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Westward Expansion
1865-1890
Allowed for people with different beliefs to create distance from one another. Created higher demand for certain resources and helped expand the trade/travel infrastructure of the country. The geography narrowed down where settlers could travel and settle, this is evident even today. The culture of the west dominated American society for a long time. Technoligical innovations helped the settlers do more with the inhospitable land they had. -
The Gilded Age
1877-1900
The gilded age was ripe with corruption, the monopolistic companies dominated the economy and the government. Technological innovations created urban jobs for many Americans, which was the beggining of heavily populated cities. -
U.S. Imperialism
1898-1914
During this era the U.S. expanded its holdings to include multiple overseas territories. The imperialist attitude of our government during this era was highly controversial. The territories that we aqquried allowed for us to hold a greater military presence in a larger area. Beginning with this era our presence internationally became kind of "peace-keeping". Trading increased drastically to the territories that we assimilated, and it opened up new safer routes for traders. -
Progressive Era
1900-1919
Women gaining the right to vote increased the voting pool drsatically, and increased progressive reform throughout the country. Also the during this era the government became more progressive in protecting it's citizens from Monopolies and other unfair business practices. New policies also protected consumers from the producers. -
World War I
1914-1918
WWI was being fought between European countries with America on the sidelines selling goods to both sides until a german ship sunk a passenger ship with carrying multiple Americans. We were willing to forgive Germany for that if they stopped sinking passenger ships, but they thought they would win if they kept up their blockade. So eventually we sent troops to aid our new allies. In the beginning of WWI we had only a few troops, to aid out allies we had to train over 4 million soldiers -
The Roaring Twenties
1920-1929 -
Great Depression
1929-1941
The great depression called for a more progressive president, someone who was willing to expnad upon what it meant to be the president of the US. The depression was one of the most strenuous times in US history for almost all of America. The depression brought a lot of people down to the same level and gave them common ground. The depression was during the Dustbowl, a major drought affecting almost all of the fertile plains. -
WWII
1939-1945
WWII weakened a lot of world powers, which left the USSR and the US. The war stimulated our economy, boosting us out of the Depression, but the war left Europe in ruins, and most of the countries that borrowed from us were unable to pay us back completly. The war moved quicker with the technological innovation of tanks. -
The Cold War
1945-1991
The Cold War created a world wide competition for "democracy" vs "communism". The US fought to contain communism, and the USSR, and the USSR fought to expand it's power and influence. During the course of the cold war both the US and the USSR sought to both expand their arsenal and to limit the enemie's arsenal. The arms race also led to the space race, which boosted scientific learning and funding, cause the original use for the space race was to prove our superior rocket capabilities -
Civil RIghts Movement
1954-1968
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rosa Parks
Sit Ins
Brown vs. Board of Education
“I Have a Dream” -
Vietnam War
1954-1975
Part of the Cold War
U.S. supported South Vietnam against communist North Vietnam
Lyndon B. Johnson
Draft
Antiwar Movement -
Late 20th Century
1970-1999
inflation, oil crisis, conservative resurgence, end of cold war, technological revolution -
U.S. in the 21st Century
Globilization is the word of the century. The US creates new Terrorist enemies everytime we "win" anything. Hurricane Katrina devestated New Orleans. Our first African American preident was elected twice. Our nation has accumulated too much debt, and the government shut down for a few months.
