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When Christopher Columbus mistakenly discovered North America in 1492, the Spanish monarchy was clearly upset with his findings. However, when the English caught wind of the New World, they quickly realized that his findings were actually a beacon of opportunity. English investors hastily sent people to the New World in attempts to gain unclaimed land. The Virginia Company decided to send 104 men and boys to establish the first permanent English settlement, and in 1607 Jamestown was founded. -
While the English realized the value of the New World, they failed to recognize the different land. Because of this, English settlers were unable to properly farm the land, leading to the deaths of many in what was known as the "starving time". In order to increase the population and support of the struggling colonies, the English created a Headright System in which colonists and future settlers would be given land. This undoubtedly caused the success and stability of Virginia. -
One day, an English privateer ship docked in Virginia carrying 20-30 slaves and traded them for supplies. Days later, a second privateer ship named the Treasurer arrived with more of these slaves. It turns out that both groups of slaves were from a Spanish ship that was sailing to New Spain. They had captured the ship and decided to kidnap the slaves on board. These trades are considered not only the start of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade but the 400-year-long era of a slave-based economy. -
After winning the French and Indian war, the British began to shift more focus to the colonies. When British Parliament got news of a Native American revolt, they became protective and controlling of their land. To prevent any more disputes over land, they issued the Proclamation of 1763. The document closed down exploration west of the Appalachian for colonists. The colonists however didn't care and decided to continue moving west because the British hadn't helped them in the past. -
After the 7 Years' War, Brittian had a lot of debt to pay and not enough money to pay it. However, British Parliament decided that taxation on the colonies could provide a lot of financial relief. The Stamp Act of 1765 was the first of these taxes in which all paper documents in the colonies would be taxed. However, the act was met with much backlash from the colonists. They said that the act was unconstitutional and argued that there should be "no taxation without representation." -
One of the many oppressive taxes the British placed on the colonists was the Townshend Acts. These acts placed taxes on imported goods such as glass, tea, and paper. Colonists began to revolt by boycotting imported goods. When Brittian caught wind of this, they sent soldiers to maintain control over the colonists. One snowy day a group of colonists was harassing a group of soldiers when one of them threw a rock at the soldiers. This caused the soldiers to open fire on the group, sadly killing 5. -
Because of the French Indian War, Brittian had tons of debt that needed to be paid off and decided to place the burden on the colonies through unfair taxes. Because of this, a group called the Sons of Liberty began revolting against the British empire through boycotts and riots. One of these riots was the Boston Tea Party in which members of the Sons of Liberty dressed up as Native Americans and dumped 342 chests of tea or 1.7 million dollars worth of tea into the Boston harbor. -
Colonists had been preparing for a possible revolution by storing guns, ammunition, gunpowder, and cannons. The British found out about it and attempted to not only seize the military goods but to also capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock. When they arrived, Adams and Hancock had escaped, and 70 militia men stood their ground. A shot was fired which resulted in the deaths of 17 militiamen and 250 British soldiers. This was the start of the revolution. -
At the Second Continental Congress, delegates decided that they would give one final attempt at avoiding war with
Brittian in the form of the Olive Branch Petition. When it was rejected, said delegates charged Thomas Jefferson & others to write a declaration of American independence. The full body of delegates then made revisions and approved it. Jefferson’s thought that all men were equal and that government existed to serve the people changed the nature of government throughout the world. -
When the British planned to attack New York, they decided to use an attack comprised of three separate armies that would meet near Albany. After suffering losses, British General Burgoyne and his reduced forces planned to move south where they would meet up with other British armies and face the Continental Army. However, after three weeks the two armies never arrived. With dwindling troops and supplies Burgoyne was forced to surrender. This battle is referred to as the turning point of the war. -
During the Revolutionary War, General Charles Cornwallis campaigned through the southern colonies. Cornwallis then retreated to Virginia for the protection of the winter and the Royal Navy. However, the French Navy had already defeated the British fleet at the Battle of The Capes. When Cornwallis arrived, he was surrounded by French and American troops. With no escape, Cornwallis surrendered. Legend has it that as the British surrendered, their band played the song The World Turned Upside Down. -
After the American triumph at the Battle of Yorktown, Brittian finally agreed to acknowledge American independence through the Treaty of Paris. The writers, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay decided to cover two key points in the document. The first point was that Brittian would now acknowledge the US as an independent nation. Obviously, for a country to be considered a country it needs to have sovereign borders, so the second point covered what territory would be the US's. -
