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Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt was born on May 27, 1794 in Staten Island, New York City, NY and died January 4, 1877. He was a philanthropist who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. During the California Gold Rush (1850s) Vanderbilt launched a steamship service that went from New York to San Francisco; this route was the faster than others. (In the 1860s) He controlled a number of railway lines that operated between Chicago and New York with this he established an inter-regional railroad system. -
Indian Appropriations Acts
The Indian Appropriation Acts created the reservation system. This meant that the government had the right to force Native Americans to move and live in reservations. The acts restricted the Indians from hunting, fishing and gathering their food. The Acts were created in order to "protect" the Indians from the whites while also trying to force Indians to be more like the white Americans and basically assimilate them into American society. -
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Transforming the West
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Homestead Act
Homestead Act was made to encourage Western migration by giving settlers 160 acres of public land. They also had to improve the land in the next 5 years in order to keep the land and become owners. The homesteaders only had to pay a "small" fee to be granted the land. They had to verify that they never went against the US government this included women and liberated slaves. This law was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. -
Morrill Land Grant College Act
The Morrill Act was named after Justin Smith Morrill (1810-1898) and the act was created by the US Congress.They provided states with grants of land to establish colleges.These colleges specialized in agriculture,home economics,mechanical arts like A&M University. Justin Morrill wanted to assure that education would be provided to all social classes. The first bill was signed by Abraham Lincoln on July 2, 1862. States were provided 30,000 acres of public land for each Senator and Representative. -
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Becoming an Industrial Power
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John Rockefeller
John Rockefeller was born on July 8,1839 in Richford, New York and died on May 23,1937. Rockefeller was the founder of the Standard Oil Company which by early 1880's controlled about 90% of U.S. refineries and pipelines. He did the same as Carnegie with using vertical integration; developed companies for distribution and marketing its own products around the globe. Also using the horizontal integration; buying his rival refineries. He mostly used vertical integration. -
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was born on November 25,1835 in Dunfermline, United Kingdom and died on August 11,1919. Carnegie was the first person to invest in the Bessemer Process which was the first inexpensive industrial process to mass produce steel. Carnegie used vertical integration; the company controls all phases of the production. He also used Horizontal integration; buying out the competition. He also cut secret deals with railroads and hired the best management. -
Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, United Kingdom and died on August 2, 1922. In 1874 the idea of the telephone was formed in the mind of Alexander G. Bell. On March 7, 1876 the first telephone was created. Three days later on March 10 the first coherent complete sentence was transmitted "Mr. Watson, come here; I want you". The telephone would be the first creation of the communication revolution. Communication was made easier and it saves long distance walks. -
Battle of Little Big Horn
The Battle of Little Bighorn was led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. The Native Americans were being pushed to reservations by the United States Government. The government sent Custer to force the Indians out of the territory. Custer was under the impression that the tribe would have been small. The Indians were under the command of the Sitting Bull Warrior. The battle lasted within an hour and Custer and his soldiers were dead. The battle of proved that Indians were wild people. -
Phonograph
Thomas Edison created many inventions but his favorite was the phonograph. The first phonograph was invented in 1877 at the Menlo Park Lab by Thomas Edison (1847-1931). Edison established the Edison Speaking Phonograph Company in 1878. Other uses of the phonograph was to record phonographic books for the blind, music boxes, clocks that announced the time and a connection with the telephone so conversation could be recorded. During WWI soldiers used phonographs to listen to music. -
Period: to
The Gilded Age
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Light Bulb
Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio and died on October 18, 1931. Edison did not create the first light bulb there was about 23 other who had invented the light bulb. He did become successful with his contributions of finding a durable incandescent material, a filament material of high resistance, and the elimination of air from the bulb. In 1880 Edison started to manufacture commercial lamps and for the remainder of his years he would create improvements. -
Tenements
Many immigrants like the Italians, Chinese, Jews migrated to America seeking a better life. This included African Americans migrating from the Southern states to the Northern States. Immigrants made the population double which meant the cities were now overpopulated. One-single family dwellings now became tenements; multiple people living in one apartment. This type of living was cramped, poorly lit, lacked indoor plumbing and poor ventilation. 2/3 of NY's population lived in tenements by 1900. -
Assassination of President Garfield
President James A. Garfield was assassinated by Charles J. Guiteau in Elberon, New Jersey. Although Guiteau shot newly inaugurated President Garfield on July 2, 1881 at a downtown train station Garfield died on September 19, 1881. Many of those who knew Guiteau suspected that he was insane. In a letter that Guiteau wrote he mentioned that "The president's tragic death was a sad necessity but it will unite the Republican Party and save the Republic." -
