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Jamestown
Jamestown, founded in 1607, was the first triumphant permanent English settlement in what would become the United States. The plot was surrounded by water on three sides and was far inland. This meant it was easily defensible against feasible Spanish attacks. The turning point for Jamestown was when a settler named John Rolfe discovered that tobacco could be grown in Virginia and that it was profitable. Farms were then established and the English settlement was considered permanent. -
The First Slaves Arrive
In 1619, the landing of the first Africans in Virginia is one of the most significant events interpreted. Although English colonists in Virginia did not invent slavery, and the transition from a handful of bound African laborers to a legalized system of full-blown chattel slavery took many decades. 1619 marks the beginning of race-based bondage that defined the African American experience. -
The House of Burgesses
Established in 1619, The House of Burgesses was elected representatives of English colonists first assembled to debate and solve common problems and pass laws in the new colony of Virginia. It was a bicameral legislature that was a model for Congress and the first representative governmental body in America. -
Massachusetts Bay Colony is Founded
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded in 1630. It was one of the original English settlements in present-day Massachusetts by a group of Puritan refugees from England under Governor John Winthrop and Deputy Governor Thomas Dudley. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Bacon's Rebellions' cause was Governor Berkley's refusal to retaliate on a series of Native American attacks against the colonists. It pushed the upper class to reform to the government. It then further pushed the line between whites and blacks for control over the poor. Bacon's Rebellion was the first armed insurrection by American colonists against Britain and their colonial government. -
French and Indian War
The North American conflict in a larger imperial war between Great Britain and France, also known as the Seven Years War. The border between French and British possessions was not well defined. One disputed territory was the upper Ohio River valley. It brought repeated conflict with the claims of the British colonies, a series of battles which led to the official British declaration of war in 1756. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan was proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 that aimed to unite the thirteen colonies into trade, military, and other purposes. The plan was turned down by the colonies and the Crown. Although the plan did not go through, it was the first important proposal to conceive of the colonies as a collective whole, united under one government. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was a British- produced boundary marked in the Appalachian Mountains. Essentially, it constricted westward expansion in colonial territory. It was a plot to keep American colonists under the strict control of England and the British only wanted them east of the mountains so they could keep a close eye on them. As a result, colonists rebelled against this law just like they did with the mercantile laws. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765 was the first internal tax levied directly on American colonists by the British Parliament. The act imposed a tax on all paper documents in the colonies, came at a time when the British Empire was deep in debt from the Seven Years' War and looking to its North American colonies as a revenue source. -
Townshend Act
The Townshend Act was a law passed by Parliament that put a light import duty on such things as glass, lead, paper, and tea. The acts met slight protest from the colonists, who found ways around the taxes like buying smuggled tea. Due to its minute profits, the Townshend Acts were repealed in 1770, except for the tax on tea. The tax on tea was kept to keep alive the principle of Parliamentary taxation. This act would use the revenue raised by the duties to pay the salaries of colonial governors. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a deadly riot that occurred on March 5,1770, in Boston. It began as a street brawl between American colonists and a lone British soldier, but then later broke out into a chaotic, bloody slaughter. The conflict energized anti-British sentiment and paved the way for the American Revolution. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that occurred on December 16,1773, in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing "taxation without representation," dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company in the harbor. It was the first major act of defiance to British rule over the colonists. -
The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party. The laws were meant to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in the Tea Party protest in reaction to changes in taxation by British Government. These acts were aimed at isolating Boston from the other colonies. -
American Revolution
The American Revolution arose from growing tensions between the residents of Great Britain's 13 colonies and the colonial government, which represented British crown. Skirmishes between British troops and colonial militiamen in Lexington and Concord in April 1775 kicked off the armed conflict. For more than a decade before the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775, tensions had been building between colonists and the British authorities. -
Olive Branch Petition
