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California Gold Rush
The discovery of gold created a hope for people outside of the homesteading part of the West. If people were lucky to find gold, they had instant riches. Strikes would happen on new sites, these were many people going to one site to hopefully mine for some gold. If the crowd was large enough a town would form. -
Homestead Act
With the Homestead Act, any head of house hold aged 21 or older, including unmarried women, can receive a 160 acre plot of land. The only requirement was within the next five years the individual had to "improve the land". -
Impeachment of President Johnson
Washington D.C. has had enough with President Johnson. He vetoed a lot of things which cause tension in Washington D.C. President Johnson was also a White supremacist who's racism furthered the divide between himself and congress. The impeachment was dropped but President Johnson was silenced. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment made it where everyone who was born or naturalized in the U.S. is now a legal U.S. citizen. This amendment also includes former enslaved individuals by eliminating the three-fifths compromise. -
Molly Maguires
A group of miners formed and called themselves Molly Maguires. They focused on bringing attention to how miners were treated through aggressive acts like kidnapping. This was to make the owners have to listen to them. -
15th Amendment
Although this seemed like a step forward, many women saw it a disappointment. The 15th Amendment focused on voting rights. The right to vote, under this amendment, is not allowed to be denied to anyone based on race, color, or if they were previously slaves. Excluding gender made a big impact on the Women's Suffrage movement. -
Wounded Knee Massacre
When U.S. soldiers attempted to disarm a group of Lakota, 150 Lakota people lost their lives. When a Lakota individual placed down their weapon an American solider started to fire.