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The Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by United States President Andrew Jackson. The law allowed the president to negotiate with Native American tribes for their removal to federal territory in exchange for settlement of their ancestral lands. The United States government stated that the Indian tribes could freely inhabit the Great Plains. -
Gold discovered in California
A carpenter named James Marshall discovered gold. At first the news of the discovery was kept secret but became known. People from the East flocked to California hoping to find gold and make profit. Those who arrived in 1849 became known as the “Forty-niners” -
Seneca Falls Convention
The Seneca Falls Convention was the first women's rights convention. It was held in Seneca Falls, New York and there were 68 women and 32 men that signed a Declaration of Sentiments, which modeled on the Declaration of Independence. A set of 12 resolutions was adopted calling for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women. -
Lincoln elected President
Abraham Lincoln is elected the 16th president of the United States, becoming the first Republican to win the presidency. Lincoln received only 40% of the popular vote but handily defeated the three other candidates. He won over Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge, Constitutional Union candidate John Bell, and Northern Democrat Stephen Douglas, a U.S. senator for Illinois. -
The First Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run, also known as the Battle of Manassas, marked the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Union and Confederate armies clashed near Manassas Junction, Virginia. The confederates won and gave the South confidence in winning the war. -
The Homestead Act
President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act on May 20, 1862. In 1863, Daniel Freeman made the first claim under the Act, which gave citizens up to 160 acres of public land provided where they will live on, improve it, and pay a small registration fee. This Act offered anyone prepared to settle, land for free provided if they built a home and farmed the land for five years. -
The Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run proved to be the deciding battle in the Civil War campaign waged between Union and Confederate armies in northern Virginia in 1862. After a long battle, the Union decided to retreat. The confederates, led by Robert E. Lee won the second battle of the bull run. -
The 13th Amendment ratified
The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery “within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Congress required former Confederate states to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment as a condition of regaining federal representation. Slavery was no longer a thing and the slaves had finally got what they deserved. -
The Freedmen Bureau
The Freedmen Bureau was created by Congress in March 1865 to assist for one year in the transition from slavery to freedom in the South. The Bureau was given "the supervision and management of all abandoned lands and the control of all subjects relating to refugees, under such rules and regulations as may be presented by the head of the Bureau and approved by the President." It was supposed to help blacks who couldn’t help themselves and even lowly whites who were struggling in life. -
Lincolns Assassination
John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor, assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in D.C. The attack came only five days after General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across the street and placed him on a bed. When the surgeon arrived at the house, he concluded that Lincoln couldn’t be saved and would die during that night. -
Grant elected President
In the election, Grant won by an electoral margin of 214-80 and received more than 52 percent of the popular vote. He became the 18th president and became the youngest president-elect in U.S. history up to that time. He was did two terms as president and died to throat cancer. -
The Home Insurance Building
The Home Insurance Building was a skyscraper that stood in Chicago from 1885 to 1931. It was designed by William Le Baron Jenney in 1884 and completed the next year. It is considered the world's first skyscraper and was completed in 1885. -
Coney Island Amusement Parks
The first enclosed amusement park was opened in Coney Island which marked the beginning of the spectacular amusement parks with bright lights, beautiful archways, and much more. This first park by Paul Boyton was called Sea Lion. This was the first park in which customers paid admission to enter the enclosure, ride the Shoot-the-Chutes, the Flip-Flap roller coaster, watch circus performers, and view trained sea lions in an artificial lagoon. -
Opening of Ellis Island
Ellis Island had millions of newly arrived immigrants pass through its doors. When Ellis Island opened, a great change was taking place in U.S. immigration. Fewer arrivals were coming from Northern and Western Europe, as more and more immigrants poured in from Southern and Eastern Europe. 40 percent of all current U.S. citizens can trace at least one of their ancestors to Ellis Island. -
Plessy Vs. Ferguson
Plessy vs. Ferguson was a case that involved a man named Homer Plessy. The case came from an 1892 incident in which train passenger Homer Plessy refused to sit in a car for Black people. He had to be moved because of how stubborn he was. The things was that he was less than 1/4 African American. Because of this incident involving a violation of rights, the Supreme Court ruled that a law that “implies merely a legal distinction” between white and Black people was not unconstitutional. -
The Grandfather Clause
The grandfather clause was a provision in which it applied was to future cases. In allowed anyone to vote if their grandfather was able to vote. It was a subtle way to make sure blacks couldn’t vote. -
The USS Maine explodes
A huge explosion of unknown origin sinks the battleship USS Maine in Cuba’s Havana harbor on February 15, 1898, killing 260 of the fewer than 400 American crew members aboard. At the time many thought that the Spanish caused this explosion and because of this, it led to the Spanish-American War. Later on in 1976, a team of American investigators concluded that the Maine explosion was likely caused by a fire that ignited its ammunition stocks, not by a Spanish mine or act of sabotage. -
Declaration of the Spanish-American War
On 25 April 1898, the United States Congress declared war upon Spain. The ensuing Spanish–American War resulted in a decisive victory for the United States and served as a transitional period for both nations. Spain saw its days as an empire fade and the United States saw the prospect of overseas empire emerge. The war was ended by the Treaty of Paris signed on December 10 that same year. -
The Treaty of Paris 1898
Treaty of Paris concluded the Spanish-American War. It was signed by representatives of Spain and the United States in Paris. The final treaty forced Spain to relinquish all claim to Cuba and to cede Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States. -
