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1st President
George Washington Elected President -
Judiciary Act of 1789
Established the Supreme Court -
French Revolution
Federalists oppose it, Anti-Federalists support (U.S. Neutral) -
Rhode Island
Rhode Island becomes 9th state to officially ratify the Constitution -
Bank of the United States
Alexander Hamilton creates Bank of the United States - opposed by Jefferson -
Fugitive Slave Act
illegal act to help slaves escape -
Proclamation of American Neutrality
Proclamation of American Neutrality by George Washington to keep America neutral after France declares war on Britain, Spain, and Holland -
Whiskey Rebellion
1st time U.S. Government uses Federal troops to subdue domestic issues. Farmers did not like new excise taxes. -
Treaty of Greenville
U.S. cheaply pays 12 Native American tribes for Ohio territory -
First contested Presidential Election
John Adams (Federalist) defeats Thomas Jefferson (Republican) in first contested Presidential Election; Jefferson becomes Vice President -
XYZ Affair
French try to extort U.S. for diplomatic meetings – public wants war -
Alien & Sedition Acts
Expanded Government power, limit dissent and weakening of Gov’t, ruled unconstitutional -
Kentucky & Virginia Resolutions
increase state rights over Federal rights, written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison -
2nd Great Awakening
Major religious reform movement; helps increase abolition -
Jefferson defeats Adams
Thomas Jefferson defeats John Adams (controversy); Aaron Burr is VP -
capital moves to Washington, D.C.
Alexander Hamilton suggests U.S. capital moves to Washington, D.C. this helped gain Southern support for Hamilton’s economics) -
1801
John Marshall becomes first chief justice of the Supreme Court -Judiciary Act/Midnight Judges – Adams attempt to secure the Federalist party days before he is to leave office by appointing Federalists into office
Westward Expansion and Strained Neutrality (1803-1811) -
Marbury vs. Madison
Establishes Judicial Review -
Louisana Purchase
Not known to Jefferson if it was constitutional to annex land, Congress approves purchase from France, doubles the size of U.S. -
Embargo Act
Placed by Jefferson on Britain/France; fails – hurts U.S. economy -
James Madison
James Madison was elected President -
Union of Native Americans
Tecumseh establishes Union of Native Americans to resist westward movement of U.S. -
Battle of Tippecanoe
William Henry Harrison leads attack on Tecumseh at Battle of Tippecanoe. He wins War of 1812 (1812-1815) -
Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad provides Northern escape for slaves -
5th President
James Monroe elected 5th President and was reelected in 1820 -
Erie Canal
Erie Canal construction begins to connect Great Lakes to Atlantic Ocean -
McCulloch vs. Maryland
McCulloch vs. Maryland ruling confirms Congresses’ right to found the 2nd
Bank of the United States -
Spain cedes Florida to the U.S.
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Missouri Compromise
it sets dividing line between free and slaves states at
latitude 36’30’ o Above line (free), Below line (slave) -
First U.S. Settlement
Stephen F. Austin establishes first U.S. Settlement in Texas -
Monroe Doctrine
claims western hemisphere closed to European intervention (first major U.S. foreign diplomacy) -
Gibbons vs. Ogden
establishes federal control of interstate commerce -
Jefferson and Adams Death
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die on same day (50th anniversary of Dec. of Independence) -
7thPresident
Andrew Jackson elected 7thPresident -
Legal segregation
First Jim Crow Laws established legal segregation -
Manifest Destiny
U.S. destiny and duty to expand and conquer the west -
Emancipation
William Lloyd Garrison – wants immediate emancipation -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
ends Mexican War, Mexico cedes Texas and all land north of the Rio Grande to U.S. Creates modern border of the U.S. with
Gadsden Purchase -
Compromise of 1850
North gets California as free states, ban of sale of slaves in D.C.
