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Christopher Columbus believed it would be easier to travel to Asia by crossing the Atlantic Ocean instead of going around Africa. The Catholic Monarchs of Spain sent Columbus to find a direct water route to Asia. Columbus and the monarchs wanted fame and riches. The monarchs also wanted to spread catholicism. Columbus searched for gold to return to the Spanish, instead he returned people to enslave. The Spanish queen believed that the people they found were to be spanish subjects, not slaves. -
King James granted the land of North Carolina to New York to the Virginia Company of London. The company sent only men to the swampy peninsula in search of gold. Death rates were high because they couldn't get fresh water or good crops growing. The local natives expected tribute from the new settlers and vice versa. This made tensions rise. The struggling settlers were finally able to grow a strain of tobacco. This sold well in England and encouraged more people to migrate to America. -
Due to labor shortages in Virginia, the HeadRight System was established. This system in Virginia gave 50 free acres of land to new settlers. It gave 100 free acres to settlers who were already there. On top of that, 50 additional acres were added if someone brought others with them. This encouraged entire families and indentured servants to move to Virginia instead of only men. This new land was a great opportunity for those desperate enough to make the perilous journey overseas. -
Although the Atlantic Slave Trade started in the early 1500's, the first slaves to arrive in American colonies was in 1619 in Jamestown. America would soon join the Atlantic Slave Trade and would start depending more on slaves than indentured servants. Sugar was labor intensive and the West Indies had the perfect climate for it. This brought a lot of slaves to Central America and forced North America to produce tobacco instead of sugar. This want for tobacco led to colonists needing more slaves. -
Because of the rush of new English migrants, tensions rose between the English and their neighboring Indians. Opechancanough, the leader, surprised the English settlers with an attack that would kill 1/3 of their current population, 347 Englishmen. Neither side wanted a truce or treaty. The English fought back and put the captured Indians into slavery. This attack led to James I of England to make Virginia a royal colony. This attack started the violent history between the English and Indians. -
The elite of Virginia own most of the land and wealth. William Berkeley, the governor, traded with the local Indians so he didn't want conflict with them. Berkeley took away the voting rights of landless freemen, this angered them. Nathaniel Bacon created an army of yeomen to attack any Indians they saw, which they did. They wanted the Indians gone. When Bacon died, the army dispersed. This rebellion shows that the colonies weren't developed yet. -
During the French and Indian War, Benjamin Franklin came up with the Plan on Union. The colonies are being threatened by the French. Each colony has a strong sense of individualism. No colony wants to fight another colony's war. On their own, however, the colonies won't be able to stand up against the French. Franklin knows this and proposes his Plan of Union. This plan would create one gov't. The colonies refused, but this was the first time that someone tried to unite the colonies. -
After the English won the war, the colonists and the British had very different perspectives on their contribution. The colonists finally saw themselves as equals to the British. They were proud and made lots of sacrifices. The British saw the colonists as cowards because of their ambush strategies. This drove a wedge between the two. Also, Britain was in debt from protecting the colonists and were now going to tax the colonies. This ended salutary neglect and made the colonists mad. -
This act was stated that the British weren't going to build barracks for the troops in the colonies and instead, the colonists were to house the troops themselves. This made the colonists mad and it raised suspicions and tension. The troops didn't have a real reason to stay in the colonies other than to control the colonists. The colonists were starting to suspect this. After years of salutary neglect, the colonists were not used to British involvement and the sudden rules made them angry. -
With tensions already high from the new acts, anger started to set in the colonists when British troops were protecting Customs House (representation of the crown's power). The crowd of angry colonists grew day by day until they started throwing snowballs at the 5 troops. Those troops, told not to engage, opened fire and killed 5 colonists. This split the British and the colonists even more. This massacre was a turning point in the colonists' desire for independence. -
During the middle of the day, riled up drunk men decided to disguise themselves as native americans. These men were known as the Sons of Liberty, the first organized revolutionary group in the colonies. They had had enough with all the new acts and taxes. They went on ships loaded with British tea and dumped $1.8 million dollars worth of tea into the harbor. This was the first major revolutionary act against the British. This pushed King George III off the edge. He felt utterly disrespected. -
In response to the Boston Tea Party, King George III passed the Coercive Acts, a.k.a. the Intolerable Acts. This act closed the port of Boston, outlawed assemblies, and stated that royal officials were to be tried in England. The closing of the Boston port affected everyone there. Boston was a major pro-revolution city. These acts were meant to break Boston and stop the revolution. The British crown still didn't see the colonies as equals and saw these revolutionary ideas as silly defiance. -
Thomas Jefferson was in charge of writing the Declaration of Independence. This document claimed that everyone had natural rights (life, liberty, and happiness), the gov't was created to secure these rights, and that the gov't gets power from the consent of the governed. The DoI changed the way gov't is done around the world. It broke away from the monarchy and went to democracy. Those who signed the DoI were proud but knew they were taking a risk. Signing would be considered an act of treason. -
The Articles of Confederation were the first founding document of the US. They were a reflection of all the fears of the colonists. The document stated that the US was its own country. There is to be no executive, army, or taxing. The states will have all the power, but there will still be a small federal gov't. Instead of having an army, the colonists had small state militias, not a great idea for a new country. No taxes will make it difficult for the gov't to get money. -
