prohibition contributed to the growth of organized crime in every major city. Chicago became notorious as the home of Al Capone – a famous bootlegger. Capone took control of the Chicago liquor business by killing off his competition -
Prohibition
Reformers had long believed alcohol led to crime, child & wife abuse, and accidents. Supporters were largely from the rural south and west. The Eighteenth Amendment banned the making, selling, or transporting of alcohol, which became known as prohibition -
Entertainment and Arts
Even before sound, movies offered a means of escape through romance and comedy. First sound movies: Jazz Singer. First animated with sound: Steamboat Willie. By 1930 millions of Americans went to the movies each week -
Stock Market Crash.
The stock market crash of 1929 was not the sole cause of the Great Depression, but it did act to accelerate the global economic collapse of which it was also a symptom. By 1933, nearly half of America's banks had failed, and unemployment was approaching 15 million people, or 30 percent of the workforce. -
Dust bowls
The Dust Bowl, started in 1930 and lasted for about a decade, but its long-term economic impacts on the region lingered much longer. Severe drought hit the Midwest and Southern Great Plains in 1930. Massive dust storms began in 1931. -
The Election
He served as governor from 1929 to 1933, promoting programs to combat the economic crisis besetting the United States. In the 1932 presidential election, Roosevelt defeated Republican incumbent Herbert Hoover in one of the largest landslide victories in US history. -
Hoover Dam
The construction for the Hoover dam started at around 1931 and finished at 1936. The Dam was originally named boulder dam, but then renamed to Hoover dam after the president. It located at the Colorado river, it impounds Lake Mead. -
U.S. PLUNGED INTO WAR
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, starting war with the US. Sensing weakness, -
Peral Habor
Japan intended the attack as a preventive action. Its aim was to prevent the United States Pacific Fleet from interfering with its planned military actions in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and those of the United States. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was won by the Soviet Union against a German offensive that attempted to take the city of Stalingrad. -
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy Landings. Other know has D-Day -
Battle of the bulge
The Battle of the Bulge marked the last German offense on the Western Front. The catastrophic losses on the German side prevented Germany from resisting the advance of Allied forces following the Normandy Invasion. Less than four months after the end of the Battle of the Bulge, Germany surrendered to Allied forces. -
The Bonus Army
World War I veterans were due to be paid a bonus in 1945. In 1932, over 20,000 jobless veterans protested in Washington, D.C. demanding immediate payment. In clashes with police, four veterans were killed. Hoover ordered General Douglas MacArthur to clear out the veterans using cavalry, tanks, tear gas and machine guns. -
Battle of Okinawa
Taking Okinawa would provide Allied forces an airbase from which bombers could strike Japan and an advanced anchorage for Allied fleets. From Okinawa, US forces could increase air strikes against Japan and blockade important logistical routes, denying the home islands of vital commodities. -
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin resulted in the surrender of the German army and the death of Adolf Hitler (by suicide). It was a resounding victory for the Soviet Union and the Allies. The battle took its toll on both sides, however. Around 81,000 Soviet Union soldiers were killed and another 280,000 were wounded. -
The Truman Doctrine
U.S. president Harry Truman proclaimed the Truman Doctrine. Threatened by Communist influence in Turkey and Greece. Financial aid “to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation”. There was the belief that countries that were recovering and had stable economies would be able to better resist communist influence. Sent $400 million worth of war supplies to Greece and helped push out Communism. The Truman Doctrine marked a new level of American commitment to a Cold War. -
The Marshall Plan
This put the Truman Doctrine into action. War damage and dislocation in Europe invited Communist influence. Economic aid to all European countries offered in the European Recovery Program. $17 billion to western Europe. Soviets refused – The blame for dividing Europe fell on the Soviet Union, not the United States. And the Marshall Plan proved crucial to Western Europe’s economic recovery. -
The Election of 1948
Harry Truman decided to run for reelection. Running against him was the Governor of New York, Thomas Dewey. On election night, the Chicago Daily Tribune relied on a correspondent with a good track record for correctly picking winners of presidential elections along with polls and general opinions, to print on the front of their newspaper, “Dewey Defeats Truman” . Finally, it was clear Truman had won the election. -
Berlin airlift.
Blockade of Berlin began on June 24, 1948
• From June 1948 to May 1949, U.S. and British planes airlift over 2 million tons of supplies to the residents of West Berlin.
• After over 200,000 flights, the Soviet Union lifts the blockade. -
The Korean War
Since World War II the country had been divided along the 38th parallel. The North was controlled by the Communist government of Kim Il Sung. The South by the dictatorship of Syngman Rhee. On June 25, North Korean communist forces cross the 38th parallel and invade South Korea. On June 27, Truman orders U.S. forces to assist the South Koreans The Soviets backed the North Koreans. The move succeeded only because the Soviet delegate, who had veto power, was absent because he was protesting the UN.