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Freedmen's Bureau Established
Freedmen's Bureau is established to help former slaves through the ensuing tough times. -
Lincoln Assasinated
In Ford's Theater, only a few days after the end of the Civil War, John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln. -
Reconstruction Begins
Johnson attempts to follow in Lincoln's footsteps by isssuing a Reconstruction Proclamation. -
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan was founded by a group of people. -
Fourteenth Amendment
The 14th Amendment guarantee's rights of blacks and ensured their citizenship. -
Alaska purchased
United States purchased Alaska from Russia. -
President Grant
Ulysses S. Grant is elected into office after defeating Seymour. -
Transcontinental Railroad Complete
Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad connect the country by railroad. -
Fisk and Gould Scandal
Fisk and Gould convinced the government not to release gold, and bought gold themselves. They drove the price very high, before Grant realized what had happened. -
Fifteenth Amendment
The 15th Amendment guarantees citizens the right to vote without discrimination against race. -
Tweed Scandal
"Boss" Tweed controls polictics in New York with one of the most well known and corrupt political machines to date. -
Credit Mobilier scandal
The Union Pacific Railroad Company hired themselves at inflated prices as the Credit Mobilier company. -
Panic of 1873
A panic in the market causes an economic depression. -
Compromise of 1877
Republicans and Democrats agree on Rutherford B. Hayes becoming president, but only if soldiers are pulled from the South, thus ending Reconstruction. -
Edison Invents Lightbulb
Thomas Edison develops efficient carbon filament lightbulb. -
James A. Garfield elected as president
Garfield defeats Hanock to become the 20th President. -
Arthur Becomes President
Chester Arthur becomes the third President to serve in the year 1881 after Garfield is assasinated. -
Garfield Assasinated
Charles J. Guiteau shoots President Garfield. He would die eleven weeks later on September 9. -
American Federation of Labor
Samuel Gompers founds and leads the American Federation of Labor to relative success in skilled workers benefits. -
Cleveland for President
Grover Cleveland is elected President after defeating Blaine. -
Pullman Strike
Employees of Pullman Palace Car Company go on strike. It was the first time troops were used to break up a strike. -
Cubans Revolt
After oppressive Spanish rule, Cubans begin their revolt. -
Utah admitted to Union
The 45th state admitted to the Union. -
U.S.S. Maine explosion
Mysterious explosion of the U.S.S. Maine is final spark needed to start the Spanish-American War. It was later discovered that the Maine exploded due to a boiler room problem. -
Teller Amendment
America pledges that if they help Cuba to defeat Spain, they will let Cuba have its independence. -
Spanish-American War
After a dispute over Cuba and the Maine, President McKinley agrees to send American to war, and Congress declares a state of war. -
Manila Bay Victory
Theodore Roosevelt ordered George Dewey to attack the Spanish Philippines. -
Hawaii annexed
Despite some discontent with the natives, Hawaii is annexed partly due to the work of buisnessmen with crops there. -
Acquired Philippines
U.S. Senate ratifies the treaty with Spain and gains Philippines despite opposition from much of the public. -
Philippine Rebellion
The Philippines apparently did not want to be annexed and rebelled soon after. They were led by Emilio Aguinaldo. -
Open Door Note
John Hay sent a request to the European powers to agree to trade with China but not monopolize the country. -
Foraker Act
Granted Puerto Rico limited degree of popular government. -
McKinley vs Bryan
McKinley defeats Bryan for the presidency by 292 to 155 electoral votes. -
McKinley assasinated
McKinley assasinated while at the New York Exposition. Roosevelt would assume the presidency. -
Filipino Rebellion defeated
The Filipino Rebellion officially ends, although scattered fighting would continue until 1913. -
US leaves Cuba
US troops are pulled out of Cuba after Spanish-American War. -
Platt Amendment
Cubans were forced to write it into their Constitution after US helped them defeat Spain. It gave certain rights to the US. -
Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
