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Oct 12, 1492
Columbus Lands in the Americas
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer, who was funded by Spain (specifically King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella) to discover the western sea route to China. He set sail with 3 ships (the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina) on August 3 1492, and on October 12 he landed in the Bahamas on an island. He made a small settlement there, then returned home with gold, spices, and what he thought were Indian captives. -
Jamestown
Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the New World. It consisted of approximately 100 people from the Virginia Company, and they settled near the banks of the James River. The first 2 years in Jamestown were so harsh that the colony almost went extinct (this was the effects of disease, hunger, and conflict with the natives). In 1610, though, reinforcements from England arrived and the colony was able to flourish. They soon began to profit off of Tobacco crop. -
Pilgrims Land
The Pilgrims were a group of around 100 english people who set sail to the New World seeking religious freedom. They were apart of the radical Puritan church known as the Separatist Church, which was illegal in the Anglican country. They left England in September 1620 on the famous ship, the Mayflower. 65 days later, the Pilgrims landed in modern day Massachusetts, where they set up one of the first permanent settlements. -
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French/Indian War
The French and Indian war was also known as the Seven Years' War. It began with France's expansion into the Ohio River Valley, which caused conflict with the British who were already settle there. As tensions rised, the battle was taken to several different areas in the world, including parts of Europe. -
Boston Tea Party
This event was an important part in causing the revolutionary war because it added to the rising tension between colonists and the British. On the day of the Boston Tea Party, many British ships pulled up to the docks expecting to sell their tea. The problem was that the colonists only bought from other colonists to protest the British. When the ships refused to leave, the colonists, dressed as Indians, dumped the tea into the ocean. This made the British extra angry to the point of punishment. -
Lexington and Concord
Lexington and Concord refers to a battle that was fought on April 19 1775, and it is considered the starting point of the Revolutionary War. The night prior to this battle, hundreds of British troops travelled from Boston to Concord to seize many colonists who were hiding weapons. Once they arrived, they found many settlers, such as Paul Revere, who were ready for a fight. They fought in Lexington for a while, but eventually the redcoats (a term for British soldiers) retreated. -
Declaration of Independence
Though the Declaration of Independence was signed in April, the actual drafting began in mid-June. It was the responsibility of Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, and others to make a formal statement of independence from Great Britain. Now the Declaration of Independence has become a significant landmark in our countries fight for democracy, and we celebrate its signing on the 4th of July. -
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Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention was the result of the United States winning independence from England. People like George Washington, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin met in Philadelphia to create the first US constitution. For 3 months, the men devised a new federal system with checks and balances that would become the government of their newly sovereign nation. -
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Jefferson Presidency
Thomas Jefferson lived from 1743 to 1826. He was involved in the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, and he served as the third president of the United States. His election was won in 1800 under the campaign that the government should have a limited role in citizens' lives, and he was reelected for his second term in 1804. Under his presidency, Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory from France. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was a deal between the United States and France, where France sold about 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for around $15 million. Even though this is a large amount of money, it is considered a very good deal because the amount of land acquired. France was forced to sell because the ruler at the time, Napoleon, was struggling in a war. -
Missouri Compromise
Before the Missouri Compromise, Congress had always attempted to have an equal number of anti-slave states and slave states, so that the Congress would remain equal in votes. The creation Missouri as a state was the breaking point of this because they wanted to be a slave state. To quell this conflict, Congress put the Missouri Compromise into effect. It stated that Missouri would be a slave state, and Maine would be admitted as a free state. It also drew the imaginary line for future states. -
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Jackson Presidency
Although Andrew Jackson was born into poverty (1767), he became a wealthy lawyer in his adulthood. He lost in his first running for presidency against John Quincy Adams, but when he ran 4 years later, he won and became the 7th US president. He became known as a Democrat because he was president during the creation of political parties. He supported states' rights and slavery extension. A significant event that happened under his presidency is the Indian Removal Act. -
Indian Removal Act
