Cover photo

US History 1887-1989

By a.bell
  • 1887 - Dawes Severalty Act

    1887 - Dawes Severalty Act

    denies tribal rights, advances forced assimilation, opens lands to whites (Pres. Grover Cleveland)
  • 1890 – Sherman Antitrust Act

    1890 – Sherman Antitrust Act

    outlaws monopolies, price-fixing, other trade restraints (Pres. Benjamin Harrison)
  • 1891 - Populist Party

    1891 - Populist Party

    formed specifically to give farmers a voice in government (Pres. Benjamin Harrison)
  • 1896 - Plessy vs. Ferguson

    1896 - Plessy vs. Ferguson

    'Separate but Equal' is constitutional (overturned by Brown vs. Board of Education) (Pres. Grover Cleveland)
  • 1898 - Spanish-American War

    1898 - Spanish-American War

    Teddy Roosevelt leads Rough Riders, U.S. crushes Spain's Navy (Pres. William McKinley)
  • 1898 - Treaty of Paris

    1898 - Treaty of Paris

    ends the Spanish-American War (Pres. William McKinley)
  • 1901 – President McKinley assassinated

    1901 – President McKinley assassinated

    President McKinley assassinated by American anarchist Leon Czolgosz, Teddy Roosevelt now 26th President
  • 1904 – Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine

    1904 – Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine

    increases U.S. presence in Latin America (Pres.Theodore Roosevelt)
  • 1906 – Panama Canal

    1906 – Panama Canal

    connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (opens in 1914) (Pres.Theodore Roosevelt)
  • 1908 - Henry Ford introduces the Model T car

    1908 - Henry Ford introduces the Model T car

    assembly lines introduced (Pres.Theodore Roosevelt)
  • 1913 - 16th & 17th Amendments

    1913 - 16th & 17th Amendments

    16th-establishment of income tax (Pres. William Howard Taft), 17th-direct election of senators (Pres. Woodrow Wilson)
  • 1914 - World War I begins in Europe

    1914 - World War I begins in Europe

    war begins in Europe (Pres. Woodrow Wilson)
  • 1915 - German U-Boat sinks British passenger liner Lusitania, Americans killed on board

    1915 - German U-Boat sinks British passenger liner Lusitania, Americans killed on board

    turned international opinion against Germany (Pres. Woodrow Wilson)
  • 1917 - Zimmerman Telegram

    1917 - Zimmerman Telegram

    intercepted by British, asks for Germany/Mexico alliance against U.S.; US. Enters WWI (Pres. Woodrow Wilson)
  • 1917 - Selective Service Act

    1917 - Selective Service Act

    establishes the draft system in the United States (Pres. Woodrow Wilson)
  • 1918 - Fourteen Points

    1918 - Fourteen Points

    draft of peace negotiations by Woodrow Wilson, 14th pt most important - calls for League of Nations (Pres. Woodrow Wilson)
  • 1919 - 18th Amendment-Prohibition

    1919 - 18th Amendment-Prohibition

    outlaws purchase, sale, and transport of alcohol (Pres. Woodrow Wilson)
  • 1919 - Treaty of Versailles

    1919 - Treaty of Versailles

    ends WWI; calls for heavy reparations on Germany, disarmament, and creation of League of Nations; U.S. Senate rejects it (Pres. Woodrow Wilson)
  • 1920 - 19th Amendment

    1920 - 19th Amendment

    women's suffrage (white women gain the right to vote) (Pres. Woodrow Wilson)
  • 1924 - Teapot Dome Scandal

    1924 - Teapot Dome Scandal

    exposes massive corruption in Harding Administration (Pres. Warren Harding)
  • 1929 - Stock Market Crash

    1929 - Stock Market Crash

    'Black Tuesday' - launches Great Depression (Pres. Herbert Hoover)
  • 1932 – Bonus Army

    1932 – Bonus Army

    (WWI vets) march on Washington demanding compensation - forced out (Pres. Herbert Hoover)
  • 1932- Franklin Delano Roosevelt elected President