When the government was given control of the northwest territories by the states, they needed to figure out how the land was going to be used. First, the Ordinance of 1784 was created to divide the territory into self-governing districts. Then, the Ordinance of 1785 provided for the scientific surveying of the land and subdividing the land into a rectangular grid system. Finally, the Ordinance of 1787 terminated the claims of current states and organized the territory into new states. -
Some soldiers in the Revolutionary War were farmers. However, when they came back they had unforgiving land and little compensation. At the same time, the Governor of Massachusetts had highly inflated state taxes for corrupt reasons. With no income or compensation, the farmers were unable to pay their taxes. Eventually, Boston authorities began foreclosing their farms. Enraged by the government's actions, Daniel Shays led a thousand men to storm Sprngfield where they were quickly defeated. -
Once America gained its independence, the first order of business was developing a government. To do this, a meeting was held where the representative of every state would discuss the matter. At the meeting, it was quickly decided that instead of mending a broken system, a new one would be created. However, there was a disagreement about State vs Central Government power. While the US Convention was made to solve this problem, there was still tension between Federalists and Anti-Federalists. -
As a newly made nation, the US needed a leader. When candidates were considered, George Washington was not only an obvious choice but maybe the only viable one. He was both a national hero because of his leadership in the Revolutionary War, and the favorite son of Virginia. In the end, ten out of the thirteen states and the majority of the electoral college ended up voting for Washington. Washington was not only the first president of the United States, but a role model for those yet to come. -
In order to provide some financial relief from the US' war debts, President George Washington passed the Whiskey Tax. Sadly, farmers and distillers felt the tax was unfair and decided to rebel. For years, the rebels didn't pay the tax and caused mass violence in Pennsylvania. Once the news reached the presidential cabinet, Washington decided to make an example out of the rebellion. He ordered 13,000 soldiers to shoot cannons near the mobs and show that rebellion would not be tolerated. -
Because the American people had just been liberated from an oppressive monarch, it was an absolute necessity that the new government not be able to suppress American rights. Because of this, people convinced Thomas Jefferson to create a Bill of Rights. The Bill of rights, inspired by Jefferson and drafted by James Madison, was adopted and contained 10 Amendments. These amendments not only dealt with the civil liberties and rights of individuals but also limited the power of the government. -
Originally, the process of refining cotton was long and hard, causing a person to only be able to clean about a pound of cotton a day. Because of this, cotton was not a profitable crop. However, when Eli Whitney found out about this he worked to create a solution. That solution was the creation of the Cotton Gin. The Cotton Gin separated cotton seeds from cotton fiber and sorted the two, thus making cotton a profitable crop. The Cotton Gin undoubtedly revolutionized the economy of the South. -
Born on May 27th, 1794, Vanderbilt first made his fortune because of an early, smart, and hefty investment in steamships. After his investment in steamships, he went on to invest heavily in railroads. This led to him becoming one of the first railroad magnates in the US. His nickname, “The Commodore”, was given to him because of his ruthlessness when driving competitors out of every place he did business. He is most famous for saying the quote “Law, what law? I have the money don’t I?” -
When the French Revolution began, George Washington refused to participate in it for several reasons. Because of this, the French started attacking American ships. John Adams then sent three diplomats to help come to an understanding, but the French demanded a “gift” of $250,000 in order to negotiate. While the people wanted war, Adams ignored them and negotiated peace with Napoleon. Because of this, Adams created a U.S. Navy to protect American trade routes, merchant ships, and the coast. -
In the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson won against John Adams through electoral votes. However, Jefferson and his running mate Aaron Burr got identical electoral votes. This resulted in the House of Representatives voting on who won. In the end, Thomas Jefferson received more votes and was elected president. This election was significant because it not only ended the Federalist Era but was more importantly the first peaceful transition of power between two political parties in history. -
As President, John Adams passed the Judiciary Act of 1801 which gave the president more control over the appointment of judges. Before his term ended, Adams quickly appointed Federalist judges to the courts. William Marbury was one of these judges. However, before the letters of commission were sent out, James Madison stopped Adams' plans. Because of this, Marbury battled Madison in the Supreme Court. Although Madison not delivering the commission was illegal, Madison still won in the end. -
In 1803, Thomas Jefferson was worried about losing access to the Mississippi River. To avoid this, he sent James Monroe to purchase New Orleans for 3 million dollars. However, Napoleon refused and instead offered the whole Louisiana Territory for 15 million dollars. While Jefferson was unsure about the legality of the president buying land, he went on to double the size of the country. Jefferson then sent Lewis and Clark on an expedition to explore and document the new land. -
During the early 1800s, the main topic of innovation was transportation. There were a couple of options for moving goods, but rivers were the obvious choice. The only issue was that rivers were only efficient when moving downstream. That was until steamboats were created. Steamboats revolutionized transportation by allowing goods to be moved up and down rivers, drastically reducing the time and expense of transportation. Because of this, steamboats were referred to as America's powerhouse. -