Thousands of Indians lived across North America, but conflict began to rise when colonies started expanding. The white Americans wanted the native land for many reasons including resources and expansion. The Indian Removal act was signed and passed by Andrew Jackson to force the Indians to give up their land and move to reservations west of the Mississippi. The United States gained control of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, and North Carolina. -
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Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a passage used by slaves to escape the deep South to a better life in the North. It consisted of a conductor who would guide escaped slaves through a series of safe houses. The houses would be owned by white people who sympathized with black people. One of the most famous Railroad Conductors was Harriet Tubman. She was born a slave, but escaped her plantation. She returned multiple times to help others escape, and she is credited with the escape of over 300 slaves. -
Andrew Carnegie
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Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was born in Scotland to a very poor family before immigrating to the United Staes in 1848. He used his ambition and hard-working skills to hold a series of jobs including secretary, and telegraph operator. By climbing the ranks, Carnegie was able to create a steel company. He became one of the richest men in the US. Many labelled him a robber baron because of the terrible conditions for his workers, but this can be debated because he also aided with the education of millions. -
Bessemer Process
The bessemer process was a method of producing mass amounts of steel that was much better for building. This process removed the impurities from iron by blowing air into it, making it easy to use steel at a low cost. The bessemer process was revolutionary in the world of construction. The man who is responsible for patenting this design was Sir Henry Bessemer, although he did work with William Kelly for a period of time. -
Dred Scott v Sanford
This court case was a controversial factor that led up to the Civil War. Dred Scott was a slave who lived with his owner in Missouri, but then they moved to a free state. Scott believef that since he was in a free state, he should be emancipated and not be forced to move back to Missouri. The court ruled that since he was black, he was not a citizen of the U.S. and therefore cannot petition the court for freedom. -
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Lincoln Presidency
Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer who became active in politics early in his life. He became the 16th president of the US in 1860, right before the civil war (some even blame his a cause of the war). He proved himself early on by coming up with great military strategies and being a great leader of the country. Though he was antislavery, he publicly endorsed ending the war to protect the Union. During his presidency he also gave the Gettysburg Address and announced the Emancipation Proclamation. -
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Attack on Fort Sumter
This battle is considered to be the opening of the civil war. Fort Sumter was technically a property of the Union while all of the southern states were seceding, but the Confederates believed it should belong to them because of its location in Charleston. In retaliation, the Confederates attacked the Fort and captured it for themselves. This caused a chain of reactions, and it led to the commencement of the Civil War between the Union and the Confederates. -
CIVIL WAR: Bull Run / Manassas
This battle was fought near Manassas Junction, Virginia. More than 35,000 Union troops marched from the federal capital to attack the 20,000 Confederate soldiers. For most of the time, the Union was using a defensive fighting strategy. The confederate rebels were able to defeat the federal troops, causing them to retreat back to DC. This is considered a Confederate victory in the books, like most battles in the beginning of the Civil War. This paved the way for a long war no one expected. -
CIVIL WAR: Fort Donelson
At this battle, Union general Grant aimed to capture Fort Donelson near Cumberland River. This was the key gateway to the Confederacy that he was looking for. The Confederates eventually surrendered the fort to the Union because they lost about 12,000 of their 16,000. The Union on the other hand only had 1,400 casualties. This marked one of the first Union victories and ensured that Kentucky would remain in the Union. -
CIVIL WAR: Shenandoah
The Shenandoah Valley Campaigns was a long struggle to control the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. The South used it for transportation as a way to get to the North (specifically Washington DC). It was very effective because it kept the Union army anxious about Washington, while keeping them away from Richmond (the capital of the Confederacy). -
CIVIL WAR: USS Monitor vs CSS Virginia
This is one f the most famous battles at sea in the entirety of American history. It happened at the two ironclads, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginiafight. These ships pounded each other, but not much damage was done because of the revolutionary steam-powered iron ships. Both ships ended in disaster, so there is no clear victor of this battle. This battle was significant because, even though the ships were short-lived, they had a lasting impact on navale warfare. -
CIVIL WAR: Shiloh
At this battle, the Confederate army launched a surprise on the Union in Southwestern Tennessee. At first the Confederates were leading a successful battle, they soon fell short and the Union won. The total number of casualties was 23,000 from both sides.This number shocked both the North and the South -
CIVIL WAR: Antietam
