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Jamestown Established
Jamestown was the first successful settlement in the United States made by the British. This settlement gave proof that it was possible to survive when colonizing another area. From here, they were able to adapt and grow in order to be able to permanently settle in the United States. Hope was restored after previous failed attempts at colonizing the United States. -
Navigation Acts
The Navigation Acts required that anything the colonies wanted to trade with foreign nations had to be carried in English transports. This helped prove how much power Great Britain had over the colonies. In the long run, this had negative impacts on the colonies as they were unable to establish their own trading system along with the inconvenience creating higher costs and taxations on products. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Bacon's Rebellion was an attempt of enslaved blacks, as well as whites who were indentured servants, to try to revolt against their owners. However, it failed to achieve what they wanted and they were stopped in the process. As a result of this rebellion, slavery ended up intensifying, allowing indentured servitude to gradually diminish. -
Proclamation of 1763
Following the 7 Years War, the colonists were constricted on where in the United States they were able to claim land. Great Britain ensured that they weren't able to pass the Appalachian Mountains and gave that land to the French. Again, it was a way to show the dominance of Great Britain over the colonies and made them feel powerless. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was what symbolized the end of the 7 Years War. This made it so that the French had to give up all land they had gained in the United States and give it Great Britain and Spain. The colonies' ally lost power in their homeland, allowing Great Britain and Spain to hold more power over the colonies. Overall, the colonists were very upset and tensions began to grow and continued to rise. -
Boston Massacre
British soldiers began to "keep watch" on the colonists as a result of disarray and evident unhappiness from the colonists with their relationship with Great Britain. The colonists were growing tired of being treated like children, leading to a mob forming, which ended up involving the soldiers. Tensions escalated and shots ended up being fired, leading to the death of some colonists. This further grew the colonists discontent with Great Britain to an extreme. -
Boston Tea Party
With the added taxation after taxation, colonists grew sick and tired of their treatment from Great Britain. Eventually, a rebellion was formed to create the Boston Tea Party. It was a way for them to prove their point of discontent with the fact that they had virtually no representation in Parliament or any say in what happened in their lives. In the end, however, this just caused Great Britain to become more strict with their treatments toward the colonies. -
Intolerable Acts
As a result of the Boston Tea Party, Great Britain retaliated by creating the Intolerable, or Coercive, Acts. They specifically were targeting the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Power was taken away leaders and ports were closed as a way to make them suffer. Colonists viewed them as intolerable because these acts targeted all of Boston for the action of a few. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battle of Lexington and Concord was the beginning of the Revolutionary War. After years of tensions rising, the colonists finally gave in to their desires and attacked the soldiers stationed in the colonies. Although, during this battle, neither side truly expected to fight, until a gunshot went off confusing both sides and starting the fight. In the end, this battle signified that the colonists would not take being mistreated any longer. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was a battle during the first stage of the Revolutionary War. While it was technically an English victory, the colonists saw it as a moral victory as a way to boost morale and continue the fight towards freedom. They proved that they were able to hold their own against the World Renowned British Militia. -
Common Sense
Common Sense was written by Thomas Paine and was written as a way to convince people to fight for independence from Great Britain. Some colonists were wanting to try to coordinate peacefully with Great Britain rather than fighting back for their rights. Paine saw this as an unreasonable response and was motivated to write this. As a result, more colonists saw reason to fight back. -
Declaration of Independence
Colonists came together to write the Declaration of Independence. They had written their separation from Great Britain. It was the first step in a long journey to form the United States of America. Even though the war had only begun a year prior to this declaration, the battle between the colonists and Great Britain had still been persisting. Years of torment from Great Britain would finally be beginning to come to an end. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga is seen as the turning point in the Revolutionary War. After several defeats, the American army finally proved to be victorious against the British army. As a result, American soldiers' morale was boosted and restored hope that had been lost previously. While the war did not come to an end afterward, it helped signify that America had a chance to win. -
Articles of Confederation