    1932- Franklin Delano Roosevelt elected President

  • 1933- U.S. unemployment rate reaches 25%

    1933- U.S. unemployment rate reaches 25%

    FDR claims Bank Holiday to fix banks (Pres. FDR)
  • 1933- Fireside Chats

    1933- Fireside Chats

    FDR address public on radio - continues to 1944 - gives public hope (Pres. FDR)
  • 1933 - 20th Amendment

    1933 - 20th Amendment

    shifts presidential inaugurations from March to January (Pres. FDR)
  • 1933 - 21st Amendment

    1933 - 21st Amendment

    21st Amendment -repeals 18th amendment (prohibition) (Pres. FDR)
  • 1935- Social Security Act

    1935- Social Security Act

    establishes funds for unemployed and elderly; part of FDR's "New Deal" program (Pres. FDR)
  • WWII begins

    WWII begins

    Germany (led by Adolf Hitler) invades Poland; WWII begins (Pres. FDR)
  • 1940 - FDR re-elected

    1940 - FDR re-elected

    FDR elected for unprecedented 3rd Term
  • 1940 - Lend-Lease Act

    1940 - Lend-Lease Act

    provides U.S. loan aid to Britain, USSR & allied powers (Pres. FDR)
  • Pearl Harbor Bombing

    Pearl Harbor Bombing

    Japan bombs Pearl Harbor - U.S. enters the War (Pres. FDR)
  • 1942 - Executive Order 9066

    1942 - Executive Order 9066

    Internment of Japanese Americans - imprisonment of Japanese in California (Pres. FDR)
  • 1942 - Manhattan Project

    1942 - Manhattan Project

    creation of the Atomic Bomb (Pres. FDR)
  • 1942- Battle of Midway

    1942- Battle of Midway

    U.S. defeats Japan, seen as turning point in the war in the Pacific (Pres. FDR)
  • 1944 - D-Day

    1944 - D-Day

    Allies invade Normandy, France (largest land/sea invasion) (Pres. FDR)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wg5x5WaZPo
  • 1945 – Allies liberate Nazi concentration camps in Eastern Europe

    1945 – Allies liberate Nazi concentration camps in Eastern Europe

    (Pres. FDR)
  • 1945- FDR dies

    1945- FDR dies

    Harry Truman becomes President; Adolf Hitler commits suicide
  • 1945 – Germany surrenders on V-E-DAY (victory in Europe day)

    1945 – Germany surrenders on V-E-DAY (victory in Europe day)

    (Pres. Truman)
  • 1945 - U.S. drops atomic bombs on Japan

    1945 - U.S. drops atomic bombs on Japan

    Hiroshima (Aug. 6) and Nagasaki (Aug 9) - Japan surrenders (Pres. Harry Truman)
  • 1945 - Nuremberg Trials - prosecute Nazi war criminals

    1945 - Nuremberg Trials - prosecute Nazi war criminals

    (Pres. Truman)
  • 1947 – Truman Doctrine

    1947 – Truman Doctrine

    U.S. intent to fight Communism by helping free nations resist it. (Pres. Harry Truman)
  • 1947 - Marshal Plan

    1947 - Marshal Plan

    postwar economic recovery to help Western Europe; largest relief aid given by the U.S. in U.S. history (Pres. Truman)
  • 1948- Berlin Blockade

    1948- Berlin Blockade

    USSR blocks all aid into West Berlin; Berlin Airlift-U.S. drops food and supplies by air to West Berlin (Pres. Truman)
  • 1948 - Harry Truman orders desegregation of military

    1948 - Harry Truman orders desegregation of military

    (Pres. Truman)
  • 1949 - NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) created

    1949 - NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) created

    alliance system of 26 countries in North America and Europe (Pres. Truman)
  • 1950 - McCarthyism

    1950 - McCarthyism

    Joseph McCarthy begins rabid anti-communist campaign; hurt when he accuses military of having communists; alcoholic (Pres. Truman)
  • 1950 - Korean war begins

    1950 - Korean war begins

    U.S. aids South Korea against North Korea; Peace Treaty in 1953 (Pres. Truman)
  • 1954 - Brown vs. Board of Education