The rebellion started when Daniel Shay, a veteran, was in debt and the court was going to take his farmland. He and a mob went from court to court, getting closer and closer to Boston, stopping proceedings that would let banks take farm land. Boston calls the federal gov't for an army to stop the rebellion but there is none. Elite Bostonians made their own army to crush the rebellion. This rebellion exposed all the flaws of the Articles of Confederation and made way for the Constitution. -
After the Articles of Confederation failed, the Constitution and Bill of Rights were discussed. The Federalists favored the Constitution because they wanted a stronger federal gov't. The Anti-Federalists favored the Bill of Rights because they were afraid that a strong gov't would take away their rights. The Connecticut Compromise made two houses to represent the states. The 3/5th Compromise allowed slaves to have 3/5th of a vote. This kept the Anti-Federalists happy. -
Two terms
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Alexander Hamilton, George Washington's Secretary of Treasury, proposed a tax on whiskey. Many southern farmers believed this tax was unfair and rebelled against it. They violently protested against the tax and fired warning shots. President Washington called on troops from surrounding states to help put down the rebellion. This rebellion tested the authority of the federal government. This test showed that they were powerful enough to keep the citizens under control, unlike Shay's Rebellion. -
One term
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Thomas Jefferson was elected president in 1800. He was an Anti-Federalist becoming president after Federalist John Adams. This election is also considered a revolution because it was the first time in world history that power had been exchanged like this. These two men had opposite political views yet power was passed down peacefully. This showed the strength of the federal government and the Constitution. -
The invention of interchangeable parts by Eli Whitney changed the manufacturing world forever. These parts could be used for any object. They made fixing objects way cheaper because instead of replacing the whole thing, you could replace just that one part. This invention allowed manufacturing in large quantities which made the price of goods go down. This made it possible for the common person to get more goods. However, machines started taking people's jobs. -
Two terms
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President John Adams tried to appoint judges between the time of Jefferson's inauguration and taking office. James Madison threw away the letters that would've appointed the judges, one of them being William Marbury. He sues Madison and takes it to the SC. The SC rules that the law for his appointment was unconstitutional and doesn't get the job. This case established judicial review, which was the power to review all laws and declare them unconstitutional. -
During the French Revolution, Napoleon needed money so he decided to sell the entire Louisiana Purchase to Jefferson for $15 million. Jefferson knows this is a great deal but the Constitution doesn't say anything about presidents buying land so he is torn. Jefferson is an Anti-federalist so he strictly follows the Constitution. He ends up buying the land and sending explorers to bring back samples of plants and seeds. This purchase doubles the size of the US. This could make the US bicoastal. -
Great Britain and France are at war again and neither wants America to trade with the other. President Thomas Jefferson didn’t want to pick one country over another but he couldn’t keep trading with both of them because they were interfering with neutral US ships. Jefferson decided to stop trading with both countries with the Embargo Act of 1807. This destroys the American economy, however it encourages growth of domestic factories. This act built up tension between the US and Britain. -
Two terms
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The end of the War of 1812 gave Americans what they wanted for so long, respect from other countries. This war had seemed like the Revolutionary War 2.0. Finally, Britain saw the US as an actual country. This war also boosted Americans' sense of nationalism. Instead of identifying as Virginian or Georgian, they called themselves American. This war boosted morale because the US had defeated the British Empire twice. Also, Native American resistance will be removed from the Ohio River Valley. -
Coming into the War of 1812, the US had many shortcomings. They had a smaller navy, and were poorly trained. Despite the odds, Britain signed the Treaty of Ghent to end the war because Britain had fought war after war and supplies were running out. Before news of this treaty could reach the US, General Andrew Jackson led the Battle of New Orleans. He called anyone and everyone to come help them. He created a fake high ground and told his soldiers to shoot lying down. He became a major war hero. -
Two terms
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The steamboat was powerful enough to go up river. Now, instead of traveling down by boat and going back up by horse, merchants could save time by going by boat down and up river. The cotton gin greatly sped up the process of removing seeds from cotton which made slavery boom in the south. The reaper could replace 20 people on farms with its large blades. The US postal system was very efficient and made other countries envious of it. Morse code was invented and could travel faster than trains. -
Three major candidates are running for the 1824 election, Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson.Jackson has the most votes, but not the majority.The House has to break the vote.Clay drops out because he is a member of the House, but he still has a lot of power to choose the president.Adams and Clay have a private meeting.After, Clay openly votes for Adams.Adams wins and makes Clay his Sec. of State.Jackson calls this the corrupt bargain because they used each other to get more power. -
One term
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After his suspicious election and his beliefs in a strong federal gov't, the south didn't like John Quincy Adams.Adams wanted to be reelected so he created this tariff.It made foreign goods more expensive which made Northern industrial states profit because more people bought American goods.For the agricultural south, however, this didn't help.European countries retaliated by not buying Southern cotton which made their economy suffer.Adams did not reelected because the South didn't vote for him. -