After the Revolutionary War came to an end, a Constitution had to be written for the newly formed United States of America. Due to how colonists were treated by the British Parliament, they were initially scared to allow a federal government to be formed. As a result, the Articles of Confederation were very weak and failed to properly help guide the Americans through a successful beginning to their country. -
3/5 Compromise
It was difficult to decide what was fair and equal in terms of representation in each state. A particular issue that was brought to light was people's issue with what a black person would count as. Some states wanted them to count in order for their population to be seen as bigger, however, states with less slaves or overall colored people did not want them to count fully. In the end, the 3/5 Compromise was decided upon to partially count black people but not fully. -
Judiciary Act
Up until this Act was enacted, there was not a Supreme Court in the United States. This meant that in a large scale, states would take care of any court cases as opposed to a national court. As a whole, this helped establish the judiciary system in the country. Next to the executive and legislative branch, the judiciary branch helps bring a balance to the government in order to properly represent the people of the United States. -
George Washington Inaugural Address
George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States of America. This was something the country had never seen before. He set an example for every future president as to how they should act and what they should do. -
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution as a way to appease the Federalists. They were scared that people would not be granted all the rights they felt necessary and fought for the Bill of Rights to be added. Besides granting rights to the people, it showed that the government appeared to care for whether or not the citizens of their country would be treated properly. -
Cotton Gin Patented
As agriculture in the United States began to develop, more tools were invented to help make farming more efficient. One of these tools was the cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney. In the southern region of the United States, cotton was very important towards the economy. An invention like this helped increase the profit from it tenfold. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
John Adams was the president at the time that the Alien and Sedition Acts were enacted. France and the US had tensions that were rising up to this point due to miscommunication and broken promises. From there, the government was worried about "aliens" ruining the country, leading to the creation of these acts. Overall, a majority of citizens were unhappy with it, and when looking back this is seen as a way of restricting rights that were previously promised. -
Election of 1800
The Election of 1800 was the fourth election the United States saw. It was the first time that the executive party within the United States government switched in a peaceful manner. In other countries in the past, switches between political parties within the executive government had usually always been through force. Beyond that, it helped establish the power the electoral college had and how it could, in fact, accurately show what the people want. -
Louisiana Purchase
The United States began wanting to find ways to expand the land they had. One way was through purchasing land from France, which resulted in the size of the United States almost being doubled. This opened up to many new opportunities for citizens of the US and provided a way to acquire even more land. Lewis and Clark were able to explore this land and discovered what was once unknown. -
Marbury v Madison
Marbury v Madison was a court case in which Thomas Jefferson purposefully withheld information from William Marbury a judgeship commission. In the end, the case helped decide and establish the overall principle of judicial review. It gave power of federal courts to declare what was truly seen as unconstitutional. -
Embargo Act of 1807
President Thomas Jefferson was wanting to avoid conflict with other countries as well as getting involved with conflicts outside of the US in order to ensure he wouldn't inadvertently be causing harm to his country. One of the ways of him ensuring this would happen was through the Embargo Act of 1807. He closed the US ports to outside sources, which ended up causing more harm towards the US economy. -
Panic of 1819
Several events came together with their lasting effects to negatively harm the US economy. Some of which being the debt acquired from the War of 1812 as well as the Louisiana Purchase. The Panic was when there was a financial crisis, leading to higher unemployment rates failing banks, and much more. This was the first Panic the country had seen, but not the last. -
McCulloch v Maryland
When states gained rights to impose their own laws and legislation, Maryland passed legislation to impose taxes on banks. The banker refused to pay the tax, leading to this court case. In the end, the Supreme Court declared that the bank was unconstitutional as opposed to the legislation passed. -
Monroe Doctrine
President James Monroe wanted to let foreign nations know that the United States would not tolerate more interference from European nations. It was meant to be seen as a way to prove that the United States could be threatening and can be seen as a force of power as opposed to a country that was still seen as a colony. -
Election of 1824
The way elections ran in the past, a candidate would need to achieve at least a majority of the votes in order to be considered victorious. In the Election of 1824, however, no candidate received a true majority, leading to it becoming significant. As a result, the House of Representatives decided who became president, with John Quincy Adams becoming the victor between him and candidate Andrew Jackson. -
