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In 1607, 104 English men and boys arrived in North America to start a settlement. On May 13 they picked Jamestown, Virginia for their settlement, which was named after their King, James I. The settlement became the first permanent English settlement in North America. Even with all the odds against them, Jamestown Survived. They paved the way for generations of new people to come and settle the colonies. Jamestown is the roots of our nation and leads to everything after it in different ways. -
The first enslaved African Americans arrived in Jamestown and this began slavery in North America. The Jamestown colonists found a new way to make money through a cash crop, tobacco. The demand for tobacco eventually became so great, that the colonists turned to enslaved Africans as a cheap source of labor for their plantations. This first instance of slavery paved the way for slavery in the U.S. This eventually leads to the abolishment of slavery through the 13th Amendment. -
Mayflower arrived in Plymouth Harbor on December 16, 1620 and the colonists began building their town. While houses were being built, the group continued to live on the ship. Many of the colonists fell ill. All the adult males aboard the Mayflower had signed the Mayflower Compact, a document that would become the foundation of Plymouth's government. Plymouth Rock and Jamestown are connected as two of the earliest settlements. They paved the way for the nation that we live in today. -
In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag shared an autumn harvest feast that is known today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. The first recorded religious thanksgiving day in Plymouth took place a full two years after the 1621 feast. Thanksgiving is now a national holiday that we all celebrate to this day. Without the pilgrims we would not have it. -
In 1630, the Puritans set sail for America. Unlike the Pilgrims who had left 10 years before, the Puritans did not part with the Church of England, but wanted to reform it. They arrived in New England and the Puritans established the Massachusetts Bay Colony in a town they named Boston. The Puritans eventually disappeared, but their beliefs had a great influence on American society. Their qualities that related to economic success influenced modern social and economic lifestyles. -
In 1698 Thomas Savery patented a pump with hand-operated valves to raise water from mines by suction produced by condensing steam. In about 1712, Thomas Newcomen, developed a more efficient steam engine with a piston separating the condensing steam from the water. Steam power became the energy source for many machines and vehicles, making it cheaper and easier to produce in large amounts. The invention of the steam engine lead to the industrial revolution and means of transportation in the U.S. -
In June of 1754, representatives from seven colonies met with 150 Iroquois Chiefs in Albany New York. The purposes of the Albany Congress was to try to gain the support of the Iroquois in fighting the French, and to form an alliance based on a design by Benjamin Franklin. Franklin's plan resembled the Articles of Confederation, and would have provided for coordinated taxation and militia forces to defend the frontiers. This eventually led to the French and Indian War. -
The Proclamation of 1763 followed the Treaty of Paris, which ended the French and Indian War, and it transferred French territory in North America to Great Britain. The Proclamation Line prohibited colonists from settling on lands acquired from the French following the French and Indian War. It was the first measure to affect all thirteen colonies. The Proclamation of 1763 paved the way for the birth of our nation as it lead to major events such as the American Revolution by creating tension. -
The Sugar Act was a revenue-raising act passed by the Parliament of Great Britain on 5 April 1764. The act placed a tax on sugar and molasses imported into the colonies. This was a huge disruption to the Boston and New England economies because they used sugar and molasses to make rum a main export in their trade with other countries. The Sugar Act was one of the many things that built tension between the U.S. and Great Britain. This and other factors eventually leads to the American Revolution. -
The Stamp Act imposed a tax on all papers and official documents in the American colonies. All legal documents and printing papers used in the colonies had to have an official stamp. Every single piece of paper that the colonists used was taxed by the British. The Stamp Act lead to the idea of taxation without representation. The colonies began to rally against the British Government and this was another instance of tension rising. This is another factor that led to the American Revolution. -
The Quartering Act required the colonies to provide provisions and a place to stay to British Soldiers. Colonists opposed this act as they were being taxed to pay for provisions for the army that they feared. This further enraged the colonists even after the previous acts that had been passed by Parliament. This lead to things such as the Boston Tea Party and other forms of rebellion by the colonists. A rebellious group called The Sons of Liberty was even formed because of these acts. -
The Boston Massacre was a confrontation between the colonists and the British that eventually lead to lives being lost. The British fired on a mob of colonists killing a few and injuring many. The Boston Massacre helped unite the colonies against the British. What began as a minor fight became a war known as the American Revolution. This event sparked the colonists desire for Independence. They were done being oppressed by the British and wanted to be their own nation. -
The Boston Tea Party was an incident in which American Patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians threw 342 chests of tea belonging to the East India Company into the Boston harbor. Samuel Adams and The Sons of Liberty were the ones who organized the Boston Tea Party. This was the first significant act of defiance by the colonists. This event lead to the passing of the Intolerable Acts which eventually leads to the beginning of the American Revolution. -
The Intolerable Acts were laws passed by 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 the British Government. The Intolerable Acts consisted of the Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, and the Quartering Act. These acts took away self governing acts of the colonists. This led to the American Revolution. -