Two terms
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Charles Finney was an abolitionist and supported women’s rights. He was known as the “Father of Old Revivalism” because he was a leader in the 2nd Great Awakening. This awakening made faith the biggest part of someone's identity. It took dry and boring religion and made it exciting again. Finney encouraged women to speak up during his speeches. During the awakening, women were given greater roles because they could influence their family religiously and make them go to church. -
President Andrew Jackson replaced the Tariff of 1828 with the Tariff of 1831 in hopes of making the south less angry. This didn't work and South Carolina nullified the tariff and threatened to secede if forced to pay. Jackson saw seceding as treason and felt slapped in the face for trying to help. Congress passed the Force Bill which allowed Jackson to force SC to pay. This reminded SC of Great Britain. Henry Clay proposed the Compromise Tariff that would reduce tariffs by 10% every year. -
Before the Trail of Tears, the Indian Removal Act was passed which took land away from natives and gave it to Americans.nTwo Supreme Court cases against giving away natives' land were ignored by President Andrew Jackson. Instead, he started the Trail of Tears that forced thousands of natives off their land and out west. 50% of them didn't make it and likely died from malnutrition or the elements. The natives were moving to where there were already natives.This caused conflict between the tribes. -
Texas was unoccupied and unproductive. The Mexican gov't wanted people to occupy the land, so they opened it up for free to everyone. Many Americans came. Mexico closed its border because too many Americans arrived. The Americans didn't like the Mexican policies and wanted independence. They fought against Mexico at the Alamo and lost, but they never surrendered.American newspapers romanticized the Alamo in favor of the Americans that died. This riled up more Americans who now want independence. -
The Second National Bank (SNB) was 80% owned by private stock owners but President Andrew Jackson was to supervise it. He didn't trust banks and believed states should control America's money. He vetoed a bill that would recharter the SNB. He ordered most US funds to be moved into state banks. People could now get loans for land out west, however inflation increased. The Panic of 1837 was caused by the ending of the SNB. Many banks and businesses failed. Unemployment went of 25%. -
One term
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One term
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Died 31 days after inauguration
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One term
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Although gold was discovered in California in early 1848, it took a while for people to make it there to get the gold. During that time, the US now owned California. The Gold Rush attracted a lot of people from all around the world very quickly. However, very little got rich off gold. Many stayed in California and ended up working in factories or on farms. As California's population grew, the more natives got pushed out of their land. This rush encouraged more people to move out west. -
After the Battle at the Alamo, Texas got annexed into America, however the bottom border of Texas was still disputed with Mexico. James K. Polk sent troops down, tensions rise, and fighting breaks out. Mexico and Polk are now at war. Polk takes over Mexico City but doesn't conquer all of Mexico because he doesn't want all its problems. The Treaty is made and it gives America lots of land out west and makes it a bicoastal nation. Some say Polk engineered the war to get that land. -
The Seneca Falls Convention was the first convention that pushed for women's rights. Elizabeth Stanton and Lucrettia Mott wanted to go but were denied access to the floor seats because they were women. They were forced to go to the balcony. People on the balcony had no voice. William Lloyd Garrison, the guest speaker at this convention was nowhere to be found. He was found on the balcony talking with the women. Women and men signed the Declaration of Sentiments which made the movement official. -
Died a little over a year after inauguration
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President Zachary Taylor wanted California to be a free state. Many congressmen said that it wasn't the president's job to decide what states are free. Henry Clay came up with a compromise. It made California free. It abolished slavery in Washington D.C. in hopes that the rest of the country would follow in its capital's steps. The compromise stated that the people of a state would vote if that state is free or not. It made the Fugitive Slave Act that aided in the recapture of runway slaves. -
One term (finished Taylor's term)
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One term
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Kansas wants to join the union as a state. Most people in that state are anti-slavery. Both sides try to attract people that would vote in favor of their beliefs. However, some pro-slavery border ruffians went into Lawrence, Kansas, a major anti-slavery city, with weapons. They take over the court and fill the vote box with pro-slavery votes.Kansas becomes a slave state.The newspaper offices were destroyed and Congress was half pro-slavery so the votes passed.The North was furious.Tensions rise. -
Dred Scott was a slave and his owner moved him to Wisconsin, a free state. Scott sues his owner on the basis that he should be free because he is in a free state. The case Dred Scott v. Sandford goes to the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney says that the blackman has no rights that the white man has to respect. He said that Scott was not free. This makes it legal to have slaves in all states, so no state is actually free. It declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. -
One term
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Before his election, Lincoln was a rising star in the Republican party, however he wasn't as popular as Republican candidate Steven Douglas.Lincoln strategically ends up beating Douglas and becomes president.His primary goal is to keep the country together, his secondary is to abolish slavery.However, the South has an irrational fear that Lincoln can and will get rid of all their slaves.Right after he gets elected, South Carolina secedes and many other states follow. This leads to the Civil War. -
One term and 42 days. Elected for 2nd term but got assassinated 42 days in.