While the US had good relationships with Brittian and France, the two didn't and got into a war. In an attempt to maintain both relationships, Thomas Jefferson proposed the Embargo Act. The Embargo Act essentially placed a ban on all foreign trade. While the act did terminate the jobs of merchants, traders, and business owners causing great damage to the US economy, it also encouraged economic growth. The growth of domestic manufacturing was necessary and made the US a more independent nation. -
When Missouri was in the process of joining the Union, it wanted to be a slave state specifically. Henry Clay proposed the Missouri Compromise to help address the issues of slavery at the time. The compromise proposed that while Missouri would become a slave state in the Union, Maine would become a free state. It also enacted the 36º 30’ line. This compromise balanced the power of free and slave states while also preventing any states north of the 36º 30’ parallel from becoming slave states. -
When the British began funding Native American revolts in the US, American power in the Western Hemisphere was threatened. Because of this, James Monroe created the Monroe Doctrine. The document proposed that the US wouldn't interfere with any European affairs or existing European colonies in the Western Hemisphere. It also stated that no other nation could form a new colony in the Western Hemisphere. Finally, it said that any attempt at European hostility would be seen as an act against the US. -
One of the main issues Andrew Jackson had to solve was protecting the US' agricultural products from the competition with foreign imports. To do this, he passed what was called the Tariff of Abominations. This tariff put a tax on foreign goods and ended up being beneficial for the North. This is because it caused people to buy more US goods, further industrializing the US. However, it harmed the southern economy because European countries boycotted US exports which were the South's main income. -
Because of America's increasing demand for Indian land, many wanted to force Native Americans further west. To do this, President Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act. The act allowed Jackson to trade lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands within existing state borders. While a few tribes moved peacefully, most tribes moved forcefully. Sadly, approximately 60,000 Native Americans were relocated on a path called The Trail of Tears where there was a 9% mortality rate. -
In the early 1800s, President Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act. While the act stated that Native Americans would not be forced to move from their land, Jackson immediately threatened the tribes with an invasion. With no other choice, approximately 60,000 Indians made the 2,200 mile journey to Oklahoma where they settled. Unfortunately, the conditions of the journey were very harsh which led to a 9% mortality rate. This is by far one of the worst acts of ethnic cleansing in the world. -
Andrew Carnegie is the textbook "rags to riches" man. Carnegie came to the US as a poor Scottish immigrant. After working his day job, he'd work in a steel mill he'd bought. Carnegie worked ruthlessly to refine his business, and when he opened business immediately boomed. He went on to vertically integrate and his company ended up producing 90% of the U.S.’s steel. With his fortune, he donated substantial portions of his wealth to the establishment of schools, universities, and libraries. -
Grass in the West was different from grass anywhere else in the US. Buffalo Grass was uniquely difficult to work with because the roots of the grass went inches into the soil and intertwined. No plow manufactured at the time could cut through the sod which made planting seeds on the land impossible. However, an inventor named John Deere created a new plow using steel and a curved blade. This made cutting through the sod easy work and settling in the West possible. -
J.P. Morgan was born into a moderately wealthy family on April 17th, 1837. While he was at an advantage, his unique ability to organize and problem-solve led him to become the number one banker, financer, and merger in the nation. Morgan's greatest work occurred after the Civil War when Morgan was tasked to conserve every major industry in the United States. Morgan was largely responsible for the financial success of the US after the civil war and became one of the richest men because of it. -
At the age of 16, John D. Rockefeller began working as a bookkeeper. With the money he earned, he and his friends invested in an oil company by the name of Standard Oil Co. which went on to grow massively. Once the company was big enough, he was appointed manager and slowly but surely bought his friends out of the company. In the end, Standard Oil became so big that it was the only oil company left and was forced to split up in an attempt to once again create competition in the oil industry. -
When the US annexed Texas, there was a dispute about the borders of Texas. Before American diplomats got there to settle it, a fight broke out in the disputed territory. This fight ultimately resulted in the Mexican-American War. As expected, the US demolished the Mexicans and eventually gained control of their capital. With no way to win the war, Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This not only gave the US much more territory, but it made the US a bi-coastal nation as well. -
As a young man, John W. Marshall traveled west to California in order to find work. When he arrived in Sacramento Valley, he was quickly hired. One day when he was building a sawmill, he discovered gold in the American River with a purity of 96 percent. Word quickly spread causing 300,000 Americans to quickly migrate to California in search of riches. While almost nobody became wealthy from the gold rush, it was undoubtedly one of the most important eras in California's history. -