At the First Continental Congress delegates discussed boycotting British goods to establish the rights of Americans and planned for a Second Continental Congress. They also issued the Declaration of Independence declaring the U.S. as an independent country from Britain. The First Continental Congress would eventually lead to The Articles of Confederation being passed. This was also another factor that lead to the American Revolution and our freedom from Britain. -
The shot heard around the world is a phrase that refers to the opening shot of the battles of Lexington and Concord which began the American Revolutionary War and led to the creation of the United States of America. This marked Americas first victory over the British Army. This was the first battle of many that eventually leads to the independence of the United States. The events that took place on this day changed the world forever. This leads into every other battle and independence. -
The Second Continental Congress was a meeting held to finish what was discussed at the First Continental Congress. They assumed the normal functions of a government, appointing ambassadors, issuing paper currency, raising the Continental Army through conscription, and appointing generals to lead the army. This played a huge role into the revolutionary war as we now had an army, strategy, and leaders. We also formally adopted the Declaration of Independence which separated us from Britain. -
The Continental Congress commissioned George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army on June 19, 1775. Washington was selected over other candidates such as John Hancock based on his previous military experience and the hope that a leader from Virginia could help unite the colonies. General George Washington led the American army to victory during the Revolutionary War. This majorly boosted his reputation eventually leading to him being elected as the first President of the U.S. -
The fifty six members of the Second Continental Congress started signing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. The Declaration helped unify the colonies so that they all fought together instead of trying to make separate peace agreements with Britain. The United States could now make war, create alliances with foreign nations, and engage freely in commerce. The Declaration of Independence also helped inspire revolutionary movements outside of the United States. -
Washington crossed the Delaware River so that his army could attack Hessian troops located at Trenton, New Jersey. Washington hoped that a quick victory at Trenton would boost morale in his army and encourage more men to join the ranks. They had a decisive victory that helped turn the war back to the American's favor. For the first time, Washington's forces had defeated a regular army in the field. This win greatly boosted Washington and his men to continue fighting for their independence.
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The American victory in the Battles of Saratoga helped persuade the French to recognize American independence and to openly provide military assistance. Saratoga is known as the turning point in the war because America gained foreign partners to help them win the war. France joined the Americans and declared war on Britain. Their naval support turned the tides of the war. This war leads to events such as The Treaty of Paris. -
The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence. It was the first written constitution of the United States. The Articles created a loose confederation of states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments. The need for a stronger Federal government soon became apparent and eventually led to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. -
The Battle of Yorktown is considered the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. The Continental Army, led by General George Washington, won a decisive victory against the British Army, led by General Lord Charles Cornwallis. Cornwallis was forced to surrender after being surrounded by Washington's army. This surrender ended British rule in the colonies and a new nation was born. This lead to Washington's election as the first president of the United States. -
The Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years' War between Great Britain and France and their allies. France gave up all its territories in mainland North America, ending any foreign military threat to the British colonies there. The agreement recognized U.S. independence and granted the U.S. significant western territory. U.S. boundaries were finally established and Britain acknowledged the Independence of the United States. This leads to the Constitutional Convention and the Connecticut Compromise -
The Connecticut Compromise was an agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that defined the legislative structure and representation each state would have under the United States Constitution. The upper house would have equal representation from each state, while the lower house would have proportional representation based on a state's population. This structure is still used in the Government today. It created a formal governing system in America and resolved many problems -
39 of the 55 delegates signed the new document, with many of those who refused to sign objecting to the lack of a bill of rights. One delegate refused to sign because the Constitution protected slavery and the slave trade. The Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation. The Bill of Rights was later added on December 15, 1791. The Constitution established Americas national government and fundamental laws. It also guaranteed basic rights for citizens. The Constitution is still in use. -
Washington's cabinet consisted of Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of War Henry Knox, and Attorney General Edmund Randolph. The Cabinet's role is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office. Presidential Cabinets are still in use to this day, but the Cabinet now consists of fifteen different positions as there were only four original positions. -
The Whiskey Rebellion was an uprising of farmers and distillers in western Pennsylvania in protest of a whiskey tax enacted by the federal government. It was the first test of federal authority in the United States. This rebellion enforced the idea that the new government had the right to levy a particular tax that would impact citizens in all states. It demonstrated that the new national government had the will and ability to suppress violent resistance to its laws. -
A cotton gin is a machine for cleaning cotton of its seeds, invented in the United States by Eli Whitney in 1793. The cotton gin was an amazing invention at the time, but there was a dark side to this revolutionary invention. While it was true that the cotton gin reduced the labor of removing seeds, it increased the need for enslaved labor to grow and pick the cotton. The demand for cotton doubled and it became a very profitable crop in the United States.