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President Abraham Lincoln wants a railroad connecting both coasts, however, in the midst of a war, the country has very little money for a huge project like this.So, he passes the Pacific Railway Act that will give a certain amount of money per mile of rail laid by two rival companies, Union Pacific and Central Pacific.Lincoln says that if the railroad is not built by 1875, all the money given must be returned.The railroad is completed by 1869.This connects the country and allows for more trade. -
There is a lot of open land out west that is unproductive that President Abraham Lincoln wants to make productive.Land equals opportunity.The Homestead Act gives 160 free acres to ANYONE who will live their, farm it for 5 years, and improve the land.This attracts a lot of people especially since it's open to everyone.This helps move some people from the overcrowded North (because of immigrants) to the west. However, the natives in that land are feeling the pressure of new settlers.Tensions rise. -
The Civil War has started and President Lincoln wants to reunite the states and abolish slavery. He comes up with the Emancipation Proclamation, but he is waiting for a victory to announce it. The proclamation states that if states rejoin the Union, they are allowed to keep their slaves, but if they have to be reconquered, they will NOT be allowed to keep their slaves. It also makes the war about slavery and sends a message to foreign countries to not support the South. -
In the summer of 1864, Governor of Colorado John Evans told natives to move from their land so they could be protected elsewhere. Colonel Chivington and Evans failed to make peace with the natives. Chivington sent hundreds of troops to the native's land and surprised them. Fighting broke out between the two. Over a hundred women, children, and elderly natives died. They were supposed to be protected on their lands. This showed the natives that they weren't being protected by the government. -
The Freedmen's Bureau was established to help black people after the Civil War. This helped with housing, legal work, school funds, food, and medical bills. The bureau pushed forward the Reconstruction era and civil rights.However, since 4 million slaves had just gotten freed, figuring out how to put them in the free-labor system was proving to be difficult and chaotic.On top of that, the bureau had some haters.One of which was President Andrew John who tried to reject the renewal of the bureau. -
The Union is winning battle after battle during the Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee retreats closer and closer to the Confederate capital Richmond, Virginia, believing it was safe. Lee then plans on going to Appomattox to resupply. Union General Ulysses S. Grant splits his army in half and sends one half to Appomattox and tells them to stop at nothing. When Lee arrives at Appomattox, he is surrounded by Union troops and can't resupply. He surrendered on April 9, 1865. -
One term
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The 14th Amendment was passed after the Civil War. Southern states were starting to pass anti-civil rights laws known as the Black Codes, which prompted the government to pass this amendment. It granted citizenship to anyone born in the US, this included former slaves as well. Since all citizens get equal protection under the law, this was a step towards more freedoms for black people. This amendment pushed the Reconstruction forward. -
Natives in the west believed that they had angered their gods because their land was getting taken from them and their animals killed. They thought they were getting punished for assimilating into American culture so they decided to revert back to more traditional ways. The Ghost Dance was created to please the natives' gods and unify the tribes. The US gov't felt threatened by this unity and made this dance illegal. The US gov't used military force to end this movement. -
Two terms
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During Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency, a group of Montana natives didn’t move reservations in time so the US government sent troops to that territory. George Custer didn’t realize that they would be greatly outnumbered by Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and their forces. Custer and his forces were all killed within an hour. This made Americans furious and validated their idea that natives were bloodthirsty. -
The Reconstruction had a gradual ending but was completely over when Rutherford B. Hayes became president and removed troops from the South. Before that, Southern Democratic congressmen were already starting to take over and pass anti-civil rights laws. Furthermore, violent extremist groups like the KKK were gaining traction. There were also many Supreme Court cases, like the Slaughterhouse Cases, that lessened the power of the 14th amendment to protect black people. -
One term
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Six months. Assassinated.