First Chartered Railroad
The granite railroad was first chartered in early 1826. Gridley Bryant was the inventor and worked to begin operations on building the first railroad later in the year, around October. Railroads continued to develop and became a staple of US history and ways of transporting both humans and products around the country. -
First Steam Engine Locomotives
The first steam engine locomotive was the "Steam Wagon," invented by John Stevens. It was essentially a steam-powered horse carriage which helped be a motivator for the industrial machine in America. Industrialization was what ended helping lead the United States towards a successful future in which they were able to advance continuously. -
Indian Removal Act
President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act as a way to ensure that the US government would be able to claim land west of the Mississippi, only if the Indian tribes within state borders were exchanged. Some tribes were willing to go peacefully, however, some resisted. For those not willing to go peacefully, the government forced them to leave, leading to the Trail of Tears. -
Cherokee v Georgia
The Cherokee Nation was fighting back against laws the United States pass and sought federal injunction. They did not want to be deprived of their rights within state borders. In the end, the Supreme Court ruled that the Cherokee Nation was sovereign and that Georgia truly had no right to enforce laws in its territory. -
Ordinance of Nullification
The United States government was wanting to begin enforcing taxes and tariffs on its citizens. Some states, such as South Carolina, saw this as something outrageous. This motivated them to go as far as to declare the tariffs as null, meaning that they were not going to follow these laws at all. They were willing to go so far as to seceding from the United States. -
Worcester v Georgia
Samuel Worcester, along with other men, were protesting the Georgia law that stated white men could not live on Native American land without a license. They felt as if states did not have rights to impose regulations on Native American land as it was technically not land that was theirs. It was ruled that the Georgia act was unconstitutional, meaning that the native lands could not be enforced through Georgia law. -
Schism of 1840
When abolitionism was first forming, the issue of women's rights also became something that was talked about and brought up. Meetings would be held as a chance for these topics to be discussed. However, in 1840, abolitionists became split over women's rights to participate in activities such as these. Due to the split, tensions rose between those that had once seen one another as the same side. -
Seneca Falls Convention
Seneca Falls was an opportunity for people to get together and fight for women's rights. It was a monumental occasion as it was the first women's rights convention. From the convention, the Declaration of Sentiments was drafted, which focused on calling for women's equality and suffrage. This helped further build support for women's rights. -
Compromise of 1850
As the production of cotton continued to benefit the southern economy heavily, slavery began to increase. However, in the northern region of the US did not utilize slavery and was heavily against it. When new states began being founded, it produced the issue of declaring whether a state was a slave state or free. From there, the Compromise of 1850 was created as a way to ensure both the north and south were happy with how slavery was being treated. -
Dred Scott v Sanford
Dred Scott, along with his wife, tried to sue for their freedom as they were previously enslaved. This was because they were going to be staying in territory that was declared as free when previously staying in slave states. After a very, very long fight, Scott ended up gaining his freedom. Unfortunately, he was unable to be free for long as he died around two decades later. -
Election of 1860
The election of 1860 helped demonstrate the divide between the people prior to the Civil War. All four candidates were very strong, making the fight more difficult. In the end, Abraham Lincoln won the election with both the popular and the electoral vote. -
Battle of Bull Run
The Battle of Bull Run was the first major battle of the American Civil War. Northerners were under the impression that this battle would lead to a quick, decisive victory for the Union. However, in the end, it sent the north retreating back to their side and gave the south hope that they could win the Civil War. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was a speech given by Abraham Lincoln following the War at Antietam. Lincoln wanted to wait until a proper moment, or a Union victory, to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. It declared that slaves within the Confederacy were to be freed. This was what set the path to ensure slavery would finally be ended in the United States once and for all. -
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address was given as a way to be able to honor the memory of soldiers that sacrificed their lives at a cemetery in Gettysburg. This was after the Battle of Gettysburg as this battle was seen to be the battle with the most casualties. Beyond that, it was seen to be the turning point of the war. This speech was a way to show that the soldiers' lives were given meaning, even after they ended. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea was a military campaign set through mid-November towards the end of December. It was a very destructive way of showing the power the Union gained as well as frightening the Confederacy into almost abandoning the war altogether. Houses were burned and food was stolen all through Georgia. This helped lead to the end of the Civil War for all. -
