-
Blan Allison Act passed
The Bland-Allison Act is passed, which called for the government to buy silver each month to increase the monet supply and cause inflation for the farmers. This is an example of economic reform. -
Period: to
APUSH Timeline #2
-
Edison invents the light bulb
Thomas Edison is successful in creating the first light bulb. This is significant because it revlotionizes the country, -
President Garfield Asassinated
The 20th President of the United States, James A. Garfield, is shot by lawyer Charles J. Guiteau in the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station in Washington, D.C. He would die two months later on September 19, 1881 from an infection and be succeeded in the presidency by Vice President Chester Arthur on September 20. -
Standard oil trust reform and Chinese Exclusion act
The Standard Oil Company trust of John D. Rockefeller is begun when Rockefeller places his oil holdings inside it. The Chinese exclusion act prevented China from shipping anymore people over here, This was significant because it was the first time the U.S. ever did this. -
Pendleton Civil Servicxe Act
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act is passed by Congress, overhauling federal civil service and establishing the U.S. Civil Service agency. This is significant because it establishes the first civil service agency. -
Haymarket Square bombing in Chicago and American Federation of Labor formed
The Haymarket riot and bombing occurs in Chicago, Illinois, three days after the start of a general strike in the United States that pushed for an eight hour workday. This act would be followed by additional labor battles for that worker right favored by unions. Later this year, on December 8, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was formed by twenty-five craft unions. -
Dawes act
An Act to Provide for the Allotment of Lands in Severalty to Indians on the Various Reservations," known as the Dawes Act, emphasized severalty. This was significant because the treated Native Americans as individuals rather than as members of tribes. -
Jane Addams founds hull house in Chicago
Hull House was a settlement house in the United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and. Located in the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois, Hull House opened its doors to recently arrived European immigrants. By 1911, Hull House had grown to 13 buildings. In 1912 the Hull House complex was completed with the addition of a summer camp, the Bowen Country Club.With its innovative social, educational, and artistic programs -
Sioux massacred at Wounded Knee , Sherman Antitrust Act, Sherman Silver Purchase Act
The Battle of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, occurs in the last major battle between United States troops and Indians. The Sherman Antitrust Act was passed in 1890, it declared all monopolies and trusts to be outlawed and helped advance business reform. The Sherman Silver Purchase Act is passed, which, similar to the Bland-Allison Act, called for the government to buy silver each month to increase the monet supply and cause inflation for the farmers. This is an example of economic reform. -
Populist Party Formed
The populist party is a political party in which it represents the average man, and also marks the start of the prgressive era. This is significant because it this will be the second time a perty reaches out to the average man. -
Homestead Steel Strike
The Homestead Steel Strike, was an industrial lockout and strike which began on June 30, 1892, culminating in a battle between strikers and private security agents on July 6, 1892. The battle was one of the most serious disputes in U.S. labor history, third behind the Ludlow Massacre and the Battle of Blair Mountain -
Panic of 1893
The New York Stock Exchange collapses, starting the financial panic of 1893. It would lead to a four year period of depression. -
Pullman Strike and Coxey's army
May 11, 1894, the workers at the Pullman sleeping-car factory go on stike. The strike is supported by Eugene Debs, the head of the American Railway Union, and he encouraged all other union members to fight for reform in business. In a march of five hundred unemployed workers into Washington, D.C. that had begun on March 25 in Massillon, Ohio, leader James S. Coxey is arrested for treason. -
Plessy v. Ferguson and Mckinley wins election
Plessy versus Ferguson decision by the Supreme Court states that racial segregation is approved under the "separate but equal" doctrine. Republican William McKinley claims victory in the presidential election with a majority of Electoral College voters, 271 selected him over Democratic and People's Party candidate William J. Bryan with 176. -
U.S.S. Maine sinks in Havana Harbor, Spanish American War, Hawaii annexed by U.S.