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One term
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In 1881, the Spoils System was still around.Charles Guiteau, a big supporter of President Garfield, made multiple speeches on behalf of the president in order to get a job.However, he gets denied a spot which infuriates him so much that he assassinates Garfield, who dies three months later.President Chester A. Arthur takes over and enacts the Pendleton Act two years later.This act ends the Spoils System and in order to get a federal job, you now have to take a test called the Civil Service Exam. -
Earlier that decade, Irish immigrants came in a big wave to the United States. They were hated at first but were later accepted. Now, in the 1880's, Southern and Eastern Europeans immigrated in a big wave as well. They immigrated because America was the land of opportunity. The new immigrants were hated by the Americans and the old immigrants, the Irish. The new wave didn't speak english and weren't always Christian. This hatred paved the way for corrupt actions, like the political machines. -
First term
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The Dawes Act of 1887 gave 160 acres of land to each native family that would farm that land. However, that land came from native reservations.The natives weren't gaining any new land, they were actually losing it to each other.Americans believed this act would aid the natives economically and speed up assimilation.The gov't saw this as a way to split up the tribes and gain access to natives' land.This was an attack on the natives' cultures and traditions.Many natives took advantage of this act. -
Standard Oil (SO), owned by John D. Rockefeller, was America's largest oil company. In 1889, SO owned 90% of America's refineries. This company grew by monopolizing the oil market, engaging in bribery, and sabotaging others. SO rose due to cheap labor in factories. While SO was at its peak, factory conditions were at their worst. Workers, some children, were paid low wages and had to work in dangerous and dirty conditions. Rockefeller, unlike Andrew Carnegie, didn't try to help the lower class. -
One term
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This party grew largely due to the recent panic of 1893. The economic crisis made high levels of debt, unemployment, and falling farm prices. This party consisted of mostly lower class people like farmers and miners. They were seen as radical by other parties because they were anti-big business, -industry, and - banking.However, they had non-radical beliefs like private voting and direct election of US senators. The party ended in 1898 when they joined forces with Democrats to beat Republicans. -
Second term
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Around the 1890’s a huge wave of Southern and Eastern European immigrants arrived in the US. Bosses like Boss Tweed would wait for their arrival then would talk to them and help them get situated in the US seemingly for free. The bosses got the immigrants homes and jobs because they had connections because employers, politicians, etc. would pay them to make the immigrants vote in favor of their party. This was highly illegal and stopped by the 1910’s. -
One term
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Cuba was a Spanish colony wanting independence.After a broken treaty, a ship explosion, and yellow journalism by William Hearst, the US is now involved in helping Cuba gain freedom in the Spanish-American War. However, Cuba feared that if the US won, they would control them, same with Spain winning.The Teller Amendment states that the US will NOT claim any Cuban land if they win. This incentivized Cuban soldiers to help the US. After four months, thanks to a powerful fleet, the US and Cuba win. -
Muckrakers grew in size mainly due to the growth of the Progressive Era and yellow journalism. They wrote books and articles about social problems that society ignored. Their peak was in the midst of the peak of child labor, big factories, and immigration. They shone a light on the dark spots of America. Jacob Riis photographed poverty, dangerous factories, tenement houses, etc. Ida B. Wells was an investigative journalist who helped found the NAACP. -
McKinley wanted a gold standard to decrease inflation unlike his opponent Williams Jennings Bryant. During the election of 1900, McKinley was backed by bankers and big business. Furthermore, his vice president was to be Theodore Roosevelt. After winning the Spanish-American War, annexing Hawaii, and many other accomplishments, the public re-elected him.. However his second election was cut short due to his assassination. This made Roosevelt president. He was a popular and well liked scholar -
Two terms
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Coal miners aren’t happy with their current wages, vacation days, and working conditions. The company isn’t flexible so they go on strike. This is bad because no coal means no power in cities, homes, or railroads. This would destroy the country. Ores Roosevelt forces the company to negotiate by saying that if they don’t, he will send the US military to mine the coal from their sites. The company negotiated and the workers began working again. His threat was unconstitutional. -
Upton Sinclair, a socialist, wrote the book "The Jungle", which focused on immigrant families, tenement houses, and working conditions. The detailed descriptions of unsanitary meat packing factories disgusted everyone, including President Theodore Roosevelt. He decided to do a surprise inspection at Chicago's Slaughterhouse. After the inspection, he passed the Pure Food and Drug Act, which prohibited the sale of misbranded or adulterated food. This act eventually led to the creation of the FDA. -
One term
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Personally campaigned for by Roosevelt, Pres Taft was very similar to him. He broke up more bad trust and created more national parks than Roosevelt. However, he didn’t want to be TR’s puppet and that made TR feel betrayed. TR created the Bull Moose Party to run against him after the republicans didn’t nominate TR. The party is now split and the Democrats end up winning with Woodrow Wilson. However, TR came in second, beating Taft. -
