-
Settlement in Jamestown
was the first settlement in the new world, over 80% of the settlers died due to starvation and disease. they were mainly settling here in the new world for financial opportunity and religious freedom. -
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the first elected legislated assembly in the colonies. It was the first legislative body in the New World and was made up of two representatives from each town. Eventually, they would adopt the House of Burgesses concept of creating self-governing bodies for the colonies. This was the first representative government in the New World. -
Scientific Revolution
The scientific revolution was a movement-type thing that placed a high emphasis on science and education. this movement had a huge impact on people and the literacy rates of the new world skyrocket. -
The Great Awakening
the great awakening was a spiritual reawakening of the colonies. it created a greater emphasis on individualism and religious experiences. two main people in this movement are Johnathan Edwards and George Whitefield -
Townshend Tax Acts
these acts are like tariffs. it placed high taxes on molasses and sugar so the colonists started to smuggle and put stuff on the black market to avoid these tariffs. along with those taxes, there were also the quartering act and the stamp act. -
Boston Massacre
Britain was very distraught about the Boston Massacre when the colonists in America threw pounds and pounds of tea into the ocean in revolt so Britain decided to completely close the Boston Harbor. This showed the colonies how powerful Britain can be even if they are hundreds of miles away. It fueled the tension between the British and colonists, and it demonstrated the colonist's want for independence and rebellion against Britain. -
Second Continental Congress
this one takes place in Philadelphia about a month after the revolution began. unlike the first continental congress all of the 13 colonies had a delegate attend this one. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was drafted by very influential figures. John Locke was one of the people who heavily influenced the Declaration of Independence with his ideas of natural rights. He believed that if God gives you our rights, then no one can take it away; things that you have acquired are yours. This meant complete separation from monarchy and a completely new form of government that would have to be created. It was building a nation from scratch. -
The Battle of Saratoga
this battle represented a turning point in the war. British John Burgoyne and his army planned to move south where he'll meet up with two other British armies and face the colonies. the other British armies did not show up and Burgoyne is quickly surrounded and forced to surrender. -
The Articles of Confederation
As the citizens embraced independence, they envisioned a central government with limited powers. This article provided for a loose union in which each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence. Each state had one vote regardless of its size and population. this wasn't fully ratified until 1781. -
The Battle of Yorktown
After a grueling campaign through the southern colonies, General Cornwallis retreated to the coast of Yorktown for the winter in the hope to receive protection from the royal navy. but as he arrived he noticed that the French navy had defeated the British at the battle of capes in September. -
Treaty of Paris
the treaty of Paris in 1783 officially ended the revolutionary war. the newly created United States of America is granted all British lands. -
Shays Rebellion
After the revolutionary war many farmers were in deep debt. those who were incapable of paying off their debt were sent to debt prison or lost their land. a lot of angry farmers started to rebel, and wealthy people in Massachusetts felt severely threatened. so the wealthy commissioned a private army to stop the rebellions. -
Approval of the Constitution
a convention took place in Philadelphia to discuss the issue of how the newly independent states should be governed. it was set to simply revise the Articles of Confederation, but most of the delegates had other motives. -
Establishment of the Presidential Cabinet
the constitution allowed congress to create departments to help the president out. the first cabinet had four departments; secretary of defense(Henry Knox), secretary of state(Thomas Jefferson), secretary of the treasury(Alexander Hamilton) -
Whiskey Rebellion
farmers in Pennsylvania refused to pay taxes until the American army enforces it. this upholds the power of the new federal government. -
The XYZ Affair
The XYZ Affair was when John Adams sent diplomats to negotiate a treaty with the French but they demanded a “gift” of $250,000 before they would negotiate. The diplomats came back to the states to tell the American Press that they were insulted by the French. The French did not mean to insult, but people were angry and wanted war. Adams puts an end to the hostilities and the diplomats refuse to pay. Adams avoids war by negotiating peace with Napoleon which was an unpopular move. -
