-
The Declaration of Independence
The writing of the Declaration of Indepence was important because it was the document that proclaimed our independence from Britain. The Declaration of Independence was signed by 54 people. It says that the people of the colonies were independent from Britain after it was signed. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Lousiana Purchase occured on July 4, 1803, when the United States of America bought 828,000 square miles of land from France for $11,250,000, or 50,000,000 francs. In today's money that would be $236,000,000. Jefferson bought this plot of land so that the U.S. could control the port of New Orleans, which controlled the entrance to the Mississippi River. (McDougal Littel, 346) -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
This is the day that the Lewis and Clark Expedition left St. Louis to try to find an all water route across the continent. Officially called the Corps of Discovery, this expedition discovered over two hundred new plants and animals unknown to European science, and the first accurate maps of the Louisiana Territory.(McDougal-Littel, 348) -
The Texas War for Independence
In 1845, Texas was admitted to the U.S. as a slave state. A year later, Mexico wanted Texas back and viewed its annexation as a state as an act of war. Neither could decide on a border to use. Texas wanted to use the Rio Grande, but Mexico wanted to use the Nueces River. James K. Polk sent an ambassador to try to cool the situation down, but the diplomat failed. -
The Donner Party
James Frasier Reed was a Western emigrant who followed a route that was advertised by Landsford W. Hastings. James Frasier Reed, his wife, and several other families (including the Donners) went west. Reed and the Donners decided to split off from the main route to try to take the Hastings Route. But the Route actually added an extra 100 miles to their trip. They got trapped, and eventually they ran out of food and were forced to eat each other. (America: The Story of US) -
California Gold Rush
On January 24, 1848, a month before Mexico lost California to the U.S., a carpenter named James Marshall discovered gold in the American River. His discovery led to one of the greatest migrations in American history. (McDougal Littell page 249) -
The Mexican American War
The U.S. defeated the Mexicans in this war, and the war officially ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty recgognized that Texas was a part of the U.S., agreed that the Rio Grande as the border between the two nations, and gave up a vast region known as the Mexican cession, which amounted to one-half of present day Mexico. (McDougal Littel, page 437) -
Attack on Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter was a Union controlled fort that was there to control the entrance to Charleston Harbor. The Confederacy attacked Fort Sumter. The fort stood little chance against the attack because the guns it did have were pointed toward the Atlantic Ocean so the fort could not retailiate. Fort Sumter was captured and the bloodiest war in America's history had begun. (Holt McDougal, Page 511) -
The Gettysburg Adress
The Gettysburg Address is a speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of Soldier's National Cemetery, a cemetery for Union soldiers killed at the Battle Of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. (www.historynet.com/the-gettysburg-address) -
World's First Digital Computer
When ENIAC was announced in 1946 it was heralded in the press as a "Giant Brain". It had a speed of one thousand times that of electro-mechanical machines. This computational power, coupled with general-purpose programmability, excited scientists and industrialists. Finished shortly after the end of World War II, one of its first programs was a study of the feasibility of the hydrogen bomb. (wikipedia.org) -
Brown v. Board of Education
This Supreme Court Case was about the desegregation in schools. Linda Brown wasn't allowed to go to a school that was closer to her home because it was for white people. Her father sued the Board of Education and the Supreme Court voted unanimously for Brown. The Court ordered all schools to desegregate. -
The Death Of Elvis
Elvis Presley was a famous rock musiciam in the U.S. He was from Memphis, Tennessee. After several years of drug abuse, he died in 1977. This was important because he was a very famous musician and a part of America's culture. -
My Birthday
This is the day I was born. -
September 11 Terrorist Attacks
On September 11, 2001, two hijacked planes were flown into the Two Towers, or the World Trade Center, an important business center in New York City. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon, and another crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. This tragedy brought Americans together and the US received support from foreign countries. The people responsible for these plane hijackings were part of a group called Al Qaeda, and their leader was Osama bin Laden. (Holt McDougal, Page 956)