The rallying cry, "Remember the Maine" is struck when the United States battleship Maine explodes and sinks under unknown causes in Havana Harbor, Cuba, killing two hundred and sixteen seamen. The sentiment becomes a rallying point during the coming Spanish-American War. The U.S.A. declares war on Spain, backdating its declaration to April 20. On May 1, 1898, the United States Navy destroyed the Spanish fleet in the Philippines. On June 20, the U.S. would take Guam. The U.S annexes Hawaii -
Aguinaldo leads Filipinos against Americans, Treaty of Paris, Open door policy in China
Filipino independence fighters under leader Emilio Aguinaldo begin a guerrilla war after failing to gain a grant of independence from the United States, which they had been fighting for from Spain since 1896. The Open Door Policy with China is declared by Secretary of State John Hay and the U.S. government in an attempt to open international markets and retain the integrity of China as a nation. -
Boxer Rebellion in China
In 1900, in what became known as the Boxer Rebellion, a Chinese secret organization called the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists led an uprising in northern China against the spread of Western and Japanese influence there. This is significant because it is similar to the American one. -
Theodore Roosevelt becomes President
President William H. McKinley is shot at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York while shaking hands with fair visitors, following his speech at the event on President's Day the day before. Anarchist Leon Czolgosz is arrested for the crime. On September 14, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt is inaugurated as President upon the death of William McKinley from gunshot wounds sustained the week earlier.
This is significant because Roosevelt does many great things. -
Platt Amendment and Roosevelt settles coal strike
The Platt Amendment passed which amended the 1901 Army Appropriations Bill. It stipulated seven conditions for the withdrawal of United States troops remaining in Cuba at the end of the Spanish-American War. President Theodore Roosevelt became involved in the strike and set up a fact-finding commission that suspended the strike. The strike never resumed, as the miners received a 10% wage increase and reduced workdays from ten to nine hours; the owners got a higher price for coal. -
U.S. Recognizes Panama's Independence
With United States support after the Hay-Herran Treaty rejection by Columbia earlier in the year, Panama declares its independence from Columbia. The Panama government is recognized by President Theodore Roosevelt three days later and a canal treaty is signed on November 18, allowing the U.S. led construction of the canal. -
Northern Securities Trust dissolved and Roosevelt Corollary declared
The Northern Securities Company was an important United States railroad trust formed in 1901 by E. H. Harriman, James J. Hill, J.P. Morgan, J. D. Rockefeller and their associates. The company controlled the Northern Pacific Railway; Great Northern Railway; Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad; and other associated lines. It was capitalized at $400 million, and Hill served as president. The Roosevelt Corollary extended the Monroe Doctrine. -
Pure Food and Drug Act, Hepburn Act, Roosevelt wins the Nobel Peace Prize
The Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act is passed, and states that the food cannot have any drugs in it. The Hepburn Act is a 1906 United States federal law that gave the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) the power to set maximum railroad rates and extend its jurisdiction. This led to the discontinuation of free passes to loyal shippers. Roosevelt won the peace prize because he made the Japs and Soveits seize war. -
Taft elected President
William Howard Taft is elected President, 321 to 162 Electoral Votes, over Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan, who had twice before been defeated for the office by William McKinley in 1896 and 1900. -
NAACP formed
The National Conference of the Negro is conducted, leading to the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, (NAACP). This is significant because they are trying to do something about the colored people situation. -
Traingle Shirtwaist Fire and the Mexican Revolution erupts
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in Manhattan, New York City on March 25, 1911 was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city, and one of the deadliest in U.S. history. The fire caused the deaths of 146 garment workers 123 women and 23 men who died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths. Most of the victims were recent Jewish and Italian immigrant women aged 16 to 23. -
Wilson elected president
Woodrow Wilson overcame a three way race for the presidency when former President Teddy Roosevelt donned the nomination of the Progressive Party to tackle the election against Wilson and incumbent President and Republican William Howard Taft. This split caused the election of Wilson, who garnered 435 Electoral College votes to 88 for Roosevelt and only 8 for Taft. -
Roosevelt forms Progressive Pary to Challenge Taft and Wilson elcted President
In the first election of a Democratic candidate since 1892, Woodrow Wilson overcame a three way race for the presidency when former President Teddy Roosevelt donned the nomination of the Progressive Party to tackle the election against Wilson and incumbent President and Republican William Howard Taft. This split caused the election of Wilson, who garnered 435 Electoral College votes to 88 for Roosevelt and only 8 for Taft. -
16th amendment and 17th amendment ratified
The 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, allowing the Federal government treasury to impose an income tax. The 17th Amendment would be passed on April 8, which set the policy for direct election of U.S. Senators. -
Clayton Antitrust Act, Panama Canal opens, and WW1 Begins