This battle occurred at Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg Maryland. General Robert E Lee was attempting to invade the north. Previously it was made clear that the Confederacy was not going to be easy to defeat, even with the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation. This made the battle one of the bloodiest days of the war, with a casualty count of over 23,000. It was also a turning point in the war because it marked a streak of Union victories. -
Emancipation Proclamation
During the beginning of the war, President Lincoln made the focus of the war preserving the Union (not the abolition of slavery) because he knew that even the people of the Union were unlikely to fight for abolition. by 1862 in the war, though, Lincoln believed that he could use abolition as a war strategy. He noticed that many slaves were fleeing to join the army, so he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves from the southern states. -
CIVIL WAR: Gettysburg
Before this battle, the Union had just had a victory at Chancellorsville, so General Lee marched the Confederate army into Pennsylvania. They clashed with the opposing army at a town called Gettysburg. The battle lasted 3 days, and led to a bloody aftermath. The casualties for the north were 23,000 and the south was about 28,000 men. Though it was a time to rejoice for the North for a great victory, it still led to many deaths. It was so bloody that Lincoln announced the Gettysburg Address. -
CIVIL WAR: Vicksburg
The goal for the Union in this battle was to take the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg in Mississippi. This would divide the Confederacy into unequal parts and cause their war effort to collapse. General Ulysses S Grant was able to capture the fort and it became one of his most successful campaigns. After this battle Grant was able to win 5 more consecutive battles and capture some 6,000 prisoners. -
CIVIL WAR: Fort Wagner
Fort Wagner was a Confederate defense base in the Charleston Harbor. On June 11, the Union navy led an unsuccessful attack, but they tried again later. Later, the attack was carried out by the 54th Massachusetts Infantry (a regiment of only black soldiers). Though they were not successful at first, the Union was able to capture the fort and evacuate all Confederate soldiers. This battle is significant because it showed the dedication of African Americans to the war effort. -
CIVIL WAR: Sherman's March to the Sea
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CIVIL WAR: Sherman's March to the Sea
At this battle, Union general Sherman led about 60,000 soldiers from Atlanta to Savannah. The strategy of Total War was used here first, and it has been seen in many wars ever since. In this strategy, the army's goal is to obliterate mostly everything. It is meant to destroy the morale of opposing forces, and it was very effective in this battle. By destroying the factories, farms, and railroads of the South, General Sherman was able to cause the collapse of the Confederate war effort. -
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Andrew Johnson Presidency
Andrew Johnson assumed the role of 17th president after the assassination of Lincoln. Though he grew up poor, he entered politics by becoming governor of Tennessee. During the civil war he was the only Southern senator to stay loyal to the Union. During his presidency it was his job to make a plan for the reconstruction of the south. At first he set harsh conditions, but he soon he was accepting bribes from rich white Southerners. This led him to become the first president to be impeached. -
Thirteenth Amendment Ratified
The 13th amendment of the constitution officially ended the practice of slavery. This was a result of the termination of the Civil War, which was mainly a fight between proslavery and antislavery. Although many opposed slavery, they did not want the institution gone for good, so getting this amendment ratified was a struggle. -
Surrender at Appomattox
It was near the Appomattox court house that the confederate general, Robert E Lee, surrendered to the Union's Ulysses S Grant. The Union army was beginning to gain the advantage by taking the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia and the city of Petersburg. Lee believed that if he gathered the remnants of his army, he could beat Ulysses, but he failed and was forced to surrender. He sent a message to the Union general, and they later met in the parlor of a home to officially surender. -
Lincoln Assassinated
Abraham Lincoln was at the Ford's Theatre in Washington DC to see the performance of "Our American Cousin". The man who actually killed Lincoln was named John Wilkes Booth and he was a confederate sympathizer. He was a famous actor, so it was no issue to get into the esteemed theatre and shoot the president in the back of the head. He then flew onto the stage screaming "Sic semper tyrannis", so most people thought it was a part of the play. He was able to escape, but was later caught. -
Fifteenth Amendment
The 15th amendment was set in place to grant black men the right to vote. This was passed as part of the reconstruction movement, and it stated that all men had the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous conditions of servitude. Though this law was revolutionary for the rights of the recently emancipated freedmen, it was short-lived. Soon many Southern states put in laws that would deny African Americans the right to vote such as poll tax, grandfather clause, and literacy tests. -
Invention of the Telephone
The telephone was invented by a man named Alexander Graham Bell. His process began with a group of investors asking him to innovate the harmonic telegraph, which sent multiple messages simultaneously. Although the investors wanted a better telegraph, Bell focused mostly on a device that would transmit voices. Shortly after receiving the patent, Bell made the first successful telephone call to his assistant electrician Thomas Watson. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese exclusion act of 1882 was a law that greatly restricted the immigration of the Chinese. It banded their immigration for 10 years and declared Chinese as not qualified to become a citizen. Even though Chinese Americans resisted this act, it stayed in place and was renewed in 1892 and 1902. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
