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Judiciary Act of 1789
Established the Supreme Court -
French Revolution
Federalists oppose it, Anti-Federalists support (U.S. Neutral) -
George Washington Elected President
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Rhode Island is 9th state to Ratify Constitution
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Bank of the United States Created
Hamilton creates Bank of US which Jefferson opposed -
Proclamation of American Neutrality (by George Washington)
keeps America neutral after France declares war on Britain, Spain, and Holland (example of U.S. foreign policy) -
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 -
John Adams defeats Thomas Jefferson
John Adams (Federalist) defeats Thomas Jefferson (Republican) in first contested Presidential Election; Jefferson becomes V1796ice President -
XYZ Affair
French try to extort U.S. for diplomatic meetings – public wants war -
Alien & Sedition Acts
expands Gov’t power, limit dissent and weakening of Gov’t, ruled unconstitutional -
2nd Great Awakening
major religious reform movement; helps increase abolition -
Thomas Jefferson defeats John Adams (controversy)
Aaron Burr is VP
-Alexander Hamilton suggests U.S. capital moves to Washington, D.C. (move helps gain
Southern support for Hamilton’s economics) -
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 -
Marbury vs. Madison establishes Judicial Review
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Embargo Act
placed by Jefferson on Britain/France; fails – hurts U.S. economy -
James Madison elected President
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Tecumseh establishes union of Native Americans to resist westward movement of U.S.
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War of 1812 (1812-1815)
William Henry Harrison leads attack on Tecumseh at Battle of Tippecanoe
(wins) -
Underground Railroad provides Northern escape for slaves
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ames Monroe elected 5th President
(reelected in 1820) -
Erie Canal
construction begins (connects Great Lakes to Atlantic Ocean) -
McCulloch vs. Maryland
ruling confirms Congresses’ right to found the 2nd -
Stephen F. Austin establishes first U.S. Settlement in Texas
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Gibbons vs. Ogden
establishes federal control of interstate commerce -
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die on same day
(50th anniversary of Dec. of Independence) -
Andrew Jackson elected 7th President
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Indian Removal Act
authorizes forcible westward relocation of Native Americans -
First Jim Crow Laws established
(legal segregation) -
Manifest Destiny
U.S. destiny and duty to expand and conquer the west -
William Lloyd Garrison
wants immediate emancipation (he was white) -
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 -
Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes Uncle Tom’s Cabin
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“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 -
John Brown leads attack on arsenal at Harper’s Ferry
later captured and hanged -
Abraham Lincoln elected 16th President
South Carolina secedes the Union = Civil War -
Confederate States formed
Jefferson Davis– 1st and only President -
Fort Sumter (S.C.)
confederates attack Union – war starts -
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! -
March to Sea
William Sherman – Atlanta to Savannah – destroys everything! -
13th Amendment
abolishes slavery -
Gen. Robert E. Lee (confederacy) surrenders
at Appomattox Court House to Union Gen. Ulysses Grant -
Abraham Lincoln assassinated by John Wilkes Booth
Andrew Johnson now President -
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) -
Transcontinental Railroad
connects the coasts of the United States; greatest transportation achievement -
15th Amendment
grants protection of voting rights to black males -
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 -
Little Bighorn
Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse lead Sioux to crushing victory of General George Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn -
Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone
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Susan B. Anthony
gets women’s suffrage vote to Congress – leads to 19th Amendment -
Thomas Edison creates the electric light
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President James Garfield assassinated
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Chinese Exclusion Act
bans Chinese immigration for 10 years -
John D. Rockefeller
Standard Oil Trust; Andrew Carnegie – Steel -
Dawes Severalty Act
denies tribal rights, advances forced assimilation, opens lands to whites -
Wounded Knee
Federal forces massacre 200 Sioux Indians -
Sherman Antitrust Act
outlaws monopolies, price-fixing, other trade restraints -
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 -
Open Door Policy
U.S. attempt to gain foothold in Chinese markets -
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 -
World War I begins in Europe
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Woodrow Wilson wins reelection
on campaign of keeping U.S. neutral during war -
German U-Boat sinks British passenger liner Lusitania
Americans killed on board -
Selective Service Act
establishes the draft -