Taft’s plan was to basically throw money around the world to third world countries and see what grows. He did this to garner favor and build economic ties. He believed that the countries that were economically dependent on the US wouldn’t start wars with them. Some people liked this plan while others criticized that the US already had enough debt and that the gov’t should be spending its money on its citizens. This plan ended because it would incite civil wars in aided countries. -
Automobiles used to be for the rich only; however, after Henry Ford created the assembly line, cars became way cheaper (1/3 price). Since cars were cheaper, more people could buy them and other industries booming thanks to the boom in the car industry. Industries like steel, gasoline, glass, insurance, construction, etc. all grow. Now that people had cars, they could live farther away from their work and the city. This creates the suburbs. The American Dream and consumer culture is created. -
Two terms
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African Americans moved from the south to the north to escape sharecropping. Also, due to WW1, many soldiers were gone, leaving their jobs open to women and AA's. They created enclaves in cities and made large urban black communities. This allowed them to freely spread their culture. However, after the war, the soldiers came back and they wanted their jobs back. Unfortunately for the AA's, the soldiers got their jobs back. This put many black families into poverty, shifted country's demographic. -
At this point, WW1 had been going on for three years but the US hadn't joined. However, during that time German U-boats had been sinking US civilian ships to create a blockade. The US and Germany sign the Sussex Pledge which says Germany won't sink any more US boats. However, they broke that pledge soon after. Also, Germany sent a telegram to Mexico telling them to invade the US. These two events were major reasons as to why the US joined WW1, even though Pres Woodrow Wilson said he wouldn't. -
Shortly after the US joined WW1, the War Industries Board was created. This board determined prices of goods, what to make, how much to make, and the distribution of raw materials to companies. This was a huge power grab and highly unconstitutional because the gov't was completely controlling private businesses. However, as repeated all throughout history, in times of crisis, people don't mind or pay much attention to their rights being taken away. -
Ending WW1, this treaty didn't include all of Wilson's 14 Points. The European Allied Powers were furious and wanted to blame everything on Germany (which the 14 Points didn't do). This treaty significantly reduced Germany's army, air force, navy, etc. Germany had to pay and insane and impossible sum of $33 billion dollars ($865 nowadays). This treaty destroys Germany and sends it into a deep depression which will allow Hitler to rise and start WW2. -
After winning WW1 in the midst of the Roaring Twenties after Russia became communist, everyone was so patriotic that anything slightly unpatriotic was considered communist. Americans had a distrust in immigrants so they passed the Immigration Act of 1924 that significantly limited the amount of immigrants from Eastern European countries. The Palmers Raids were encourage raids that arrested anyone accused of being communist. Some believed workers unions were communist and many were arrested. -
The Harlem Renaissance was powered by the Great Migration. Many black journalists, poets, and authors came around. The black community had their own doctors, carpenters, etc. that didn't discriminate against other black people. This event wasn't only about art but it was also an economic uplift. Jazz and blues became very popular however there were still many segregated clubs. This mainly happened in Harlem, NY but also in Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Chicago. -
This act enforced the 18th Amendment that prohibited the sale and distribution of alcohol. This was passed because many temperance groups used propaganda and protests to prevent alcoholism and its violence. This amendment backfired because people found illegal ways to get alcohol. Huge organized crime groups rose and took control. Al Capone was a famous leader of an organized group. Eventually the law was overturned because of its ineffectiveness and the Great Depression needed its tax money. -
Half a term. Died of a heart attack.
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Two terms (finished first term of Harding)
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Due to the new “consumer culture”, ads, and change in the credit system, everyone wanted to have the newest items to show off, and they could. They would pay part of the price and then pay it off as time goes on. This put LOTS of people into debt to stores. Another new idea was investing in the stock market to retire later. Banks allowed people to “buy on margain”, which ONLY works if the market goes up, so when it went down, people couldn’t resell their stocks and companies don’t get money. -
While everyone was blinded by big city luxury and the Roaring 20’s, the US became a creditor nation and many people are in debt. People were also investing in the stock market which was an economic bubble, when it burst, millions of people lost lots of money. Because of the stock market crash, people got nervous and scared so they started withdrawing their money from banks in events known as bank runs. Banks didn’t have enough money on hand, so people lost their savings and 60% of banks closed. -
One term (very hated, Great Depression)
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The Great Depression for those in the Great Plains started a couple years before the rest of the US. This was the worst ecological disaster of the 20th century. This was caused from over farming of the land with the same crops. There were years of drought; the soil became sandy. The plains are super windy and huge sand storms cover the GPs. People would abandon their farms and go go Cali, they were called Okies. They were treated like unwanted immigrants. After five years the rain came back -
After WW1, veterans were promised a bonus in 1945 to help pay for their retirement. However, during the Depression, they needed that money now, but the gov’t couldn’t afford it. Veterans marched to Washington, DC. The Senate told them to leave but some stayed. Those who stayed congregated in a Hooverville. They would shout at Pres Hoover all the time. He lost his temper and sent military to burn down their Hooverville. Everything the veterans had was now GONE. -