Pickneys Treaty
Spain gave the rights to Americans to freely travel on the Mississippi river. as well as to use the port of new orleans -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was one of the most impactful decisions in Jefferson's term. Although it went against his principles of being a rigid constructionist, it increased the size of the country by twice its size. It was an immense amount of new land that had to be chartered and even discovered. There was so much to discover and learn about because the environment changed as one would get closer to the Pacific Ocean. -
Embargo Act of 1807
completely stops all foreign trades, this utterly kills the port cities who depend on trade for revenue, but it helps encourage domestic production. even after the act is repealed the war of 1812 further discouraged trade and encouraged the U.S. to start factories. -
Battle of Thames
British and Indian forces are defeated in Canada by American forces. in this battle Tecumseh's death lead to Indian resistance in the Ohio River valley -
British Burn the Capital
the British army invaded the U.S. and marched on to Washington D.C. after a brief fight the city surrenders and nearly all government buildings are razed. -
The Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson got a ton of multicultural ruffians to fight. the British had a well-trained army that was virtually mauled by the American forces. this is also known as the battle that associated Andrew Jackson with winning the war because perception trumps reality -
Missouri Compromise
Missouri Compromise is the piece of legislation that diffused the political quarrels held between the Union and the Confederacy. It was an agreement between the Northern and Southern states over what western territories could join the Union as slave states. This compromise was meant to create a balance between slave and non-slave states. -
Election of 1824
in this election, no candidate received a majority of the electoral votes. in the 12th amendment if that happens then the vote goes to the house of Representatives, and one of the candidates, henry clay, is the speaker of the house. to avoid suspicion he dropped out of the race so it didn't look like he was using influence to gain power. in the end, John Adams is named president. -
Election of 1828
Andrew Jackson wanted to recreate the old Jeffersonian coalition of northern farmers and artisans, southern slave owners, and farmers with small landholdings. so he created a national committee that oversaw local and state party units. -
Nullification Crisis
in 1831 people were still angry about the tariff of abominations, so the south threatened to nullify the law. John C Calhoun believed that the tariff is unconstitutional because it favored the north. so he think that all states could declare the law null and void. Jackson fought the nullification and imposed the tariffs and chastised South Carolina for violating federal law. -
The Second Great Awakening
very similar to the first great awakening but they used the church as a vehicle for social change and it gave a greater role and voice to women. two main people for this one are Charles Finney and Lyman Beacher -
Battle at the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a fight between the Republic of Texas and Mexico. Taking place in San Antonio, Mexico won the battle and killed all of the Texan soldiers that were in the fort. This battle is significant because it rallied the rest of Texas to fight the Mexican army, eventually leading to their victory at the Battle of San Jacinto. -
Annexation of Texas
Texas decarded it independence in response to the Mexican abolition of slavery. The United States annexes Texas and makes it a state due to Southern states supporting Texas slavery. This made the North fear of the expansion of slavery in the Union and a war with Mexico. This event contributed to the Mexican-American War -
Johnsons Reconstruction
at first, the radicals were excited by johnsons deep hatred for the planter class, to the surprise of all johnson issued a reconstruction plan very similar to that of Lincoln's original plan. it had the 10% plan clause for returning to the union, it also had the abolition of slavery clause for the state's constitution. johnson also forgave the confederate states of the war debts they had. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was the deadliest one-day battle in American history, leaving 23,000 men dead. After this war, it no longer became about preserving the nation it became a matter of ending slavery. It showed that the Union could stand against the Confederate army so Lincoln could issue the Emancipation proclamation. -
Lincolns 10& Plan