South gets stricter enforcement of Fugitive Slave Act, $10 mil to Texas -
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
By Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Repeals Missouri Compromise, popular sovereignty to determine slave/free states -
“Bleeding Kansas”
John Brown leads antislavery massacre at Pottawatomie Creek, fight over slavery in Kansas -
Dred Scott vs. Sanford
Ruling effectively nullifies Missouri Compromise, declares that slaves are property – cannot sue. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Stephen Douglas wins Illinois Senate seat. Lincoln a household name -
Harper’s Ferry
John Brown leads attack on arsenal at Harper’s Ferry; later captured and hanged -
16th President / Civil War
Abraham Lincoln elected 16th President; South Carolina secedes the Union = Civil War -
Confederate States
Confederate States formed , Jefferson Davis – 1st and only President -
Fort Sumter
(S.C.) – confederates attack Union – war starts -
Homestead Act
Homestead Act– 160 acres to each farmer willing to cultivate land in West -
Battle of Antietam
bloodiest battle of the Civil War -
Battle of Gettysburg
turning point of Civil War; South never recovers -
Emancipation Proclamation
frees slaves in only Confederate states; foreign diplomacy! -
William Sherman
‘March to Sea’ – Atlanta to Savannah – destroys everything! -
13th Amendment
abolishes slavery -
Gen. Robert E. Lee
Gen. Robert E. Lee (confederacy) surrenders at Appomattox Court House to Union Gen. Ulysses Grant -
Assassination
Abraham Lincoln assassinated by John Wilkes Booth; Andrew Johnson now President
Reconstruction (1865-1877) -
Black Codes
South establishes Black Codes– limits rights of freed blacks -
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Grants citizenship to all people born in U.S. (14th
Amendment) -
Tenure of Office Act
Used to impeach Andrew Johnson (said he had violated it) -
Alaska
U.S. purchase Alaska from Russia (becomes 49th state in 1959) -
Transcontinental Railroad
connects the coasts of the United States; greatest transportation achievement -
15th Amendment
Grants protection of voting rights to black males -
Hiram Revels
first black senator – Mississippi -
William “Boss” Tweed
greatest example of a political machine (NYC) -
Slaughter House Cases
Authority of state governments over individuals -
Whiskey Ring Scandal
Corruption in Grants administration & Republican party -
Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse
Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse lead Sioux to crushing victory of General George Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn -
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone -
Susan B. Anthony
Gets women’s suffrage vote to Congress – leads to 19th Amendment -
Electric light
Thomas Edison creates the electric light -
Garfield
President James Garfield assassinated -
Booker T. Washington
Gradual approach to equal rights – prove yourself W.E.B Dubois – changes in civil rights now; founds the NAACP -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Bans Chinese immigration for 10 years -
John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller – Standard Oil Trust; Andrew Carnegie – Steel -
Dawes Severalty Act
Denies tribal rights, advances forced assimilation, opens lands to whites -
Sherman Antitrust Act
Outlaws monopolies, price-fixing, other trade restraints -
Wounded Knee
Federal forces massacre 200 Sioux Indians -
Populist Party
Formed specifically to give farmers a voice in government -
Yellow Journalism
journalism that features unethical or unprofessional practices by news media
organizations or individual journalists. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
‘Separate but Equal’ is constitutional (overturned by Brown vs. Board of Education) -
Grandfather Clause
Voting rights of blacks challenged with literacy tests and poll taxes -
Spanish-American War
Teddy Roosevelt leads Rough Riders, U.S. crushes Spain’s Navy -
Treat of Paris
ends the Spanish-American War -
Open Door Policy
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President McKinley assassinated
President McKinley assassinated, Teddy Roosevelt now 26th President -
Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine
increases U.S. presence in Latin America -
Muckraker
writers who expose big business corruption -