The colonies made a final offer of peace to Britain, agreeing to be loyal to the British government if it addressed their grievances. It was rejected by Parliament, which in December 1775 passed the American Prohibitory Act forbidding all further trade with the colonies. The Petition emphasized their loyalty to the British crown and emphasized their rights as British citizens. -
Declaration of Independence Signed
The Declaration of Independence was formally approved by the Congress on July 4, 1776. The "shot heard round the world" had been a source of inspiration to countless revolutionary movements against arbitrary authority. The document sharply separated Loyalists from Patriots and helped to start the American Revolution by allowing England to hear of the colonists disagreements with British authority. It is an important part of American democracy because it holds the ideals and goals of our nation. -
Treaty of Paris of 1783
The Treaty of Paris of 1783 was when the British recognized the independence of the United States. It granted boundaries, which stretched from the Mississippi on the west, to the Great Lakes on the north, and to Spanish Florida in the south. The Yankees retained a share of Newfoundland. This greatly upset the Canadians. It ended the American Revolution and formally recognized the United States as an official independent nation. This treaty granted the United States significant western territory. -
George Washington
On April 30, 1789, George Washington, stood on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took his oath of office as the first President of the United States. Washington was also the commander in chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and served two terms as the first United State's President from 1789-1797 -
The Election of 1788
In the election of 1788, George Washington was unanimously elected President, making him the first United States' President. Washington was inaugurated in New York City on April 30, 1789. He was an austere, powerful, and a symbol for the US nation. Overall, Washington was universally respected. President Washington significantly influenced the path for the presidency moving forward, setting standards in all aspects, including political power, military practice, and economic policy. -
Louisiana Purchase
U.S. acquisition of the Louisiana territory from France in 1803 for $15 million. The purchase secured American control of the Mississippi river and doubled the size of the nation. It greatly strengthened the country materially and strategically. It provided a powerful impetus to westward expansion, and it confirmed the doctrine of implied powers of the federal Constitution. -
Embargo Act of 1807
The Embargo Act of 1807 was a law passed by Congress forbidding all exportation of goods from the United States. Britain and France had been continuously harassing the US and seizing US ship's and men. The US was not prepared to fight in a war, so Pres. Jefferson hoped to weaken Britain and France by stopping trade. The Embargo Act ended up hurting our economy more than theirs. It was repealed in 1809. The Embargo Act helped to revive the Federalists. -
War of 1812
A war between the U.S. and Great Britain caused by American outrage over the impressment of American sailors by the British, the British seizure of American ships, and British aid to the Indians attacking the Americans on the western frontier. This war gave a reason to annex Florida from Britain's ally Spain, and possibly even to seize Canada from Britain. It effectively destroyed the Indians' ability to resist American expansion east of the Mississippi River. -
Battle of New Orleans
A battle during the War of 1812 where the British army attempted to take New Orleans. Due to a foolish frontal attack, Andrew Jackson defeated them, which gave him an enormous popularity boost -
Missouri Compromise
The issue was that Missouri wanted to join the Union as a slave state, therefore unbalancing the Union so there would be more slave states then free states. The compromise set it up so that Maine joined as a free state and Missouri joined as a slave state. Congress also made a line across the southern border of Missouri saying except for the state of Missouri, all states north of that line must be free states or states without slavery. -
Indian Removal Act
After the boost of the cotton economy, whites began to look for more land and started to pressure Indians as well as the government to prepare for land to grow crops. Andrew Jackson let the Indian Removal Act to pass in 1830. This allowed the federal government to exchange the Indian lands in the East for the lands in the West and pay money for any losses. It essentially forced many Indians to undergo this deal. -
Tariff of 1832
The Tariff of 1832 was a protectionist tariff in the United States. It was passed as a reduced tariff to remedy the conflict created by the tariff of 1828, but it was still deemed unsatisfactory by southerners and other groups hurt by high tariffs. When the Tariff of 1832 only slightly modified the Tariff of 1828, legislature decided to put Calhoun’s nullification theory to a test. The legislature called for a special state convention. The convention adopted the Ordinance of Nullification. -
Panic of 1837
When Jackson was President, many state banks received government money that had been withdrawn from the bank of the United States. These banks then issued paper money and financed wild speculation, especially in federal lands. The bank of the United States failed, cotton prices fell, businesses went bankrupt, and there was widespread unemployment and distress. This finical crisis triggered a multi- year economic depression. -