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The XYZ Affair is the name given to the events that occurred when three American delegates went to speak to the French Foreign Minister. The XYZ affair also raised anti-French sentiment which caused the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts. This was one of the most unpopular pieces of legislation ever passed by Congress. Because of the XYZ affair, Congress increased the United States defenses. We created a department of Navy and Warships. -
A series of laws known collectively as the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by Congress in 1798 and signed into law by President Adams. These laws included new powers to deport foreigners as well as making it harder for new immigrants to vote. These laws raised the residency requirements for citizenship from 5 to 14 years, authorized the President to deport aliens and permitted their arrest, imprisonment, and deportation during wartime. The laws expired in 1801 and were very controversial. -
The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions argued that each individual state has the power to declare that federal laws are unconstitutional and void. It was drafted in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts. It claimed that because these acts overstepped federal authority under the Constitution, they were null and void. This was argued by southern states and it was one of the factors that eventually leads to the civil war between the union and the confederacy. -
Marbury v. Madison was a Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review in the United States, meaning that American courts have the power to strike down laws and statutes that they find to violate the Constitution of the United States. Marbury v. Madison strengthened the federal judiciary by establishing the power of judicial review, by which the federal courts could declare something null and void. This case greatly strengthened the federal judiciary. -
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from France in 1803. It eventually doubled the size of the United States, greatly strengthened the country materially and strategically, provided a powerful impetus to westward expansion, and confirmed the doctrine of implied powers of the federal Constitution. It provided more land for farming and other goods and the Port of New Orleans was now under U.S. control and allowed more freedom for trade. -
The Embargo Act closed U.S. ports to all exports and restricted imports from Britain. The act was Thomas Jefferson's response to British and French interference with U.S. ships. The Embargo Act was one of the major factors leading up to the War of 1812 as it ended up increasing the tension that already existed between America and Britain. With the embargo in place, American exports declined by 75%, and imports declined by 50%. Economically the Embargo Act devastated shipping exports. -
The War of 1812 was caused by British restrictions on U.S. trade and America's desire to expand its territory. The U.S. declared war because Britain refused to stop seizing American ships that traded with France. American sailors were even captured and never returned home. The final battle of the war was the Battle of New Orleans and the War was ended by the Treaty of Ghent. -
The Battle of New Orleans was fought between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson. The Battle of New Orleans is known as the greatest American land victory of the war. American troops defeated the much larger British force, which bolstered U.S. hopes for a speedy end to the war. Andrew Jackson gained national fame from this war which eventually lead to him being elected President in 1829. -
The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830, authorizing the president to grant lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands. A few tribes went peacefully, but many resisted known as the Trial of Tears. Millions of acres of land became available to settlement. The southeast United States experienced an increase in population and the expansion of slavery. This resulted in an increase in cotton production and economic growth in the south. -
The mechanical reaper combined all the steps that earlier harvesting machines had performed separately. His time-saving invention allowed farmers to more than double their crop size and spurred innovations in farm machinery. The reaper revolutionized agriculture, making it possible to harvest large areas of grain much faster than could have been done by men wielding scythes. The reaper boosted the economy of the south allowing farms to become larger and more productive. -
The telegraph was invented by Samuel Morse. It revolutionized long distance communication and worked by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations. The electric telegraph transformed how wars were fought and won and how journalists and newspapers conducted business. Everything before the telegraph would take weeks to be delivered by mail or by a horse, with a telegraph news could be transmitted almost instantly. The telegraph also impact industrialization in small towns. -
Elias Howe was granted a patent for his sewing machine in 1846. Invention of the sewing machine revolutionized the textile and garment industries. It was used for fixing clothes at a factory use, and on production lines. The invention of the sewing machine changed the domestic life of many women. As more households began to own sewing machines, women, the ones who stayed home to do chores including making and repairing clothing, found themselves with more free time. They could now go get jobs. -
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war between the United States and Mexico. The United States gained more than 500,000 square miles of land, expanding U.S. territory by about one-third. The war and treaty extended the United States to the Pacific Ocean, and provided a bounty of ports, minerals, and natural resources for a growing country. This treaty lead to expansion and industrialization of the west coast. It also lead to things such as the transcontinental railroad.