This was the first federal law that banned the business practice of monopolies. It is named after the US senator John Sherman because he was an expert on the regulation of commerce. It was the first of many steps to dismantle trusts and other unethical business practices. -
Plessy v Ferguson
This was a landmark US supreme court case that upheld the idea of separate but equal (segregation). The situation that led to this idea was that a man who was 1/8th African American (Homer Plessy) refused to go sit in the car for black. This caused an uproar because at the time, the rule was that if you were any percent black you were all black. The effects of this case were so huge that we use this idea of separate but equal to justify many aspects of segregation. -
Spanish American War
This war was between Spain and the US, but it was fought in Cuba and the Philippines. There was a growing controversy within the US about the ideas of imperialism versus isolationism. Many believed that the US should intervene in the injustices happening in Cuba because it would lead to a good relationship, and after the use of yellow journalism, many others joined in. Eventually the US won the Spanish American war, and they gained control of the Philippines and all north American land. -
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Theodore Roosevelt Presidency
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President, and he was elected after the assassination of McKinley. He was responsible during the progressive movement and made a lot of change in our country. He even became known as the "trust buster" because he broke up many unethical business practices. The biggest thing that he did was probably his work for the environment. He made many national forests and reserves, which was revolutionary at the time because not a lot of people cared about the environment. -
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Panama Canal
This project was originally started by the French, but they failed and abandoned it in the 1880s. It was started up again in 1904 by the US because now disease was less likely to be caught. The goal was to create a canal through Panama because this would virtual cut the passage in half. The deal was that the US would have the canal for 100 years and then give its ownership back to panama so they would receive the economic benefits of it. This was a part of the US becoming less isolationist. -
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Prohibition
Usually when people think of Prohibition, they think of the 18th amendment, but the prohibition movement started long before the amendment. It began around 1906 when there was a huge wave of anti-saloon in urban areas. There was also a temporary prohibition law nationwide during WWI. Many states even passed prohibition laws before the amendment. Usually this anti-alcohol mindset is religious based, and most people that were apart of this movement were religious or a woman. -
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The Model T Automobile
This revolutionary car was also called the "Tin Lizzie" and it changed the way Americans lived forever. It was invented by Henry Ford, and utilized the assembly line manufacturing process which made it much more efficient. This was the first automobile to be widely affordable for Americans so more than 15 million of them were built and sold. Before cars could cost around $850, but Ford was able to lower that cost to $300. -
Harlem Renaissance
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Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a defining period in African American History. It was a burst of black art, music, literature, and expression in New York from the 1910s to the 1930s. This was caused by the Great Migration of black people from the south to the north. They did this to escape Jim Crow laws, and harsh segregation. An important ideology that emerged during this time is the idea that "black is beautiful". Some important people were WEB Du Bois (activist), and Louis Armstrong (musician). -
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Wilson Presidency
Woodrow Wilson was the 28th US president, serving during World War I. Before his presidency, he was practicing law in Georgia. Wilson was a strong advocate for isolationism, until he felt it was completely necessary to enter the war. After the war was over, he had an important role in negotiating a peace treaty (he had the 14 points that he presented at the Treaty of Versailles). His downfall was his prejudice against blacks (he was from the south and his father fought for the Confederates). -
WWI Begins
The beginning of World War 1 is kind of like tipping over a set of dominos. The main causes were militarism, alliances, nationalism, imperialism, and assassination. The beginning was when Serbians killed the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. This allowed Austria-Hungary to attack Serbia, so Russia attacks Austria-Hungary. This led Germany to attack Russia, so France attacked Germany, so Great Britain joined to defend France. -
Rise of the KKK
The rise of the new wave of Ku Klux Klan members was credited to the end of the civil war. After the Union won the civil war, former slaves became freedmen, and this made the former confederates angry. They would form vigilante groups to cause trouble for freedmen. The biggest of these groups was the KKK, they would go out, usually at night, to terrorize blacks. They would use violence to enforce their arbitrary rules. -
Wilson's 14 Points