Wade-Davis Bill
The Wade-Davis Bill was meant to be a way to help towards the reconstruction of the south. They focused on finding ways to ensure that if the Confederates would be added back into the Union that they would remain loyal rather than finding ways to rebel. Beyond that, it helped officially abolish slavery and prohibit those involved with the Confederacy from a military standpoint to vote. In the end, however, it was seen as something that was not truly equal. -
Freedman's Bureau
Another way that was tried to help reconstruct the south was with Freedman's Bureau. Food, shelter, clothing, along with other necessary items were provided for any displaced southerners along with newly freed slaves. Education was another main factor that was developed for slaves. People were able to have so many more opportunities for success, helping lead towards a more successful country. -
13th Amendment
The 13th amendment officially guaranteed the abolishment of slavery. Those in the Union along with slaves had been fighting for something like this to happen for so long. Even though slavery was abolished, however, discrimination against blacks continued throughout the next century and has still not truly stopped. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment helped contribute towards giving citizens rights as well as equal protection for all. It was another amendment passed during the reconstruction era of the United States in hopes that it would help establish legal and civil rights for everyone in the US, including those that weren't legal citizens yet. In the future, this amendment would be important to many Supreme Court decisions. -
Andrew Johnson Impeached
Andrew Johnson's impeachment was the first impeachment in the United States. It helped show that the people of the US had the right to work towards ensuring that somebody they wouldn't necessarily want in office. After Lincoln's assassination, Johnson stepped in, but continuously ran into issue after issue with Congress. He was said to have high crimes and misdemeanors. -
15 Amendment
The 15th amendment granted African Americans the right to vote. When voting was first established, only white men with property were allowed to vote. Since then, it had developed for a more spread group of citizens being able to vote. The first group they considered were those that were being discriminated against for their skin color, and with that the 15th amendment was passed. -
Election of 1876
The Election of 1876 was seen to be one of the most contentious elections in American history. This was because at the end of election day, there was no clear winner on who was supposed to become president. Problems of determining invalid votes along with fraudulence were the primary issues that arose. Bias would come into hand and it was an overall mess. In the end, Hayes won. -
Munn v Illinois
The Illinois state had imposed laws that kept track of private companies and what they were charging for storage and transport of agricultural products. One private farm, Munn and Scott, saw this as a violation of deprivation of property without due process. The case was taken to court to decide who was legally right in this situation. The court decided the state was right and established the right to intervene the use of private property when regulation becomes necessary. -
Invention of the Light Bulb
Prior to the invention of the light bulb, there was no reliable way to ensure that there would be a strong source of light. With this problem in mind, Thomas Edison worked towards inventing a light bulb, a source of light that could shine brightly at night. This was a very useful invention. It led towards establishing a solid social order at night time as well as being able to extend the workday. Extending the workday allowed there to be even more profit made than ever before. -
Assassination of James Garfield
Prior to the assassination of James Garfield, the spoils system was still in place. This was when presidents were able to add those close to them within jobs in the government. As predicted, this led to a lot of issues in terms of efficiency and true power of the government. One man felt as if he was owed a government job from Garfield. With that, he assassinated him. After the assassination the Pendleton Act was put in place in order to end the Spoils System. -
Haymarket Square Riot
The Knights of Labor formed as a way to fight for shorter work days, equality between men and women, as well as seeing the end of child labor. After they first formed, they were able to gather a large following. This was the beginning of union activism in this time period. However, one of their riots went horribly wrong. In the Haymarket Square Riot, a bomb went off, killing eleven people. As a result, a majority of their following diminished and the Federation of Labor replaced them. -
Hull House
Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr founded the Hull House in 1889. They did this as a way to metaphorically hold open arms towards immigrants that were coming to the United States. There was no supportive community for the immigrants otherwise, besides themselves. It was a place for them to learn, eat, debate, acquire necessary tools, etc. Overall, it ended up having a huge impact in the way that changed what society had previously seen to be normal in terms of labor and social expectations. -
"How the Other Half Lives" is Published
