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The Seneca Falls Declaration
The Seneca falls declaration was a major movement in the first step towards equal rights for woman. The declaration was held in New York and over 300 people men and woman came. The declaration was basically an outline for what women wanted and thought they deserved politically. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act was put into motion by President Lincoln who was encouraging the westward migration. The act stated that any american including freed slaves were allowed to claim up to 160 acres of free federal land, in exchange for paying a small fee. After serving on the land for five years the land would be considered yours. -
13th Amendment
The thirteenth amendment was passed by President Abraham Lincoln. It states " Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." This means that slavery would be outlawed throughout the whole country. It took many years for this amendment to be taken seriously though. -
Transcontinental Railroad
The transcontinental railroad was a revolutionary invention that was made possible by the Pacific Railroad Act charter. The railroad was built from Sacramento California to Omaha Nebraska. It connected in the middle at Promontory Utah where the Mayer of the town drove a golden spike in the ground to show that the railroad was finally connected. This railroad made it so that months of travel by horse or foot could take just seven days to get across the country. -
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge connects the Manhattan borough and the Brooklyn borough. It was made over the span of fourteen years and was finally completed on January 1st, 1870. This bridge was a marvelous accomplishment because it was the first ever suspension bridge of that size. The bridge still stands today and is seen as a monumental symbol in New York. -
First African American Senator Elected
Hiram Revels was born in North Carolina in 1827. He studied at Knox College in Illinois. A few years later he fought at the battle of Vicksburg, gaining him some credibility. He was a very outspoken man who wasn't afraid to talk about racial injustice. This is one of the reasons he was elected Senator. Though he was only senator for one year he still paved the way for African Americans and their rights. -
Enforcement Acts of 1870/1871
The enforcement acts state that "They were criminal codes which protected African-Americans’ right to vote, to hold office, to serve on juries, and receive equal protection of laws." This was passed by Ulysses S Grant to stop hate groups from being able to terrorized and cause fear, specifically the KKK. This act was ultimately unsuccessful though. -
Civil Rights Act of 1875
The Civil Rights Act was made by Charles Sumner who believed all men should be treated equal. The act allowed all citizens regardless of color access to church,educations, cemeteries and theaters. This was a huge leap forward for all the freed slaves and African Americans in this country. -
Battle of Little Big Horn
This is a very important part in the history between the Natives and the Americans.This battle is also called Clusters Last Stand. The Indians brutally murdered every single American leaving only one survivor, Comanche the Horse. This battle is significant because it made the hostility grow between the Americans and the Natives leading to further battles and problems. -
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
The Chinese Exclusion Act states that no one from China was able to immigrate to America unlesss they have a relative already living here. This law was passed because of the complaints that the Chinese were taking our jobs away and we’re threating our “white purity”. -
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty or sometimes known as Lady Liberty was given to us by the French as a sign of friendship and for our 100 years of independence. It was designed by Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi and was originally used as a light-house. This Statue is seen as a sign of freedom and liberty because when refugeees would come to Ellis Island the first thing they saw was the Statue. -
Dawes Act of 1887
The Dawes Act was a way to make the Natives more like the Americans. They tried to strip the Natives of their culture and force our cultures and beliefs upon them. This was very unsuccessful for the most part. The Natives continued to have their beliefs and embrace their culture. -
Sherman Anti-trust Act of 1890.