This plan was addressed by Woodrow Wilson to Congress. The points were to create a stable, long-lasting peace in the world so there would be no amounting conflict leading to world war. It called for the Allied forces to set reasonable terms for peace, self-determination in imperialized countries, and less militarism in the oceans. When he presented his 14 points at the Treaty of Versailles, the Allies did not like the part of letting Germany off easily, so they disregarded that part of the plan. -
WWI Ends
The end of the Great War came about mostly because the Central Powers had little fight left in them and they were weakened on all fronts. The Allies had taken several measures to weaken the Central Powers such as having extra reinforcements (soldiers from the US who had newly joined the war), and by taking away their imperialized countries across the globe. When Austria-Hungary dropped out of the war in October, the Germans were forced to seek an armistice because they were out-maned. -
Eighteenth Amendment
The 18th amendment is also known as Prohibition. It stated that the manufacture, import, and sale of alcohol was prohibited in the United Staes. This stemmed from many religious groups, and many states had prohibition laws before it became an amendment. This law turned out to be difficult to enforce because there was a flaw in its wording. It says you can't have anything to do with alcohol except drink it, so many people would lie about the date of the alcohol so they could still drink it. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles marks the official end of the war. There was a lot of negotiating that went on to determine the terms of post-war, but there was only participation of the Allied victors. The treaty stripped Germany of all its colonies, banned them from having large militaries, and made them pay for all of the war debts. It also called for other Central Power locations to be split into odd borders, which causes problems to this day. Many believe that the Treaty of Versaille cause WW2. -
Nineteenth Amendment
The 19th amendment guaranteed women the right to vote. It states that the right to vote will not be denied on account of sex. This was the end goal of a long period in the US called the Suffrage movement. Many women demanded this right through protesting, picketing, and becoming more politically active in other fashions. Some important people for this milestone are Alice Paul, a famous suffragist who planned many picketings in front of the white house, and Susan B Anthony, who founded the NWSA. -
Scopes Trial
This trial was also known as the Scopes Monkey Trial, and its bigger message was whether the use of modern science is better than tradition. It was for the prosecution of John Scopes, a science teacher who taught evolution in a small public school in Tennessee. Evolution was recently made illegal to teach in school because it was viewed to oppose the word of God, and this was a big no no to the traditional people of the south. In the end, the jury found Scopes guilty, and he was fined $100. -
Gitlow vs New York
The bigger message of this case was that the first amendment not only applied to the federal government but also state governments. Benjamin Gitlow was arrested for criminal anarchy because he published a newspaper with radical communism in it. Gitlow argued that he only talked and did not take action, so he should be protected under the 1st amendment, but the court ruled against him. Even though he was found guilty, many new rules were used to expand the protection of free speech. -
Stock Market Crash
Before the stock market crash, the US was at an all time high during the roaring twenties, but this all changed after the economy collapsed. The day of this collapse is called Black Tuesday because billions of dollars were lost, and thousands of investors had lost all of their money. The problems that led up to this was that many people were buying things on margin, people were investing money they did not have, and banks were not trustworthy because there were not enough regulations. -
Roosevelt's First Election
FDR was a New York governor before he became the 32nd President. He was elected at a crucial time in our history: the Great Depression. As soon as he was elected it was his job to figure out how to solve these huge problems causing millions unemployment, homelessness, and even starvation. His running for president was a close race with the former President Herbert Hoover, but fortunately Hoover made a huge mistake during his running that caused FDR to win by a land slide. -
Civilian Conservation Corps
This was a relief program set in place by Roosevelt that gave millions of young men a job during the Great Depression. They worked on an environmental project where they planted over 3 billion trees and constructed trails and shelters in parks across the nation. The money that these men made were sent back to their families, so they were not able to spend it on something useless and the families had some financial aid. This is considered to be one of the most successful parts of the New Deal. -
Social Security Act
This act was another part of President Roosevelts New Deal to bring the US out of the Great Depression. It was a federal safety net for old people and the unemployed. In this system people would pay extra tax on their payroll to fund government assistant programs. In this program the money was used to help those who were considered unable to work. Millions of people benefited from the installment of the Social Security Act and it still exists today. -
FDR's Court Packing Scandal
The court packing plan is a nickname for Roosevelt's attempt at appointing new justices to the Supreme Court for all of the justices that were older than 70 years old. He did this to make the New Deal more favorable in its ruling. During his term, FDR promoted many new committees to be apart of the New Deal, but many of those were shot down by the Supreme Court. By setting up this new rule, he believed that he could get more of his ideas passed.