lincoln felt that the nation could only be unified once again if there were no feelings of animosity. his plan was the proclomatoin of animosity and reconstruction. he would give pardons to any confederate leader who swore oath to the union and constitution. any state could be readmitted once at least 10% of its voters also sworn loyalty oaths. -
Wade-Davis Bill
most republicans in congress, many of them radicals, felt that Lincoln's plan was too lenient on the southern rebels. so this bill stated that 50% of a state's voters had to swear oaths of loyalty to the union, and only non-confederates were allowed to vote and hold political offices. lincoln refused to sign this bill stating that it was too harsh on the south, then he was assassinated by john Wilks both -
Congress Takes Over
in December of 1865 johnson declared that the south had met all necessary demands. congress was disgusted with the situation that he had created. johnson as well vetoed many bills that could have made the united states a much better place at the time. -
Transcontinental Railroad
The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad connected the east to the west of the U.S. The building of the transcontinental railroad opened up the Western parts of America to more rapid development. It made the economic export of resources from Western to Eastern markets much easier and facilitated westward expansion. -
Reconstruction Acts of 1867
this stripped the southern states of their political power and it divided them into five separate military powers. -
Johnsons Impeachment
congress passed the tenure of office to protect some radical republicans in johnsons cabinet. Johnsons= went ahead and removed the secretary of war Edwin Stanton. the house impeached johnson but the Senate fell one vote short. Johnson was officially powerless -
The 14th Amendment
this amendment stated that all people born on U.S. soil are full citizens, all people naturalized were full citizens, and all U.S. states were required to protect U.S. citizens with full protection against legal progress. -
Social Darwinism
similar to darwin's theory of "natural selection, but applied to everyday social circumstances. herbert spencer had come up with this idea in 1870, and it heavily influenced business and competition. it made the poor seem lazy and inferior to everyone else. -
The 15th Amendment
recognizing from the election of 1868 that African Americans needed the right to vote, republicans quickly had the 15th amendment pushed through congress. it prohibited any state from denying any citizen the right to vote, regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. -
The Election Crisis
in the election of 1876 tit seemed that 1005 OF THE SOUTH HAD VOTED OFR SAMUEL TILDEN, THE NORTH HEAVILY QUETOINED THE VALIDITY OF THE RESULTS GIVEN THE KNOWN INTIMADATOIN OF REPUBLICANS AND FREEDMEN. A RECOUNT WAS INITIATED IN SOUTH CAROLINA, LOUISIANA, AND FLORIDA. AFTER THE RECOUNT ALL THREE STATES WENT TO HAYES. SO THEY HAD 5 SUPREME COURT OFFICERS, 5 REPUBLICANS, AND 5 DEMOCRATS DO A REVOTE. AFTER BACKROOM NEGOTIATIONS HAYES IS NAMED PRESIDENT AND MILITARY OVERSIGHT IN THE SOUTH IS OVER. -
The Battle of Little Big Horn
The Battle of Little Bighorn occurred when gold was found in the Black Hills Indian Reservation. This lead to whites invading their land and driving them onto a warpath. The battle was cultivated when Colonel George A. Custer and his men were all killed by Sioux at the battle. This event showed Native Americans' power during this time period and was one of the worst defeats of the U.S. Army during the Plains Wars. -
Election of 1876
Democrats gained more power but were still long behind the republicans. grant had served two terms so there was no incumbent. the race was between the democrats Samuel Tilden and the republicans Rutherfurd B. Hayes. -
Rise of Jim Crow
redeemer democrats systematically exclude black voters, the Jim crow laws legalize segregation and restricted black civil rights. by 1910 the process was complete. the north and the federal governments did little or nothing to try and stop these laws. -
Civil Service Reform
the catalyst for this change was the assassination of President Garfield. he was killed by Charles Guiteau, who was a vocal supporter of Garfield's speeches during the elections. he wanted to be rewarded for this support through the spoils system and hoped to land a political job. he was angry that Garfield didn't give him a job so he shot him. The Pendleton Act was passed into law and required most federal job seekers to pass a civil service exam. this had officially ended the spoils system. -
The Dawes Act
passed in 1887, very similar to the homestead act but the target demographic was native Americans. it offered 160 acres to each native American family, and if natives took advantage of those it would just be taking it from the reservation lands. one group thought that this was beneficial for the native Americans and they were named friends of the Indians. this group thought that it would aid the native's economy and speed up the assimilation process, but in reality, it only created conflict. -
