-
Oct 12, 1492
Christopher Columbus landed in the "New World"
Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and discovered an island in the Bahamas that he named San Salvador. -
Boston Tea Party
American colonists, disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded British ships and threw 340 chests of tea owned by the East India Company into the water. -
African Slave Trade Abolished
The international African slave trade to the United States was officially abolished on January 1, 1808, when an Act to prohibit the importation of slaves became effective. It did not end slavery itself, nor did it end the slave trade in the US. -
American Civil War
The Civil War confirmed the single political entity of the United States, led to freedom for more than four million enslaved Americans, established a more powerful and centralized federal government, and laid the foundation for America's emergence as a world power in the 20th century. The war lasted for four years from 4/12/1861 to 4/26/1865. -
15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Voting Rights
All African Americans who were set free by the 13th Amendment, with citizenship guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, Black males were given the right to vote by the 15th Amendment. -
The Great Northern Railway Completed
The completion of the Northern Pacific railroad was celebrated with a “golden spike” ceremony at Gold Creek, Montana. The final leg of the Great Northern Railway, a major railway project, was completed in 1893, marking the culmination of the railway's construction. -
Naturalization of Immigrants
In 1900, immigrants became U.S. citizens through a process known as naturalization. This involved filing a declaration of intention, residing in the US for a certain period (usually 5 years), and then petitioning a court for citizenship. The Basic Naturalization Act of 1906 standardized this process, requiring applicants to speak English and use specific forms. -
Women's Suffrage
Immediately after the Civil War, Susan B. Anthony, a strong and outspoken advocate of women's rights, demanded that the Fifteenth Amendment include a guarantee of the vote for women as well as for African-American males. However, not until the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1919 did women throughout the nation gain the right to vote. -
Extended School Services (ESS) Enacted
In August 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made available $400,000 to the U.S. Office of
Education (part of the Federal Security Agency) and the Children's Bureau (part of the Labor Department) "for the promotion of and coordination of [Extended School Services] programs for the care of children of working mothers."