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1791 - Whiskey Rebellion
[MILITARY] A protest on the tax on whiskey during the presidency of George Washington. As the protest turned violent, George Washington personally led a militia around 12,000 men to dispute the protest. -
1803 - Louisiana Purchase
[EXECUTIVE//DIPLOMATIC] Napoléon Bonaparte offered a territory known as Louisiana, from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, to the United States, for around $15 million. Thomas Jefferson proposed the Louisiana Purchase to Senate and it passed, doubling the United State's size. -
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War of 1812
[MILITARY] During this period, Great Britain and France are at war, which Britain is afraid of commerce between American and France, which may hurt their chances at war. American ships were capsized and the sailors are forced to serve on British ships, known as the Embargo Act. James Madison proposed a war message to Congress and war was declared on Britain on June 18, 1812. -
1823 - Monroe Doctrine
[DIPLOMATIC//EXECUTIVE//MILITARY] Inspired by the Napoleonic Wars, the Monroe Doctrine was created by James Madison to prevent the United States from intervening in European affairs and the prevention of colonization in the Americas. -
1830 - Indian Removal Act
[EXECUTIVE] Andrew Johnson signed this law that allowed the President to move Natives to lands west of the Mississippi from lands within state borders. -
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1846 - Mexican American War
[MILITARY] An armed conflict between USA and United Mexican States. The Manifest Destiny is mainly what mobilizes the USA to expand to the west, where many of the Mexicans have resided. -
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1861 - Civil War
[MILITARY] Abraham Lincoln declared war on 11 southern states that have seceded from the United States. -
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1898 - Spanish American War
[MILITARY] On February 15, 1898, an American ship was blown up: USS Maine, in Havana Port, Cuba. The causes are unknown, while Cubans are rioting for independence from Spain, a prime suspect in blowing up the ship. When Spain wanted to stamp out the riots, America demanded Spain to withdraw, leading to Spain declaring war on America. -
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1917 - World War 1
[MILITARY] World War 1 ensued when the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated. United State's involvement was caused by a German U-Boat sinking an American passenger ship. -
1919 - Treaty of Versailles
[DIPLOMATIC] Signed in Paris, after WW1, to prevent Germany to start any more wars and making it pay for the damages. -
1933 - New Deal Legislation
[EXECUTIVE//LEGISLATIVE] Congress passed the New Deal, a series of federal programs that President Franklin D. Roosevelt to help with the Great Depression. -
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1939 - World War 2
[MILITARY] WW2 was caused by the rise of the German political party, Nazi. Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazis, rose to power and spurred Germany to a focus on military mobilization and taking back "lands". The United States was involved mainly due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a United States military base, by Japan, ally to Germany. -
Executive Order 9066
[EXECUTIVE] During WW2, President Roosevelt authorizes the relocation of Japanese citizens and Japanese aliens to concentration camps. -
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Hiroshima and Nagasaki
[MILITARY//DIPLOMATIC] The two atomic bombs are dropped by the authorization of President Roosevelt after diplomatic missions for surrender of Japan have failed. -
Executive Order 9981
[EXECUTIVE] President Harry S. Truman issued this order to end racial discrimination in the United States Armed Forces. -
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1950 - Korean War
[MILITARY] The war began when North Korea invaded South Korea. The USA was supporting South Korea so they were pulled in. The North was assisted by China and the Soviet Union. -
1956 - Federal-Aid Highway Act
[EXECUTIVE//LEGISLATIVE] President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed this bill into law that allowed the construction of interstate highways. -
1957 - Little Rock Nine
[MILITARY] President Eisenhower allowed the deployment of federal troops to protect nine African American students that were enrolled in a segregated white school. -
1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis
[MILITARY] The political and military standoff between Russia and USA when it was discovered that Russia had deployed nuclear missiles in Cuba and it was aimed at the US. The conflict ended when both sides agreed to withdraw the missiles at different areas around the globe. -
1963 - Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
[MILITARY//DIPLOMATIC//EXECUTIVE]
On this date, representatives from the Soviet Union and the United States singed this treaty that prohibited nuclear weapon testing in the atmosphere or anywhere except underground. -
1964 - Great Society Programs
[EXECUTIVE] President Lyndon B. Johnson set forth a list of domestic programs where it's goals are to eliminate poverty and racial injustice. -
1964 - Civil Rights Act
[EXECUTIVE] A civil rights landmark that outlaws discrimination against race, color, religion, sex, and national origin, signed by President Johnson. -
1972 - Nixon Visits China
[DIPLOMATIC] President Richard Nixon visits China to improve the United State's relationships with Communist countries after the Cold War. -
1972 - (SALT) Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
[DIPLOMATIC//MILITARY] Signed in Moscow, where President Nixon and Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev met. This marked the time where the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to limit the number of nuclear missiles in their arsenals after the Cold War. -
1974 - Pardoning Richard Nixon
[EXECUTIVE] President Gerald Ford pardons Richard Nixon for his Watergate scandal. -
1978 - Camp David Accords
[DIPLOMATIC] A peace accords signed between an Israeli and Egyptian representatives to end their disputes. This was witnessed by Jimmy Carter. -
1981 - Sandra Day O'Connor
[JUDICIAL//EXECUTIVE] President Ronald Reagan appoints Sandra Day O'Connor to the Supreme Court of the United States. She became the first woman to serve in the Supreme Court. -
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1990 - Persian Gulf War
[MILITARY] When Iraq began attacking its neighboring countries, other Arab countries asked NATO for help. The United States was then pushed in when Iraq began to invade Saudi Arabia, an oil producing country. -
1993 - North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
[EXECUTIVE//DIPLOMATIC] President Bill Clinton signed this bill which took effect in January 4, 1994. This combined the US, Canada, and Mexico's market, into a single continental market. -
1996 - Secretary of State
[EXECUTIVE] President Bill Clinton appointed Madeleine Albright as the Secretary of State. She was the first woman to be so.