Wounded Knee Massacre
Known as the Battle at Wounded Knee Creek, this battle was the last big battle between the Sioux and the United States. It was called a massacre by General A. Milers in a letter that was sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. This battle was the end of Indian resistance. -
Rise of The Populist party
the populist party rose up in response to high debt, falling farm prices, and high unemployment in the lower classes. the party was most popular amongst the agrarian workers but sometimes allied itself with labor unions. they were often thought to be a party of radicals and reformers. -
The Spanish American War
The U.S. declared war on Spain following the mysterious explosion of the U.S. Maine in Havana Harbor. The war ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in the U.S. getting new territories in the western Pacific. The war ended quickly in four months, becoming a great victory for America with also very few deaths. The U.S. emerged as a world power following the war. -
Williams V Mississippi
Henry Williams believed that Mississippi's voting laws were discriminatory toward Black citizens. The state's constitution allowed for literacy tests, poll taxes, and the grandfather clause, so that a man whose grandfather couldn't vote was disenfranchised. The court ruled that these restrictions were constitutional, and any discrimination came from individual poll officers. Jim Crow would be allowed to live on in the South for decades to come, depriving Black voters of their voice. -
Plessy V Ferguson
In the South, Black Americans often faced discrimination on trains. Homer Plessy was a New Orleans man who was 1/8 Black. He was ordered to move from the first-class car he had booked to the "colored" car. He refused and was arrested. Civil rights advocates brought his case to the Supreme Court, where it was decided that segregation was legal as long as equal facilities were provided. This decision gave legal backing to Jim Crow laws and would not be repealed until 1954. -
Annex on the Philippines
As the War of 1898 came to an end, the US turned to the Philippines, a Spanish holding, and its valuable port at Manila. It purchased the entire archipelago from Spain for $20 million and began preparations to colonize the island. However, they encountered strong resistance from Filipinos, who wanted their own sovereignty. This led to brutal actions on the part of the Americans, who burned villages and imprisoned civilians. The war ended in 1902 with the US grip on the country complete. -
Tenement Housing
As immigrants arrived to take advantage of economic opportunities, they needed to live near their jobs and in affordable housing. Cramped and dangerous tenement buildings presented appalling living conditions, but for many urban poor families and immigrants, they were the only option. The activism of Progressive Era reformers led to the creation of this law, which mandated indoor toilets, interior courtyards, and fire escapes for new tenement buildings. -
NAACP
Civil rights for Black Americans were grim, but there was also the constant threat of lynching and other targeted violence. 1908 saw a brutal race riot in Springfield, IL, in which a mob of 5,000 attacked the city's Black residents. Progressive leaders, including W. E. B. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells, came together to decide on a strong response. This resulted in the foundation of the NAACP, which became a vital part of the civil rights movement throughout the twentieth century. -
Ford Assembly Line
While the beginnings of mass production could be seen in the 19th century, things really got rolling with Henry Ford's assembly line. It moved automobiles along to each stage of the manufacturing process and drastically reduced the time needed to create a car from 12 hours to 1 hour and 33 minutes. Other companies soon followed suit, giving America a massive industrial output and lowering the cost of goods so that ordinary people could better afford luxury items. -
War Declared on Germany
While WWI had officially started in 1914, most Americans, including President Wilson, were determined to stay out of the conflict. However, with German U-Boats indiscriminately attacking American ships and German diplomats holding designs on making an ally of Mexico, the government soon came to believe that neutrality was no longer possible. Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war, and he got it, but the decision was still controversial in Congress. The US had entered the Great War. -
Sedition Act
Public support for the war was thought to be vital for an allied victory. However, many dissidents remained vocal about their opposition; they included pacifists and socialists, among others. The Sedition Act banned speech and behavior that could incite resistance to the war effort or encourage support for the enemies. It had teeth, too: two 1919 Supreme Court cases upheld the convictions of people who had been prosecuted under the law, raising tough questions about the limits of free speech. -