The Clayton antitrust act was a part of United States antitrust law with the goal of adding further substance to the U.S. antitrust law regime; the Clayton Act sought to prevent anticompetitive practices in their incipiency. World War I hostilities had begun on June 28 when the Archduke of Austria and his wife, Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were killed by a Serb nationalist in Sarajevo. On August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal was opened to traffic. -
Germany sinks Lusitania
The British ship Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat submarine, causing 128 American passengers to be lost. Germany, although it warned of the pending crises to passengers, issued an apology to the United States and promised payments. -
U.S. declares war on Germany and Espionage act passed
After intercepting the German sent signal to Mexico, this angered the U.S. Four days after receiving the request from President Woodrow Wilson, the United States Congress declares war on Germany and join the allies in World War I. The act was intended to prohibit interference with military operations or recruitment, to prevent insubordination in the military, and to prevent the support of U.S. enemies during wartime -
Wilson proposes 14 points and armistice ends war
Wilson proposes 14 points that will help prevent another war. This is significant because it could potentially stop another war. Hostilities in World War I begin to end with the Austria-Hungary alliance for armistice with the allies on November 3 . -
treaty of Versailles, Senate rejects U.S. role in League of Nations, 18th Amendment, and Schenck v. U.S.
The Treaty of Versailles is signed, ending World War I. Senate wants to stay out of foreign affairs by staying out of the League of Nations. With the state of Nevada becoming the 36th state to ratify the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, prohibition of alcohol becomes the law of the land. Schenck v. U.S. is a United States Supreme Court decision concerning enforcement of the Espionage Act of 1917 during World War I. -
19th Amendment ratified
Women are given the right to vote when the 19th Amendment to the United States constitution grants universal women's suffrage. Also known as the Susan B. Anthony amendment, in recognition of her important campaign to win the right to vote -
Harding elected president and first commercial radio broadcast
- A landslide victory for Warren G. Harding in both the Electoral College and popular vote returns the Republican Party to the White House. Harding gained over 16 million popular votes to Democratic candidate James M. Cox's 9 million and won the Electoral contest with a 404 to 127 landslide. This was the first election in which women had the right to vote. The first commercial radio broadcast was casted, which would lead to further uses of it such as entertainment.
-
Teapot Dome Scandal
The Teapot Dome scandal was a bribery incident that took place in the United States from 1921 to 1924, during the administration of President Warren G. Harding. Secretary of the Interior Albert Bacon Fall had leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome in Wyoming and two other locations in California to private oil companies at low rates without competitive bidding. In 1922 and 1923, the leases became the subject of a sensational investigation by Senator Thomas J. Walsh. Fall was later convict -
National Origins act sets 2 percent quotas for immigration
The act was a United States federal law that limited the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to 2% of the number of people from that country who were already living in the United States in 1890, down from the 3% cap set by the Immigration Restriction Act of 1921, according to the Census of 1890 -
Scopes Tennessee evoultion trial
The Scopes Trial or Monkey Trial begins and would later convict John T. Scopes of teaching Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory at a Dayton, Tennessee high school, which violated Tennessee law. He is fined $100 for the charge. -
Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic and Al Jolson stars in The Jazz singer
Charles Lindbergh leaves Roosevelt Field, New York on the first non-stop transatlantic flight in history. He would reach Paris thirty-three and one-half hours later in the Spirit of St. Louis, his aircraft. A ticker tape parade would be held in New York City after his return on June 13. The advent of talking pictures emerges. Al Jolson in the Jazz Singer debuts in New York City. -
Hoover elected president and 52 nations sign Kellogg Brain Pact renouncing war
Herbert Hoover wins election as President of the United States with an Electoral College victory, 444 to 87 over Democratic candidate Alfred E. Smith, the Catholic governor of New York. The pact was a 1928 international agreement in which signatory states promised not to use war to resolve "disputes or conflicts of whatever nature or of whatever origin they may be, which may arise among them". -
Stock Market Crashes in October
Postwar prosperity ends in the 1929 Stock Market crash. The plummeting stock prices led to losses between 1929 and 1931 of an estimated $50 billion and started the worst American depression in the nation's history. -
Hawley-Smoot Tariff raises duities on farm products and manufactured goods
The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act is signed by President Herbert Hoover. Its effective rate hikes would slash world trade. -
Franklin Roosevelt wins presidency
Democratic challenger Franklin D. Roosevelt defeats incumbent President Hoover in the presidential election for his first of an unprecedented four terms. The landslide victory, 472 Electoral College votes to 59 for Hoover began the era of FDR that would lead the nation through the vestiges of the Great Depression and the ravages of World War II. -
Prohibtion repealed, hundred days of legislation follows FDR's inauguration
