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Electric Power Utilized
Electric power was discovered in the early 1870’s by a handful of scientists, most notably Thomas Edison. Electric power had multiple uses one such use was the lighting of light bulb. The light bulb allowed people to perform tasks at night time with better efficiency than the candle did. This not only helped factories but the average person in their household. Electricity laid the foundation for the power grid that we use today. This is one of if not the most significant invention of recent -
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 banned Chinese immigration into the United States. They were banned for an astounding ten years. It also barred Chinese already in the country from becoming citizens. This affected the Chinese population negatively. It declined dramatically once this act was passed. -
Pendleton Act
The Pendleton Act was passed on January 16th 1883 and was aimed at reforming the popular patronage system. For years political figures appointed their personal friends and family members to civil service positions when they had no real qualifications for the job. This caused a lot of mistakes to be made as well as robed the public of civil servants who were the best at what they did. The Pendleton Act required some federal jobs to be filled by people who passed competency tests in their field -
The Dawes Act
The Dawes Act of 1887 proposed that Native Americans become farmers and landowners. They were required to abandon their culture and join white civilization. They were to be treated as individuals rather than as members of their tribes. It provided 160 acres of reservation land to cooperative families. The policy ultimately worked for the elimination of tribal ownership of land. -
Wounded Knee Massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre on December 29, 1890 marked the end of the Indian Wars. It eliminated the last of the Native American resistance. The battle turned into a one-sided massacre. The white soldiers killed up to 200 Indians. Only 40 white soldiers were killed during this battle. -
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was prompted by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad being unable to make payments on loans and then declaring bankruptcy. This along with National Cordage Company’s failure caused the stock market to crash and due to banks having a large role in the stock market, the banks failed as well. Many other businesses failed in the wake of this panic and many people lost their jobs. This depression showed the new interconnectivity of the American economy as well as the delicate ba -
Pullman Strike
The Pullman strike was a strike where the Pullman Palace Car Company was providing housing for employees in a town they built around the manufacturing plant. The company slashed wages about 25% but the rent to live in the houses remained the same. The workers were upset and decided to strike, their friends at the American Railroad Union aided them by agreeing not to handle any Pullman cars thus halting Chicago’s Railways. The state government refused to step in, but big business had connectio -
Mass Production of Cars
Henry Ford was the founder of Ford Auto-motors and revolutionized how humans traveled. He opened his factories after the 1893 invention of the gasoline engine. He mass produced the automobile by using assembly lines and efficient production means. The mass production meant that the supply was high therefore the average person could afford to buy a cart through weekly payments. In 1895 there were only four cars on the roads, by 1917 there were over 5 million. Today we couldn’t imagine life w -
War With Spain
The War with Spain was primarily the result of the U.S’s desire to obtain hemispheric hegemony, or in other words imperial dominance over the hemisphere in which America resides. Spain was considered a threat because of their interest in Caribbean countries in particular Cuba. The U.S helped out Cuban rebellions in order to hurt and embarrass Spain. The “spark” that started the war was the destruction of an American boat that was claimed to be blown up by the Spanish, in reality it was likel -
1900 African American Migration
The Great Migration took place during the first years of the 1900’s. Many black men and women left the South and other rural regions to escape poverty, debt, violence, and discrimination. The move centered around Northern cities where they hoped to escape some of the problems of rural life in America. Cities quickly became more diverse with the need for behinds the scene workers needed African Americans and other minorities were needed to sustain urban life. Some occupations included cooks, -
Urban Bosses
Urban bosses of the early 1900’s were the men who pretty much ran everything in the city. The goal was not to be the front running mayor, but rather the one who controls the mayor by keeping them in power. Urban bosses exploited the minority vote that was strong in cities to seize power for their group. They did this by providing small relief efforts for poorer minorities that would otherwise go hungry or get locked up for petty crimes. The urban boss didn’t just have power over city officia -
NAACP founded
The NAACP or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded to help gain equal rights for African Americans. The group was aimed at ending some of the violent acts committed against blacks as well as reforming discrimination laws. The NAACP exists even today and continues to fight for the rights of African Americans today. -
Leisure Redefined
Around 1910 the perception of leisure time had changed. Before the Puritan concept that leisure time was a sign of laziness and should be used for something useful. This wasn’t the case any longer; rather leisure time was a sign of wealth and success in life. It was thought that you did so much that you had time to spare for things like sports, films and plays. All of these mediums of entertainment reflect the changing attitude towards relaxing. This is the turning point where we seek more -
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal connected the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans by building a canal through central America. At first the Columbian senate met the original terms with hesitation. The U.S originally offered $10 million and an annual $250,000 payment. They wanted atleast $20 million from the U.S as well as some money from payments to the French. What ended up happening was a revolt of Panama against Columbia and the U.S supported it. The Panama government allowed the canal to be built and it h -