19th Amendment Ratified
Since the early 19th century, women's rights activists had been fighting to achieve political equality with men. Several Western states allowed women to vote, but there was no guarantee of the right on a national level. WWI sparked a change in the way women were perceived as many had made great contributions to the war effort and women were being given the vote in many European countries. However, while the 19th Amendment was a significant step, it only ensured the vote to white women. -
Armistice Ends WW1
By 1918, the World War had lasted for four years in Europe and had led to widespread devastation of both troops and civilians. Germany soon found itself in a bleak place: all of its allies had signed armistices with the Allies, and the German Army was on the brink of defeat. They found themselves with no choice but to start peace negotiations. The armistice took effect at 11:11 on 11/11/18. It marked the end of armed combat in WWI and signaled that the troops would soon return home. -
Signing of the Treaty of Versailles
While Congress never approved the treaty, its allies did, and the decision would prove to be monumental for the US in the coming decades. The treaty blamed Germany as the war's instigator and set harsh sanctions on the country: it forced it to accept guilt for the war, severely limited military forces, loss of territory, and expensive reparations to allied countries. Germans had been humiliated on the world stage, and the brutal terms of the treaty would lead to another catastrophic world war. -
Prohibition Takes Place
Since the 19th century, temperance activists had promoted a blanket ban on liquor. They argued that it was the root of several societal ills, including poverty, crime, and domestic abuse, among others. This prohibition amendment banned the sale, production, and consumption of alcohol, but Americans came up with crafty ways to circumvent the rules. It led to a thriving gang scene, and mob bosses like Al Capone became wealthy bootleggers. Seeing their error, Congress repealed it in 1933. -
Tulsa Race Massacre
Military needs during WWI created thousands of desirable factory jobs in the North. In what was called the Great Migration, millions of Black Americans left poverty and segregation in the South and headed North and West. However, they were often resented by white residents. Tulsa had an affluent Black community that was a crucible of this resentment. The massacre left hundreds dead or injured and destroyed the affluent Black neighborhood of Greenwood. -
Scopes Trial
Biologist Charles Darwin's theory of evolution revolutionized his field, but not all were receptive: Tennessee passed a law in 1925 that made it illegal for schools to teach anything but creationism. John Scopes was a high school teacher who taught the theory to his biology class. In the trial, he was represented by the ACLU and prominent lawyer Charles Darrow. The jury found him guilty. The state's Supreme Court later overturned the ruling, but the debate persists even today. -
Stock Market Crash
America flourished during the 1920s. With consumer confidence at a peak, people began to make questionable economic decisions. To take advantage of new technology such as cars and appliances, they bought items on credit. They also bought stock on margin, a risky practice that would prove disastrous when the market crashed. A country that had grown accustomed to high wages and economic security was thrust into the Great Depression; the coming decade would be the opposite of the 1920s. -
FDR's 100 Days ends
During the election of 1932, FDR promised the American public that he would take immediate action against the Depression once in office. He held true to his word, passing massive New Deal legislation. Some of the programs created in the first 100 days included the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, and the National Industry Recovery Act. While reactions to the New Deal were mixed, FDR did stick to his promise of speedy action. -
Black Sunday
A severe drought struck Oklahoma and surrounding regions in 1930. Combined with wind storms the following year, a massive ecological disaster called the Dust Bowl displaced 2.5 million people in the midst of the Depression. The most severe dust storm blew three million tons of topsoil from Oklahoma's panhandle towards the East. The effects could be seen as far away as New York City. All told, the Dust Bowl lasted six years and wreaked environmental and economic havoc on the region. -
Social Security Act