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was an event in which the Cherokee Indians were forced to travel from North Carolina and Georgia through more than 800 miles to Oklahoma. More than four thousand Cherokees died of cold, disease, and lack of food during the one hundred sixteen day journey. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The treaty signed by the United States and Mexico that officially ended the Mexican-American War. Mexico had to give up much of its northern territory to the United States. In exchange, the United States gave Mexico fifteen million dollars and said that Mexicans living in the lands of the Mexican Cession would be protected. -
Seneca Falls Convention
In July, 1848 at the site of the first modern women's right convention. At the gathering, Elizabeth Cady Staton read a Declaration of Sentiment listing the many discriminations against women, and adopted eleven resolutions, one of which called for women's suffrage. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 aimed to ease the tensions between free and slave states. After the Mexican-American War, a heated debate regarding the status of slavery in the southwestern territories gripped the nation. It was a group of five laws passed in September of 1850. These laws made concessions to both free and slave states in an attempt to placate both sides of the slavery debate and preserve the union. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas Nebraska Act was a law that allowed for popular sovereignty, which was people living in an area, could decide if slavery should be allowed or not, in the Kansas and Nebraska territories. Kansas would be a slave state and Nebraska would be a free state. Later, this was overturned by the Missouri Compromise. Many in the north were upset that the Missouri Compromise was being overturned. The "Bleeding Kansas" helped lead to the creation of the Republican party. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott was a black slave who sued for freedom based on his long residence with his master on free soil. The Dred Scott Decision was a Supreme Court decision that stated three things: Blacks were not citizens and therefore they could not sue in federal courts; Because a slave is a master's property, they can be taken into any territory and held there in slavery; Congress had no power to ban slavery from the territories. This Decision was very important because it separated the north and south -
Lincoln Douglas Debates
The Lincoln Douglas Debates were a series of seven debates. Lincoln and Douglas argued the important issues of the day like popular sovereignty, the Lecompton Constitution, and the Dred Scott Decision. Douglas won these debates, but Lincoln's position in these debates helped him beat Douglas in the presidential election in 1860. Lincoln wanted to stop the expansion of slavery into the territories and Douglas wanted to let the people in the territories decide whether they should establish slavery -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
In 1859, the militant abolitionist, John Brown, seized the United State's arsenal at Harper's Ferry. He planned to end slavery by massacring slave owners and freeing the slaves. However, he was captured and executed. This inflamed sectional tensions and raised the stakes for the 1860 presidential election. Brown's raid helped make any further accommodation between the North and the South almost impossible and thus became an important impetus of the Civil War. -
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is best known for the Battle at Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. Once the Confederate States of America took control of Charlestown Harbor, they soon aimed costal guns on the fort and fired. This was where the start of the Civil War, the four year war, that cost the life of more than 620,000 Americans, and freed almost 3.9 million enslaved people from bondage. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act of 1862 was a federal law promoting westward expansion by allotting 160 acres of free public land to individual settlers. Homestead Act APUSH questions might relate to the motivations and consequences of westward expansion, as well as sociopolitical questions it raised. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam is known as the bloodiest battle in the war. It was an Union victory even though from a military standpoint it was a draw because of the loss sustained by both sides. It put a major halt to Lee's progression North and stopped his first invasion of the North. It clearly paved the way for Lincoln to give his Emancipation Proclamation. The Battle of Antietam was a major turning point of the Civil War. -
Emancipation Proclamation
In 1863, Lincoln's proclamation made after a crucial victory at Antietam, allowed Lincoln to push for something radical. It allowed him to free all slaves under areas of rebellion, excluding the border states, keeping them on the side of the union. It prevents foreign powers from entering war under slavery and provides a rationale for the war. It allows blacks to enlist in the army. The Emancipation Proclamation was the necessary legislation that gave slaves their opportunity to free life in US. -
Battle of Gettysburg
In 1863, the most disastrous event of the Civil War and perhaps United States history. Over 50,000 soldiers from north and south lost their lives. After five years of fighting and thousands of lives lost, in 1865 Confederate commander Robert E. Lee, surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant, commander of the Union forces. -
