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13th Amendment
The purpose of the 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution was to make slavery and involuntary labor (except as punishment) illegal. It was passed in the Senate on April 8, 1864 and in the House of Representatives on January 31st 1865. However, the Amendment was only ratified by the states on December 6, 1865. -
Purchasing Alaska
The United States bought Alaska from the Russian Empire on March 30, 1867. The Russians had previously tried to sell Alaska to the United States, but this was delayed due to the American Civil War. Finally, on this day, Andrew Jackson signed a treaty which officially incorporated Alaska as an American territory. While many supported this decision, many Americans criticized it, believing Alaska to be a frozen wasteland. However, once gold was discovered there, most of the criticisms subsided. -
14th Amendment
The purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution was to give all people born or naturalized in this country citizenship rights and equal protection under the law, among other things. -
Transcontinental Railroad Completed
The final golden spike for the first transcontinental railroad was laid in Promontory, Utah. For the first time, the eastern and western halves of the country were connected by rail, making cross-country travel far quicker and safer. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment made it illegal to suppress voting rights on account of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude". Unfortunately, many Americans would still be denied the right to vote either due to necessary voting qualifications which were intentionally difficult to meet, poll taxes, grandfather clauses, or simply because they were not male. -
Susan B. Anthony Arrested for Voting
In 1872, suffragette Susan B. Anthony was arrested in her hometown of Rochester, New York for voting. The trial was widely covered in the national media. Many consider this event to have marked the beginning of the national women's suffrage movement. -
Battle of Little Bighorn
The Battle of Little Bighorn was fought between Sioux Natives and the United States military. The most remarkable thing about this conflict was that, unlike almost all other conflicts involving Native Americans and the United States military, the Natives won soundly. As a result, this battle became arguably the most famous Native-US conflict to come out of this period. -
Election of 1876, End of Reconstruction
The election between Hayes and Tilden in 1876 was the closest electoral college tie in the American history. While Tilden won the popular vote, Hayes only won the electoral vote by a margin of 1, and there were 20 disputed electoral votes. Eventually, it was decided Hayes would become president, but Reconstruction would end. This formally marked the End of the Reconstruction Era in the United States. -
The Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act prohibited all immigration of laborers from China. Despite the fact that there was a large number of white European immigrants coming into the country, there was no such limit placed on them. This law had nothing to do with jobs or economics- it was about shameful racial discrimination. It was only repealed in 1943 by the Magnuson Act. -
First Skyscraper Completed
The first skyscraper building is widely considered to have been the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, Illinois. It was the first building to be supported by a metal frame that was over 10 stories tall. This building signaled the dawn of a new era, and within a couple of decades, it was dwarfed by skyscrapers several times taller. -
The Dawes Act
The Dawes Act sought to encourage Native Americans to break from their tribal/traditional roots, live on their own private property, and assimilate into society. However, it ultimately failed and further deepened the poverty and mistreatment of many Native American groups. -
How the Other Half Lives
How the Other Half Lives was written by Jacob Riis and published in 1890. The book focused on documenting how the poor lived in the slums of New York City throughout the 1880s. A large portion of society was unaware of the extreme poverty that many lived in. Many consider this book to have had one of the biggest influences on our society. -
National American Woman Suffrage Association
The NAWSA was formed on February 18, 1890. It was formed after the merging of the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association. Its primary purpose was to fight for national full women's suffrage, and at one point had approximately 2 million members. The NAWSA is often credited for playing a pivotal role in the passage of the 19th Amendment. -
Wounded Knee Massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre occurred over a concern of Sioux Natives performing the Ghost Dance, a ritual which had long been held. Officials were angered, and a conflict ensued. By the end of it, between 150-300 Natives were killed, with only 25 deaths of American soldiers. -
Ellis Island Immigration Station
The Ellis Island Immigration Station was founded on January 1, 1892. 700 immigrants passed through it on the first day, and by the end of the year, more than 400,000 people of all ages, social classes, and nations passed through those halls. The beginning of Ellis Island was truly the beginning of an era for this country. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a major Supreme Court case decided in 1896. The case essentially stated that racial segregation was legal so long as the segregated facilities were equal. This adhered to the "separate but equal" principle. Plessy v. Ferguson was finally repudiated in 1954. -
Explosion of the USS Maine