"How the Other Half Lives" is an example of the work of a Muckraker. Muckrakers were journalists who specifically were looking to work towards informing the public of the conditions for those in the working class. This journalistic work was something that caused the upper and middle classes to become aware of these conditions. Other pieces of Muckraker work include "Beyond Their Years" and "The Jungle." This was a huge key towards strengthening protection for workers and progressivism. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
As industrialization was developing, the commercial industry was beginning to become corrupt. People were wanting to come out on top and be able to become very wealthy. This was causing there to be a lot of problems in terms of equal opportunities and equal competition. As a result of these issues, the Sherman Antitrust Act was created. It specifically fought against monopolization and fought for equal competition. However, it was not successful and was invoked very rarely. -
Wave of New Immigrants
Ever since the United States was formed, it had always been willing to accept immigrants, for the most part. There are a few eras where specific laws are formed against it, however a majority of time, immigrants would find their way in. Towards the end of the 1800s, there was a new wave filled with immigrants from Southeastern Europe and Asia. Immigrants brought in more people to work, which also brought competition for jobs--the primary reason why so many were against them. -
Coxey's Army
Towards the end of the 1800's, the United States saw a time where people were suffering in an economic depression. Within the depression came unemployment in many men throughout the country. Jacob Coxey felt the need to help strengthen their voices by forming Coxey's army, an army meant to specifically fight against these issues. In the end, unfortunately, Coxey did not get what he was originally desiring. He did, however, inspire other marches and began unrest in working people. -
Grandfather Clause
Even after slaves were emancipated and given freedom, there were still plenty of people around the United States that had issues with them having equality and as many opportunities as them. One primary example was the issue of voting. For the longest time, African Americans were seen as nonintellectual and people who couldn't vote. The Grandfather Clause was created as a result, and said if one's grandfather did not vote, they could not vote. This led African Americans to be very upset. -
Atlanta Compromise
Booker T. Washington was wanting to find a way to finally build a relationship between white people and black people. He was struggling to find a way that both parties would be willing participants. His compromise ended up being that black people would focus on educating their people and kind of work their way up the social ladder. Washington asked the white people to trust them and to try to create unresentful people. If they were able to work together, an ideal society would be created. -
Battle of San Juan
In the Spanish-American War, the battle of San Juan was one of the major ones. This was what allowed the Americans to have control from a standpoint of being able to look over the Spanish troops. It was a major victory for the United States. This battle is famously known as being the one where Roosevelt and his Rough Riders charged up the hill. Having a literal height advantage allowed the U.S. army to be much more prepared when planning future attacks, and quickly won the war a few days after. -
Spanish Letter Interception
The United States was making a bold decision to try to become involved in foreign affairs, such as the Spanish ruling over Cuba. They were wanting to try to help minimize the terror over Cuban citizens being done. Eventually, an agreement was made between the three of them. However, in February of 1898, a letter was intercepted insulting the American president. This created an uproar in the American people. What was previously a peaceful negotiation eventually led to be fuel for a war. -
Teller Amendment
After the Spanish-American War, the United States was trying to figure out how to handle Cuba after the war. An idea that had been gradually growing in popularity was imperialism for the United States. There were some people that were against it, simply because they were enjoying the life of isolationism and didn't want to get involved in business that wasn't theirs. Either way, the United States was able to station troops in Cuba until they properly gained independence. -
Federal Wildlife Refuge
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States. One of his primary concerns during his term was conservation. He wanted to ensure that he preserved the environment and treated it nicely. One of the ways that he was able to do this was through establishing a federal wildlife refuge. This was the first one that the nation had ever seen. From there, the nation was able to understand how important it was to preserve the environment. -
Meat Inspection Act
As industry's were developing and working to become more modern came horrible working conditions for the working class. There were no laws set in place to work towards ensuring that conditions were safe or if the products were sanitary. Managers and bosses were far more concerned with producing their products fast and efficiently, not necessarily if they were good or sanitary or not. After being caught, the Meat Inspection Act was passed to lead to more sanitary and safe meat production. -
16th Amendment Passed
The United States had a bad history when it came to taxing. They suffered greatly when Great Britain initially imposed taxes on them when they were a colony. From there, the United States government struggled with finding a way to fairly tax without people wanting to revolt against them. The 16th amendment was created as a way to resolve that tension. Congress was granted the right to impose a Federal income tax on the whole country and not discriminate against certain people. -