Freedmen's Bureau 1865
The Freedmen's Bureau was the first kind of primitive welfare agency used to provide food, clothing, medical care, and education goes to freedmen and to white refugees. They were the first to establish school for blacks to learn and to read. It negotiated labor contracts for ex-slaves and settled labor disputes. It also helped former slaves legalize marriage and locate lost relatives, and assisted black veterans. The overall purpose was to aid their transition from slavery to freedom. -
Lincoln's Assassination
United States President, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14,1865, by John Wilkes Booth while attending the play Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre as the American Civil War was drawing to a close. Lincoln was the first American President to be assassinated. The assassination was to make a large conspiracy bid to revive the Confederate cause. The assassination of Lincoln dramatically changed the Reconstruction Era. It damaged the relationship between the north and south. -
Civil Rights Bill of 1866
The Civil Rights Bill of 1866 was the congressional attempt to guarantee black rights in the South, but passed over Johnson's veto. This bill made all people born in the United States, regardless of former condition of slavery, citizens, with the exception of Indians. It gave some legal rights of suing, providing testimony, owning/leasing/selling/inheriting property to blacks. Many Southerners tried to circumvent or weaken the act with various degrees of success. -
Battle of Little Bighorn
When gold was discovered in the Black Hills Indian Reservation in South Dakota, whites invaded the Indians' lands and drove them on the warpath. The war culminated in June 1876, when Colonel George A. Custer and all his men were killed by Sioux Indians at the Battle of Little Bighorn (Custer's Last Stand)in southern Montana. -
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act was a federal law intended to turn Native Americans into farmers and landowners by providing cooperating families with one hundred-sixty acres of reservation land for farming or three hundred-twenty acres for grazing. It is believed that the policy proved to be a disaster, leading to the loss of much tribal land, and erosion of Indian cultural traditions. -
McKinley Tariff
The McKinley Tariff- also known as the Tariff Act of 1890, was sponsored by Ohio Representative, William McKinley. The McKinley tariff, which became law on October 1,1890, was a protective tariff that raised the average duty on foreign imports to almost fifty percent. The act was backed by the Republicans who strongly supported high tariffs on imported goods. -
Wounded Knee Massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre, also known as The Battle at Wounded Knee Creek, was the last major armed conflict between the Lakota Sioux and the United States, subsequently described as a massacre by General Nelson A. Miles in a letter to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. This battle was the climax of the United States' Army's late 19th-century efforts to repress the Plains Indians. It broke any organized resistance to reservation life and assimilation to white American culture. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
The Plessy v. Ferguson was important because it essentially established the constitutionality of racial segregation. It prevented constitutional challenges to racial segregation more than half a century until it was finally overturned by the United States Supreme Court in Brown. The U.S. Supreme Court decision supporting the legality of Jim Crow laws that permitted or required separate but equal facilities for blacks and whites. -
"Cross of Gold" Speech
The Cross of Gold Speech was delivered by William Jennings Bryan at the 1896 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. At the time, the Democratic Party wanted to standardized the value of the dollar to silver and opposed pegging the value of the United States dollar to a gold standard. -
Spanish American War
The Spanish American War of 1898 was a conflict between Spain and America over territory in Latin America and the Far East. The war was caused by a mixture of: Exaggerated reporting−known as Yellow Journalism. Aspirations to spread American political and economic institutions. The Spanish-American War of 1898 ended Spain's colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere and secured the position of the United States as a Pacific power. -
Annexation of Hawaii
The United States wanted Hawaii for business and so Hawaiian sugar could be sold in the U.S. duty free, Queen Liliuokalani opposed so Sanford B. Dole overthrew her in 1893, William McKinley convinced Congress to annex Hawaii in 1898. -
Henry Ford
His introduction of the Ford Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. He became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. He is credited with "Fordism", the mass production of inexpensive goods coupled with high wages for workers. Ford introduced several innovations to the car industry, including the moving assembly line method of production, which had a major impact on vehicle manufacturing as well as the American economy more broadly. -
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal was built by the United States to have a quicker passage to the Pacific from the Atlantic and vice versa. It costed $400,000,000 to build the Panama Canal. Columbians would not let Americans build the canal, but then with the assistance of the United States a Panamanian Revolution occurred. The new people ruling allowed the United States to build the canal. The Panama Canal tremendously reduced the travel time between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans which was a useful notion. -
