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Unionization
The Knights of Labor was the first successful attempt at a national labor organization in the United States. -
Pullman Strike
Led by Eugene Debs, the founder of the American Railway Union, the Pullman Strike started when workers at the Pullman Car Company refused to accept a pay cut. Debs called for members of the American Railway Union to stop operating trains using Pullman cars. This resulted in the largest railroad strike in US history and helped to found a national labor policy. -
Battle of Manila Bay
The Battle of Manila Bay was part of the Spanish-American War. Spain's naval base was in the Philippines at Manila Bay. -
Panama Canal
The Hay-Herran Treaty, passed in 1903, allowed the United States to use a 6-mile-long area of land. They were given another 10 miles when the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty was passed. The Panama Canal was finished in 1914. -
World War 1
When Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated, war broke out across Europe. The United States initially remained neutral and continued trade with allied countries. However, when Britain imposed an economic blockade on Germany trade with England and France tripled while trade with Germany reduced by 90%. This led Germany to attack American boats. The United States declared war on July 28th, 1914. -
Flappers
During the 1920s, many women explored their independence. Now that women had the right to vote, men no longer wholly dictated women's lives; they were free to dress and act differently. Many women also led new careers as clerks and phone operators. Typically young, urban, middle-class women, flappers were part of an early wave of feminism. -
Women's Suffrage
The 19th Amendment, Women's Suffrage, was ratified on August 18th, 1920. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression began after the Wall Street Crash of 1929. It lasted 10 years. -
Wall Street Stock Market Crash
In October of 1929, the value of the New York Stock Exchange dropped from $87 billion to $15 billion by 1932. Speculators were no longer able to repay banks, resulting in approximately 7,000 bank failures. -
Social Security
Social security, a "contract between generations," is a fund paid into by working people to ensure that retired people had a guaranteed monthly income. It was part of Roosevelt's New Deal. -
World War 2
Under Adolf Hitler, Germany invaded Poland on September 1st, 1939. France and Britain declared war on Germany and Europe plunged into war. America remained isolated until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. America played a decisive role in winning the war. -
United Nations is Created
The UN is an international organization dedicated to promoting international peace. -
McCarthyism
Senator Joeseph McCarthy capitalized on national fear and led an anti-Communist movement. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
On December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to move to the "colored section" on a bus. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, organized a Montgomery bus boycott. It went into effect on December 5th of that year and sparked many other bus boycotts, leading to the Supreme Court ruling segregated bussing unconstitutional on November 23rd, 1956. -
"I Have A Dream" Speech
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have A Dream" speech on August 28th, 1963. -
The TET Offensive
The TET Offensive was a significant turning point in the Vietnam War. In 1965, when Operation Rolling Thunder began, only 15% of Americans were in opposition to the war. Dove numbers grew to 28% in the weeks before TET, but they were still outnumbered by hawks. However, six weeks after TET, the doves outnumbered the hawks 42 to 41 percent. -
Stonewall Riot
Stonewall Inn is a queer bar in Manhattan. In May of 1969, when the Inn was raided by New York City police officers, patrons decided to fight against years of harassment. A year later, the first pride parade was staged in New York. -
Watergate
Five burglars, including the security advisor for Richard Nixon's 1979 reelection committee, the aptly-named CREEP, were caught raiding the Democratic National Committee's headquarters at the Watergate hotel. They were planning to wiretap phones and photograph important documents. This turned out to be just one of many illegal activities that were designed to help Nixon win the election. -
Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade was a Supreme Court case that granted women the right to abortion. The decision was overturned in 2022. -
The Information Age
The internet was developed by the Department of Defense in the 1970s and was under government control until 1984. In the early 90s, the World Wide Web was created, allowing people to purchase and research online. The introduction of Email allowed people to send and receive messages within minutes.