Great Migration
The Great Migration was a time period in which a large amount of African Americans moved from southern America towards northern, midwestern, and western parts of the United States. Social conditions that they were living in got to a severity to where they could not handle it anymore and migrated North. This was combination of economic conditions and prominent racial segregation. This led to several cultural changes in the North as well as new communities creating positive opportunities. -
Election of 1912
The Election of 1912 had several things about it that made it significant. One of them being that a Democrat finally won the election for the first time in twenty years. After the Civil War, the country had been in disarray regarding which party truly held the White House for an elongated period of time. It was consistently going back and forth, causing the people of the United States to suffer from that. Woodrow Wilson was the candidate to be successful, with Roosevelt behind and Taft following -
Federal Reserve Act
The United States had always had a rocky history when it came to the economy. It almost seemed like it was bound for an economic depression to hit every now and then. Woodrow Wilson took the initiative to try to put an end to this. From there, the Federal Reserve Act was passed. It was basically a way to create a central banking system. The intentions of it were to establish economic stability in the country. It was very successful in order to finance the government and stimulate the economy. -
Keating-Owens Act Enacted
The Keating-Owens act was created as a way to battle child labor. While a rise in industrialism was proving to be beneficial, it was killing off the working class. With having such low wages, children and women were even being placed in factories, something that was not seen as normal. Conditions were horrible within factories and work days almost lasted the whole time. Work of the Muckrakers helped bring such conditions to light and lead to the Keating-Owens act to battle child labor. -
Zimmermann Telegram
World War I was initially a war that was solely being fought in Europe. Despite this, the Allies were wanting to find a way to get the United States to join because they knew that the U.S. would be a powerful force. On the other hand the Axis powers were fearful of the power they held and formed a plan to get Mexico to attack the United States. This intercepted message was the Zimmermann Telegram and was what brought the United States into the war. It ended up changing the course of the war. -
Sedition Act of 1918
Woodrow Wilson wanted to ensure that there was no way for people to speak badly about the government. He was worried that if enough people spoke out against them, then people would be inspired to revolt against the government of the United States. In order to combat this, he passed the Sedition Act of 1918. This meant that a citizen would be able to be fined or imprisoned for speaking out against the government. It was pertinent that there was no revolts during wartime as that would add to chaos -
Treaty of Versailles
Eventually, World War I had to come to an end as Germany was becoming weaker and weaker and there was no way for them to claim victory. The Treaty of Versailles was written as a way to formally put an end to the war. It entailed very harsh requirements for Germany and targeted them heavily. Germany had been under the impression that it would be similar to Wilson's 14 points. Germany was severely weakened. Nobody knew that this would be the cause of World War II in the near future. -
Red Scare
After World War I, the people of the United States were worried about communism overtaking the country. Specifically, they were worried about incoming immigrants and those descending from recent immigrants. It became so drastic that it got to the point where innocent immigrants were immediately looked at in a negative light. They desperately did not want communism to take over the United States and were worried about rioting labor unions forming anarchist groups. -
19th Amendment Passed
Ever since abolitionism had started rising up was when women's suffrage also skyrocketed. Despite the fight going on for so long, it wasn't until 1920 that the amendment was passed for women to gain the right to vote. This was monumental in American history because in the past, women were treated as if they were objects rather than living as their own beings with their own thoughts. All of the fighting that went into achieving this was evidently worth it. -
League of Nations
In Woodrow Wilson's 14 points, he designed what was called the League of Nations. It was a way to decide on things as world leaders came together to peacefully discuss them. In other words, it was a way to try to ensure that something like World War I never happened again. Unfortunately, it never really took off. There was no strong support for it, and Wilson never ended up even joining it for the United States. Later on, the United Nations was formed under a very similar idea. -
Sacco and Vanzetti
As a result of The Red Scare, negative feelings towards certain racial groups of immigrants emerged. One of which included racial prejudices against Italian-Americans. Two men that became victims of this were Sacco and Vanzetti, two men who were innocently working when a murder occurred nearby. They were accused of being the murderers and were arrested. This brought to light how messed up things were within society and the justice system. After the Red Scare ended, it ended these feelings. -