Pure Food and Drug Act, Meat Inspection
set food quality standards -
Panama Canal
connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (opens in 1914) -
Henry Ford
introduces the Model T car, assembly lines introduced -
16th Amendment
establishment of income tax , 17th Amend.– direct election of senators -
Europe
World War I begins in Europe -
U-Boa
German U-Boat sinks British passenger liner Lusitania, Americans killed on board -
Germany unrestricted submarine
Germany continues unrestricted submarine warfare – gets warning from U.S. -
Zimmerman Telegram
intercepted by British, asks for Germany/Mexico alliance against U.S.;
US. Enters WWI -
Selective Service Act
establishes the draft -
Fourteen Points
by Woodrow Wilson, 14th pt most important – calls for League of Nations -
Treaty of Versailles
ends WWI; calls for heavy reparations on Germany, disarmament, and creation of League of Nations; U.S. Senate rejects it -
18th Amendment
outlaws purchase, sale, and transport of alcohol -
19th Amendment
women’s suffrage (right to vote) -
Teapot Dome Scandal
exposes massive corruption in Harding Administration -
Dawes Plan
ease war reparations on Germany -
Scopes Monkey Trial
popularizes debate over teaching evolution in schools – outlawed -
Charles Lindbergh
completes world’s first solo flight across Atlantic – seen as a hero -
Sacco and Vanzetti
executed for murder; controversial because the were anarchists, politically
motivated and unjustified -
Stock Market Crash
‘Black Tuesday’ – launches Great Depression Great Depression and New Deal (1930-1939) -
Bonus Army
(WWI vets) march on Washington demanding compensation – forced out -
Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt elected President -
Unemployment
U.S. unemployment rate reaches 25%, FDR claims Bank Holiday to fix banks -
Fireside Chats
FDR address public on radio – continues to 1944 – gives public hope -
1st 100 Days
creation of countless jobs, most productive of any president’s 1st 100 days -
Unemployment Relief Act
Unemployment Relief Act and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to employ public works -
20th Amendment
shifts presidential inaugurations from March to January -
21st Amendment
repeals 18th amendment (prohibition) -
Huey Long
criticizes FDR, “Share Our Wealth” proposes large tax burden on wealthy -
Wagner Act
supports union rights, protects collective bargaining -
Social Security Act
establishes funds for unemployed and elderly -
Atlantic Charter
agreement b/n U.S President FDR and Britain Prime Minister Churchill -
FDR
FDR elected for unprecedented 3rd Term -
Lend-Lease Ac
provides U.S. loan aid to Britain, USSR & allied powers -
Propaganda
motivate U.S. citizens to support war efforts -
Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941 – Japan bombs Pearl Harbor – U.S. enters the War -
Battle of Midway
U.S. defeats Japan, seen as turning point in the war in the Pacific -
Interment of Japanese Americans
imprisonment of Japanese in California -
Manhattan Project
creation of the Atomic Bomb -
Normandy
Allies invade Normandy, France on D-DAY, June 6, 1944 (largest land/sea invasion) -
Battle of the Bulge
begins to break down Axis position on western front -
Liberations
Allies liberate Nazi concentration camps in Eastern Europe -
FDR, Truman, Hitler
FDR dies, Harry Truman becomes President; Adolf Hitler commits suicide -
V-E-DAY
Germany surrenders on V-E-DAY(victory in Europe day) -
Hiroshima & Nagasaki
U.S. drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima (Aug. 6) and Nagasaki (Aug 9) – Japan surrenders -
Founding Nations
United Nations created with 51 founding nations -
Nuremberg Trials
Prosecute Nazi war criminals Baby Boom, Economic Prosperity, and the Cold War (1946-1960) -
“Iron Curtain”
describes division of Communist Eastern Europe from Western Europe -
Truman Doctrine
U.S. intent to fight Communism by helping free nations resist it. -
Marshal Plan
Postwar economic recovery to help Western Europe; largest relief aid given by the U.S. in U.S. history -
Berlin Blockade
USSR blocks all aid into West Berlin; Berlin Airlift – U.S. drops food and supplies by air to West Berlin -
Desegregation of military
Harry Truman orders desegregation of military -
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created – alliance system of 26 countries in North America and Europe -