While many advocated for the expansion of slavery, others were adamant abolitionists. Because of this, Henry Clay proposed the Compromise of 1850. The major provisions were that California would enter the union as a free state, the slave trade would be abolished in Washington D.C., fugitive slave laws would be enacted nationwide, and territories applying for statehood would be governed by Popular Sovereignty. This compromise once again balanced the power between free and slave states. -
In accordance with Popular Sovereignty, Kansas had to vote for whether or not it would enter as a free state. Northern and southern states started enticing migration to Kansas in an attempt to sway the vote and the North was winning. However, on election day a group called the Border Ruffians charged the town of Lawrence and destroyed abolitionist newsletters along with the houses of abolitionist politicians. They then went on to stuff the ballots full of faulty pro-slavery votes causing mayhem. -
Dred Scott was a slave that was brought to the North by his owner. He realized that the slave-owner relationship he was in should've been dissolved. Because of this, he took his owner to court, suing for his freedom. Not only was his request denied, but the Supreme Court also declared that the Freedom Clause of the Northwest Ordinance was unconstitutional. This would go down in US history as one of the worst Supreme Court rulings because it meant that no states were truly "free". -
In 1858, John Brown sent some of his followers to Harpers Ferry, the town where the national armory was located. Brown planned to storm the armory, steal the weapons, and kill the owners of plantations. He would then supply the slaves with guns and continue through the South, killing pro-slavery followers. However, when he stormed the armory it was immediately surrounded by armed townspeople. Once the US Military arrived, Brown was arrested for treason and eventually hanged for his crimes. -
Abraham Lincoln was a smart politician, but he struggled to get elected anywhere. This changed when he ran for president in 1860. Lincoln needed to make a name for himself, so he decided to push for a public debate between himself and Stephen Douglas. Lincoln won the debate giving him a profitable reputation and tons of media attention. Because the Democratic votes were split, Lincoln won the election. Sadly, by the time Lincoln had given his inaugural speech 7 states had seceded from the Union. -
When news of Abraham Lincoln's presidential victory was announced, South Carolina quickly seceded from the Union. However, while it was no longer a US state, Union troops claimed a military base there called Fort Sumter. Eventually, the state troops and union troops were in a standoff, and when the state troops heard Lincoln's plan to resupply the fort, they attacked it. After 34 hours of fighting, US Major Robert Anderson and 86 soldiers surrendered the fort. This battle started the Civil War. -
To entice Westward expansion, President Abraham Lincoln passed the Homestead Act. The Homestead Act granted any American the opportunity to claim a 160-acre plot of land. However, they had to farm it, live on it, and improve it for 5 years. In one of his speeches, he justified the act by saying that it provided the opportunity "to elevate the condition of men, to lift artificial burdens from all shoulders and to give everyone an unfettered start and a fair chance in the race of life." -
While Abraham Lincoln originally felt that the Civil War was about reuniting the states, he quickly realized that it was truly a war on slavery. While he did realize this, he never publically stated it because the Union was losing the war. However, once we won the battle of Antietam he announced the Emancipation Proclamation. Many think that the Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves, but it actually stated that the confederate territories taken over by the Union would be deemed free soil. -
When Confederate General Robert E. Lee won the battle of Chancellorsville, he decided to continue moving North. Lee planned to win a battle North of the Mason-Dixon line to get a clear shot at the Union's capital. Knowing that George Meade would try to prevent his advancement North, Lee tried to gain an advantage by fighting at Gettysburg. Meade ended up winning the battle. This became not only the battle with the most casualties in the Civil War but the day that Lee's confidence was crushed. -
Days before the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse, Confederate General Robert E. Lee had abandoned the Confederate capital and attempted to rally the remainder of his troops. He then planned to then meet confederate reinforcements in North Carolina to continue fighting against the Union. However, Lee and his army were suddenly intercepted at Appomattox Courthouse. In only a few hours, Union General Ulysses S. Grant defeated Lee. This victory unofficially marked the end of the Civil War -
In an attempt to defeat the Republican Party and maintain total white supremacy, a group of Confederate veterans formed a group called the Ku Klux Klan. The KKK rapidly grew to millions of followers and became a force focused on reversing southern reconstruction. More specifically, they wanted to recant African Americans' rights. In order to do this, the group committed acts of violence such as bombing black schools and churches to create tensions between black and white activists in the south. -
Founded in 1869, the Knights of Labor was a forward-thinking, anti-capitalist labor federation. Led by Terence Powderly, the group accepted workers of all skills, races, genders, and religions to help protest for workers' rights. They campaigned for certain policies such as the 8-hour workday and the prohibition of child labor. They also wanted to abolish the wage system and replace it with worker-owned industries. In the end, a riot got violent and all of their members quickly dispersed. -
In 1862, the US government passed the Pacific Railroad Act. The act tasked the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific railroad companies to build a transcontinental railroad. The act also stated that the government would give 20 square miles of land for every 10 miles of track the company lay down. Because of this, the two companies raced each other to lay more tracks, and the railroad was finished years before its deadline. In the end, the railroad was revolutionary for westward expansion. -
