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The Basis for the “American Dream”
This date is the birth date of Horatio Alger, who was an influential American thinker around the 1860s and 1870s that wrote many books, and whose ideas would eventually become the basis for the so-called "American Dream." His theory was that hard work and good fortune are what make up a successful, happy life in America. Today, Americans still talk about the “American Dream”, something that all Americans want and cherish. -
Manifest Destiny
The phrase made up by journalist John Sullivan, "Manifest Destiny" refers to the idea and belief that the people of the United States were destined to spread out and across the whole of the continent, which would spread the Democratic ideas of Americans as well as increase the size of the land of America. This idea helped to spur on the building of the Transcontinental Railway. -
Completion of the Transcontinental Railway
Started in 1863 and built by Irish and Chinese immigrants, the Transcontinental Railway, which connected the West part of the United States with the East, was finally completed on May 10th, 1869. It served as an important link for trade, travel, and business, all of which helped the American economy to grow. -
Battle of the Little Bighorn
George Custer, a prideful and rash American army officer, thought that sending in his troops to attack a small Indian village (against orders) would make him a hero. What he didn’t know that him and his troops had landed themselves at a huge Indian encampment. As soon as Custer and his regiment attacked, more than three thousand Indians fought back and, of course, won. Custer and his men were all killed. -
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US History (1877-Present)
What better way to understand how a country came to be than by looking at important events leading up to today? This timeline shows significant dates/ideas that were presented starting around 1877 and continue in the United States today. -
Open Door Policy
Fearing for the American trade, John Hay (the Secretary of State at that time), sent notes to influential countries in Europe to convince them to allow free trade to China. Most declined, but John Hay lied and said that all had agreed, and thus, the Open Door Policy was put into effect. This policy simply stated that all European nations and the United States could trade with China. -
The First Car
Created by the Henry Ford Company, the first production of the Model T was released from the factory and available for purchase on this date. This first car is known as the original automobile that was reasonably priced. This first car helped Americans to see the world as they drove around, and American teenagers were able to gain more independence and freedom as they now went out alone. The invention of this first automobile probably changed everyday American life more than any other invention. -
U.S. Congress Declares War on Germany
Americans were finding more and more complaints against Germany, and when a German submarine sank a large American ship, killing around 1200 passengers, Americans were pushed over the edge. Everyone was angry, and the want for war was becoming more and more apparent as the enemy (Germany) emerged. Finally on April 6, 1917 the U.S. congress officially declared war against Germany, and thus began “the bloodiest battle in history.” (45a). -
The League of Nations Established
While the exact date is unknown, the League of Nations was said to have developed shortly after the end of World War 1. The League of Nations was a group of international people, all representing various nations across the world. Their purpose was to keep world peace, essentially, by communicating between nations (via the representatives), and to make sure no conflicts between nations came up. -
“Buy Now, Pay Later” Mindset
With all these new conveniences, how was the average American family supposed to pay for it all? Well, why not “Buy now, pay later”? Families and individuals that couldn’t pay now but demonstrated the skill to be able to pay in the future were able to pay in “credit”. Stores wanted customers to be able to have everything now, and thus the idea of “Buy now, pay later” with credit was installed. Debt increased, but at least Americans could ‘afford’ to buy automobiles and modern new conveniences. -
The First Regular Television Service
This day marks a very important day in U.S. history, however, television owning and watching did not become popular until the 1950s. The TV was said to have forever changed politics, since it was easier now to watch speeches, etc. People began to enjoy watching TV shows such as I Love Lucy, as well as Wild West shows, stand up comedies, and the news. Today, it is said that 99% of American homes have at least one TV. -
Isolationism
No exact date for when this started, but at the beginning of the 1930s, America entered a time period known as “isolationism.” The dictionary definition of isolationism is “the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations.” (taken from dictionary.com) After the Great Depression and World War I, the United States didn’t want to get involved in any binding contracts or commitments with any foreign nations. -
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
At about 8 in the morning on December 7th, 1941, two sets of Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii by sending down bombs in two specified locations. The bombs killed around 2,500 people and destroyed 6 battleships. In that short amount of time, America went from being uninvolved in the 2nd World War to a great Allie power, fighting against Japan and Germany. The United States readied troops, weapons, and bravery, and entered into World War II. -
Rosa Park’s Boycott
For Rosa Parks, it was just another day, but it turned into a legend. All she did was sit down, in the ‘colored’ section of the bus, but when she was told to move to make room for the white passengers, she refused. She was arrested and fined $10, but her small protest started a domino effect across the United States to free the black people of America and give them equal rights. -
Equality
Black people and white people were separated – they couldn’t use the same bathroom, school house, even water fountains because of their different skin color. Women were stuck in “housewife” roles, where they were expected to be perfect wives and mothers who lived at home. They wanted their own jobs, they wanted equality. Around this time in American history, people all over America began fighting for their rights to be equal to everyone under the law. -
Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have A Dream Speech
Martin Luther King Jr. was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, and his speech 'I Have A Dream' was one of the many protests and fights that he did to try and gain equal rights under the law for black people. In his speech, he addressed various documents in the U.S. that stated that everyone under the law had equal rights, as well as his dream to see America really become the land of the free and equal. -
Beginning of the Vietnam War
There are many dates that could be considered the start of the Vietnam War, but on this date, North Vietnamese boats supposedly shot at a United States Navy ship, and the United States decided to try and get rid of North Vietnam. They entered into the longest war recorded in U.S. history. The United States fought with Southern Vietnam against communist North Vietnam. About 58,000 American soldiers died fighting. -
Ronald Reagan Sworn in as 40th President
Some see Ronald Reagan as a success; others see him as a failure. Some of his successes include helping to end the Cold War, “Reaganomics”- which created an economic blast for America that lasted 2 decades and “Morning In America” – basically a slogan that gave a fresh, new hope to Americans after the Vietnam war. Some of his failures include raising the national debt to 3 trillion dollars and the Iran- Contra affair, where he went against Congress. -
WWW Introduced
Internet was now accessible all over the world, thanks to WWW. Initially, internet was used for commercial use only. Companies could advertise in a place where the entire world could see their products, and buy them easily. Soon everything was being sold on the internet. Information was now easy to access, and faster to access than running to a library to grab a book. The internet has forever changed America, and the world, with all of its information, instant messaging, and more. -
NAFTA Was Put Into Effect
The North American Free Trade Agreement was put into effect on this date by President Bill Clinton. It is a treaty that covers the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Its purpose was to reduce trading costs, promote fair competition, and have solutions to resolve trade disputes. Since then, it has done exactly that, and broken down economic barriers between the 3 countries involved. -
The Impeachment of President Bill Clinton
President Bill Clinton was impeached after being charged for perjury and of obstruction of justice. After denying having sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky, but then being found guilty from evidence found about the scandal, the “Lewinsky Scandal” was one of the reasons President Bill Clinton was impeached. He was the second president to be impeached, after Andrew Johnson.