The Sherman Anti-trust Act of 1890 was passed by president Benjamin Harrison. The Act stated “The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was the first Federal act that outlawed monopolistic business practices.” It was also the first act passed by Congress that prohibited trusts. -
The Opening of Ellis Island
Ellis Island is an immigration station that is a man made Island off of the Hudson River. It was closed in 1954 and it is said that 40% of all current citizens can be traced back to have an ancestor that went through Ellis Island. This is now seen as a historical landmark. -
Plessy versus Ferguson
This is a very important case that would affect many people and is a major part in our American history. The case made was that Homer Plessy was sitting on the white part of the bus, and clearly looked white but he said to the train driver that he was one-eigth black. They then made him sit in the back. This lead to the very famous saying “separate but equal” in the ruling. -
The Spanish-American War
The Spanish American war was caused by the sinking of the Maine, causing 200 Americans to die. The war only lasted a few months causing Americans to be seen as threat. The effects of the spainish American war was that Cuba was granted its independence and Theodore Roosevelt became president. -
Philippians granted Independence
They phillipines was not granted their independence after helping fight in the Spanish-American war. This caused them to be angry and go to war with the Americans. They lost the war but after many years pass they were finally granted their independence on June, 12, 1898. -
The Grandfather Clause
The grandfather clause was put into action after the reconstruction to keep African Americans from gaining political power. This law stayed in place for seventeen years. The law states that if your grabdfather is allowed to vote then you are also able to vote. -
Roosevelt Corollary
The Roosevelt corollary was made by President Theodore Roosevelt which was an addition to the Monroe Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine stated that Europeans countries had no control over the americas. The Collorary stated that the United States were allowed to intervene with other countries as a last resort. -
NAACP
The NAACP is the national association for the advancement of colored people. Some of the founders were Ida B Wells and Mary White. It was made to protect the African-Americans social, economic, and political rights. -
17th Amendment
The 17th amendment states that “The Senator of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.” In simple terms the 17th amendment says that the people get to vote for the senators. -
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal connects the Atalantic ocean with the Pacific Ocean. It is an artificial canal made by the United States and is located in Panama. It was made to shorten the distance between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean making it easier to transport goods. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The Lusitania was a British passenger ship that was sunk by German U-boats. This was a very big deal because it was one of the catalyst events that got people riled up in America about Worl war one. People were furious that the Germans would blow up a ship of passengers that had up to 100 Americans in it. -
1917 Selective Service Act
The selective service act of 1917 stated that all menbetween 21 and 30 had to register for the draft And if your number was picked you would have to participate in the war efforts. Over ten million men would participate in the war because of this act. -
Espionage Act of 1917
THE espionage act forbade people from obstructing recruitment and insubordination to the United States Military. This caused a lot of grief because it basically took away a persons freedom of speech to an extent. -
Sedition Act of 1918
The sedition Act of 1918 States that any speech or writing that reflected the Untied states government in a bad way was against the law. You could even be fined and treasend for it during war time. -
18th Amendement
The 18th amendment or otherwise known as the the prohibition amendment prohibited alcohol. This was not enforced which led to moon shine which is illegal alcohol. The amendment was only in action for a little over 20 years. -
Treaty of Versaille
The treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed to end World War One. The treaty basically punished the German people very brutally and made them pay for all war repeated things, they also had their miliatary destroyed and lost a lot of their land. The also had to accept all of the blame for the whole war. -
19th Amendment
The 19th amendment states that the right of citizens to vote "shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." In simpler terms it gave all woman the right to vote. -
Scopes Trial
The scopes trial or sometimes Called the monkey trail was a debit over being allowed to teach evaluation in school. At the time teaching evolution was illegal. The scopes trial ended with John Scopes being found guilty for teaching evolution. -
The Jazz Singer
The Jazz singer was the first movie ever made with sound. It was produced by the Warner Bros production and made in 1927. This led to many more movies with sound being made. -
Black Tuesday