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When the Fort Sumter was resupplied on April 12th, Confederate troops began shelling it from the mainland. The bombardment lasted for 34 hours straight, until the Union soldiers surrendered. Surprisingly, no soldiers on either side were killed by enemy fire. In the days following the assault, Lincoln issued a call for Union volunteers to fight the rebellion, while more Southern states including Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee cast their lot with the Confederacy. -
The First Battle of Bull Run was the first major land battle of the war. Union forces from Washington, DC totaling 28,450, under the command of General Irvin McDowell, attempted to surprise 32,230 Confederate troops. The Union suffered nearly 3,000 casualties. This is the battle that earned "stonewall" Jackson his name. Its outcome sent northerners who had expected a quick, decisive victory reeling, and gave rejoicing southerners a false hope that they themselves could pull off a victory. -
The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order that Abraham Lincoln signed on January 1, 1863. It proclaimed the freedom of the 3.1 million slaves in the Confederate States of America. This enraged the south and turned this into a total war to destroy the Old South. Eventually, the Emancipation Proclamation led to the proposal and ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which formally abolished slavery throughout the land. -
The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the war, with a total of over 46,000 casualties – nearly 8,000 of which were killed.
It lasted 3 days and it was know as the turning point in the war. It stopped the Confederate momentum in the Eastern Theater and it probably killed any chance of Europe intervening. It gave the Federals a badly needed victory and boosted Northern morale. -
After evacuating Richmond, General Lee’s troops were soon surrounded, and on April 7, Grant called Lee to surrender. On April 9, the two commanders met at Appomattox Courthouse, and agreed on the terms of surrender. On April 9, 1865, the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia in the McLean House in the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia signaled the end of the nation's largest war. The nations bloodiest conflict in history was finally over. -
The Reconstruction Act was statutes passed by Congress addressing the requirement for Southern States to be readmitted to the Union. The reconstruction act also abolished slavery, gave black Americans equal protection under the law, and granted suffrage to black men. All former confederate states had to draft new constitutions, acknowledged the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, and pledged their loyalty to the U.S. government. It restored the U.S. as a unified nation. -
The goal of the Dawes Act was to get Native Americans to farm and ranch like white homesteaders. It authorized the federal government to break up tribal lands by turning them into individual plots. The government was attempting to migrate Native Americans into mainstream US society by annihilating their cultural and social traditions. The Dawes Act ended Natives tradition of farming communally held land which had for centuries ensured them a home and individual identity in the tribal community. -
The Spanish American war was an armed conflict between the U.S. and Spain. The war began as a result of the explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor in Cuba. American's supported the ongoing struggle by Cubans against Spanish Rule. The Battle of Kettle Hill was one of the major battles that took place in this war. The war was fought over a period of 8 months and it was eventually resolved through the Treaty of Paris. The end of this war lead to things such as the Panama Canal to be built. -
The Battle of Kettle Hill was a major battle of the Spanish American war. This was the most significant battle of the war because it was the only battle that involved all four buffalo soldier regiments, the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 24th and 25th Infantry. The Spanish American war secured the United States as a Pacific power. The Untied States could now pursue economic interests in Asia and basically the whole world. We can now trade across the Pacific and Atlantic greatly boosting economy. -
The Treaty of Paris was a treaty between the U.S. and Spain ending the Spanish American War. The treaty stated that Cuba gained independence from Spain. The treaty also stated that the U.S. gained the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Through this treaty the U.S. emerged as am imperial power. We could now freely trade across both Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, which greatly boosts our economy. We also became a world naval power as a result of this war greatly helping us in WW1 and WW2. -
The Panama Canal was built to lower the distance, cost, and time it took for ships to carry cargo between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Before the canal was built ships had to go around the entire continent of South America. It connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans while also dividing North and South America. The canal revolutionized trade and greatly boosted the economy of the US. Over 10% of all US shipping goes through the canal and it is still utilized to this day. -