The 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is passed, ending prohibition. The New Deal social and economic programs are passed by the United States Congress in a special one hundred day session to address depression era economics. -
Securities and Exchange Comission established , Dr.Francis Thompson promotes old age revolving pension plan
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is established with the signing of the Securities Exchange Act into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Dr.francis Thompson promotes old age revolving pension plan. -
Schecter v. U.S. rules NIRA Unconstitutional, WPA establiashed, Social Security act passed, Congress passes first of annual neutrality acts passed
Schecter v. U.S. rules NIRA Unconstitutional. Works Pogress Administration is established was the largest and most ambitious American New Deal agency, employing millions of unemployed people to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads. The Social Security Act is passed by Congress as part of the New Deal legislation and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It would begin payouts to retirees within two years. -
FDR wins presidency, Germany occupies the Rhineland, Ethiopa falls to Italy
Franklin D. Roosevelt overwhelms his Republican challenger, Alfred Landon, for a second presidential term. His Electoral College margin, 523 to 8, and 62% of the popular vote insured Roosevelt carte blanche in his goals of the New Deal. Germany invades Rhineland to expand. Italy rises with the Germans and capture Ethiopa. -
FDR proposes court packing plan(Fails), Japan invades China
On February 5, 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt announces a controversial plan to expand the Supreme Court to as many as 15 judges, allegedly to make it more efficient. Critics immediately charged that Roosevelt was trying to “pack” the court and thus neutralize Supreme Court justices hostile to his New Deal. Japan invades China to get there resources. This was significant because it would lead to the U.S. entering the war. -
Appeasement at Munich by England's Chamberlain, Germany takes Sudetenland
On this day in 1938, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, French Premier Edouard Daladier, and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain sign the Munich Pact, which seals the fate of Czechoslovakia, virtually handing it over to Germany in the name of peace. Upon return to Britain, Chamberlain would declare that the meeting had achieved “peace in our time.” Germany takes Sudetenland in order to expand there nation. They became more powerful. -
Czechslovakia falls to Germany, Austria annexed by Germany, Germany invades Poland, Germany and Soviets sign non- aggression pact
Germany successfully take Czechslovakia, and expand there nation. Austria votes to be annexed by Germany. Germany invades Poland, which starts the second world war. Germany signs non- aggression pact with Russia in order to not have a 2 front war. -
Germany conquers Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, U.S in Great Britain sign destroyers for bases deal, Formation of the Axis powers, FDR wins 3rd term
Germany conquers Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, which causes Germany to become more powerful. The United States government approves a sale of surplus war material to Great Britain. The U.S. Congress approves and enacts the first peacetime conscription draft. President Franklin D. Roosevelt continues his dominance of presidential politics with a 449 to 82 Electoral College victory over Republican candidate Wendell Wilkie, winning his third presidential election. -
Lend Lease Act proposed, Germany invades Soviet Union, Japan attack Pearl Harbor, U.S. declares war on Japan
The Lend-Lease Act is approved, which provided $7 billion in military credits for American manufactured war supplies to Great Britain and other allies. Germany invades Soviets hoping to capture them. This attack, which took the greatest amount of U.S. naval life in history, led to the entry of American troops into World War II. One day later, the United States of America declares war on Japan. -
Japan capture Philippine Islands as Bataan and Corregidor fail, WPA established, U.S. begins interning Japanese Americans , Germany sinks 400 American Ships, Manhattan project begins
Japanese capture Phililppine islands causing them to extend there naval power. Executive order 9066 is signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, confining 110,000 Japanese Americans, including 75,000 citizens, on the West Coast into relocation camps during World War II. The War Production Board (WPB) was an agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II. U.S. star5t on the Manhattan project to begin building the atomic bomb. -
Casablanca Conference, Americans seize Guadacanal Island, Soviets defeat Germans at Stalindgrad, Teheran Conference
The Casablanca Conference to plan the Allied European strategy for the next phase of World War II. Americans won the Island, which grew there naval power. Soveits defeat the Germans sending them back, this led to the Germans becoming weaker and more vunerable. The Tehran Conference is held for three days, concluding in an agreement between U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet leader Josef Stalin about a planned June 1944 invasion of Europe . -
Allies invade France at Normandy (D-Day) , Roosevelt elected president for 4th term, Island hoping retakes Guam Island, Battle of Bulge
- The Normandy Invasion, D-Day, occurs when one hundred and fifty-five thousand Allied troops, including American forces and those of eleven other Allied nations land in France. Allied soldiers stormed the beaches of France to begin the World War II invasion of Europe that would lead to the liberation of Paris. The last campaign speech of Franklin D. Roosevelt, seeking his fourth term in office, is broadcast from his Hyde Park, New York home. One day later, Roosevelt would gain that fourth term.