Election of 1912
In the election of 1912, the Democrats nominated Woodrow Wilson, giving him a strong progressive platform called the "New Freedom" program. The Republicans were split between Taft and Roosevelt's Bull Moose Party with its "New Nationalism" program. By the division of the Republican Party, a Democratic victory was ensured. Woodrow Wilson won the Election of 1912. The Republicans were thrust into a minority status in Congress for the next six years following the Election of 1912. -
Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman telegram was supposedly sent from Germany's foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmerman, to the German minister in Mexico City. Zimmerman urged Mexico to join the Central Powers and in return they would help Mexico get back the territory that the United States had acquired. The telegram was considered Britain's greatest intelligence coup of WW1 and coupled with American outrage over Germany's resumption of warfare, persuaded the US to join the war. -
War Declaration
On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson declared war on Germany claiming "it was made in Germany". They initiated war with unlimited sub warfare, mass civilian killings, agents, and the Zimmerman Note. Wilson cited Germany's violation of its pledge to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, as well as its attempts to entice Mexico into an alliance against the United States, as his reasons for declaring war. -
Espionage Act
A United States federal law passed shortly after entering WW1, on June 15,1917, which made it a crime for a person to convey information with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the armed forces of the United States or to promote the success of its enemies. The legislation was passed at the urging of President Woodrow Wilson, who feared any widespread dissent in time of war, thinking that it constituted a real threat to an American victory. -
Fourteen Points
The war aims outlined by President Woodrow Wilson in 1918, which he believed would promote lasting peace. It called for self-determination, freedom of the seas, free trade, end to secret agreements, reduction of arms and a league of nations. His 14 points were designed to undermine the Central Powers' will to continue, and to inspire the Allies to victory. Wilson subsequently used the Fourteen points as the basis for negotiating the Treaty of Versailles that ended the war. -
Sedition Act
A law stating during times of war, rules can be changed. This was an amendment to the Espionage Act of 1917, the Sedition Act of 1918 made it a felony to convey false statements interfering with American war efforts. As well as willingly employing "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the United States from of government, the Constitution, the flag, or the United States' military or naval forces. It urged the curtailed production of necessary war materials. -
Stock Market Crash
In October 1929, the steep fall in the prices of stocks due to widespread financial panic occurred. It was caused by stock brokers who called in the loans they had made to stock investors. This caused the stock prices to fall, and many people lost their entire life savings as many financial institutions went bankrupt. This resulted in poverty and homelessness. Evictions and foreclosures resulted in people moving into tent cities called, "Hooverville's", named after President Herbert Hoover. -
Immigration Act of 1924
The Immigration Act of 1924 law established a quota system to regulate the influx of immigrants to America. The system restricted the new immigrants from southern and eastern Europe and Asia. It also reduced the annual total of immigrants. It limited the number of immigrants allowed entry into the United States through a national origins quota. The restrictive immigration was to, a large extent, for economic purposes. It was designed to keep wages and living standards high for population. -
Great Depression
The economic crisis and period of low business activity in the United States and other countries, roughly beginning with the stock market crash in October 1929, and continuing through most of the 1930s. This was one of the darkest moments in World History. The most devastating impact was human suffering. The world output and standards of living dropped precipitously. As much as one fourth of the labor force in industrialized countries was unable to find work in the early 1930s. -
New Deal
The New Deal consisted of social, economic, and financial measures that aimed to provide relief for those affected by the Great Depression by reducing unemployment, stimulating the economy, and regulating the financial system. In the short term, New Deal programs helped improve the lives of people suffering from the events of the depression. In the long run, New Deal programs set a precedent for the federal government to play a key role in the economic and social affairs of the nation. -
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration was a huge part of Roosevelt's New Deal programs. The PWA put people to work in building or improving public buildings like schools, post offices, etc. The main goal was to stimulate economic growth through the funding and building of many public facilities. It provided and sustained structures and services essential to the welfare and acceptable quality of life for its citizens. -
The Securities Act of 1933