Wilson defeated incumbent Republican William Howard Taft and third-party nominee Theodore Roosevelt to easily win the 1912 United States presidential election, becoming the first Southerner to do so since 1848. Some of the things that Woodrow Wilson did as President include creating the League of Nations after WW1, giving women the right to vote, and passed laws that prohibited child labor. He also wrote his fourteen points for peace. -
The sixteenth amendment established the right for congress to impose Federal income tax. The sixteenth amendment played a central role in building up the powerful American federal government of the twentieth century by making it possible to enact a modern, nationwide income tax. Before long the tax would become the federal governments largest source of revenue. The federal income tax is still used today and is still a major source of revenue for the government. -
The Ford Motor Company perfected the assembly line in1913. The perfected assembly line was able to increase pay for employees and decrease the amount of hours that they worked. Henry Ford introduced the $5 per day wage which doubled the industry standard. His introduction of the automobile into the mass market transformed agricultural economies in the United States and even around the world into prosperous industrial and urban ones. He created a middle class in America. -
A German U-boat torpedoed a British passenger ship, the Lusitania, killing more than 1,000 people, including 128 Americans. The death of innocent Americans influenced many in the US to support American involvement in the war, and recruiting materials in both Europe and later the United States invoked sinking of the Lusitania. This set off a chain of events that eventually led to the U.S. entering the war. This connects to WW1, the Zimmerman telegram, etc. -
The Zimmerman telegram was intercepted and deciphered by British intelligence. The telegram instructed the ambassador, Count Johann von Bernstorff, to offer significant financial aid to Mexico if it agreed to enter any future U.S-German conflict as a German ally. its publication caused outrage and contributed to the U.S. entry into World War I. The telegram helped to generate support for the American declaration of war against Germany. -
On April 4, 1917, the U.S. Senate voted in support of the measure to declare war on Germany. The House concurred two days later. The United States later declared war on German ally Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917. The sinking of the Lusitania and the interception of the Zimmerman telegram are two of the main factors that caused us to declare war on Germany. President Wilson was very big on peace across the world and hoped to gain it through fighting this war. This relates to his 14 points. -
Wilson hoped to bring about a world government run by popular votes and open discussion. The points outlined his vision for ending World War I in a way that would prevent such a conflagration from occurring again. The Fourteen Points failed because Woodrow Wilson was not a champion of justice and equality; he was a racist imperialist. The 14 points were also intended to undermine the Central Powers' will to continue, and to inspire the allies to victory. -
The Eighteenth Amendment is the amendment to the US Constitution that outlawed the production, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. It made brewing and distilling illegal, expanded state and federal government, inspired new forms of sociability between men and women, and suppressed elements of immigrant and working-class culture. This caused a rise in organized crime associated with the illegal production and sale of alcohol, smuggling, and a decline in tax revenue. -
The Red Scare refers to a time of feared communism in the 1920s after the Russian Revolution. This fear resulted in rounding up and deportation of several hundred immigrants of radical political views by the federal government in 1919 and 1920. It was common to assume that any immigrant or member of a labor union was a communist. This lead to things such as Japanese internment camps, a second Red Scare in the 1950s, and it even led to things such as the Cold War. -
The Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending World War I, imposing harsh surrender terms on Germany, creating territorial mandates, and arranging the creation of the League of Nations. It forced Germany and other Central Powers to take all the blame for World War I. This meant a loss of territories, reduction in military forces, and reparation payments to Allied powers. In the longer term, the treaty became a precursor of the rise of Hitler and the World War two. -
The Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1920, granting suffrage to women. Wilson had entered office as an opponent of women’s suffrage, but after women’s contributions to the war effort his opinion and the opinions of many in Congress changed. The Nineteenth Amendment marked one stage in women's long fight for political equality. People like Susan B. Anthony could finally rest as their dedication to woman's suffrage has finally become a reality. -
The stock market crashed over the course of five days in October 1929. As soon as the gong sounded, a mad rush to sell began. Trading volume soared to an unprecedented 16,410,030 shares and the average price of a share fell 12 percent. This dive came with the convergence of economic problems of production, income, and credit. It also marked the beginning of the Great Depression, which destroyed the economy and left millions of Americans unemployed. -