The USS Maine was an American ship which had been stationed in Havana Harbor in Cuba. On February 15, 1898, the ship exploded in the harbor. Many Americans automatically blamed the Spanish, who ruled over Cuba at the time. This event became a major rallying cry against the Spanish, and within two months, the Spanish-American War had begun. -
Annexation of Hawaii
Hawaii was annexed to the United States in 1898 following the overthrowing of the Kingdom of Hawaii, which was largely done and supported by American citizens who were residing in Hawaii. While annexation was popular amongst many Americans who had economic ties to Hawaii, the majority natives were bitterly opposed to it, and many are still against American ownership today. -
Spain Surrenders in Spanish-American War
Spain surrendered to the United States on August 13, 1898. The two countries negotiated the terms of peace in the 1899 Treaty of Paris. It gave the United States control of temporary control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam, and included a $20 million payment to Spain. The Spanish loss of the war signaled the end of Spain as a major world power and the beginning of the global rise of the United States. -
Theodore Roosevelt Becomes President
Theodore Roosevelt become President of the United States on September 14, 1901 following the assassination of William McKinley. His presidency resulted in many victories for progressives, such as protecting vast swaths of land, busting trusts, regulating railroads, establishing safety standards for food and drugs, and more. -
17th Amendment
The 17th Amendment established that United States Senators would be elected by the people of their respective states. Prior to this amendment, Senators had been elected by their state legislatures. This amendment is considered a major win for the American people and local representation in the federal government. -
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
On June 28, 1914, Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was visiting Sarajevo. Six Yugoslav nationalists planned on assassinating him during his visit. However, it was Gavrilo Princip who ended up firing the fatal shots which killed the Archduke and his wife. This event triggered a chain reaction which would lead to the beginning of World War I a few months later. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The Lusitania was a British ocean liner which was sunk by a German Submarine early during World War I. Only 761 people survived the incident, leaving 1,198 dead. Many people were angered as they saw it as an attack on civilians. However, it was later discovered that the Ship was indeed carrying military supplies, which the Germans claimed it was after the attack. -
Revival of the KKK
On November 25, 1915, a group of men met at the top of Stone Mountain near Atlanta, Georgia and officially re-founded the Ku Klux Klan. Soon afterwards, the Klan flourished, and in the 1920s, it reached a peak membership of over 4 million. Most of the violence/harassment committed by the Klan- such as lynching, cross-burning, etc.- was directed towards black people in the South. -
Russia Leaves WWI
In 1917, Russia experienced the February and October Revolution, which led to the end Russian Empire, the beginning of the Russian Civil War, and Russia leaving World War I. As Russia was the only major Allied nation on the Eastern front, their exit from the war was beneficial to the Central Powers. -
Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman telegram was a message sent from the Germany to Mexico. It proposed a military alliance between the two nations and stated that Germany would help Mexico regain territory which had been taken by the United States previously. This message was intercepted by the British and passed on to the Americans, angering many of its citizens. -
US Joins WWI
Following the German invasion of Belgium, the sinking of the Lusitania, and the Zimmerman Telegram, many Americans began to harbor negative feelings towards Germany. Despite the fact that he initially wanted the US to remain neutral, President Woodrow Wilson to ask Congress to declare war on Germany, which it did so on this day. American troops began arriving en masse in Europe in 1918. -
Al Capone moves to Chicago
During his teen years, future notorious mobster Al Capone met Johnny Torrio, who introduced him to racketeering and gang life. Torrio invited Al Capone to Chicago in 1920. Later in his life, Capone would become famous for his actions/crimes he was responsible for while he was boss of the Chicago Outfit. -
18th Amendment
The 18th Amendment of the United States Constitution prohibited the production, transportation, and purchase of alcoholic beverages.It was added to the constitution after decades of pressure from the temperance movement. However, after little more than a decade, it was repealed, as it resulted in increased crime, corruption, and illegal drinking. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment of the United States Constitution made voting discrimination/denial on the basic of sex illegal. During this time, many states around the country were denying women the right to vote. This amendment is considered to be the hallmark achievement of the early women's rights movement. -
Scopes Trial
The Scopes Trail was a court case is which John Scopes was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which made it illegal to teach any non-Biblical account of human origin to students in a public school. Scopes was found guilty and fined $100 dollars on July 21, 1925. This case is often credited for bringing national attention to the ideological conflict between Modernists and Fundamentalists. -
Black Tuesday
The Stock Market Crash of 1929, commonly known as Black Tuesday, was a precursor to the greatest economic depression in American history. This came following a decade of optimism and high economic growth in previous years. The crash was devastating for millions of Americans who had invested much of their money in the stock market. -