The Securities Act of 1933 was the first legislation used to regulate the stock market. The act took power away from the states and put it into the hands of federal government. The act also created a uniform set of rules to protect investors against fraud. It required that investors receive financial and other significant information concerning securities being offered for public sale and other fraud in the sale of securities. -
100 days
This is the term applied to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first three months in taking office. During this time, FDR had managed to get Congress to pass an unprecedented amount of new legislation that would revolutionize the role of the federal government from that point on. This era saw the passage of bills aimed at repairing the banking system and restoring America's faith in economy, starting government works projects to employ those out of work, helping farmers, and making a plan to aid -
Social Security Act
In 1935 Franklin D. Roosevelt guaranteed retirement payments for enrolled workers beginning at age 65. It set up federal-state system of unemployment insurance and care for dependent mothers and children, the handicapped, and the public health. It insured that once an individual reached the certain age for retirement, they would receive some sort of compensation. -
The Neutrality Acts
The Neutrality Acts were laws passed in 1935, 1936, 1937,and 1939 to limit United States involvement in future wars. They were based on the widespread disillusionment with World War 1 in the early 1930s and the belief that the United States had been drawn into the war through loans and trade with the Allies. The 1935 act banned munitions exports to belligerents and restricted American travel on belligerent ships. The 1936 act banned loans to belligerents. The 1939 act banned ships from carrying -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
On December 7,1941, there was a surprise attack by the Japanese on the main United States Pacific Fleet harbored in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It destroyed 18 United States' ships and 200 aircraft. American losses were 3,000, Japanese losses were less than 100. In response, the United States declared war on Japan and Germany, entering WWII. -
D-Day
On June 6,1944, it was the day that combined Allied armies that led a massive invasion on the beaches of Normandy, France. The assault involved millions of troops and workers and led to the liberation of France, and ultimately the end of the war. D-day marked the turn of the tide for the control maintained by the Nazi Germany, less than a year after the invasion, the Allies formally accepted Nazi Germany's surrender. -
YALTA Conference
This was the meeting between President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin in February 1945. Stalin agreed to assist the United States against the Japanese after Germany was defeated. He also agreed to hold free elections in Eastern Europe. He planned for the final stages of WWII and postwar arrangements. -
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt, often referred to as FDR, was the thirty- second President of the United States. He was elected to four terms in office and he served from 1933 to 1945. He is the only United States' President to have served more than two terms of office. He was a central figure of the 20th century during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war. Franklin D. Roosevelt died shortly after the end of WW11 in office. -
FDR dies
FDR did many things for the United States and guided them through a war. He is one of the most well known Presidents for the '100 days'. He accomplished more in 100 days than any other President did in their entire Presidency alone. FDR died of a stroke on April 12,1945, weeks before the end of World War II. -
Baby Boom
The Baby Boom was a demographic explosion of births to returning soldiers and others who had put off starting families during the war. This large generation of new Americans, forced the expansion of many institutions such as schools and universities. This generation of "baby boomers" was the result of a strong postwar economy, in which Americans felt confident they would be able to support a larger number of children. -
Cold War
The Cold War was a forty-five year diplomatic tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. It divided much of the world into polarized camps and it was capitalist against communist. Most of the international conflicts during that period, particularly in the developing world, can be traced to the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War shaped American foreign policy and political ideology, and impacted the lives of Americans, as well as the economy. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine stated that the U.S. would support any nation threatened by Communism. Introduced by Secretary of State George G. Marshall in 1947, he proposed massive and systematic American economic aid to Europe to revitalize the European economies after WWII and help prevent the spread of Communism. Truman promised help to any country fighting a Communist takeover. The policy became known as Containment of Communism. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was put in place to provide economic assistance to all European nations that would join in drafting a program for recovery. Sixteen western nations participated. This agency would administer the Marshall Plan and its' creation was approved by Congress in April 1948. General George Marshall was the originator of the concept of the Marshall Plan. -