The original goal of the Social Security Act was to ensure that older Americans had a pension to retire on. It was intended as a supplement, not a full retirement plan. The act established a hybrid federal and private unemployment payment system saw that widows and disabled people would be provided for. The act was controversial when it was passed and remains so to this day, from critics on both the right and the left. Nevertheless, it held up in the Supreme Court. -
Order 8802
The anti-Semitic discrimination of Nazi Germany revealed uncomfortable parallels with the treatment of Black Americans at home, as pointed out by rights leaders like W. E. B. Du Bois. Especially important was better labor opportunities. Facing pressure from Black labor groups, FDR signed Executive Order 8802 banning racial discrimination in the defense industry. This unprecedented support encouraged the growing membership of civil rights groups like the NAACP and the CORE. -
Beginning of WWII
On his quest to expand Germany, Hitler took control of Austria in 1938. Later that year, he met with the leaders of France and Britain to announce his intention to annex part of Czechoslovakia. They agreed, but only as long as he would promise to stop taking over new territories. On Sep. 1, 1939, the German Army invaded Poland with the aim of conquering Danzig. WWII had officially started in Europe. In the early years, the US maintained neutrality, but most people supported the Allies. -
Pearl Harbor
In the early morning hours of Dec. 7, Japan, an Axis power that was allied with Germany, launched a surprise attack on the US naval base Pearl Harbor. The unprovoked aggression came from anger at US aid to Britain, an Allied country, and pressure to Japan to stop expanding its military force in the Pacific. The attack killed 2,335 servicemen and destroyed 188 aircraft and 4 battleships. The next day, FDR gave his Day of Infamy speech and Congress declared war on Japan, entering WWII. -
Japanese Internment Camps
Thousands of Japanese Americans were forced to temporarily relocate into internment camps during WWII. Many people feared espionage and sabotage on the part of Japanese Americans, even though many had lived in the US throughout their lives and were legal citizens. At the start of 1942, FDR signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the War Department to hold Japanese Americans in isolated camps for the war’s duration. The Supreme Court justified it as a matter of wartime necessity. -
Marshall Plan
Post-war Europe was full of strife and economic hardship. US officials feared that the West would turn to communism to provide relief from the turmoil. To combat this, the Marshall Plan delegated billions of dollars in foreign aid to help Europe rebuild its factories, infrastructure, buildings, transport, etc. Aid was offered to Eastern Bloc countries but rejected under Stalin's influence. Domestically, the plan was controversial, but it was invaluable to reconstruction in Europe. -
D-Day
On D-Day, American, British, and Canadian forces invaded Nazi-occupied France. Casualties were heavy, but the Allies were able to capture the beach of Normandy. 1.5 million soldiers and lots of equipment entered France. This faced Germany to fight on two fronts, Eastern and Western; only ⅓ of the military fought against the invasion because the rest were busy fighting in the Soviet Union. It was the largest land-sea military operation ever, and it set the conditions for a German surrender. -
G.I Bill
It established hospitals, made low-interest mortgages available and granted stipends covering tuition and expenses for veterans attending college or trade schools. From 1944 to 1949, nearly 9 million veterans received close to $4 billion from the bill’s unemployment compensation program. The education and training provisions existed until 1956, while the Veterans’ Administration offered insured loans until 1962. -
Levitt Town
Levittowns made the dream of low-density housing accessible to the middle class by creating a new model for development. Each Levittown would have a set number of floor plans available. Prospective residents could choose one, visiting model houses to get an idea of their future homes. Because each house was no longer being custom-built, they could be built much faster and at much lower costs. In the post-war conditions, suburbs like these grew rapidly thanks to the economy and the GI bill. -
Germany surrenders
The German High Command agreed to the unconditional surrender of all German troops, on the Eastern and the Western Front, after the capital city of Berlin was surrounded by Soviet troops. With Italy defeated and Hitler had committed suicide a week earlier, the Germans had little choice but to surrender or be taken prisoners of war. The next day, May 8, is celebrated as V-E Day, meaning Victory in Europe. The US was still at war with Japan in the eastern theater, however. -
Potsdam Conference