Pres FDR’s goal was to end the Depression and not end up like his predecessor, Herbert Hoover. He believed in Keynesian Economy, which meant he wasn’t afraid to spend money and go into debt. The gov’t taking care of the problem caused a huge change in the relationship between the people and the gov’t. Americans could now look to the gov’t as a saving grace instead of taking it into their own hands. FDR made MANY programs to help people, but in the end, they weren’t that successful financially. -
Four terms! (Great Depression and World War 2)
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After all the new programs of the First New Deal, Pres FDR made even more programs in the Second New Deal, despite getting backlash for the first. One program was the Social Security Act. This program helped pay for Americans’ retirement. This incentivized people to retire so new jobs could open. However, the SND was as effective as the FND, and people didn’t retire because it wasn’t enough money, it was untested, and people weren’t certain about it. -
The right were worried about the rising levels of debt due to FDR’s New Deal, the increasing presidential power, and the expanding role of the federal gov’t. The right believed some parts of FDR’s policies were unconstitutional. The Supreme Court ruled 22 of FDR’s policies unconstitutional. This infuriated him because he saw himself as the savior of the American people. In retaliation, he threatened to add 6 new members, in his favor, to the SC. He backs down but the SC was already scared. -
In the midst of WW2, Americans at home have to ration food and supplies. They also have to work hard to make goods for the soldiers abroad. This meant that there was no time to have a racial war and the most amount of workers was needed. Pres FDR signs Executive Order 8802 which outlaws discriminatory hiring practices in the federal gov’t and any company that accepts gov’t contracts. Black employment more than doubled because of this. This sowed the seeds for the Civil Rights Movement. -
After the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese during WW2, the American people were very fearful and skeptical of the Japanese-Americans (JA) that lived in the US. Congress was pushed to make a law that would move all JA’s out of the west coast, however they didn’t follow through for constitutional and ethical reasons. Unfortunately, Pres FDR signs Executive Order 9066 which moved JA’s, including CITIZENS, to internment camps away from their homes. Many lost their homes, jobs, and businesses. -
After France has fallen and the US joined the war, the US had a plan to get France back. The planning of this event was logistical nightmare. The Allied Powers pretended to set up somewhere else to trick the Germans. The night before, they sent men in parachutes to ambush Germans who planned to burn bridges. 156,000 troops were sent with 5,400 ships and 12,000 aircraft. It took 7 days to get the coast of Normandy back. It took two months to liberate France. -
This bill was giving thanks to the soldiers for their service. It offered free college, lower home loans, and lower business loans. Prior to this, high school was most commonly the highest level of education. Cheaper home loans encouraged the growth of the suburbs. Lower business loans made the American Dream more accessible. Better education meant better jobs which meant a better economy. This bill was one of the reasons why the 1950's were so prosperous. -
Iran was a new country so they had a poor army, but they had discovered lots of oil.During WW2, the Soviets and GB occupied Iran to prevent the Germans from taking over and getting all the oil.When the war is over,GB leaves but the Soviets don't. Everyone demanded that they leave, but the USSR stayed.Pres Truman threatens military action and the USSR leaves. This showed that the USSR only responded to power, not diplomacy. All throughout their other occupied countries, they set up puppet gov'ts. -
The Yalta Conference included leaders from GB, US, and USSR: Churchill, FDR, and Stalin. They discussed the borders of Poland, Russia’s entry into the war against Japan, dismembering Germany, and the New World Organization. By this time, Hitler and Mussolini had fallen, Japan was left. At the Potsdam Conference, the same leaders were there except FDR was replaced by Truman. Germany was decided to be split in two between US and USSR. This partly started the Cold War. -
Since the Cold War's beginning, the US has wanted to keep communism away at all costs. George F Kennan came with the idea of containment which would be a long-term, patient but firm process that would keep communism at bay. This idea became a foreign policy. Kennan's idea stated that if communism wasn't contained, it would spread to neighboring countries and eventually take over the world. This policy went hand in hand with the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall plan in keeping away communism. -
The Truman Doctrine, created by Pres Truman, stated that wherever communism is, the US will destroy it.The Marshall Plan, a different approach to destroying communism, stated that the US will help other countries stay out of poverty and prevent communism from spreading to them.After WW2, countries were in shambles and ripe for communism to grow, however, the aid from the US helped them not fall to communism. The US spent $13 billion fixing the infrastructure and manufacturing of other countries. -
Surrounded by communist East Germany,West Berlin runs into trouble when the USSR doesn't allow any trade to pass through its borders to West Berlin.If Pres Truman steps a foot into USSR territory,it will be seen as an act of war which will cause a nuclear war.To save West Berlin from starving and falling to communism,the US initiates Operation Vittles.This operation supplies West Berlin through DAILY parachute droppings from US planes.This makes Stalin furious.A year later he lifts the blockade. -
This committee was created during the Cold War to investigate certain jobs and people and see if they were communist. They specifically investigated influential postions like teachers, media outlets, gov’t officials/politicians. These investigations were often public, some were even televised. They publicly threw suspicions on people which was enough for society to ostracize them. McCarthyism was the main fuel for committees like this one, which lasted for 1950-1955. -