World War I veterans, who in 1924 had been promised a bonus for their military service to be paid in 1945, marched on Washington, DC, to demand immediate payment of their bonuses. The Great Depression had taken a huge economic toll on the veterans, and many were unemployed and unable to find work. Though the House approved their request, the Senate defeated the Bonus Army bill, sparking a weeks-long protest in the capital. They demanded immediate payment for their wartime services. -
Democratic New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Republican incumbent president Herbert Hoover in a landslide, with Hoover winning only six Northeastern states. Roosevelt's victory was the first by a Democratic candidate since Woodrow Wilson won re-election in 1916. He built the New Deal Coalition, which defined liberalism in the United States throughout the middle third of the 20th century. His third and fourth terms were in World War II, which ended shortly after he died in office. -
Upon his inauguration, Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced the “New Deal.” New Deal policies provided jobs and funds for federal projects through a number of “alphabet soup” agencies. The New Deal aimed to restore prosperity to Americans. It created the framework for a regulatory state that could protect the interests of all Americans, rich and poor, and thereby help the business system work in more productive ways. F.D.R attempted to combat the effects of the Great Depression through his New Deal. -
Prohibition ended with the passage of Twenty-first Amendment to the Constitution repealing the Eighteenth Amendment Instead of creating a dry America, a culture of law-breaking emerged (along with organized crime to service it). Now speakeasies brought together men and women and in the working classes drinking moved into the home rather than away from it. There was the tax revenue and jobs that would be returned to the government and economy once liquor sales became legal again. -
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto spent months planning an attack that aimed to destroy the Pacific Fleet and destroy morale in the U.S. Navy, so that it would not be able to fight back as Japanese forces began to advance on targets across the South Pacific. Thirty minutes after Japan declared war against the United States, Japanese planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Naval forces were severely diminished by the unexpected attack and more than 2,300 Americans were killed. -
Two months after Pearl Harbor President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. In an effort to curb potential Japanese espionage, Executive Order 9066 approved the relocation of Japanese-Americans into internment camps. At first, the relocations were completed on a voluntary basis. Around 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the Pacific Coast were rounded up and sent to internment camps in California, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, and Arkansas. -
The Battle of Midway between the Pacific naval forces of Japan and the United States marked a turning point of the military struggle between the two countries. American forces were able to repulse an attack over the Pacific in the Battle of Midway and destroyed much of the Japanese air fleet. Midway was arguably the most important battle of the war in the Pacific, as American forces under the command of Admiral Chester Nimitz sank four Japanese carriers and destroyed 248 Japanese planes. -
The Allied Forces of Britain, America, Canada, and France attacked German forces on the coast of Normandy, France. The Allies attacked and gained a victory that became the turning point for World War II in Europe. The landing was the largest invasion ever executed and included more than 160,000 troops. They were supported by more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft. Allied forces battled the Germans on the beaches of Normandy, taking 9,000 casualties. -
Congress passed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, or GI Bill, providing “government issue” educational and financial benefits to veterans. The bill offered veterans unemployment compensation, financial aid for college, and low-interest home loans. The law provided a wide range of benefits to Veterans returning from World War II, including low-cost home loans, education and vocational training, unemployment payments, and an expansion of Veterans' health care. -
President Harry S. Truman, warned by some of his advisers that any attempt to invade Japan would result in horrific American casualties, ordered that the new weapon be used to bring the war to a speedy end. The bomb destroyed much of the city and killed about 30 percent of the population immediately. It injured tens of thousands more. Radiation-related diseases continued to affect residents for years to come. Nuclear weapons are still a real threat that are in use to this day. -
After the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan agreed to surrender. Japan surrendered because the Soviet Union entered the war. Japanese leaders said the bomb forced them to surrender because it was less embarrassing to say they had been defeated by a miracle weapon. Japan's leaders feared that without the imperial house, the state and their own power would be devalued and diminished in the eyes of the people, and that the state would ultimately disintegrate. -
