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Birth of Leafy
p.16 -
Battle of Chickamauga
Most significant Union defeat of the Civil War.
"Marse Robert's son son had done been kilt at Chickamauga … yo' mama was but a week old." (Nanny, p.16)
https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War -
Capture of Savannah
General Sherman's March to the Sea ends with the capture of Savannah. Nanny returns from hiding in the swamp.
"The men was all in blue, and Ah heard people say Sherman was comin' to meet de boats in Savannah, and all of us slaves were free." (Nanny, p.18)
https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War -
End of Civil War
General Lee surrenders the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse one week after the fall of the Confederate capital of Richmond, ending the Civil War.
"But it was a long time after dat befo' de Big Surrender at Richmond. Den de big bell ring in Atlanta and all de men in grey uniforms had to go to Moultrie and bury their swords in de ground to show they was never to fight about slavery no mo'. So den we knowed we was free." (Nanny, p.19)
https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War -
Period: to
Reconstruction
Period of close federal oversight by the North towards the South. Led to establishment of public school system for both blacks and whites, among other things.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Reconstruction-United-States-history -
Period: to
Jim Crow Era
Era in which strict legally enforced racism is standard, especially in the South.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Jim-Crow-law -
Period: to
Leafy is Raped
"Dat school teacher had done hid her in de woods all night long, and he had done raped mah baby and run on off just before day. She was only seventeen, and somethin' lak dat to happen!" (Nanny, p.19) -
Period: to
Janie is Born
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First Rabies Vaccine Introduced
Successfully used on nine-year-old Joseph Meister, who had been mauled by a rabid dog. Developed by Louis Pasteur and Émile Roux. Before antibiotics rabies had a 100% mortality rate without immediate treatment.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Pasteur/Vaccine-development#ref365160 -
Period: to
Janie Discovers She is Black
"Ah was wid dem white chillun so much till Ah didn't know Ah wuzn't white till Ah was round six years old." (Janie, p.8) -
Zora Neale Hurston is Born
Born in Alabama - moved to Eatonville when she was three.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zora-Neale-Hurston -
Period: to
Pear Tree & Marriage to Logan
When Janie kisses Johnny Taylor and learns she is to be married.
"Oh to be a pear tree - any tree in bloom! With kissing bees singing of the beginning of the world! She was sixteen. She had glossy leaves and bursting buds and wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her." (Narrator, p.11) -
Period: to
Spanish-American War
Fought by many blacks - seen as an opportunity to gain prestige. Also draws many veterans to settle in Florida.
https://www.floridamemory.com/exhibits/timeline/ -
Period: to
Nanny Dies
"A month later she was dead." (Narrator, p. 24) -
Period: to
Janie Leaves With Jody
p. 32, after about a year with Logan. -
Everglades Drainage
Florida begins to drain parts of the Everglades to increase available farmland.
https://www.floridamemory.com/exhibits/timeline/ -
Period: to
World War I
Although not mentioned in the book, World War I is a major world event that launching America into the consumerism and wealth of the Roaring Twenties. Florida was also used as a training center, especially for aviators, because the weather permitted year-round activity.
https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I -
Period: to
The Roarin' Twenties
Era of mass consumerism and market growth following World War I.
https://hoover.archives.gov/exhibits/Hooverstory/gallery03/ -
Period: to
Prohibition Era
Era in which the 18th Amendment was in place.
"After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all the territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited." (18th Amendment, Section 1)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Prohibition-United-States-history-1920-1933 -
Ratification of 19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment grants women the right to vote.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nineteenth-Amendment -
Period: to
Incident at the Store
"Yeah, Ah'm nearly forty and you'se already fifty. How come you can't talk about dat sometimes instead of always pointin' at me?" (Jannie, p. 79) -
Period: to
Jody Dies
"Come heah people! Jody is dead. Mah husband is gone from me." (Jannie, p.87) -
Period: to
Janie Meets Tea Cake
"De name mah mama gimme is Vergible Woods. Dey calls me Tea Cake for short." (Tea Cake, p. 97) -
Period: to
Jannie Marries Tea Cake
"And there was Tea Cake in the big old station in a new blue suit and straw hat, hauling her off to a preacher's house first thing." (Narrator, p. 117) -
Period: to
Janie and Tea Cake Move to the Everglades
"Oh down in de Everglades round Clewiston and Belle Glade where dey raise all dat cane and string-beans and tomatuhs. Folks don’t do nothin’ down dere but make money and fun and foolishness. We must go dere." (Tea Cake, p. 128) -
Okeechobee Hurricane
According to Wikipedia: "one of the deadliest tropical cyclones in the recorded history of the North Atlantic … [it] made landfall near West Palm Beach … more than 1,711 homes were destroyed … impact was severest around Lake Okeechobee. [It] caused water to pour out of the southern edge of the lake, flooding hundreds of square miles as high as 20 feet … at least 2,500 people drowned, damage was estimated at $25 million."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1928_Okeechobee_hurricane -
Tea Cake Falls Ill
"So Tea Cake made three hearty weeks … About the middle of the fourth week Tea Cake came home early one afternoon complaining of his head." (Narrator, p. 173) -
Tea Cake Dies
"Tea Cake crumpled as his bullet buried itself in the joist over Janie's head." (Narrator, p. 184) -
Janie Returns to Eatonville
"They had begged Janie stay on with them and she had stayed a few weeks to keep them from feeling bad. But the muck meant Tea Cake and Tea Cake wasn’t there." (Narrator, p. 191)
<Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York :Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006. Print.> -
Black Tuesday
The worst market crash in US history, marks the beginning of the Great Depression.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Tuesday