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 -
Fourteen Points
by Woodrow Wilson, 14th pt most important – calls for League of Nations -
18th Amendment
outlaws purchase, sale, and transport of alcohol -
Treaty of Versailles
ends WWI; calls for heavy reparations on Germany, disarmament, and creation of League of Nations; U.S. Senate rejects it -
19th Amendment
women’s suffrage (right to vote) -
Teapot Dome Scandal
exposes massive corruption in Harding Administration -
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 -
Bonus Army March Washington
Bonus Army (WWI vets) march on Washington demanding compensation – forced out -
Franklin Delano Roosevelt elected President
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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 and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to employ public works
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21st Amendment
repeals 18th amendment (prohibition) -
20th Amendment
shifts presidential inaugurations from March to January -
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 -
FDR elected for unprecedented 3rd Term
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Lend-Lease Act
provides U.S. loan aid to Britain, USSR & allied powers -
Atlantic Charter
agreement b/n U.S President FDR and Britain Prime Minister Churchill -
Propaganda
motivate U.S. citizens to support war efforts -
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
Manhattan Project -
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 -
Allies liberate Nazi concentration camps in Eastern Europe
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FDR dies
Harry Truman becomes President; Adolf Hitler commits suicide -
Germany surrenders on V-E-DAY
(victory in Europe day) -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
U.S. drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima (Aug. 6) and Nagasaki (Aug 9) – Japan surrenders -
United Nations created with 51 founding nations
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Nuremberg Trials
prosecute Nazi war criminals Baby Boom, Economic Prosperity -
“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. -
Harry Truman orders desegregation of military
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Berlin Blockade
USSR blocks all aid into West Berlin; Berlin Airlift – U.S. drops food and supplies by air to West Berlin -
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) created
alliance system of 26 countries in North America and Europe -
Korean war begins
U.S. aids South Korea against North Korea; Peace Treaty in 1953 -
Joseph McCarthy
begins rabid anti-communist campaign; hurt when he accuses military of having communists; alcoholic -
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 arrested for not giving up seat on bus to whites
sparks Montgomery Bus Boycott -
Jonas Salk
creates polio vaccine -
USSR launches first satellite in space
Sputnik -
1st televised Presidential debate
JFK vs. Nixon (JFK wins); JFK president 1960 -
JFK launches New Frontier platform to help America
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Lunch Counter “Sit-Ins” spark waves of civil rights protest
SCLC created by MLK, Jr. -
Berlin Wall
divides East and West Berlin (East was communist) -
Bay of Pigs
failed invasion of Cuba by U.S. (CIA) trained military -
Cuban Missile Crisis
standoff b/n U.S. and USSR after Soviets placed missiles in Cuba pointed at the United States; no fighting incurs -
MLK Speech
“I have a dream” speech given by MLK – speech for civil rights -
Lee Harvey Oswald assassinates JFK in Dallas, TX
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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
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 -
James Earl Ray assassinated MLK, Jr.
hurts Civil Rights movement -
Tet Offensive
launched by North Vietnamese Army – turning point of U.S. in Vietnam -
Sirhan Sirhan assassinated Robert Kennedy
JFK’s brother; Richard Nixon voted President -
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. -
Roe vs. Wade
legalizes abortion (up to 3 months) -
U.S. Energy Crisis
fuel shortage in U.S. due to OPEC raising prices -
U.S. withdraws from Vietnam
North Vietnam overtakes South after departure -
Richard Nixon resigns
to avoid impeachment; Gerald Ford President – pardons Nixon; Ford is only President never voted into office. -
Jimmy Carter elected President
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Camp David Accords
Carter negotiates peace between Egypt and Israel -
Three Mile Island
nuclear power accident causes concern of nuclear safety -
Ronald Reagan elected 40th President
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Iran releases U.S. embassy hostages released after 444 days in captivity
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Strategic Defense Initiative
(a.k.a. STAR WARS) - space based missile defense proposed -
Space Shuttle Challenger explodes on takeoff
crew killed; space program never the same -
U.S. bombs Libya for supporting Palestinians
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Osama Bin Laden founds Islamist group Al Qaeda
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Tiananmen Square
Chinese government crushes pro-democracy revolt in Tiananmen Square -
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 President
appoints Janet Reno first female attorney general