-
Yalta Conference, Hitler commits suicide, V-E Day, Postdam Conference, Atomic bomb dropped, V-J Day
President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and Premier Josef Stalin hold the Yalta Conference in the Soviet Union. Hitler commits suicide after allied forces penetrate his army. V-E day the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces. It thus marked the end of World War II in Europe. President Harry S. Truman gives the go-ahead for the use of the atomic bomb with the bombing of Hiroshima. Japan then surrenders. -
Churchill gives the "Iron Curtain" speech, George Kennan proposes containment policy
Churchill gives a speech in which he states that the Soviet Union is putting an Iron curtain on Western Europe. Kennan proposes containment policy, and its objective was contain communism. -
Truman Doctrine, Marshals Plan, Jakie Robinson breaks color line in baseball
The Truman Doctrine is announced to the U.S. Congress. When passed it would grant $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey to battle Communist terrorism. President Harry S. Truman implements the act on May 22. Jackie Robinson breaks Major League Baseball's barrier against colored players when he debuts at first base for Branch Rickey's Brooklyn Dodgers. Secretary of State George C. Marshall proposes aid extension to European nations for war recovery, known as the Marshall Plan. -
Soviets block access to West Berlin, Alger Hiss case begins, Truman signs armed forces desegregation order, Truman defeats Dewey
The Soviet Union begins its land blockade of the Allied sectors of Berlin, Germany. A counter blockade by the west was put into effect, as well as a British and U.S. airlift of supplies and food. Alger Hiss, former State Department official, is indicted for perjury in connection to denials of passing state secrets to a communist spy ring. He would be convicted of the conspiracy on January 21, 1950 and receive a five year sentence. Executive Order 9981, ending segregation in the United States. -
NATO formed, Soviet Union explodes atomic bomb, Mao leads communist take over in China
NATO, the North American Treaty Organization, is formed by the United States, Canada, and ten Western European nations The treaty stated that any attack against one nation would be considered an attack against them all. Soviets successfully create the atomic bomb. Mao the communist Chinese leader takes over all of China and makes them commmunists. -
Korean War begins, U.S. troops invade North Korea, Chinese troops enter the war, Rosenberg spy trials begin, McCarthy beigns anti- communists campaign
The Korean War begins its three year conflict when troops of North Korea, backed with Soviet weaponry, invade South Korea. This act leads to U.S. involvement when two days later, the United States Air Force and Navy are ordered by President Truman to the peninsula. On June 30, ground forces and air strikes are approved against North Korea. United Nations forces retreat south toward the 38th parallel when Chinese Communist forces open a counteroffensive in the Korean war. -
MacArthur relieved of comman in Korea
On 11 April 1951, U.S. President Harry S. Truman relieved General of the Army Douglas MacArthur of his commands after MacArthur made public statements which contradicted the administration's policies. MacArthur was a popular hero of World War II who was then the commander of United Nations forces fighting in the Korean War, and his relief remains a controversial topic in the field of civil-military relations. -
Eisenhower elected president
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, a newcomer to politics, but popular due to his role in winning World War II as European commander, gains an easy victory over Democratic challenger Adlai E. Stevenson. The Electoral College vote was 442 to 89. -
Korean War ends with truce and demilitarized zone
Fighting ceases in the Korean War. North Korea, South Korea, the United States, and the Republic of China sign an armistice agreement. -
Brown v. Topeka Board of Education, Army- McCarthy hearings
Racial segregation in public schools is declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in Brown vs. the Board of Education. The ruling of the court stated that racial segregation violated the 14th Amendment's clause that guaranteed equal protection. Joseph McCarthy begins televised Senate hearings into Communist influence in the United States Army. Later this year, on December 2, the U.S. Congress votes to condemn Senator McCarthy for his conduct during the Army investigation. -
Martin Luther King Jr. begins Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks, an African American seamstress, refuses to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, prompting a boycott that would lead to the declaration that bus segregation laws were unconstitutional by a federal court. -
