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American Revolution
(1764 - 1783) The Revolutionary Era started with unfair taxes and acts from the British and the colonists protesting against them. Eventually, it became too much and the original thirteen colonies joined forces to break away from the British Empire. The American Revolutionary War began against the British military and we succeeded in the end. -
Washington's Farewell Address
This was a letter written by our first president, George Washington, before his retirement and nearing the end of his last term. It warned America of the political dangers and to avoid them as well as stay true to their values. -
Barbary Wars
(1801 - 1815) There were two Barbary Wars. It was against the Ottoman Northwest African Berber Muslim states and North African regencies. The North African countries on the "Barbary" coast engaged in piracy on the open seas against American merchant shipping. -
Embargo Act
(1807 - 1809) U.S. Congress passed this in answer to the British orders in council restricting neutral shipping and to Napoleon's restrictive Continental System. It was an act that stated that American ships were no longer allowed to sail to foreign ports, and it also closed American ports to British ships. -
War of 1812
(1812-1815) This was a war between the United States, Great Britain and Canada. This war began because of trade restrictions by Britain, impressment of Americans into the British army, British support of American Indian tribes, and American desires to expand. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine stated that European nations should not intervene in countries to the south of the U.S. It also stated that the United States intended to stay neutral in European wars and in wars between Eupean powers and their colonies. -
Manifest Destiny
(19th Century) Manifest destiny was the belief widely held by Americans in the 19th century that the United States was destined to expand across the continent. It led to many people migrating to the west due to the westward expansion and pushed out a lot of Native Americans. -
U.S. Mexican War
(1846-1848) It was a dispute between Mexico and the United States over the territory of Texas. It was the first major conflict driven by the idea of "Manifest Destiny". -
Spanish-American-Cuban War
(April 25 – August 25, 1898) It was a conflict between Spain and the United States in result of America intervening with the Cuban War of Independence. It led to the Independence of Cuba and the break out of the Phillipine-American War. -
Annexation of Hawaii
The annexation of Hawaii led to the extension of U.S. territory into the Pacific. The U.S. wanted to annex Hawaii before other European nations did. Hawaii is the most recent of the 50 states in the United States. -
Roosevelt Corollary
The Roosevelt Corollary was a corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. It states that the United States will intervene in conflicts between European Nations and Latin American countries to enforce legitimate claims of the European powers, rather than having the Europeans press their claims directly. -
World War I
(28 July 1914 - 11 November 1918) World War I was a global war centred in Europe. It involved all the world's great powers and was caused by imperialistic behaviors. -
Isolationism
(1930s) Isolationism is the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations. Countries would do so by seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by avoiding foreign entanglements and responsibilities. -
World War II
(1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) World War II was a global war that included the world's great powers and a vast majority of the world's countries. It started with Germany attacking smaller countries, and other countries "backing" them up. The United States got involved only later, putting aside their neutrality, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. -
The Cold War
(1945 - 1991) The Cold War was not an actual physical war, but was mostly the war against and to prevent communism for the United States. It was a sustained state of tension between NATO and the Soviet Union. -
Truman Doctrine
It stated that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent their falling into the Soviet sphere. Historians say that this was the start of the Cold War. It was to prevent more countries to falling into communism. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was an American program that allowed monetary support and aid to European countries that were devastated by World War II. The goal was to help rebuild and make European contries prosperous once again. -
Vietnam War
(1 November 1955 - 30 April 1975) This was a conflict between the communist North Vietnam and anti-communist South Vietnam. This war was during the Cold War-era, so the United States joined the Vietnam war in hopes of preventing the North Vietnamese to take over and make the country communist. -
Détente
Detente was the relaxing of tense relations between countries. The term was used during the 1960s and 1970s to describe efforts to decrease tensions between the U.S.S.R. and the United States. -
Carter's Emphasis on Foreign Policy
President Carter's main foreign policy theme was a moral awareness of human rights abuses worldwide and a commitment to fight political and economic repression. Under President Carter, U.S. foreign policy began to make the shift back to its idealist side and this was evident in Carter’s emphasis on human rights. -
Engagement
(1980s) This was the name given to the policy of the Reagan Administration towards the apartheid regime in South Africa in the early 1980s. It was promoted as an alternative to the economic sanctions and divestment from South Africa demanded by the UN General Assembly and the international anti-apartheid movement. -
September 11, 2001
This was a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks launched by the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda upon the United States in New York City and the Washington, D.C. areas on September 11, 2001. It led to national panic, and a severe tightening of security that led to controversial opinions. -
War in Iraq/ Afghanistan/ Global War on Terror
This applied to to an international military campaign which started as a result of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. This resulted in an international military campaign to eliminate al-Qaeda and other militant organizations.