The Truman Doctrine was a policy plan to keep Communism from spreading to politically unstable countries. Fearing that poverty and other conditions created by World War II might make Europe susceptible to Communism, the American government funneled about thirteen billion dollars into Western Europe to rehabilitate and stabilize countries through the Marshall Plan. The doctrine was seen by the Communists as an open declaration of the Cold War. -
The Berlin Blockade was an attempt by the Soviet Union to limit the ability of the United States, Great Britain and France to travel to their sectors of Berlin. The United States and Great Britain dropped food and supplies into West Berlin via air. Shortly after the blockade NATO was created. Two weeks after the end of the blockade, the state of West Germany was established, soon followed by the creation of East Germany. They airlifted food, water, and medicine to citizens. -
The Korean War began after North Korea invaded South Korea in an attempt to unify the two countries. The UN and the United States soon intervened, hoping to halt the spread of Communism to the South. After three years of war the United States, the People's Republic of China, North Korea, and South Korea agree to an armistice, bringing the fighting of the Korean War to an end. The war was disastrous for all of Korea, destroying most of its industry and the countries remain divided. -
The hearings were held for the purpose of investigating conflicting accusations between the United States Army and Senator Joseph McCarthy. He began a series of televised congressional investigations into communists in the US Army. The broadcasts exposed McCarthy as an unscrupulous bully, and the Senate eventually voted to censure McCarthy for his conduct during the hearings. McCarthyism began to decline, mainly due to Joseph McCarthy's gradual loss of public popularity and credibility. -
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that racial segregation in public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. The 1954 decision declared that separate educational facilities for white and African American students were inherently unequal. Striking down segregation in the nation's public schools provided a major catalyst for the civil rights movement, making possible advances in desegregating housing, public accommodations, and institutions of higher education. -
The Montgomery Bus Boycott began with the arrest of Rosa Parks, who had refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white passenger. The boycotters, led by Martin Luther King Jr., walked and carpooled to protest segregation in public transportation. The Montgomery Bus Boycott resulted in the Supreme Court ruling segregation on public buses unconstitutional. A significant play towards civil rights and equality, the Montgomery Bus Boycott helped eliminate early barriers to transportation access. -
9 students made their way through a crowd shouting obscenities and even throwing objects. Once the students reached the front door the National Guard prevented them from entering the school and were forced to go home. This caused President Eisenhower to send federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to protect the nine black students enrolling in the previously segregated Central High. They were the first African American students to desegregate Little Rock Central High School. -
This act authorized the building of highways throughout the nation, which would be the biggest public works project in the nation's history. It allowed $32 billion to build 41,000 miles of interstate highways. Highways were important not only because of Americans’ growing dependence on automobiles but also as a national defense measure, creating a nationwide transportation network for the US military. The highway also reduced manufacturing and distribution costs in the domestic market. -
The Civil Rights Act established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. It also established the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. However, the Act failed to eliminate literacy tests and prequalification that states had been making since the 15th Amendment. Additionally the Act made no mention of the desegregation of schools in the US. -
Created by the Soviet Union, Sputnik I became the first satellite launched into space in October 1957. It was followed by Sputnik II a month later. The launch of the two satellites marked the beginning of the space race as a high stakes competition with national security implications between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviets’ success in launching the satellites also prompted the US to increase federal spending on education and technology advances. -
The sit-ins started on 1 February 1960, when four black students from North Carolina A & T College sat down at a Woolworth lunch counter in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. They attempted to order food, but they were refused service. The sit-in movement extended to more than 140 cities. Participants faced harassment, violence, and arrest in their attempts to integrate public lunch counters. These same students went back every single day until they were served food. -
What happened at the Bay of Pigs invasion?