Flappers and Jazz
The 1920s was a decade of prosperity as it is famously known as the 1920s, despite there being imperfections in there as well. Some things that showcased a luxurious time period include flappers and jazz. It was a culture change where African Americans were included as performers and could showcase their abilities which were commonly doubted in the past. Flappers showed the ways that women began to fight the social norms and try to become more powerful within society. -
National Origins Act
The National Origins Act was enacted as a way to limit the number of immigrants that were coming into the United States and completely ban any Asian immigrants. This was created as a result of national uncertainty towards various groups of immigrants which was born out of World War I. It was developed from previous acts that required literacy tests and raised taxes for immigrants. This led to immigrants feeling unwelcome and being less inclined to work towards a better future in America. -
Stock Market Crash
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 was when share prices of the New York Stock Exchange collapsed. It was a result of the leisure spending of the 1920s, a decade famously known for the people with wealth and excess. This was what primarily led to the Great Depression in the 1930s. People were unintentionally leading up to this moment throughout the 1920s. The Great Depression led to a horrible time for people in the United States and took a great effort in order to find ways to come back from it. -
Roosevelt's New Deal
As a way to combat the Great Depression, Roosevelt wanted to find an effective method that wouldn't be too taxing on the American citizens, so he came up with the New Deal. With the New Deal came numerous acts of varying purposes, such as the AAA, NRA, and much more. The first one dealt with the pressing banking crisis. While it was responsible for important accomplishments, it was unable to fix all the problems that Americans were facing. This motivated him to create the Second New Deal. -
Indian Reorganization Act
The Indian Reorganization Act was a way for American Indians to be gaining help from the American government as opposed to harming them. It worked to conserve and develop their lands, extend rights towards businesses, establish a credit system, and more. This helped improve their political, economic, and social conditions as American Indians. They were able to keep to themselves and gain help towards developing a stronger future for them. -
End of the Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was an event that spanned over six years. There were severe dust storms that caused damage to the ecology and agriculture of both American and Canadian prairies. A numerous amount of causes went into this event, with the main reason being the economic depression. With the depression it led to poor agricultural practices, and those doubled with droughts and high temperatures caused it. It harmed millions of people and contributed to the economic depression of the decade. -
Executive Order 8802
President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802 in June of 1941. It was a way to ensure that any discriminatory employment practices by federal agencies and any companies or engaged in war-related work was banned. This was a serious step towards equality that a majority of previous presidents were unwilling to take. It's impact lasted for a couple decades through the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. The Great Migration that started earlier would rise again as a result of this. -
Pearl Harbor
The United States had not directly been involved in World War II for the beginning of it. They wanted to try to not get involved in what was primarily something of European concern. That was, at least, until Japan decided to attack Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. This attack was a complete surprise and injured the U.S.'s military troops that were stationed there. After this event, the U.S. declared war on Japan and they were officially involved. They were a great help and strong power for the Allies. -
Executive Order 9066
The Axis powers of World War II were made up of Germany, Japan, and Italy. Following Pearl Harbor, Americans were feeling high amounts of fear towards Americans of Japanese descent. They were worried that they were still affiliated with Japan and they would be planning another attack on the United States. As a result of these fears, Executive Order 9066 was passed. Japanese-Americans were forced to leave their homes immediately and were sent to internment camps until the end of World War II. -
G.I. Bill
Towards the end of World War II, the United States decided to pass a bill that would benefit soldiers and veterans of the U.S. military. It included helping them pay for college, helped them with any unemployment insurance, along with any housing concerns. This benefited them greatly and led to an increase in the amount of people in college, the workforce following that, and an increase in housing. It is still in place today and has a huge influence over the last 80 years for veterans. -
D-Day