    1954 - Brown vs. Board of Education

    overturns Plessy vs. Ferguson; says separate but equal is unconstitutional (Pres. Eisenhower)
  • 1955 - Rosa Parks arrested for not giving up seat on bus to whites

    1955 - Rosa Parks arrested for not giving up seat on bus to whites

    sparks Montgomery Bus Boycott (Pres. Eisenhower)
  • 1955 - Jonas Salk-creates polio vaccine

    1955 - Jonas Salk-creates polio vaccine

    (Pres. Eisenhower)
  • 1957 - USSR launches first satellite in space -- Sputnik

    1957 - USSR launches first satellite in space -- Sputnik

    (Pres. Eisenhower)
  • 1962- Cuban Missile Crisis

    1962- Cuban Missile Crisis

    standoff b/n U.S. and USSR after Soviets placed missiles in Cuba pointed at the United States; no fighting incurs (Pres. JFK)
  • 1963 – "I have a dream” speech given by MLK - speech for civil rights

    1963 – "I have a dream” speech given by MLK - speech for civil rights

    (Pres. JFK)
  • 1963 – Lee Harvey Oswald assassinates JFK in Dallas, TX

    1963 – Lee Harvey Oswald assassinates JFK in Dallas, TX

  • 1964 - Civil Rights Act of 1964

    1964 - Civil Rights Act of 1964

    bans discrimination in education, employment, & public places (Pres. LBJ)
  • 1964 – Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

    1964 – Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

    broadens LBJ's military powers in Vietnam - no declare war (Pres. LBJ)
  • 1966 - Miranda vs. Arizona- police must read suspects their rights

    1966 - Miranda vs. Arizona- police must read suspects their rights

    (Pres. LBJ)
  • 1968 – Tet Offensive

    1968 – Tet Offensive

    Tet Offensive launched by North Vietnamese Army-turning point of U.S. in Vietnam (Pres. LBJ)
  • 1968 – James Earl Ray assassinated MLK, Jr.

    1968 – James Earl Ray assassinated MLK, Jr.

    hurts Civil Rights movement (Pres. LBJ)
  • 1969 - My Lai Massacre

    1969 - My Lai Massacre

    U.S. soldiers kill 200 innocent men, women, and children (Pres. Nixon)
  • 1969 - Apollo 11 lands on the moon

    1969 - Apollo 11 lands on the moon

    Neil Armstrong first to walk on moon (Pres. Nixon)
  • 1971 - Pentagon Papers

    1971 - Pentagon Papers

    7,000 page document outlining U.S. government plan in Vietnam; shows gov't was not telling the truth to the public. (Pres. Nixon)
  • 1972 - Watergate Scandal

    1972 - Watergate Scandal

    Nixon authorizes break-in and wiretapping of Democratic National Committee headquarters in Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. (Pres. Nixon)
  • 1973 - U.S. withdraws from Vietnam

    1973 - U.S. withdraws from Vietnam

    North Vietnam overtakes South after departure (Pres. Nixon)
  • 1974 - President Richard Nixon resigns

    1974 - President Richard Nixon resigns

    President Richard Nixon resigns to avoid impeachment; Gerald Ford President - pardons Nixon; Ford is only President never voted into office.
  • 1978 - Camp David Accords

    1978 - Camp David Accords

    Carter negotiates peace between Egypt and Israel (Pres. Jimmy Carter)
  • 1980 - Ronald Reagan elected 40th President

    1980 - Ronald Reagan elected 40th President

  • 1988-Osama Bin Laden founds Islamist group Al Qaeda

    1988-Osama Bin Laden founds Islamist group Al Qaeda

    (Pres. Ronald Reagan)
  • 1989 - Berlin Wall falls

    1989 - Berlin Wall falls

    Reagan feels its U.S.'s greatest accomplishment of the era (Pres. Ronald Reagan)
  • 2001 - US enters Afghanistan

    2001 - US enters Afghanistan

    targeted bin Laden's al-Qaeda fighters and the Taliban (Pres. George Bush)
  • 9-11 attack

    9-11 attack

    (Pres. George W Bush

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