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also named the Tripartite Aggression, was an invasion of Egypt in late 1956 by Israel, followed by Britain and France. The aims were to regain Western control of the Suez Canal and to remove Egyptian president Nasser from power. After the fighting had started, the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Nations forced the three invaders to withdraw. -
Soviets launch Sputnik, Eisenhower Doctrine, Little Rock school desegregation crisis
Soviets are successful on launching the first probe into space. The term Eisenhower Doctrine refers to a speech by President Dwight David Eisenhower on 5 January 1957, within a "Special Message to the Congress on the Situation in the Middle East". Under the Eisenhower Doctrine, a Middle Eastern country could request American economic assistance or aid from U.S. military forces if it was being threatened by armed aggression from another state. Little Rock does not let a couple of black boys join -
Castro takes over Cuba, Soviet Premier Khrushchev visits the U.S.
The United States recognizes the new Cuban government under rebel leader Fidel Castro. Castro becomes the Premier of Cuba on February 16. President Dwight D. Eisenhower hosts Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev at his farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the first visit of any Soviet Union leader to the United States. -
Bay of Pigs invasion fails, Berlin Wall built
The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba is repulsed by Cuban forces in an attempt by Cuban exiles under the direction of the United States government to overthrow the regime of Fidel Castro. The construction of the Berlin Wall begins by the Soviet bloc, segregating the German city, previously held in four sectors by Allied forces, including the United States. The wall would last for twenty-eight years. -
Kennedy and Nixon participate in first televised presidential, Kennedy defeats Nixon
The presidential race to succeed two term president Dwight D. Eisenhower is won by Senator John F. Kennedy, the Democratic candidate from Massachusetts, over incumbent Vice President Richard M. Nixon. Kennedy was a narrow victor in the popular vote, by slightly more than 120,000 votes, but won a more substantial victory in the Electoral College tally, 303 to 219. 62.8% of the voting age population took part in the contest. The 1960 campaign for president had seen the first televised debate . -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crises begins. In response to the Soviet Union building offensive missiles in Cuba, President John F. Kennedy orders a naval and air blockade of military equipment to the island. An agreement is eventually reached with Soviet Premier Khrushchev on the removal of the missiles, ending the potential conflict after thirty-eight days, in what many think was the closest the Cold War came to breaking into armed conflict. -
University of Alabama accepts black student, Civil Rights march on Washington, Kennedy killed
University of Alabama admita its first black student, thie revoultionizes the acceptance of blacks. The Civil Rights march on Washington, D.C. for Jobs and Freedom culminates with Dr. Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Over 200,000 people participated in the march for equal rights. - In Dallas, Texas, during a motorcade through downtown, President John F. Kennedy is mortally wounded by assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. -
Gulf of Tonkin resolution passed, U.S. begins bombing of Vietnam, Johnson elected president
The Tonkin Resolution is passed by the United States Congress, authorizing broad powers to the president to take action in Vietnam after North Vietnamese boats had attacked two United States destroyers five days earlier. President Lyndon B. Johnson wins his first presidential election with a victory over Barry M. Goldwater from Arizona. Johnson extended the Democratic victory by former running mate John F. Kennedy with a 486 to 52 thrashing of the Republican candidate in the Electoral College. -
Race riots in Watts, Malcolm X assaaainated, American Combat troops setn to Vietnam
The Watts race riots in Los Angeles begin a five day siege, culminating in the death of thirty-four people and property destruction in excess of $200 million. was an American Muslim minister and a human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of blacks, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans; detractors accused him of preaching racism and violence. -
National Organization for Women formed
NOW was founded on June 30, 1966, in Washington, D.C., by 28 people attending the Third National Conference of State Commissions on the Status of Women, the successor to the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women. These women’s rights activists were frustrated with the way in which the federal government was not enforcing the new anti-discrimination laws. -
Race riots in Detroit and Newark, Massive anit war protest in D.C.