The Bay of Pigs invasion begins when a CIA-financed and -trained group of Cuban refugees lands in Cuba and attempts to topple the communist government of Fidel Castro. US-backed Cuban anti-Castro forces landed at the Bay of Pigs but were overcome by Castro’s troops. More than 1100 men were captured in an embarrassing defeat. The prisoners were eventually ransomed back to the US in exchange for food and medicine. -
A group of African American and white activists left Washington DC in the first Freedom Ride. Freedom Riders intended to test the enforcement of the ban on segregation in interstate bus travel. The riders faced violent attacks and arrest. Local police forces did nothing to protect them from white mobs. Eventually the National Guard was called in for the riders’ protection. On May 29, Robert F. Kennedy petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission to enforce the interstate travel segregation ban. -
The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. and others led more than 200,000 civil rights supporters in a March on Washington. There, King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. The march put a spotlight economic inequalities and press for a new federal jobs program and a higher minimum wage. This was one of the main factors that led up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and ratification of the 24th amendment. -
The Twenty-fourth Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1964, prohibited poll taxes for federal elections, which had often been imposed by state and local governments to prevent African Americans from voting. In Mississippi, civil rights advocates organized a Freedom Summer, registering African American voters and teaching literacy and black history. This was a big win for the African American community, they could now vote and the civil rights act was passed just after this. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Provisions of this civil rights act forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing. It addressed voting rights, employment, public accommodations, education, and more. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the nation's benchmark civil rights legislation, and it continues to resonate in America. -
The voting rights act outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted after the Civil War, including literacy tests to vote. It also allowed federal election supervision of elections in places where African Americans had been prevented from voting. By the end of 1965, a quarter of a million new Black voters had been registered, one-third by federal examiners. By the end of 1966, only four out of 13 southern states had fewer than 50 percent of African Americans registered to vote. -
The US Apollo 11 was the first manned space craft to land on the moon. Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon’s surface were watched by hundreds of millions in a live television broadcast of the landing. The six missions that landed on the moon brought back 842 pounds of rocks, core samples, and dust, and set up science experiments that are still paying dividends. This set the path for things like a trip to mars that we could see happen in the near future. -
Roe v. Wade ruled that a state law that banned abortion was unconstitutional. The ruling made abortion legal in many circumstances. The decision said that a woman's right to privacy extended to the fetus/unborn child she was carrying. The Court mandated federal protection for pregnancy termination during the first trimester and allowed state laws limiting it during the second and third trimesters. It highlighted what the role of moral and religious views in the political sphere should be. -
The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified in 1971, granting the right to vote to any citizen at least eighteen years of age. The Twenty-Sixth Amendment has played an important role in expanding the franchise to younger Americans, allowing them to participate more fully in the political process. Voting is a very important thing in our society and everyone deserves a say in politics and how our country is run. -
Determined to win the 1972 presidential election, the Nixon administration sent special agents called the “Plumbers” to the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate Hotel. They hoped to copy documents and wiretap telephones. The Plumbers were caught by a hotel security guard. Based on the investigation, the House Judiciary Committee passed three articles of impeachment against Nixon in July 1974. 48 government officials were found guilty in the scandal. -
In a ceremony at the Statue of Liberty, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Immigration Act of 1965, which abolished the national origins quota system. The national origins quota system had set limits on the numbers of individuals from any given nation who could immigrate to the United States. It removed discrimination against Southern and Eastern Europeans, Asians, as well as other non-Western and Northern European ethnic groups from American immigration policy. -
On October 16, 1962, President Kennedy learned of Soviet plans for missile installation in Cuba and announced a blockade of Cuba to prevent more missiles from entering the country. In the following days, Kennedy and Khrushchev exchanged messages under mutual threat of nuclear war. On October 28, Khrushchev agreed to halt missile work in Cuba, and Kennedy promised to withdraw missiles from Turkey. The agreement put an end to the crisis and averted an escalation to major nuclear conflict. -
Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed by James Earl Ray outside King’s room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. The assassination sparked mourning and riots across the country. The assassinations triggered active unrest in communities that were already discontented. For example, the Memphis sanitation strike, which was already underway, took on a new level of urgency. It was to these striking workers that King delivered his final speech, and in Memphis that he was killed.
