-
Monroe Doctrine
In President James Monroe’s address to Congress, he articulated a warning to the European nations that the US would no longer tolerate further colonization or puppet monarchs. -
The Seneca Falls Convention
Considered to be America’s first women’s rights conference. Directed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucria Mott, there were around 300 people there (including 40 men). 10 resolutions were passed that were appealed to the government, including women’s suffrage. -
Start of the War (Fort Sumter)
By this time, 7 states had seceded from the Union. South Carolina was the first, and now trying to kick the US Navy out of their bay. The US Navy was stationed at Fort Sumter when the South started firing at 4:30 am. Although it was not a real battle, it is considered the start of the Civil War. -
Pickett's Charge
During the last day for the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee orders his men to attack the middle of the Union line. Named so for the highest ranking man leading the charge-General George Pickett. In about 50 minutes there were 5,000 casualties from the Confederate side. Despite General Pickett's excitement to lead the charge, he blamed Lee for what happened to his men. -
Surrender at Appomattox (End of the War)
The surrender at Appomattox Court House is considered the end of the Civil War. General Lee surrenders to General Grant under very generous conditions, with his first request being to get his men food. Surrender happens in Wilmer McLean's parlor, after the first real battle (The First Battle of Bull Run) was on his farm lands. -
13th Amendment Passed
After the war ends in April of 1865, the Emancipation Proclamation still has no legal effect on the south. Congress finally passes the 13th Amendment banning all slavery and acts of involuntary servitude and has the legal rights to enforce it on a federal level. -
President Johnson's Impeachment
After Lincoln's assassination, VP Andrew Johnson assumed the position of president. After 3 years of constant battle between Congress and Johnson, the Senate passed the Tenure of Office Act, limiting the power of the president so that he could not remove cabinet members without senate approval. To publicly object this move, Johnson removed Edwin Stanton from his cabinet, giving the House means of impeachment. -
Transcontinental Railroad is Finished
The Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad finally meet together at Promontory Pt, UT. This is one of the last major engineering feats completed by hand and allows easier access into the American Frontier. -
Invention of Barbed Wire
Joseph Gidden introduces the world to Barbed Wire. While this invention is able to keep cattle contained and out of harms way from predators, this also puts an end to small ranchers. The cowboy lifestyle is ended from this point on and the nomadic way of life for Native Americans had come to an end. -
Battle of Little Bighorn
The Black Hills were sacred to the Lakota Sioux Tribe whom lived there, so when President Grant asked to buy the land, it was no surprise they responded with a hearty no. General Custer lead 647 men into battle again 1,500 Sioux warriors. All American soldiers were killed in battle. -
Rutherford Hayes Sworn into Presidency
After Rutherford Hayes and Samuel Tilden tie in electoral votes in the 1876 election, the House of Representatives got to vote the new president in. With the House being fairly split in the political parties, the Compromise of 1877 was decided on between Republicans and Democrats. The Republicans would have the presidency, and Rutherford's first act would be to end Reconstruction. -
Ida B. Wells Thrown Off the Train
Ida B. Wells had bought a first class ticket for a train, but was told to go to the colored car. She refused and ended biting one of the crew members. She took the incident to court and was awarded $500, but later when taken to higher courts, ruled against. -
The Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is finally opened to public use. At the time, it became the longest suspension bridge. It was designed by John Roebling who died, his son Washington took over overseeing it, but when he fell ill, his wife Emily Roebling finished the project and was the first to walk across its length. -
Statue of Liberty is Unveiled
After France gifts the US the Statue of Liberty in celebration of the centennial of the American Revolution, she is shipped to New York Harbor. After 10 years since the original gifting, it takes 10 years for the Statue to be ready and unveiled. -
Annie Moore Arrives at Ellis Island
The first immigrant to come to America through Ellis Island, 17-year-old Annie Moore received a commemorative coin as she was processed from Ireland with her two younger brothers. -
Gibson Girl Introduced
By the artist Charles Dana Gibson, the Gibson Girl was a high society socialite who pursued family, romance, and a high education. Though Gibson claimed there was no one woman for his model, many young women sought him out to pursue higher standings with their picture featured in his folio. -
Plessy v Ferguson
After Homer Plessy is denied his train ticket’s spot, he takes his case to the court. This becomes a landmark case in the Supreme Court with the ruling “Separate but Equal”. -
Sinking of the USS Maine
As it was, the US was shifty about the Spanish, originating from their treatment of the Cubans. The explosion of the USS Maine acted as a catalyst as it killed 266/354 sailors on the ship for the Spanish-American War. -
Spanish American War Starts
After lots of angst front he public and jeering from journalists, the USS Maine blows up, becoming the catalyst for the beginning of the war. -
Treaty of Paris Signed
With the signing of the Treaty of Paris, the Spanish-American War was officially over after only 8 months. This made America a world-power after defeated an old-power country with an incredible navy and made the US an imperialistic country with Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. -
US Formally Acquires the Philippines
During the Spanish-American War, the Philippines helped America in the fight against Spain in an understanding of freedom from Spain. After the war, the Treaty of Paris was signed and America gained formal acquisition of the Philippines to the distaste of the Filipino people. -
Ida B Wells Marches in Washington
After organizing a women’s suffrage march in Washington, Wells is told by the other women that she can march, but not in front. They didn’t want to make the march about race. Ida B wouldn’t have it, so she hid in the crowd, and when the march passed where she was, she came and joined the other ladies in front. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to the thrown of Austria-Hungary) and his wife Sofia went on a tour throughout Europe. At their last stop, Serbia, there was an uprising. After one of the protestors shot one of the guards of the cars and he ended up in the hospital, the car went on an impromptu visit to the hospital. This put the Archduke and wife just several feet from a shooter. Shooting the Archduchess first and then the Archduke, his last words were “Sophie, stay alive for the children.” -