After the Civil War, Congress passed the 15th Amendment. They did this to protect the voting rights of newly freed black men. Once the 15th Amendment was adopted, a black community joined with white allies to put Republicans in power in southern states. Once the Republican party gained power, the South was radically changed. However, even though the 15th Amendment was passed, racism was still prominent and practiced. This sadly prevented African Americans from truly having the right to vote. -
As citizens took advantage of the Homestead Act, politicians began noticing a major issue. The constant farming of so much land caused a mass decrease in the biodiversity of the environment. This was an issue because it caused unwanted species to take over and harm the valuable soil. Because of this discovery, many argued that plots of the most beautiful areas in the US should be preserved rather than farmed. So, 3500 square miles in the northwest were used to create Yellowstone National Park. -
In the election of 1877, Rutherford B. Hayes won by a margin of one. While Democrats in the House were enraged by this loss, Samuel J. Tilden convinced them to peacefully accepted defeat. In his inaugural address, Hayes stated that he would push for federal funding for education and general internal improvements. However, once he pulled the last t3,000 Union soldiers out of the South the last Republican administrations in the South collapsed. This officially marked the end of the Reconstruction. -
Because of the competition between Chinese Immigrants and Americans in the labor market, the Chinese Exclusion Act was created. The Chinese Exclusion Act prohibited Chinese laborers from entering the US for originally 10 years. This was made into law in 1882 and was extended until 1943, mainly to protect American jobs and wages. It was made to restrict immigration based on race and nationality and had a significant impact on the Chinese American community, changing Chinese American relations. -
Before the act, whenever a president was elected, they had the authority to give their supporters well-paying government jobs. People liked the spoils system because they wanted the benefits. However, there was still conflict. The main catalyst for change was the assassination of President Garfield by someone who didn't get rewarded by the spoils system. This is when the Pendleton Act was passed, which required most federal job seekers to pass a civil service exam, ending the spoils system. -
Because Americans wanted access to Indian reservations, the Dawes Act was passed. The Dawes Act was essentially the Homestead Act for Native Americans and allowed the government to break up tribal lands. The act offered every Indian family 160 acres out of their reservation for themselves. The catch was that any unclaimed land from the reservation would be considered "excess" and would be free for anyone to claim. Along with this, the US went on to use Americanization to destroy Native culture. -
In the late 1800s-early 1900s, the industrial revolution was booming and continuing to grow at an exponential rate. However, because businesses were so concerned about profits, the thought of social welfare was never brought up. However, one man by the name of Jacob Riis witnessed the true terrors of tenement housing in big cities and decided to document it in his 1890 novel, How The Other Half Lives. Riis' stories caused major legislation regarding poor living conditions to be passed. -
In the late 1800s, violent conflicts between the Native Americans and white settlers were common. An example of said conflicts was the Wounded Knee Massacre. The month of the massacre, the Ghost Dance had been banned in South Dakota. To enforce the new law, soldiers arrested a group of the Lakota tribe. Afterward, the military attempted to recover weapons from prisoner refugees when a shot was fired. In self-defense, soldiers opened fire, and hundreds of Lakota people were killed. -
The Panic of 1893 was a severe economic depression that lasted for several years in the US. It was caused by a variety of factors, including overbuilding, labor protests, and agricultural depression. This led to bankruptcies and unemployment. It was not until the discovery of gold in Alaska and the beginning of the Spanish-American War that the economy began to make a comeback. One of the outcomes of the panic was the creation of the Federal Reserve System. -
One day, a black man by the name of Homer Plessy was boarding a train with his first-class ticket when he was stopped and forced to ride in the second-class because of his race. Since he was racially targeted, he took the case to the Supreme Court. Here, the Supreme Court sided with the train company and established the legality of “Separate but Equal”. All in all, Plessy v Ferguson made Jim Crow laws legal and ultimately led to decades more of racial inequality in the United States of America. -
With the problems of racism and segregation still occurring, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded. The NAACP was founded to fight for civil rights and equality for African Americans. They did this through legal influence, community organizing, and lobbying efforts. The NAACP has played a huge role in some of the most important civil rights battles in the US, while still continuing to work its mission today, promoting racial justice and equality to all. -
Knowing that the traditional methods of manufacturing were too slow, Henry Ford created the assembly line. He divided the production process into smaller, specialized tasks and introduced conveyor belts, which reduced production time and costs. This allowed Ford to sell vehicles at a lower price, making it more affordable for the average person and popularizing the automobile industry. The assembly line continues to be a model for mass production and a crucial part of modern manufacturing today. -
