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The Homestead Act of 1862 was a landmark piece of legislation that encouraged the settlement of the American West by granting 160 acres of public land to any U.S. citizen willing to farm it for five years. -
In the wake of the Civil War and emancipation, Southern states enacted the Black Codes to restrict the freedom of African Americans and maintain a labor force resembling slavery. -
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery throughout the United States. -
The Freedmen's Bureau was established in 1865 to assist formerly enslaved people and poor whites in the South following the Civil War. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was the first federal law to define U.S. citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. -
The 14th Amendmen granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and guaranteeing them equal protection under the law. -
John D. Rockefeller founded Standard Oil, one of the first powerful monopolies of its kind. -
The 15th Amendment granted African American men the right to vote by prohibiting any government from denying suffrage based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. -
The Haymarket Riot began as a peaceful labor protest in Chicago advocating for an eight-hour workday, but it turned violent when a bomb was thrown at police, leading to a deadly clash. -
The Panic of 1893 was one of the most severe economic depressions in American history, triggered by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky financing that led to widespread bank failures and unemployment. -
The Pure Food and Drug Act was a major achievement of the Progressive Era, establishing the federal government’s role in regulating consumer products for safety and accuracy. -
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) became the United States’ leading civil rights organization during the 20th century. -
The United States entered World War I in 1917, joining the Allied Powers in a global conflict that had already raged for three years. -
The 19th Amendment granted women the constitutional right to vote, ending decades of organized suffrage activism. -
The Stock Market Crash of 1929 triggered the Great Depression, the worst economic downturn in U.S. history. -
The United States entered World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, joining the Allies in a global conflict that reshaped the modern world. -
President Harry Truman’s Fair Deal aimed to expand the New Deal and provide economic security to more Americans in the postwar era. -
The Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. -
The Voting Rights Act was a landmark piece of legislation that aimed to eliminate racial discrimination in voting. -
The founding of the National Organization for Women (NOW) marked the emergence of second-wave feminism, which sought equality not only in voting rights but also in employment, education, and reproductive freedom.