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift was a year long mission of flying food and supplies to blockade West Berliners, whom the Soviet Union cut off from access to the West in the first major crisis of the Cold War. The Americans did this without firing a shot. They foiled the Soviet plan to hold West Berlin hostage, while simultaneously demonstrating to the world that the Americans only mean well, in hopes to save more countries from falling to the Soviet Union. -
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was where an attack against one of the member nations would be viewed as an attack on all of the nations that were a part of NATO. It protected member nations under American nuclear power. First United States peacetime military alliance in history. It inspired the Soviet Union to create the German Democratic Republic and explode an atomic bomb in 1949. It sparked the massive arms race known as the Cold War. -
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is a brand of vitriolic, fear-mongering anti-communism associated with the career of Senator Joseph McCarthy. In the early 1950s, Senator McCarthy used his position in Congress to baselessly accuse high-ranking government officials and other Americans of conspiracy with communism. The term that was named after him refers to the dangerous forces of unfairness and fear wrought anti-communist paranoia. It was characterized by heightened political repression and persecution. -
Korean War
The Korean War was the first "hot war" of the Cold War. The Korean War began in 1950 when the Soviet-backed North Koreans, invaded South Korea before meeting an counter-offensive by UN Forces, dominated by the United States. The war ended in stalemate in 1953. The impact of the Korean War was especially impactful on the civilian population. The war was disastrous for all of Korea because it destroyed most of the industry and many humans died or it resulted in casualties. -
Dwight Eisenhower
Dwight Eisenhower was the former United States General who led the Allied forces in D-Day during WWII who was the Republican candidate for President in the election of 1952. During his presidency, he filled his cabinet with successful corporate executives and was criticized for leaving important decisions to others. In domestic policies, he authorized the interstate highway system. His foreign affairs mostly concerned the Cold War and adopted the Truman Doctrine. He won reelection in 1956. -
Board of Ed v. Brown
In 1954, there was a Supreme Court decision because the school in Topeka, Kansas, was segregated and inherently unconstitutional because it violated the 14th amendment's guarantee of equal protection. This case is significant because it marked the end of legal segregation in the United States. It marked a turning point in the history of race relations in the United States, as well. This case overturned the "separate but equal" concept. -
Sputnik
The Soviet Union launched this first satellite into orbit on October 4,1957. It humiliated the Americans because being upstaged by the Russians was a downfall for them. The United States reshaped the educational system in efforts to produce the large number of scientists and engineers that Russia had. In addition, to make scientific advancements, NASA was created in 1958. It was created by Congress and it brought a national aeronautics agency to administer non-military space research and explore -
JFK becomes President
JFK was the youngest, most glamorous, and the first ever Catholic President elected. He won the 1960 presidential election against Nixon. During his presidency, he sent the Green Beret (Marines) to Vietnam and he helped develop the Peace Corps. His foreign policy was Flexible Response and his domestic program was the New Frontier. He oversaw the successful de-escalation of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the start of the civil rights movement, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. -
U-2 Accident
On May 3,1960, the USSR announced an American U-2 plane was shot down in Soviet territory. On May 5, NASA released a cover story of a lost weather research plane. On May 7, pilot Francis Gary Powers confessed to being a CIA spy. On May 11, Eisenhower admitted to authorization of U-2 flights. The U.S. denied the true purpose of the plane at first, but was forced to when the USSR produced the living pilot and the largely intact plane to validate their claim of being spied on aerially. -
Bay of Pigs
In April of 1961, a group of Cuban exiles organized and supported by the United States Central Intelligence Agency landed by the Bay of Pigs in Cuba in an effort to overthrow Fidel Castro. The invasion ended in disaster, and happened under President Kennedy. The hope was that the exile force would serve as a rallying point for Cuban citizenry, who would rise up and overthrow Castro's government. The defeat strengthened Castro's role as a national hero and widened the political division. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was an accident where Soviet missiles were placed in Cuba as a response for help. It greatly increased tensions between the Soviets and the Americans. As a result, a hotline was established between the two nations to avoid any accidents. The Cuban Missile Crisis strengthened Kennedy's image domestically and internationally. It also helped to mitigate negative world opinion regarding the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. This was known as the 'hottest' part of the Cold War. -
March on Washington