Black riots plague U.S. cities. In Newark, New Jersey, twenty-six are killed, fifteen hundred injured and one thousand arrested from July 12 to 17. One week later, July 23 to 30, forty are killed, two thousand injured, and five thousand left homeless after rioting in Detroit, known as the 12th Street Riots, decimate a black ghetto. The riots are eventually stopped by over 12,500 Federal troopers and National Guardsmen. -
Dr. MLK Assassinated, Robert Kennedy killed,
Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee while standing on a motel balcony by James Earl Ray. Presidential candidate, the Democratic Senator from New York, Robert F. Kennedy, is shot at a campaign victory celebration in Los Angeles by Sirhan Sirhan, a Jordanian, after primary victories, and dies one day later. -
Nixon elected president
Richard M. Nixon recaptures the White House from the Democratic party with his victory of Hubert H. Humphrey and 3rd Party candidate George Wallace. Nixon captures 301 Electoral College Votes to 191 for Humphrey and 46 for Wallace. -
Apollo 11 crew land on the moon
The Apollo program completes its mission. Neil Armstrong, United States astronaut, becomes the first man to set foot on the moon four days after launch from Cape Canaveral. His Apollo 11 colleague, Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. accompanies him. -
U.S. invades Cambodia, Kent States Massacre
Four students from Kent State University in Ohio were killed and nine wounded by National Guardsmen during a protest against the Vietnam War spread into Cambodia. -
Nixon visit's Republic of China, SALT I Treaty signed with Soviet Union
The eight day journey by Richard M. Nixon and meetings with Mao Zedong, unprecedented at the time, began the process for normalization of relations with China. President Richard M. Nixon makes the first trip of the U.S. President to Moscow. The week of summit discussions would lead to a strategic arms pact, SALT I that would be signed by Nixon and Premier Leonid Brezhnev on May 26. On July 8, the White House would announce the sale of American wheat to the Soviet Union. -
Watergate break in occurs at Democratic headquarters, Nixon wins presidency
The Watergate crisis begins when four men are arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate office building in Washington, D.C. on the same day that Okinawa is returned from U.S. control back to Japan.
In one of the most lopsided races in American Presidential election history, incumbent President Richard M. Nixon beat his Democratic challenger George S. McGovern, winning 520 Electoral College votes to McGovern's 17, and taking over 60% of the votes. -
U.S., N. Vietnam sign Paris Peace Accords, Roe v. Wade , Vice president resgins
Four part Vietnam peace pacts, the Paris Peace Accords, were signed in Paris, France. The announcement of the military draft ending also occurred on that date. The last U.S. military troops would leave the war zone on March 29. The United States Supreme Court rules in Roe vs. Wade that a woman can not be prevented by a state in having an abortion during the first six months of pregnancy. - Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigns amid charges of tax evasion and is replaced. -
Impeachment proceedings agaisnt Nixon, U.S. v. Richard Nixon, Nixon resigns
Impeachment hearings are begun by the House Judiciary Committee against President Richard M. Nixon in the Watergate affair. On July 24, the United States Supreme Court rules that President Nixon must turn over the sixty-four tapes of White House conversations concerning the Watergate break-in. President Richard M. Nixon resigns the office of the presidency, avoiding the impeachment process and admitting his role in the Watergate affair. He was replaced by Vice President Gerald R. Ford. -
U.S. abandons S. Vietnam as it falls to N. Vietnam
Communist forces complete their takeover of South Vietnam, forcing the evacuation from Saigon of civilians from the United States and the unconditional surrender of South Vietnam. -
Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt
The Camp David Peace Agreement between Israel and Egypt is formulated in twelve days of secret negotiations at the Camp David retreat of the President. President Jimmy Carter witnessed the signing of the agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat at the White House. -
Iran militants capture U.S. embassy and take hostages, Three mile Island nuclear accident
The Iran Hostage Crisis begins when sixty-three Americans are among ninety hostages taken at the American embassy in Tehran by three thousand militant student followers of Ayatollah Khomeini, who demand that the former shah return to Iran to stand trial. An accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania occurs when a partial core meltdown is recorded. -
Reagan elected president
- Ronald Reagan, the former Republican governor of California, beats President Jimmy Carter and independent candidate John B. Anderson, also a Republican, in a landslide victory, ousting the incumbent from office. The victory in the Electoral College, 489 to 49, as well as an 8 million vote margin in the popular vote over Carter, ensured a mandate for the new president.
