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Period: 1400 to
European Exploration
This was a time period that European explorers began exploring the world. This would lead them to discover new routes to India, the Far East, and the Americas. They did this for their economy, to spread religion, and gain glory. -
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Slavery
Slavery was a time period where whites were allowed to own African Americans. They would travel to Africa and kidnap them. They would then send them to the US where they would work on farms for free. They were treated horribly. -
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Triangular Trade
This trade was between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Europeans would trade manufactured goods for captured Africans. They were then shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to become slaves in the Americas. The Europeans were then supplied with raw materials. -
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Revolutionary War
This war started when the colonist wanted to reject British power. They were upset about the high taxes without representation. This was the war that started the separation from the colonist and Great Britain. -
Declaration of Independence
This was a document declaring the colonist's rights to a revolution. It was written during the American Revolution and explained why they were at war. A committee was created to create this and Thomas Jefferson was in charge. -
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Articles of Confederation
This was the first written constitution of the United States. It established the functions of the national government of the US after they declared independence from Great Britain. It was written because of wartime urgency, but it slowed down by fears of central authority and extensive land claims by states. -
US Constitution
The Constitution stated America's national government and fundamental laws, and listed basic rights for the citizens. It was written by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. It took over 5 years to write and it was all a secret. George Washington played a huge role in the creation of this. -
Bill of Rights
This is a document providing the rights given to the American people. It also protects to rolls of the US government. It started with 10 bill of rights and has added on amendments. -
Invention of the Cotton Gin
A cotton gin is a machine that removes the seed from cotton. This was invented by Eli Whitney. The need for cotton doubled each year by the time the cotton gin was invented. Because it was so fast, farmers began producing more cotton which lead to the need of more enslaved people. -
Louisiana Purchase
This was a land deal between France and the US where France sold 828,000 square miles for about three cents an acre to the US. This land was from New Orleans up to the boarder of Canada. This is what lead to the Westward Expansion. -
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Lewis and Clark
This was a US military expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase and Pacific Northwest. The goal was to survey waterways and locate routes that connected to the Pacific. They discovered several different things and were assisted by Sacagawea and York. -
Invention of the Steamboat
The first steamboat was called the Clermont. It was built by American inventor Robert Fulton. This was allowed commercial and people transportation along the Mississippi River. This helped with trade. -
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War of 1812
This war was between the US and Great Britain. Reasonings for this war were Britain's interference with trade, aspired to conquer Canada and end British influence, and many more. Britain won this war. -
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Industrial Revolution
This time period shifted from economies that had been based on agriculture and handicrafts into economies based on large-scale industry, manufacturing, and the factory system. New machines, new power sources, and new ways of organizing work were being created to make these industries more productive and efficient. -
Monroe Doctrine
This was a policy toward the Western Hemisphere. It was delivered by President James Monroe. The document warned European nations that the United States would not tolerate further colonization or puppet monarchs. The three main parts are separate spheres of influence for the Americas and Europe, non-colonization, and non-intervention. -
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Trail of Tears
Andrew Jackson created Indian removal policy. This lead to the Cherokee nation being forced to give up their ancestral lands east of the Mississippi River and migrate to an area in present-day Oklahoma. 4000 of the 16,000 Native Americans were killed during this journey. -
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Manifest Destiny
This was an idea that the United States was destined by God to expand and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent. They believed they were destined to do this. This idea said it was alright to fight and kill others for this land. -
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Westward Movement
Colonist moved west for several reasons. Some of those reasons were the gold rush, cattle industry, the population growth in the eastern states, cheap fertile land, spreading manifest destiny, and more. This lead to the Transcontinental Railroad. -
Dred Scott Decision
The US Supreme Court ruled that African Americans who were slaves have no legal view in court. Living in a free state and territory did not entitle an enslaved person to their freedom. As someone's property, Scott was not a citizen and could not sue in a federal court. -
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Civil War
This war was fought between the north, United States of America, and the south, Confederate States of America. The war began primarily as a result of the disagreement of slavery in America. Other reasons were economic interests, cultural values, the power of the federal government to control the states. -
13th Amendment- Abolition of Slavery
The 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States and stated that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, ... shall exist within the United States". This was a result after the Civil War. This gave freedom to all those that had been slaves. -
14th Amendment- Equal Treatment Under the Law
This was put into place after the Civil War. It granted citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to African Americans and enslaved people who were born or naturalized in the US. It also granted all citizens equal protection under the law. -
15th Amendment- Voting Rights for Black Men
This gave all men of the United States to vote and cannot denied by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. That being said, African American men were given the right to vote. This was a big deal after the end of slavery. -
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World War I
WWI started after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. This war was between the Central Powers,Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey vs the Allies,France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, and the United States. Germany wanted to break up the French and Russian alliance. -
19th Amendment- Voting Rights for Women
The 19th Amendment granted women in the US the right to vote. This took a long time to be passed. Women were protesting for this for a long time, but finally in August of 1920, the amendment was ratified. -
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The Great Depression
The Great Depression is a time period when America did not have enough money. The main cause was the stock market crashing and investors backing out. This lead to job loss, banks closings, farmers losing land, and people losing homes. -
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New Deal
This was a series of programs and projects during the Great Depression by Franklin D. Roosevelt. The goal was to restore prosperity to Americans during the Great Depression. They wanted to eliminate unfair trade practices, reduce unemployment, establish minimum wages and maximum hours, and guarantee the right of labor to bargain collectively. -
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World War II
The causes of the war were Hitler invaded Poland, the Treaty of Versailles, and many more. The two sides that fought in this war were called the Axis and the Allies. Germany, Italy, and Japan were the apart of the Axis powers. The Allies were the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France. -
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Korean War
The Korean War was the first major war over communism. It was fought by North Korea, who were supported by the Soviets and China, vs. South Korea, who was backed up by the United Nations. Countries feared the spread of communism and wanted to prevent it. This war set the boundaries of North and South Korea today. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was a 1954 Supreme Court case. In this case, the court ruled unanimously that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. This was a major win for the civil rights movement. -
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Montgomery Bus Boycott
This was a large civil rights protest where African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama. They did this to protest segregated seating on buses after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in a neutral section. This led to the US Supreme Court to rule it was unconstitutional to segregate buses. -
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Vietnam War
This war was fought between North Vietnam, Soviet Union, and China, who were all communist, vs South Vietnam and United States. The US got involved to prevent the spread of communism. Another reason the war started was the European imperialism in Vietnam. -
“I Have a Dream” Speech
This is a speech done by Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lincoln Memorial. The purpose of this speech was to talk about how racism and segregation are still major issues in the US. It also reminded the listeners about what the US was founded on, freedom. -
September 11th
Al-Qaeda, a terrorist group, hijacked four planes in the US. Two of those planes were flown into the World Trade Center. One was flown into the Pentagon and the fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania because the passengers fought back. People believe that the fourth plane's target may have been the White House. The attacks killed 2997 people and left more than 6000 injured.