Passage of Smoot-Hawley Tariff
The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, passed in 1930, was a law that raised tariffs on imports. The act is widely considered to have decreased both exports and imports and to have made the economic situation worse. -
FDR Elected
New York Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt defeated incumbent president Herbert Hoover on November 8, 1932. FDR received 472 electoral votes 57.4% to Hoover's 59 and 39.7%. He would be inaugurated on March 4, 1933 and would go on to serve four successful terms. -
Great Depression Peaks
By various metrics,1933 was the worst year of the Great Depression. Industrial production, bank closures, per capita income, and unemployment hit their peaks. After 1933, the economy began to slowly recover until the Depression had completely ended by the beginning of World War II. -
First New Deal
The First New Deal programs and organizations were established in 1933 and 1934. These included Emergency Banking Act, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the Civil Works Administration, the Securities Act, the National Recovery Administration, and more. -
Second New Deal
The Second New Deal programs and Agencies were established following the previous New Deal programs in 1935 and 1936. These included the Wagner Act, the Works Progress Administration, the Social Security Act, the United States Housing Authority, the Farm Security Administration, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration, etc. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Japanese attacked the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941. It resulted in the loss of many American ships, planes, servicemen, etc. In response, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared war on the Axis powers, and the United States officially became involved in World War II. -
D-Day Invasion
The D-Day invasion occurred on June 6, 1944 off the beaches in Normandy France. The Allied forced launched this seaborne invasion in order to liberate France from the Nazis, who had captured this territory previously. Ultimately, the operation was successful for the Allies. -
Germany Surrenders
Germany officially surrendered to the Allies on May 8, 1945, marking the end of World War II in Europe. This came following massive losses on the Axis side and the deaths of both Mussolini and Hitler. -
Atomic Bomb Attacks on Hiroshima/Nagasaki
In August of 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in order to bring World War II to an end. These bombings led to the two cities being almost completely destroyed, hundreds of thousands of civilians dying, and eventual Japanese surrender. -
World War II Ends
The Japanese officially surrendered on September 2, 1945, following several years of multi-nation fighting in Europe, Asia, and Oceana. This surrender occurred shortly after the United States detonated two atomic bombs on Japan and forced their hand in defeat. -
First Soviet Nuclear Weapon
The USSR begin to work on developing a nuclear weapon in 1940. However, they only began aggressively their aggressive pursuit once the United States detonated two atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Finally, in 1949, thanks to the effort of Soviet scientists and intelligence, the USSR detonated its first nuclear weapon at the Semipalatinsk site. -
Korean War Begins
Following World War II, Korea was split in half at the 38th parallel, ith the northern half under Soviet influence and the southern under American. The Korean War began after communist-backed North Korean forces invaded South Korea, prompting international backlash and US military involvement. An armistice was signed 3 years later, and there are still tensions between the two nations today. -
Cuban Revolution
Fidel Castro and his July 26th Movement overthrew Fulgencio Batista's authoritarian government on New Year's Day 1959 after years of a guerrilla fighting campaign. Over time, his new government would adopt various Communist policies and ally itself with the USSR. This concerned the United States, because it had many interests in Cuba and did not want a pro-Soviet state so close to its borders. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was period of high tension between the United States and Cuba/the USSR. The US was uncomfortable over Soviet missile deployments in Cuba and American missile deployments in Turkey. Eventually, it was agreed that the missiles in Cuba and Turkey would be removed. This event is considered the closest the Cold War ever came to escalating into nuclear war. -
JFK Assassinated
President of the United States John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. He was shot twice by Lee Harvey while riding in the presidential motorcade and pronounced dead a few hours later. Oswald was arrested the same day, although he never saw a trail as he was killed by Jack Ruby a mere two days after being arrested -
Tet Offensive Launched
The Tet Offensive was a North Vietnamese military campaign launched on the Vietnamese New Year Day 1968. Ultimately, there were heavy casualties on both sides, though the United States and South Vietnamese won tactically but lost politically. -
My Lai Massacre
The My Lai Massacre was the murder of hundreds of Vietnamese civilians by American soldiers. Victims included many women and children. There were various reports of women being sexually assaulted before being murdered. Even though dozens of soldiers were accused of participating, only one was convicted. -
Fall of Saigon
The South Vietnamese city of Saigon was captured by the North Vietnamese on April 30, 1975, marking a conclusive victory for communist North Vietnam. This led to the reunification of Vietnam under the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