The topics discussed at Potsdam were similar to those at Yalta, with the biggest difference being that Germany had surrendered and actions would be more immediate. The leaders of the US, the UK, and the USSR decided that, in the process of reconstruction and de-Nazification, Germany should be split into six parts, with half under Soviet control and one-sixth each in the West to France, the UK, and the US. The same would be done with Berlin, creating the conditions for Cold War tensions. -
Atomic Bomb
Throughout the war, the top-secret, $2 billion Manhattan project had been working to develop an atomic bomb. The first successful bomb was tested on July 16, 1945, in New Mexico. Three weeks later, Truman ordered two bombs to be dropped on two Japanese cities: Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9. Truman feared that Japan’s leaders would never surrender unless national ruin struck their country. Shortly after on Sept. 2, Japan surrendered unconditionally, lifting the US out of war. -
Truman Doctrine
Just a few years after WWII, Truman addressed Congress with the hopes of persuading them to approve aid to the governments of Greece and Turkey, who were being threatened by communist insurgencies. In his speech, he laid out the principles of what would become known as the Truman Doctrine: the strategy of containing communism's impact by assisting any country threatened by communist uprisings with military and financial aid. The doctrine continued to guide foreign policy throughout the Cold War. -
Founding of NATO
Fearing war instigated by the Eastern Bloc, several Western European countries, as well as the US and Canada, formed a defensive alliance called NATO. A crucial part of the alliance was Article 5, stating that an attack on any member nation would be an attack on all of them. By 1960, most Western Bloc countries had joined. In retaliation, the Eastern Bloc formed an alliance of its own, called the Warsaw Pact encompassing all but Yugoslavia and Albania. It was a further sign of Cold War division. -
Korean War
After WWII, Korea was split into Northern and Southern regions. Communist leader Kim Il-Sung came to power in the North and launched an invasion into the capitalist South. Following its containment policy, the US sent in troops under the guidance of the famous General MacArthur. They were successful until China sent in troops on behalf of the North. By 1953, a tenuous peace agreement was set, placing the border at the 38th parallel with the North becoming a communist state. -
Brown V Board
Linda Brown was a Black student who was barred from attending a white school much closer to her house. The NAACP, with Thurgood Marshall as Brown's lawyer, took the case to court. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously to overturn the precedent in Plessy v. Ferguson that segregation is legal if facilities are equal. Schools across the country were ordered to desegregate in a timely matter, and though students faced staunch resistance, the case was a major source of hope to the Black community. -
Interstate Highway Act
America’s roadways were due for a major overhaul. While deployed during WWII, Eisenhower saw the benefits of Germany's autobahn system. He signed the Act in 1956, providing federal aid for 41,000 miles of new interstate roads. Not only would they make travel and commerce easier, but they could also be useful in the event of a Cold War nuclear meltdown. Their construction also helped the rise of suburbanization and devastated small towns that had prospered from the highway running through them. -
Little Rock 9
Nine Black students known as the “Little Rock Nine” are blocked from integrating into Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. President Dwight D. Eisenhower eventually sends federal troops to escort the students, however, they continue to be harassed. -
Sputnik
As permanent mobilization took hold, science, industry, and government became intertwined. When the Soviet Union launched the world's first satellite, Sputnik, the startled United States went into high gear to catch up in the Cold War space competition. Alarmed that the United States was falling behind in science and technology, Eisenhower persuaded Congress to appropriate additional money for college scholarships and university research. -
Sit ins
Four African American college students in Greensboro, North Carolina refuse to leave a Woolworth’s “whites only” lunch counter without being served. The Greensboro Four—Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil—were inspired by the nonviolent protest of Gandhi. The Greensboro Sit-In, as it came to be called, sparks similar “sit-ins” throughout the city and in other states. -
Freedom Rides
College students were a key group in the civil rights fight. CORE organized a series of bus rides to the South to test whether or not recent desegregation legislation was being obeyed. The students, both white and Black, were often met with brutal violence from mobs. In Alabama, one bus was firebombed and its passengers were beaten. Though rights were expanding on paper, the Freedom Rides exposed their persistence in the real world and the need for continued protection against discrimination. -