Roosevelt takes the Monroe Doctrine in a different light and said that if the Latin Nations got into financial trouble, the US would take them over and pay off their debts. -
Panama Canal
Construction on the Panama Canal begins. -
Oklahoma admitted to the Union
Oklahoma was the 46th state admitted to the Union. -
Great White Fleet
Roosevelt thought he would show the Japanese that the US were not afraid of them with a huge fleet of ships. -
Standard Oil Antitrust Case
The Supreme Court ruled that the Standard Oil Company had used unlawful practices, and split it up. -
U.S. Steel Anti-Trust Act
Taft pushes an anti-trust case against US steel. This greatly angers Roosevelt. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
Due to fire code violations and bad working conditions, many women were burned or jumped to their death. -
Seventeenth Amendment
The 17th Amendment which meant that U.S. Senators would be elected directly by the people. -
Taft beats Roosevelt
Taft defeats Roosevelt for the Republican nomination. -
Wilson Defeats Taft
Woodrow Wilson is elected as President after Roosevelt and Taft split the Republican Party. -
16th Amendment
The 16th Amendment allows the government to tax citizen's incomes. -
Federal Reserve Act
The act put the Federal Reserve into practice, which gave the United States a central banking system. -
World War I in Europe
Beginning with the assination of Franz Ferdinand, the first World War would include many countries and have many deaths. -
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is established to protect the consumer and regulate any buisness practices determined to be unfair. -
Lusitania Attacked
The British passenger liner was torpedoed and sank, killing 1,198, 128 of whom were Americans. -
Wilson Defeats Hughes
Woodrow Wilson narrowly defeats Charles Evans Hughes for the Presinecy. -
Pancho Villa raids New Mexico
Pancho Villa and his men went into New Mexico and killed 19 Americans. -
Sussex Ultimatum and Pledge
Germany were forced to make the Sussex pledge after sinking ships with American civilians on it, which said that Germany wouldn't sink civilian ships without warning. -
Zimmerman Note
The Zimmerman note was a secret note sent from Germany to Mexico, proposing an alliance if the US were to enter the war. -
United States buys Virgin Islands
The United States purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies. -
United States enters WWI
Woodrow Wilson makes the decision to enter WWI after being provoked by Germany numerous times. -
Espionage Act of 1917
Law passed to make spying illegal. -
Red Scare
Politicians and people accused others of being communist and prosecuted communists. -
Wilson's 14 Points
Wilson lays down his expectations for the war. -
Sedition Act of 1918
Act that allowed the government to imprison anyone who goes against the government. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles ends World War I -
Volstead Act
Law that enforced the 18th Amendment. -
Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding becomes the president of the US -
Sacco and Vanzetti
Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested and executed, and many thought it was because they were communists. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment allows women the right to vote. -
Washington Disarmament Conference
European Leaders met in Washington to discuss the disarmament of the nations. -
FDR pulls out of London Conference
Roosevelt leaves London Economic Conference, which Hitler will later use as propoganda against capitalism. -
US recognizes Soviet Union
US chooses to recognize Soviet Russia, in hopes that they will join with the Allied Powers against the Axis Powers. -
Tydings-McDuffie Act
Plan to allow Philippine independence on July 4, 1946 -
Mussolini invades Ethiopia
Italy invades Ethiopia under Mussolini and crushes them. Ethiopia fights back without success. -
Neutrality Acts of 1935
Basically in response to Italy's take over of Ethiopia, US makes it clear that we will not interfere with other nations' problems. -
Spanish Civil War
A civil war in Spain allows for another dictator to takeover. America chooses to stay uninvolved, which hurts us in the long run. -
Japan Invades China
Japan invades China in what has been called the first battle of WW2. -
Panay Incident
US ship attacked by Japan, though they apologized. -
Hitler seizes Austria
Hitler takes Austria without protest or violence. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor forces America into the war.