Joseph McCarthy
begins rabid anti-communist campaign; hurt when he accuses military of having communists; alcoholic -
Korean war
Korean war begins ; U.S. aids South Korea against North Korea; Peace Treaty in 1953 -
Communist Fear in U.S
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed for espionage;
Alger Hiss convicted of perjury – 1991 Soviet documents confirm their guilt! -
Brown vs. Board of Education
overturns Plessy vs. Ferguson; says separate but equal is unconstitutional -
“Containment”
(Truman) must stop spread of all communism; “Domino Theory” (Eisenhower) – fears that Indochina must not go communist or it will spread all over the world -
Geneva Peace Accords
Temporally divides Vietnam at 17th parallel -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks arrested for not giving up seat on bus to whites; sparks Montgomery Bus Boycott -
Jonas Salk
creates polio vaccine -
Sputnik
USSR launches first satellite in space – Sputnik -
1st televised Presidential debate
JFK vs. Nixon (JFK wins); JFK president 1960 -
New Frontier
JFK launches New Frontier platform to help America -
“Sit-Ins”
Lunch Counter “Sit-Ins” spark waves of civil rights protest; SCLC created by MLK, Jr. -
Bay of Pigs
Failed invasion of Cuba by U.S. (CIA) trained military -
Berlin Wall
divides East and West Berlin (East was communist) -
Cuban Missile Crisis
standoff b/n U.S. and USSR after Soviets placed missiles in Cuba pointed at the United States; no fighting incurs -
“I have a dream”
“I have a dream” speech given by MLK – speech for civil rights -
JFK assassination
Lee Harvey Oswald assassinates JFK in Dallas, TX -
Lyndon Johnson President
launches “Great Society” program to end poverty and racism -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
bans discrimination in education, employment, & public places -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
broadens LBJ’s military powers in Vietnam – no declare war -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Voting Rights Act of 1965– bans literacy tests for voting -
Malcom X (Nation of Islam)
blamed whites for African American problems; assassinated -
Miranda vs. Arizona
police must read suspects their rights -
Thurgood Marshall
first black justice of the Supreme Court -
Robert Kennedy assassination
Sirhan Sirhan assassinated Robert Kennedy, JFK’s brother; Richard Nixon voted President -
MLK assassination
James Earl Ray assassinated MLK, Jr. – hurts Civil Rights movement -
Tet Offensive
Tet Offensive launched by North Vietnamese Army – turning point of U.S. in Vietnam -
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 lands on the moon, Neil Armstrong first to walk on moon -
My Lai Massacre
U.S. soldiers kill 200 innocent men, women, and children -
Pentagon Papers
7,000 page document outlining U.S. government plan in Vietnam; shows gov’t was not telling truth to public. -
Watergate Scandal
Nixon authorizes break-in and wiretapping of Democratic National Committee headquarters in Watergate complex in Washington, D.C -
U.S. withdraws from Vietnam
U.S. withdraws from Vietnam; North Vietnam overtakes South after departure -
Roe vs. Wade
legalizes abortion (up to 3 months) -
U.S. Energy Crisis
fuel shortage in U.S. due to OPEC raising prices -
Carter
Jimmy Carter elected President -
Camp David Accords
Carter negotiates peace between Egypt and Israel -
Three Mile Island
nuclear power accident causes concern of nuclear safety -
40th President
Ronald Reagan elected 40th President -
Iran hostages
Iran releases U.S. embassy hostages released after 444 days in captivity. -
STAR WARS
Strategic Defense Initiative (a.k.a. STAR WARS) – space based missile defense proposed -
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger explodes on takeoff, crew killed; space program never the same -
Libya
U.S. bombs Libya for supporting Palestinians -
Al Qaeda
Osama Bin Laden founds Islamist group Al Qaeda -
Chinese revolt
Chinese government crushes pro-democracy revolt in Tiananmen Square -
Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall falls (Reagan feels its U.S.’s great est accomplishment of the era) -
Invasion of Kuwait
Saddam Hussein orders invasion of Kuwait; starts Operation Desert Storm -
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton President; appoints Janet Reno first female attorney genera