Black Tuesday is known as the day the stock market crashed. The losses exceeded 26 billion dollars. Over 16 million shares were sold in a hectic selling craze. Many people lost all of their money causing them to live in poverty for many years. -
Smoot-Hawley Tarrif Act
The Smoot-Hawley Tariff raised the taxes on international trade items up to 50%. Raising the taxes made the officials think that the Americans will buy more goods from home creating more jobs. With Americans buying less international items it caused a global disaster. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff was a complete failure. -
The Election of 1932
The election of 1932 was between Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Franklin offered financial relief and jobs to all the people who were affected by the great depression. Franklin Roosevelt won the popular vote in a landslide with 57% popularity. So on November 8, 1932 Franklin Delano Roosevelt. -
21st Amendment
The 21st amendment canceled out the prohibition amendment Andy made alcohol legal again. This happened because prohibiting alcohol caused more problems then the alcohol itself. -
The Federal Reserve Board
The Federal Reserve Board was made in order to stop the financial disaster happening during the great depression. It was meant to be a protective "watchdog" of the United States economy. The federal reserve board also has the power to set the interest rate for loans issued by banks. -
Black Sunday
The dust bowl was a pandemic that literally swept the nation in the early 1930s. From over plowing and incorrect farming methods this caused the topsoil to be too loose. On march 14, 1935 the worst dust storm of the dust bowl occurred giving the name Black Sunday. The dust flew from Oklahoma all the way to New York. -
Germany Invades Poland
On September 1st, 1939 Adolf Hitler the leader of Germany invades Poland. The German army bombed their way through fighting anyone who got in the way. He was ultimately successful in taking over Poland. This invasion was the beginning of his "blitzkrieg" strategy. -
Lend-Lease Act
The lend-lease act was made so that the United States could give financial aid to foreign nations. This act was established during World War II. President Roosevelt was the one behind the lend-lease act.This act formally made the United States no longer neutral. -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was a navel base on Honolulu Hawaii. On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese army sent hundreds of fighter planes to bomb it. The Japanese bombed the naval base so that the United States would finally join World War II. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack. The congress ultimately declared war on Japan because of this event. -
Battle of Midway Island
Battle of Midway Island took place in a strategic island called midway in Hawaii.The battle only lasted two days. The Americans took the victory and destroyed 4 aircraft carriers and over 250 airplanes. Admiral Chester Nimitz was very successful in commanding his troops. -
D-Day
D-Day otherwise known as operation Overlord or the Normandy Landings. This was the largest seaborne invasion in all of history. Over 156,000 allies were able to successfully storm the Normandy beaches.This battle was the end of the war in Britain for World War II. -
The Truman Doctrine
The Americans were feeling threatened that communism was going to take over in Turkey and Greece so they came up this doctrine to prevent that. The Truman Doctrine states "the United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces." In simpler terms the doctrine says that the U.S. will give financial aid to threatened countries in this case it was the spread of communism in Turkey/Greece. -
The Fall Of China
In 1949, the leader of China, Chang Kai-Shek is defeated by Mao Zedong who declares the country the People's Republic of China. This caused the Americans concern because it furthered the spread of communism. This event is also called Mao's Revolution. -
The Korean War
Since World War II the country of Korea was split into two parts, North Korea and South Korea. The north was controlled by a communist government led by Kim Sung. The south was led by a dictator named Syngman Rhee. In June of 1950 the north side invades the south side. The U.S. assists the south side to prevent the spread of communism. -
The White pape
The white paper was a a paper drawn up because of the 1936-1939 Arab revolt. This was made during World War I. it caused a big uproar. -
First Man in Space
The first man in space was a Russian named Yuri Gagarin. He flew into space with a spacecraft named Vostok 1. This was a monumental moment in history because up to this time no one believed it was possible for a man to go into space. -
The Assasination of JFK
JFK was the president at the time and in 1963 he was assisnated by Lee Harvey’s Oswald. There have been many consiprices that lead to saying otherwise but the most accepted one is that Lee Killed him. This was a very big day in history. -
Democratic Convention of 1968
The democratic convention of 1968 was important because they’re was a huge race riot with hundreds of thousands of people. They were they’re to protest American intervention in Vietnam. The convention was in Chicago. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
President Johnson was in charge of this operation. The operation was to bomb north Vietnam by planes. The operation was successful and we bombed North Vietnam.