Cuban Missle Crisis
After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, Castro turned to the Soviet Union to ensure Cuba's safety under the threat of US aggression. US recon was able to identify the missiles while the launch sites were still under construction. This launched a diplomatic crisis lasting two weeks in which Americans were living under the very possible threat of nuclear war. JFK was able to reach a deal in which he promised the US would not invade if the weapons were removed. Cold War tensions continued to rise. -
I Have a Dream
MLK delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech before a crowd of some 250,000 people at the March on Washington. Weaving in references to the country’s Founding Fathers and the Bible, King used universal themes to depict the struggles of African Americans before closing with an improvised riff on his dreams of equality. The eloquent speech was immediately recognized as a highlight of the successful protest, and has endured as one of the signature moments of the civil rights movement. -
March on Washington
In his campaign, JFK had promised to pass a strong civil rights bill. However, he didn't have the support of Congress. 250,000 people would march to the Lincoln Memorial, from which Martin Luther King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The march had a very positive impact on public support for the cause as people everywhere were moved by the march's size and the justice of its cause. Congress, however, held fast, and the bill didn't pass until after JFK's assassination. -
Assassination of JFK
While visiting Dallas, TX, JFK was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. The governor of Texas was also shot, but his wounds were not fatal. JFK passed away an hour after the shooting at Parkland Hospital, shocking the nation and launching LBJ immediately into the presidency. The assassination compounded the feeling of turbulence in the 1960s, which saw the civil rights movement, the start of war in Vietnam, Cold War tensions, and the assassination of MLK and Robert Kennedy. -
1965 Voting rights
The SCLC organized a march on Selma, Alabama, to push for greater voting rights protections and protest the murder of an activist. They were met with tear gas from law enforcement, a scene that the entire country saw on television. A few months later, the Act was passed, banning literacy tests and sending in election officials to register voters in counties where less than 50% were registered. It was a long overdue step in securing democracy for all people, a massive victory. -
Landing of Apollo 11
Apollo 11, U.S. spaceflight during which commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Edwin Aldrin Jr. on July 20, 1969, became the first people to land on the Moon and walk the lunar surface. Apollo 11 was the culmination of the Apollo program and a massive national commitment by the United States to beat the Soviet Union in putting people on the Moon. The flight of Apollo 11 was witnessed via television by hundreds of millions of people in nearly every part of the globe. -
Kent State Shooting
Kent State University students were killed and injured when members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on a crowd gathered to protest the Vietnam War. The tragedy was a watershed moment for a nation divided by the conflict in Southeast Asia. In its immediate aftermath, a student-led strike forced the temporary closure of colleges and universities across the country. -
Founding of EPA
The environmentalist movement took off amid an energy crisis that sent gas prices through the roof, the growing public awareness of the pollution effects of industry, and the milestone Silent Spring, calling into attention the use of the pesticide DDT. Directly following a horrific oil spill, a bipartisan bill founded the EPA, requiring new developments to file assessments of the environmental effects of their projects. More legislation, such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, followed. -
Title 9
Nixon also signed the Title 9 Amendment, which federally banned gender discrimination in education. It also paved the way for the introduction of women into athletic organizations, despite the fact that women's suffrage had been obtained decades earlier. This also helped ensure the peaceful desegregation of schools, and soon after Nixon lowered the top voting age to 18 in order to include younger generations in federal decisions. -
Nixon Resigns
In an evening televised address on August 8, 1974, President Richard M. Nixon announces his intention to become the first president in American history to resign. With impeachment proceedings underway against him for his involvement in the Watergate affair “By taking this action,” he said in a solemn address from the Oval Office, “I hope that I will have hastened the start of the process of healing which is so desperately needed in America.”