The Allied Powers were working together to find a way to try to subdue Hitler from becoming too powerful to handle. Eventually they were able to come up with an idea titled Operation Overload, or D-Day. It took many soldiers to work towards a successful effort and they needed to be passionate enough to end this in a victory. After some long fighting, they took the beaches and were able to liberate France. Germany was inadvertently weakened and this was a major turning point in the war. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was a huge economic plan to help out Europe recover from World War II. In order for Western Europe to be able to properly fight against the USSR approaching them to spread the influence of communism, they had to be able to rebuild what they lost. It was impossible to do it in a timely manner with the resources they were left with. As a result, Truman passed the Marshall Plan in order to help them out. Despite spending so much money, it actually served as a stimulant to grow. -
Battle of Inchon
The Battle of Inchon was one of the major battles of the Korean War. This was a decisive attack in which ended in a United Nations Command victory. Prior to this battle being fought, the South Koreans were struggling to maintain any control over what they considered to be their land. In order to fight against that loss of control, the U.S. worked with South Korean soldiers to launch the amphibious Battle of Inchon which allowed them to gain Seoul again and weaken the North Koreans. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown. v Board of Education was an event that took place towards the beginning of the influx era of the Civil Rights Era. It involved the family of Linda Brown that fought against discrimination against African Americans that was causing segregation of schools. This was an issue that had persisted for years. Segregation could lead to them feeling inferior and overall struggling more. The Brown family won and this led toward the integration of schools, ending segregation in that setting. -
Montgomery Bus Riot
The Montgomery Bus Riot was well known for the demonstration Rosa Parks showcased as to how discrimination worked in a public setting. Despite what many thing, this event was planned and Parks was specifically chosen in order for white Americans to not be able to easily target her as being the issue in this situation. African Americans rioted over a year and did not use the bus. Eventually, the bus company had to agree with the desegregation notion and it was a step forward in the movement. -
Eisenhower Interstate Highway Act
When the soldiers came back from being overseas, the U.S. population increases at a very impressive rate. This was known as the baby boom. The baby boom led to the need of having more of several things, including houses. As a result of this, the Levitton and Sons company made many houses in what became known as suburbs. Suburbs led to the need of what Eisenhower made to be interstates. It was also a way to have quick escape for any Cold War fears. -
Sputnik and the Space Race
Part of the Cold War included a battle of scientific abilities which would develop into having a deeper meaning. There was a big fight to try to be the first country, between the USSR and the U.S., as to who would go into space first and whoever did would gain power against the other. The USSR was able to get there first, causing Americans to be fearful of the USSR using space as a way to spy against the American people. In response to this, the U.S. fought to rush back and get ahead. -
Little Rock 9
After Brown v. Board of Education passed and states were beginning to desegregate schools, the social issue was still prominent. Even though they were legally allowed to attend school with white people, there was no guaranteeing they would be able to stay safe in that environment. Nine brave souls decided to test it in Arkansas where they were publicly harassed and were not granted access to the school. After a lot of fighting and legal involvement, they were able to attend school. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuba had been a country that was struggling to be influenced by democracy and the United States or communism and the USSR. After some battling, inner turmoil, and a lackluster American government, Cuba was taken over by the influence of communism. The USSR used Cuba to its advantage as a way to be close to the U.S. and launch any attack it wanted. Kennedy had the choice of whether he wanted to prove himself, and in the end he was able to extinguish what could have been major damage. -
Operation Agent Orange
The Vietnam War was another war fought by the United States as a way to combat the possibilities that came with the domino effect. Even though it would have no direct influence on them, the United States still wanted to help. An issue that came with this, however, was how extreme their methods of attacking were. One of which was Agent Orange which was a chemical herbicide. The initial intent was to clear wildlife, but ended up hurting the Vietnam people and could cause major damage, like cancer. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The long fought battle for equality was sort of "coming to an end," legally at least. Hope was able to come to African Americans that had been fighting for centuries to be able to legally be treated the same as white people. After Kennedy was assassinated and Johnson took over office, he signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Despite these efforts, more had to be taken in order for them to be able to vote. Overall, this was a giant step forward. Unfortunately, there was still huge social divide. -
Watergate
The Watergate scandal would go down in history as being the most famous event tied to Nixon's name, and really the only thing that people know that he "did," when in reality he had a positively impacting presidency with a few natural flaws here and there. It involved men breaking into the headquarters and spying on the opposing political party. Nixon truly had no idea that it was happening, but aided in the cover up, lied about it, and caused the American people to distrust the government.