Because they needed a trade route between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the US built the Panama Canal. The canal is an artificial waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The canal shortened shipping routes and boosted global trade, but also had significant environmental and political impacts on the region. One environmental impact was that it altered ecosystems by disrupting the natural flow of water. Overall, the canal greatly impacted the world, still being used to this day. -
The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty that officially ended World War I between Germany and the Allied Powers. The treaty imposed severe harsh terms on Germany, including large financial reparations, territorial losses, and military restrictions. The treaty also established the League of Nations, an international organization aimed at preventing future wars. The terms were meant to weaken Germany but actually became a reason for Hitler's uprising and the start of WWII. -
For far too long women couldn't have their opinion voiced because they couldn't vote and had no rights. This led to movements such as the women's suffrage movement, trying to give women the right to vote. The women that fought hard allowed for the 19th Amendment to be considered. Then, on August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified. This gave women the right to vote in all states, making it a major victory and a turning point in the women's rights movement. -
The Great Depression began with the stock market crash of 1929, which triggered a widespread economic crash. Many businesses failed, banks closed, and millions of people lost their jobs. The depression was caused by a lot of things including overproduction in agriculture, unequal distribution of wealth, and a lack of government regulation of financial markets. The crisis significantly impacted the lives of Americans, causing widespread poverty and social unrest. -
On January 15th, 1929, MLK Jr was born into a Christian household. Originally a pastor, King got his true start in 1955 as a civil rights leader in the Montgomery bus boycotts. In 1957, he helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with other black Christian leaders. King and the SCLC employ the civil disobedience tactics of Gandhi which got television coverage and led to public sympathy. Sadly, on April 4th, 1968, King was shot and killed on the balcony of his motel. -
The Bonus Army was a group of World War I veterans who marched on Washington D.C. in 1932, demanding early payment of bonuses promised to them by the government. Eventually, Hoover called for his army to dispose of them, and the military evicted them from DC. Many veterans were injured. Despite their efforts, the veterans didn't get their bonus until 1945. The incident created questions about the government's treatment of its veterans and showed the economic struggles of the time. -
When the Great Depression hit the US, citizens were swept off of their feet and the entire economic system was essentially bankrupted. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected in 1932 he promised to end the depression in what he called the New Deal. He focused on “Relief, Recovery, and Reform”, and used Keynesian Economics to try and get the US out of debt. While the New Deal ultimately failed, he changed the role of government forever, shifting its focus to the citizens of the United States. -
As a response to the economic hardships and poverty experienced in the Great Depression and to address the challenges faced in the states, the Social Security Act was created. This act provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to qualified individuals and their families. The act also provided cash assistance to families with children in need. This act is still used to this day, providing a social safety net for millions of Americans and promoting economic stability. -
When President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected, he promised to end the Great Depression with what he called the New Deal. However, when he began launching his New Deal programs, the Supreme Court highly questioned their constitutionality. Instead of revising his plans, he decided to try and pass a bill coined Roosevelt's "court-packing plan". If passed, the bill would allow FDR to lessen the control of more conservative justices in the Supreme Court and pass whatever bills he found necessary. -
Because the Great Depression caused the US to be in a poor state economically, the government implemented the New Deal. This aimed to raise economic growth and provided relief to those suffering from poverty and unemployment. However, the main cause for the end of the Great Depression was the outbreak of WW2, which boosted industrial production and employment. The Great Depression had lasting effects on economic policy and institutions, as well as social and cultural changes. -
During WWII, Germany had been invading country after country and taking control of them. After several countries, Germany had their eyes set on Poland. However, Poland bordered the territory of the USSR, and Germany needed a surefire way to guarantee peace between the two powers. In August of 1939, the two powers signed a ten-year non-aggression pact. In the end, this pact led to two major events. First, Germany captured Poland and second, Germany used their territory in Poland to attack Russia. -
To end the discrimination that was occurring in work and industries, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802. Executive Order 8802 prohibited employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin in the defense industry and federal government. This order not only opened up employment opportunities for African Americans and other minorities in the defense industry and federal government, but it also helped encourage later civil rights laws. -
The US demanded that Japan withdraw from China and Indochina, Japan thought attacking the US would provide them with an easy win, and a territory with abundant land and resources to rule once they were victorious. The US oil embargo against Japan was hurting Japan’s economy. This led to Japan attacking a naval base at Pearl Harbor. The outcome was significant damage and casualties and led to the US entering WWII. The US and Great Britain also declared war on Japan. -