Zimmerman Telegram
The ZImmerman Telegram was a telegram sent from Germany to Mexico urging them to attack the U.S in order to keep them out of WWI. The telegram was sent by sea to mexico but was intercepted by the English and shown to the U.S. This was one of the reasons the U.S chose to enter WWI; they saw that there was aggression against them from the German forces and that they would have to be stopped if the U.S wanted the oceans to be safe. -
Chicago Race Riots
The Chicago Race Riots took place because some whites threw stones at a young black teen swimming in a lake during summer time. He was knocked unconscious and ended up drowning. Blacks retaliated rather than ignoring the incident and an all out race war was taking place in the streets of Chicago. In the end 38 people died 15 whites 23 blacks. The riots showed that although race relations were getting better in general there was still a tension there that needed addressing. -
18th Amendment
The Eighteenth Amendment established prohibition of alcohol which had much support for years before it. The idea behind the amendment was to ban alcohol to reduce violence against women and general crime in society. Ultimately it didn’t work because of organized crime and urban bosses made sure that there was a steady flow of alcohol as long as the money was there. The amendment shows how prohibition isn’t an effective stratagy for stopping substance abuse and was later repealed in later year -
The Harlem Renaissance
The “Harlem Renaissance” of the 1920s created a flourish of African American culture. It particularly centered on the creative arts. This movement laid the groundwork for later literature. All aspects of the African American experience were to be explored. This proved that they had powerful minds of their own. -
19th Amendment
The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote after a long fought struggle to gain that equality. The women's suffrage movement was one of the longest running and largest movements in history. Several states prior to the amendment allowed women to vote in state elections but the 19th amendment allowed women to vote in nation wide elections. Some women’s rights activists said the amendment didn’t go far enough because it didn’t ensure that women’s rights in general would be protected. -
The Teapot Dome Scandal
The Teapot Dome Scandal of 1923 involved a former naval oil reserve. It was secretly released to a private oil company. Albert B. Fall was convicted of bribery. He was sentenced to a year in prison for his involvement. This ruined the political standing of the Harding administration. -
The Scopes Trial
The Scopes Trial of 1925 involved John T. Scopes violating a Tennessee law. He was teaching evolution in high school. This trial put fundamentalists on the defensive. It discouraged them from participating in politics. It brought to question whether or not god made man. -
Black Tuesday
the day the stocket market crashed -
Scottsboro Boys
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Brotherhod of the sleeping car
brotherhood of the sleeping car meeting held in chicago of 1933 -
The Black Cabinet
the black cabinet was when the african americans were appointed higher positions in office by roosevelt and help with the new deal. and made sure the new deal included blacks -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
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NATO
North Alantic Treaty Organization -
Rosa Parks Sit Down
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. It occurred on a bus in Montgomery. This African American woman inspired the bus boycott. The community demanded an end to segregated seating. This also led to the fight for equal rights. -
Federal Highway Act
The Federal Highway Act of 1956 authorized $25 billion for a ten-year project. It was responsible for building over 40,000 miles of interstate highways. This was the largest public works project in American history. The act was also a major accomplishment of the Eisenhower administration. This made transportation for citizens much easier. -
A Phillip Randolph
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March on Washington
The March on Washington in August 1963 saw the largest civil rights demonstration in the nation’s history. Tons marched and gathered before the Lincoln Memorial. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the greatest speeches of all time. MLK’s “I have a dream” aroused the entire crowd. MLK expressed his desire for segregation to end. He took a stand for blacks and whites to reunite. -
JFK Assassinated
On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. A Marxist by the name of Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested later that day. Oswald was assassinated two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby. This marked the end of an innocent time. Kennedy believed in the prospects of a “new generation.” All hope was lost on this tragic day. Johnson became president. -
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 provided protection for African Americans attempting to vote. This marked an increase in black representation. They would no longer face discrimination at the polls. Blacks could become more active in society. They were finally able to do so through politics. -
Immigration Act
The Immigration Act of 1965 maintained a strict limit on the number of immigrants entering the country each year. It only allowed up to 170,000 newcomers. The act allowed people from all over Europe, Asia, and even Africa to enter the United States. This changed American immigration dramatically. Immigrants were welcomed for their skills and professions rather than their country’s origins. -
MLK Assassinated
On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The assassin, James Earl Ray, was captured two months later. He didn’t even have a motive. King’s death produced an outpouring of grief and anger among the African American community. People lost the most important voice of the American civil rights movement that day. -
First Moon Landing
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became one of the first men to land on the moon. A smaller craft was detached from the capsule. He walked on a celestial body other than earth. This was a major achievement to human development and our species. Landing on the surface of the moon was a technological triumph.
