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The Seneca Falls Convention
The first conference for women's right's in New York. Organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. There were about 300 people at the convention including some men. -
Matthew Perry Makes Trade Deal with Japan
Commodore Matthew Perry sailed to Japan and used gifts and threats to convince the Emporer to make a trade deal with the USA. Japan was secluded and the USA was the First Nation to trade with them. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
Union Army was at Fort Sumter and wouldn’t leave. Lincoln sent a supply ship and a secret message that was meant to be intercepted by the South. The South fired first, battle lasted all day. The were no casualties. Eventually, North retreated and the South won. -
Battle of Antietam
The Bloodiest Day of the whole war. Lee marched his men North. A Union soldier found Lee’s plans on a piece of paper which gave the North an advantage. There were three main areas of fighting; the cornfield, the bridge, and the bloody lane. Battle was a draw, but North took the victory. Lincoln then gave the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan
During Reconstruction, Lincoln wanted to be more forgiving to the southerners. His initial plan was to let southern men vote if 10% of southern voters would take an oath of loyalty to the Union. -
The Surrender at Appomattox
Lee and Grant meet in a house in Antietam to discuss terms of surrender. Lee is dressed formally and Grant looks disheveled. They start with light chit chat. Grant sets an unconditional surrender and the next day is the official surrender. -
United States buys Alaska
Secretary of State William H. Seward agreed to purchase Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million on March 30, 1867. Many people thought this was stupid but there was a gold rush. -
President Johnson's Impeachment
This was the first impeachment in American History. Johnson could never agree with congress, so they came up with the Tenure of Office Act, which stated that the President could not fire government officials without a senate vote. when he inevitably broke this act, they used it as grounds to impeach him. The trial lasted eleven weeks. He was not officially kicked out of office. -
Transcontinental Railroad Completed
The long track building project of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroad companies is finally completed. In Promontory Utah, the two lines spanning form the Mississippi River to the Pacific coast meet up and the Presidents of the companies ceremonially drive the last golden spike into the rail. -
The Compromise of 1877
The election of 1877 was a tie between Republican Rutherford Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden. The two parties came up with a compromise that the republicans could have the presidency if they ended reconstruction in the south. The real loser of this deal was the African American population. -
The Brooklyn Bridge Opens
When it opened, The Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It was built in between Manhattan and Brooklyn. It took around ten years to complete the bridge. When the man in charge of its construction became ill, his wife took over and was the first person to walk across it. -
Standardized Timezones Introduced
After the transcontinental railroad was built, keeping train schedules was difficult because every town kept their own time. The government introduced four standard timezones to have an accurate train schedule. -
The Statue of Liberty is Dedicated
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to America, commemorating the Revolutionary war. It stands in New York Harbor for everyone to see. It was built in France by Frederic Bartholdi and shipped to America in pieces. -
The Sherman Anti Trust Act
This act was to outlaw monopolies, however, it did not work very well. This is part of the reason Rosevelt got the nickname of “trust-buster”. -
The Battle of Wounded Knee
The United States Cavalry massacred 150 Sioux Native Americans in South Dakota. This happened because this tribe refused to leave their land and started practicing the ghost dance. They believed that if they brought back their old traditions, their gods would save them. However, the U.S. Army was angered, and took out most of the small tribe. -
Ellis Island Opens
The first person to enter Ellis Island is a teenage girl from Ireland. Ellis Island is used for over 50 years as the gateway for immigration to America. -
The Grandfather Clause is Introduced
As a way to keep black people from voting, democrats came up with the literacy test and the poll tax, which stopped most black people from voting. However, to still allow poor or uneducated whites to vote, democrats introduced The Grandfather clause, which said that if the man's grandfather had been allowed to vote, then so could they. -
Plessy V. Ferguson Goes to the Supreme Court
When Plessy (who was 1/8 black) bought a train ticket and sat in a whites only car, and the conductor asked him to move, Plessy refused. He was taken to jail. Plessy took the local judge, Ferguson, to court under the claim that he violated the 14th amendment. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, but they ruled in favor of Ferguson. -
The Explosion of The USS Maine
A mysterious explosion sank the USS Maine in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898. Americans blamed Spain even though the ship blew up from inside. This is considered the spark the started the Spanish American War. -
Spanish American War Ends
The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898. Spain lost its control over the remains of its overseas empire of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines Islands, and Guam, -
McKinley is Assassinated
Six months into his second term, President McKinley is killed by Leon Czolgosz, leaving Rosevelt as President. -
NAACP is Formed
The National Assosciation for the Advancement of Colored People is founded in 1909. By 1915, it has 6000 members. -
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed along with his wife in Austria by a young man. This was the spark that ignited the war. The Balkans became even more unstable after this. -
The Lusitania Sinks
Germany sunk a ship that was carrying American passengers. The Germans promised to stop sinking on sight but they didn't follow through. -
NWP Pickets The White House
The National Women's Party began to peacefully fight for the president to do something for women's suffrage. These women were weary of waiting for liberty. -
The Treaty of Versailles
The war finally ends when the Allied Powers and the Central Powers signed this peace treaty. It made Germany the scape goat for the whole war. The treaty lead to World War Two. -
Passage of the 18th Amendment
The 18th amendment prohibited the sale and production of alcohol. It was not very popular and not well enforced. Many speakeasy opened which made the the roaring 20s culture that we know today. Many people found ways around it. It was later repealed. -
Passage of the 19th Amendment
This amendment was gave citizens the right to vote regardless of their sex. Tennessee was the last state needed to ratify the amendment. -
Steamboat Wille is Released
This is the first animated movie with sound. It was made by the famous Walt Disney. It stars the character Mickey Mouse. The movie was revolutionary in its time. -
Prohibition Ends
The 21st amendment repeals the 18th amendment of prohibition. Prohibition was only supported by 20% of Americans by this time. People felt prohibition made alcohol a bigger problem that it really was. -
Ellis Island Closes
On November 12, 1954, Ellis Island, the gateway to America, shuts it doors after processing more than 12 million immigrants since opening in 1892. -
Rosa Parks Arrested
In the late Jim Crow Era, Rosa Parks was arrested after she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. She then started a bus boycott and her suffrage movement made history.