With Japan and America at war and after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Americans were afraid of the Japanese and Japanese Americans in the US, thinking they may be working for Japan. Because of this, the US government used force to relocate 120,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps. This was called Executive Order 9066 and lasted 3 years. This event is seen as a violation of civil rights and is an example of what people will do when faced with a fearful situation. -
D-Day was the largest seaborne invasion in history and was the turning point in WWII. Allied forces had 156,000 troops on and were supported by nearly 5,400 ships across the English Channel landing the troops on five beaches in Normandy. The beaches were stormed early in the morning supported by around 23,000 airborne troops that had already landed behind enemy lines. D-Day resulted in the Allies securing a foothold on the land and eventually allowed them to win the war against the Nazis. -
With the need to provide support for the large number of veterans returning from World War II, the GI Bill of Rights was implemented. This aided in the soldiers' transition back into society. This was done by creating the bill that paid for education (college or trade school), gave low-interest home loans, and provided low-interest business loans. This stimulated economic growth and increased the number of people that had the opportunity to go to college and is still in effect today. -
During WWII, the US had been developing new atomic weapons in what was known as the Manhattan Project. Nearing the end of the war, the US was getting impatient and needed a surefire way to remove Japan. So, on August 6th and 9th of 1945, the US dropped two atomic bombs named Little Boy and Fat Man on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These bombings were the first and only one of their kind and resulted in the deaths of over 100,000 people. Japan quickly seceded from the war. -
After WWI, President Woodrow Wilson created the League of Nations in an attempt to manage international peace and security. However, when WWII broke out it was apparent that the League of Nations had failed in its mission and was dissolved immediately. After WWII had ended, President Franklin D. Roosevelt came together with other allied countries, made a new plan, and formed the United Nations. The United Nations is still active today and is responsible for a large majority of the world's peace. -
Wanting to contain the spread of communism, President Harry S. Truman proposed the Truman Doctrine to Congress. The Truman Doctrine pledged to provide military and economic assistance to countries threatened by communism. This was to prevent the spread of Soviet influence. The Truman Doctrine was a significant turning point in US foreign policy and promoted many of the U.S. actions during the Cold War. Overall, it shaped the course of the Cold War and influenced US actions in future conflicts. -
After WWII, many European countries were torn down. Because of this, the Marshall Plan was signed into law. This allowed the US to aid European countries in rebuilding their economies, infrastructure, and industries. $13 billion was provided to 16 countries, helping to prevent communism and laying the foundation for post-war economic growth. This plan remains a symbol of American leadership and generosity in international cooperation against communism even though there was much criticism. -
Because of the threat of Soviet aggression in Europe, NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed. It was formed by 12 founding members, including the US, Canada, and several European countries. The primary objective was to provide defense against a potential Soviet attack on any of the states in NATO, making it so that if one member was attacked it would be seen as an attack on all members. NATO has increased in members and has been significant in international defense policies. -
When Korea split into the North and the South, the North became communist and wanted the South to become communist as well. The South, however, wanted to be independent. The US and some of the other United Nations supported South Korea and intervened in the conflict. The US believed that if all of Korea became communist, the domino effect would occur, meaning that more and more countries would become communist. The war officially started when North Korean troops invaded South Korea. -
After over a million casualties happened on both sides, the fighting ended in July 1953. This is because of the Ceasefire Agreement, known as the Armistice Agreement, that was proposed. The armistice established a ceasefire and a demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, including a buffer zone of two kilometers on each side of the border. This was a significant event in the Cold War and demonstrated the willingness of the US to fight against communist aggression. -
Brown v. Board of Education was a Supreme Court case that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The case was brought by African American parents who argued that segregation violated the 14th Amendment. The Court's decision overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson and created a path for desegregation in public schools and other institutions. The ruling was a huge victory for the civil rights movement, helping to destroy legal segregation. -
This was sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks. After her arrest, African American residents led by Martin Luther King Jr. organized a boycott of the buses, which lasted for 381 days. This eventually led to a Supreme Court ruling where segregated buses were declared unconstitutional ending in a victory for the civil rights movement. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a pivotal moment that inspired other protests and helped to influence legal and social equality for African Americans. -