After the Japanese left Korea after WW2, the US took control of Southern Korea and USSR Northern Korea. In 1950, the USSR launched a surprise invasion.US troops started taking over Northern Korea after a good battle, however,China sent troops which pushed the US back south.After three years of war and milions of deaths, an armistice was signed,but South Korea never signed a peace treaty.This technicaly means the war is not over and the two countries have an aggressive border at the 38th paralel. -
In the midst of the Civil Rights movement, a Supreme Court case would change the future of education forever. Linda Brown, a young girl, had to walk to school and use outdated textbooks, while white kids had buses and new textbooks. This showed that education was separate, but NOT equal.This case, fought for by Thurgood Marshall, overturned Plessy v. Ferguson's idea of "separate but equal".However, no timeline was ever made for the integration of schools.This would lead to many future problems. -
The organizers of this planned boycott chose a middle-aged,nonintimidating black woman,Rosa Parks,to lead the boycott. 75% of the Montgomery bus's customers were black.When Rosa Parks got arrested for sitting in the white only part of the bus,40,000 black people stopped taking that bus.After a year of the company losing money and thousands of black people walking everywhere, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional.This was a major win for the Civil Rights movement. -
During WW2, many women had to join the workforce to fill in the spots the men left. This made them gain a new found confidence because they realized they could do a "man's job". After the soldiers came back, many women left the workforce, but some stayed. Not only did the roles of women change, but so did the youth and people's views on sexuality. The rebellious youth explored drugs, sex, music, and poetry.Dr. Kinsey released documents showing many reports of premarital sex and deviant behavior. -
During the Cold War, the US spied on Russia. They used technologically advanced, high-speed planes that had self-destruct buttons for if they were ever caught by the Russians to make sure the Russians didn't reverse engineer the plane. One pilot was Gary Powers; he got gunned down by the Russians. However, he didn't follow the self-destruct procedure for himself or plane. The Russians got hold of the plane and Powers. He was eventually returned to the US, but was now hated by every American. -
The USSR wanted Cuba to be communist because ICBMs were discovered.They could launch those missiles with ease into the US.Russia supplied communist, guerillas fighters in Cuba to take over the gov't, which they did successfully.Fidel Castro became the leader of communist Cuba; many Cubans fled the country to the US.The US saw this and decided to train Cuban soldiers to take back the gov't. This plan failed because when the Cubans were sent back, no US soldiers back them up and it was a massacre. -
Northerners during the civil rights movement helped by driving down south and testing businesses near the interstates because those businesses had to serve black people under federal law. One group went to Birmingham, Alabama where the PSC, Eugene Connor, gave them 15 minutes to test the businesses. However, upon their arrival, a white mob set their bus on fire and beat up the freedom riders. When the police arrived, only the riders were left. This showed how unwilling to change the south was. -
Tired of the racism preventing them from voting, 600 people in Selma, Alabama decided to march to Montgomery.They got to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but on the other side was police that terrorized them and sent them back, twice. On attempt 3, 25,000 people marched, 2,000 of which were national troops. They reached the capital and said speeches. This prompted Congress to make the Voting Rights Act that stops all discrimination around voting and states will lose their representation otherwise. -
During the Vietnam War, the US came to help South Vietnam not get defeated by communist North Vietnam. This massacre was the wiping of the an entire Vietnamese village by US soldiers. This happened because Medina found out that a group of civilians was slowing down a platoon of soldiers, so he told Calley to "get rid of them". The gov't tried to cover it up but the pictures were already released. The American people were disgusted and didn't welcome the soldiers back home. LBJ didn't run again. -
A group of republicans broke into a Democratic room at the Watergate hotel to record their plans on the election. Pres Nixon wasn't involved in the crime, but he tried to cover it up and his methods got him impeached. He tried hiding recordings, but eventually was forced to turn them over. This scandal damaged American's trust in politicians and the political system. After resigning, Pres Ford took over Nixon's seat. Ford pardoned Nixon so that they could move on but the public didn't approve. -
This crisis happened because Arab oil companies (OPEC) raised their prices. The Arabs raised their prices because they had recently a war to Israel and Pres Carter was helping them settle a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. The US started running out of fuel for homes and electricity. Carter acted quickly but his policies weren't that effective because he had a bad relationship with Congress. The crisis eventually ended the Arabs lowered their prices again. -
Lebanon had captured US citizens and the US wanted them back.Under the Reagan administration, US guns were sold to Iran because they would help the US get their people back by negotiating with Lebanon. Since this trade was illegal,the US govt couldn't report its profits so they gave it to Nicaraguan contras to take over the communist govt.This was also illegal. Some accuse Reagan, others don't,but no one really throws a fit over getting this people back and less communism.Theres a lack of proof. -
Pres Reagan realizes that the USSR is spending the same amount of money as the US on military for the Cold War. When the US spends more, so does the USSR. Reagan starts spending an insane amount of money on military because he knows the USSR won't be able to keep up because of their inferior system: communism. The USSR tries to keep up but their people revolt because they are in poverty. Eventually, this overspending became one of the causes of the collapse of the USSR, thus ending the Cold War.