In 1963, a major civil rights demonstration in April, in support of Kennedy-backed legislation to secure legal protections for American blacks. One of the most influential act of the Civil Rights movement was the march of Martin Luther King's famous "I have a dream" speech. It was organized by the civil rights leaders. It was a massive rally in Washington to urge passage of President Kennedy's civil rights bill. -
Assassination of JFK
John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22,1963. He was in Texas beginning his campaign trial to be elected again for a second term. His assassination caused the United States to go into panic mode. It made the country fear what they would do without their President. It also gave people an uneasy, unsafe feeling. The assassination was essentially helpful because it put Lyndon B. Johnson as President. He was very supportive of civil rights and pushing for bills through Congress. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin. It addressed voting rights, employment, public accommodations, education, and much more. It gave the government the power to enforce all laws governing civil rights, including desegregation in schools and public places. Unfortunately the act did not effectively address many problems associated with voting rights for the African Americans. -
Watergate
Watergate came to encompass an array of clandestine and often illegal activities undertaken by members of the Nixon administration. This included bugging the offices of political opponents and people of whom Nixon or his officials were suspicious. This simply revealed that to many top officials were capable of abusing their power. This was the biggest political scandal and constitutional crisis in American, which then led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. -
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan was the first elected President in 1980 and again in 1984. He ran his campaign based on the common man and "populist" ideas. He also served as a governor of California from 1966-1974, and he participated in McCarthy communist scare. Iran hostages were released on his inauguration day. While in office, he developed the trickle down effect of government incentives. He used the Strategic Defensive Initiative to avoid conflict. Him meeting with Gorbachev led to the end of the Cold War. -
Economic Recovery Tax Act
Ronald Reagan signed the Economic Recovery Tax Act, a major tax reform bill based on “supply-side economics,” cutting taxes and regulations. The act implemented an across-the-board tax cut for individuals, reduced the maximum income tax rate, lowered capital gains and estate taxes, and expanded individual retirement accounts. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 extended these changes. Congress passed the Economic Recovery Tax Act, the largest tax reduction in the US history. -
INF Treaty
This was a treaty signed between the United States and the Soviet Union on the elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles, agreed upon between President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The treaty banned all intermediate-range nuclear missiles from Europe and marked a significant thaw in the Cold War. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was built as a divider between the East and West Berlin by the Communist East German government in 1961. The Berlin Wall was torn down to widespread celebration on November 9,1989. The destruction of the wall signified the fall of the "Iron Curtain" and symbolized the end of the Cold War. The fall of the Berlin Wall was covered extensively around the world. Western leaders hailed it as a victory by the German people. The wall was quickly dismantled, paving the way for Germans. -
Invasion of Panama
Following more than a year of diplomatic conflict between the US and Panama, US military forces invaded Panama. The invasion was widely condemned by the international community, but President Bush justified the action as a measure to preserve American citizens in Panama, fight Panamanian drug trafficking, protect the neutrality of the Panama Canal, remove General Manuel Noriega, and restore democratic government. The primary purpose of the invasion was to depose the de facto Panamanian leader. -
Persian Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War was a war against Iraq, in response to them trying to invade Kuwait. The war included Operation Desert Storm, and Operation Desert Shield. Desert Storm was a three month bombing campaign, and Desert Shield was a ten hour campaign to push back the Iraq forces. They intervened in the conflicts because they were interested in a reliable supply of oil. The result of the Persian Gulf War was that Kuwait was liberated but Saddam Hussein stayed in power. -
Conclusion of Cold War
The end of the Cold War was marked by the fall of the Soviet Union which was the result of Eastern European countries gaining independence, Gorbachev's reform policies, and a series of nuclear limitation treaties. The significance of the end of the Cold War was to bring down the use of nuclear weapons. It signified the end of an arms race between the United States and USSR. The Cold War still has affects today. It helps the West evade Communist rule. It helped form the modern day alliances. -
World Trade Organization
This wealth inequality existed on an international scale too: the World Trade Organization (WTO) was established in 1994 to oversee trade agreements, but critics attacked it for increasing globalization, global wealth inequality, and favoring developed nations like the US. The US and other advanced economies formed international cooperative organizations like the Group of 8 (G8) in 1997 and included more emerging economies like China, India, and Saudi Arabia in the Group of 20 (G20) in 1999.