With a better system for transportation, the Interstate Highway Act was passed. The Interstate Highway Act allowed the construction of a massive network of highways across the US. This authorized the construction of a 41,000-mile network of highways that would connect all major American cities. The Interstate Highway Act transformed the US and helped shape the country's economy, society, and culture. The highways to this day remain a vital form of transportation, allowing for many opportunities. -
In 1957, Plessy v Ferguson had been overruled, but local and state governments in the South continued to disobey the ruling. While blacks could legally go to school with whites, doing so scared their parents too much. However, in September of 1957 nine black students enrolled at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. There was so much backlash from the integration that President Eisenhower had to send troops from the 101st Airborne Division to escort the children and end the riots. -
In 1961, more than 1,000 student volunteers, organized by CORE and the SNCC, began traveling through southern states in order to test the new anti-segregation laws in bus and railway stations. Many of the riders were viscously attacked by mobs of angry white racists. The Commissioner of Public Safety, Eugene "Bull" Connor, intentionally arrived late with the police to give the mobs more than enough time to do serious damage such as bombing the buses and harming the African Americans aboard. -
During the Cold War, communism had been spreading to many countries, one of which was Cuba. Because of this, the US was sure to keep surveillance on the county. One day in October of 1962, an American spy plane spotted nuclear missile sites in Cuba. This discovery led to a thirty-five-day standoff between the US and the Soviet Union in which nuclear threats were at their highest. On October 27th, Kennedy and Kruschev agreed that as long as the bombs were dismantled, the US would not invade Cuba. -
Frustrated by the inaction of Congress, the people called for Congress to pass a Civil Rights bill. Because of this, The SCLC planned a march and rallied in Washington DC with the support of the NAACP, SNCC, and CORE. Over 250,000 people attended. People traveled in from all over the country. This is where Martin Luther King JR had the “I Have a Dream” speech. The march was successful, pressuring the administration of JFK to initiate a strong federal civil rights bill in Congress. -
On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while driving through Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested and charged with the assassination, but he was killed by nightclub owner Jack Ruby before he could stand trial. After the assassination, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into the presidency and ordered an investigation into the assassination. The investigation concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, but there are still theories that persist today. -
As a response to the social and economic challenges in the 1960s, President Lyndon B created the Great Society. The Great Society programs were aimed to improve the lives of all Americans, particularly the ones in poverty, by providing better access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities. Overall, the Great Society represented a significant expansion of the federal government's role in American society, and its legacy continues to be debated and evaluated to this day. -
As a response to the long-standing and widespread discrimination against African Americans and other minority groups in the US, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. This act outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to combat workplace discrimination. The law was a huge victory for the civil rights movement and aided towards equality for all. -
With a variety of African Americans having their right to vote denied through various tactics, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was implemented. This banned discrimination in local, state, and national elections and polling places. It also banned literacy tests, intimidation, and physical violence when it came to voting. Over the years, the Act has been slightly changed and expanded to address new challenges to voting rights, but it continues to be an important part of American civil rights. -
To contain the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, The United States became involved in the Vietnam War. They joined by supporting South Vietnam against North Vietnam, a communist government. The US deployed hundreds of thousands of troops and dropped tons of bombs, but was unable to defeat the North. The war eventually ended with a loss, with all of Vietnam becoming communist. The war was one of the most costly wars in US history, with over 58,000 Americans killed and many more wounded. -
This was a political scandal in the 1970s in which members of President Richard Nixon's administration attempted to cover up their involvement in the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. The scandal was uncovered by journalists and led to a constitutional crisis because Nixon's administration tried to prevent the release of evidence. The scandal resulted in the resignation of Nixon in 1974 and a loss of trust in government institutions by the American public. -
In January of 1972, 600 marchers attempted to protest suppressed black voting rights by marching from Selma to Montgomery. Sadly, the marchers were brutally attacked in what became known as “Bloody Sunday”. However, in a second attempt, 2500 marchers did the same thing but were once again turned back by police at the Pettus Bridge. Finally, a third march took place in which 25,000 protestors marched and were protected by 2,000 US troops. Once they arrived, they sang a few songs and went home. -
On September 11th, 2001, four Boeing 747 airplanes were highjacked by nineteen Islams from the terrorist group Al Qaeda. Two planes were flown into both World Trade Center buildings and another into the Pentagon's west wing. The fourth plane was headed toward the capital building, but the passengers overtook the terrorists and crashed into a Pennsylvania field. These horrendous terrorist attacks launched a full-scale investigation and a twenty-year war between the U.S. and the Middle East.