Sinking of the Lusitania
6 days after the Lusitania has left New York’s harbor, this passenger freight boat had only several miles till reaching her destination when she was shot down by German U-Boats. Possibly 2 torpedoes were fired at the ship, causing over 1,000 casualties, including 138 American deaths. This almost dragged America in WW1 until Germany ceased their merchant ship firing policy. -
U.S. Senate Votes to Declare War
U.S. Senate voted in support of the measure to declare war on Germany. The House concurred two days later. By early 1918, the US had begun to send troops to Europe. -
Armistice Declared
After the War of Attrition had finally depleted the Central Powers’ supplies, an armistice is declared. Because America had joined the Allies in 1917, they were given a fresh boost of troops, moral, and supplies, winning the war. Shots were to be stopped at 11 a.m. on the dot. -
Prohibition Passed
A movement driven mostly by Christian women, prohibition banned the making, selling, and transporting of alcohol. That being said, drinking it was still legal, which lead to the beginning of organized crime, bootleggers, and speakeasies which carried throughout the 20s. -
Steamboat Willie Premieres
Steamboat Willie was the first film starring Mickey Mouse and synchronized sound. This made silent movies obsolete and continued to bring about the popularity of animated films. -
Black Tuesday
Known as the official start to the Great Depression, Black Tuesday marks the day of the stock market crash. After living lavishly in the 20s, the American population began getting into credit and stocks, making the crash severe not only through the nation but internationally. But the worst was still to come when the economy hit “bottom” in 1932. -
Franklin D Roosevelt Inaugurated into Office
The only president to ever serve more than 2 terms in office, FDR was elected during the Great Depression and died before he could finish his fourth term during WW2. FDR was known for his optimism and way of talking with the American public. He also was known for having polio, putting him in a wheelchair. -
Prohibition Repealed
With the ratification of the 21st Amendment, Prohibition is repealed. It is now legal to make, sell and transport alcohol, as well as consume it. By the mid 1920s, only 19% of the population voted to be in support of prohibition, bringing about the timely end. -
New Deal Plan is Over
FDR’s New Deal plan involved created relief, recovery, and reforms. At first, he was supported in his plans of making more jobs. But in 1938, people were ready for it to be done, with their minds across seas looking at WW2. -
Great Depression is “Over”
Although there is no technical date or year that the Great Depression ended, it is a general consensus that it ended with the beginning of WW2 across the seas. Although it was a terrible war, it created a lot of jobs and rebuilt the American economy. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Early morning December 7th, Japanese planes bombed the Pearl Harbor Naval Base. 3,000 American soldiers died, over a thousand of these deaths resulting from the tragic sinking of the USS Arizona. Shortly after, President Roosevelt went to congress in hopes of declaring war. -
USA Declares War
The day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, President FDR delivered his “Day of Infamy” speech to congress. The appeal passed and the US officially entered WW2. First hand accounts claim FDR’s speech was short, powerful, and straight to the point. -
D-Day (the Normandy Invasion)
On June 6, American, British, and Canadian forces invaded German occupied France in attempt of liberation. The amphibious invasion was code named Operation Overlord and caused over 226,000 casualties of the Allied powers. But the Allies were successful and eventually liberated all of France. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
On this day, 70,000 US Marines invaded the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Spanning over 5 weeks, there were 25,000 US casualties, and over 7,000 deaths. One of the most recognized events of this battle is the picture that was taken afterwards, of Americans raising the flag. -
Victory in Europe Day
Also known as V-E Day, Victory in Europe was declared with the Soviet takeover of Berlin. With this takeover, Hitler was found dead, superiors surrender, and the capitol of Germany was surrendered. -
Hiroshima Bombed
After 2 years of working on the Manhattan Project, 4 atomic bombs were created. On this day, the first bomb was released over Hiroshima after warning from America was given in the form of pamphlets dropped over the city. But even after 70,000 people died from the explosion, Japan still did not surrender -
Victory over Japan Day
Also known as V-J Day, victory over Japan was declared with official Japanese surrender. This occurred several days after dropping 2 atomic bombs on the cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. -
Korean War Begins
Although not technically an official US war (congress never declared war), on June 25th, North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel into the south. On June 27th, President Truman ordered US forces to go help the south. The war continues till 1953, with talk of peace happening for over 2 years -
Joseph Stalin Dies
Joseph Stalin dies on the brink of the end of the Korean War. With his death, Premier Nikita Khrushchev takes power of the USSR. he begins the de-Stalin-ization program and declares Stalin a criminal. -
Ellis Island Closes
After processing more than 12 million immigrants to the US, Ellis Island shuts its’ gates. After more than 20 years of solitude, Ellis Island is reopened as a museum in 1976. -
JFK Assassinated
In a campaign parade in Dallas, JFK was shot twice by Lee Harvey Oswald. Many conspiracies surround the assassination, but the official statement is that LHO acted alone and in show of communist support, especially in the time of the Vietnam War. -
Moon Landing
The Cold War is continued on through space. The Soviets and Americans battle each other to see who can make the most advancements into space. The Space Race is considered to be won by the US with Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong being the first to land on the moon. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
A wall the went through the heart of Berlin dividing east and west, communist and democracy. Shortly after the fall of the wall, the USSR falls as well (1991). This is the signaling of the end of the Cold War.