The Platt Amendment
On March 2, 1901, the Platt Amendment was passed as part of the 1901 Army Appropriations Bill.[1] It stipulated seven conditions for the withdrawal of United States troops remaining in Cuba at the end of the Spanish–American War, and an eighth condition that Cuba sign a treaty accepting these seven conditions. It defined the terms of Cuban–U.S. relations essentially to be an unequal one of U.S. dominance over Cuba -
The Assassination was of Franz Ferdinand
The prince of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie are visiting Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, where they are shot and killed. Gavrilo Princip was the culprit and rode away from the scene with his motorcade. Austria-Hungary accuses Serbia of being responsible, which sets off a chain of events that will lead the European powers into war and sucking in other military powers. -
Panama Canal
Teddy Roosevelt uses "Big Stick Diplomacy" to build the Panama Canal, through encouraging Panamanians to rebel from Colombia. The canal helps America ships internationally much faster. The Panama Canal was the most expensive construction project in U.S. history to that point. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The Lusitania was a British boat that was torpedoed by German Submarines. With so many Americans and civilians dead, America wasn’t going to take it lightly. It was one of the major catalysts in getting America to join war and which turn the tide of war, ending in a victory by the Allies. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman Telegram was a note from Germany to Mexico to become and allies and attack America. America intercepted the telegram and was outraged. It was the final straw for America in entering the war. -
Battle of Belleau Wood
The first large-scale battle fought by American soldiers in World War I. It was a tough battle of fire for the Americans but persistence secured them their first important victory in France. It ended in an Allied victory and boosted morale in the Americas. -
19th Amendment
After Tennessee becomes the final state to ratify, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution is certified as a law. The 19th amendment ended a century of protest but it was all worthwhile. It gave women the right to vote and was sign of what women can do to make a change. -
The 18th Amendment
The 18th amendment came about because a movement wanted to limit the use of alcohol and its impact in society. Its manufacture, sale, distribution, and consumption was to be discontinued. The amendment is referred to as Prohibition. -
Babe ruth hits 60 home runs
Babe Ruth hit his 60th home run of the 1927 season and with it, he set a record that would stand for 34 years. Ruth led the MLB in home runs throughout the year, but did not appear to be within reach of his record 59 home runs, set in 1921, until he hit 16 in the month of September, tying his record on September 29. On September 30, in the last game of the season, Ruth finally broke his home run record. -
Steamboat Willie
Steamboat Willie was a animated short film directed by Walt Disney. The cartoon is considered the debut of Mickey Mouse and his girlfriend Minnie. Steamboat Willie is notable for being one of the first cartoons with synchronized sound. -
The Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was the name given to the Southern Plains region of the United States, which suffered severe dust storms. The Dust Bowl intensified the crushing economic impacts of the Great Depression and drove many families to a migration in search of work and better living conditions. The Dust Bowl was caused by several economic
and agricultural factors. -
President Roosevelt Elected
Franklin D. Roosevelt was in his second term as governor of New York when he was elected as the 32nd president in 1932. He was re-elected 3 more times and tried his best to deal with the Great Depression. Roosevelt died in office in April 1945. -
The Start of World War ll
Adolf Hitler’s invasion of Poland in September 1939 drove Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany, marking the beginning of World War II. Over the next six years, the conflict would take more lives and destroy more land and property around the globe than any previous war. It was the war to end all wars. -
Soviet invasion of Poland
Soviet Minister Vyacheslav Molotov declares that the Polish government has ceased to exist and the U.S.S.R. exercises the “fine print” of the Hitler-Stalin non-aggression pact(the invasion and occupation of eastern Poland). As Soviet troops invaded Poland, they unexpectedly met up with German troops. The Soviet Union would wind up with about 3/5ths of Poland and 13 million of its people as a result of the invasion. -
Germans capture Warsaw
Polish troops were taken prisoner by the German invaders as Warsaw surrenders to Hitler’s army. The Polish were only able to hold on for 26 days. This was all part of a Hitlers plan. -
Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister
Winston Churchill, who was known for his military leadership ability, was appointed British prime minister in the place of Neville Chamberlain. This same day, Belgium was invaded. He formed an all-party coalition and won the popular support of Britons. -
Dunkirk Evacuation
The Dunkirk evacuation was codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk. It was the evacuation of Allied soldiers during World War ll from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the north of France. The rescue of Britons was consisted a miracle. -
The Invasion of Paris
On June 14, 1940, Parisians awaken to the sound of a German-accented voice announcing via loudspeakers that a curfew was being imposed for 8 p.m. that evening as German troops enter Paris. By the time nazi tanks came into Paris, over a million Parisians had already fled. On this day, President Roosevelt stopped the American assets of the Axis powers. -
Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a military strike by the Japanese upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. The United States were a neutral country at the time but the attack led to the US joining World War II. “Remember Pearl Harbor” became a war chant for the US and their battle through out the war. -
America joins World War ll
Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the United States declared war on Japan and three days later, after Germany and Italy declared war on it, the United States became fully engaged in World War ll. Without Japans bombardment, the United States might now have been apart of World War ll. -
Closing of Ellis Island
When America entered World War I, immigration declined and Ellis Island was used as a detention center for suspected enemies. The Immigration Act of 1924 reduced the number of newcomers allowed into the country and enabled immigrants to be processed at U.S. consulates abroad. Ellis Island switched from a processing center to a detention and deportation center and many other things. In November 1954, the last detainee was released and Ellis Island officially closed.