-
Iran release hostages, Sandra O'Connor named first female Supreme Court Justice
The Iranian hostage crisis, which lasted four hundred and forty-four days, was negotiated for the return of $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets. Sandra Day O'Connor is approved unanimously, 99-0, by the United States Senate to become the first female Supreme Court associate justice in history. -
214 marines killed in Lebanon, U.S. invades Grenada
241 Marines killed in Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War when two truck bombs struck separate buildings housing United States and French military forces members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon killing 299 American and French servicemen. Operation Urgent Fury was a 1983 United States–led invasion of Grenada, a Caribbean island nation with a population of about 91,000, that resulted in a U.S. victory within a matter of weeks. -
Iran- Contra affair
The first reporting of the Iran-Contra affair, diverting money from arm sales to Iran to fund Nicaraguan contra rebels, begins the largest crisis in the Reagan tenure. -
Exxon Valdez runs aground in Alaska, Berlin Wall falls
The Exxon Valdez crashes into Bligh Reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound, causing the largest oil spill in American history, eleven million gallons, which extended forty-five miles. The Berlin Wall, after thirty-eight years of restricting traffic between the East and West German sides of the city, begins to crumble when German citizens are allowed to travel freely between East and West Germany for the first time.One day later, the influx of crowds around and onto the wall begin to dismantle it. -
Saddam Hussein of Iraq invades Kuwait
Iraq invades its neighbor, Kuwait, setting into motion the beginning of U.S. involvement in the Gulf War. Four days later, the United Nations begins a global trade embargo against Iraq. On November 29, the United Nations passes a resolution, #678, stating that Iraq must withdraw its forces from Kuwait by January 15, 1991 or face military intervention. -
Operation Desert Storm ends Iraq's occupation of Kuwait
The Gulf War ends one day after Iraq withdraws its forces from Kuwait and sets the oil fields on fire. A cease fire is declared and Iraq accepts the condition of disarmament after one hundred hours of ground fighting. On April 3, the United Nations Security Council passes Resolution 687, calling for the destruction and removal of the entire Iraqi chemical and biological weapons stockpile, plus ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150 kilometers. -
Clinton elected president
In a three way race for the presidency of the United States, Democratic candidate Bill Clinton defeats incumbent President George H.W. Bush and businessman H. Ross Perot of the Reform Party. Many trace the loss of President Bush to his reneging a pledge for "no new taxes." Clinton received only 43% of the popular vote, but 370 Electoral votes to Bush with 37.4% and 168 Electoral College votes. Perot garnered 18.9% of the popular vote, but no Electoral College delegates. -
noth American Free Trade Agreement approved
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect, creating a free trade zone between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. -
U.S., NATO forces enforce peace in Bosnia
he NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina comprised a series of actions undertaken by NATO to establish, and then preserve, peace during and after the Bosnian War. NATO's intervention began as largely political and symbolic, but gradually expanded to include large-scale air operations and the deployment of approximately 60,000 soldiers under Operation Joint Endeavor. -
Clinton aquitted following House Impeachment
President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the U.S. Senate in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. The Senate trial, which began January 7 and needed a 2/3 majority to convict, ended with a 55-45 not guilty vote on the charge of perjury and 50-50 vote on the charge of obstruction of justice. -
George W. Bush defeats Gore in dispute
George W. Bush, son of the former President, and Vice President Al Gore hold a virtual dead-heat for the presidency, with a disputed vote in Florida holding off the naming of the winner of the Presidential Election until the Supreme Court of the United States voted in favor of Bush on December 12. This ruling gave Florida to the Bush camp by a 527 vote majority and a victory in the Electoral College, 271-266, despite gaining less popular votes than Gore.