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act was signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882. This act was supposed to hold a 10-year moratorium but it was made permanent in 1902. The act was one of the first Federal laws to forbid entry of an ethnic working group. The Chinese residents were required to register and obtain a certificate of residence or face deportation. Chinese had to be granted a certification from their government in order to qualify to immigrate to the United States. -
Pendleton Act
The Pendleton Act was signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur on January 16, 1883 and it was presented by Senator George Hunt Pendleton of Ohio. The Act was put in order to improve the civil service of the U.S. This act guaranteed the right of citizens to be able to compete for federal jobs. Before this government jobs were awarded based on the Spoil System. The Civil Service Commission was established to enforce this act. Employees could not be fired or demote. -
Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show
William F.Cody also known as Buffalo Bill opened Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show on May 19, 1883 at Omaha, Nebraska. The Golden Age of outdoor shows began in the 1880s. Sharp shooting (with a pistol and rifle), wing shooting (with shotgun), roping and riding were acts that were preformed in the show. Native Americans also participated in the show and they were treated and paid the same as other performers. Although they gained access to political leaders Indians were still stereotyped in the show. -
Sears & Roebuck
Richard W. Sears bought a shipment of watches that a local jeweler refused to sign for in 1886. He created a side business selling the watches to other station. Later this created time zones. Sears quit the his railroad job and then established the R.W. Sears Watch Company in Minneapolis.He brought watchmaker Alvah C. Roebuck into the business. This officially became Sears, Roebuck and Company. They quickly expanded the business into a general mail-order catalogue. -
Haymarket Riot
The Haymarket Riot occurred on May 4, 1886 in Haymarket Square, Chicago. The riot began when someone, a striker, threw a bomb at the police that was trying to break up the strike. The strike began when laborers wanted to better their working conditions. Approximately 300 police officers were sent in order to stop the strike. About seven police officers and one civilian died as a result of the riot. Eight men were convicted in connection with the bombing; causing the death of eight other people. -
Dawes Severalty Act
The Dawes Severalty Act also known as the Allotment Act was created by the U.S. Congress.The act was sponsored by Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts. The Allotment Act was enacted in February 1887. This Act allowed the President to survey American Indian tribal land and divide it into allotments for the individual Indians. This resulted in the Native Americans not being able to live in their traditional ways. By 1932 had control of 2/3 of the original land that was given to the Indians. -
Kodak Camera
George Eastman was born on July 12,1854 in Waterville, New York and died March 14,1932. He opened the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company in April 1880 but sold his first Kodak camera in 1888. Eastman invented his camera because other were to heavy and costly. He wanted the average person to enjoy a camera. Eastman along side with camera inventor William H. Walker developed a camera that would be smaller and cheaper in 1885. In 1889 Eastman hired a chemist to develop a type of flexible film. -
Jane Addams
Jane Addams was born on September 6, 1860 in Cedarville Illinois and died on May 21, 1935. She is the co-founder along with Ellen Gates Starr of the first settlement houses in the United States named the Hull House in Chicago, Illinois, in 1889. The Hull Mansion was created in order to house recently arrived European immigrants. They were controlled by educated middle-class women. The Mansion first opened as a kindergarten but then expanded to teaching at a college-level. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 was the first measures passed by the U.S. Congress to prohibit trust under the presidency of Benjamin Harrison. The Act was approved on July 2, 1890. It was the first Federal act that outlawed monopolistic business practices. The Act was originally created to make trusts illegal but the act was created with loose interpretation and was useless. In 1895 it was revised and those who were part of trust were now felons, were fined and were imprisoned. -
Silver Act
The Sherman Silver Purchase Act was passed by the U.S Congress in response to the Bland-Allison Act of 1878. The Silver Act was a U.S federal law enacted on July 14, 1890. The Act was passed due to the growing complaints of farmers and miners interests. Farmers wanted to pass the act in order to boost the economy and cause inflation which would mean that their debts would decrease. Miners wanted to pass the act because of the oversupply of silver decreased the price. -
Wounded Knee
Wounded Knee was a conflict between the North American Indians and the U.S. government representatives. This event was formally called a battle but in reality it was a native american massacre. It was located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and ended in the death of approximately 300 Native Americans. It started when authorities believed that the Ghost Dance was a war dance performed by the Natives. This was the last battle of the Indian Wars of the late 19th century. -
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Imperialism America
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Depression of 1893
The collapse of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and the National Cordage Company sent the rest of the nation to go into an economic crisis. When the crisis struck, investors started calling in for loans which created bankruptcy across the United States.The most affected by the Panic of 1893 was the banks, railroads and steel mills. Unemployment rates increased to 20-25% during the Panic. The Depression then led the Farmers and Miners to push for the Silver Act. -
City Beautiful Movement
The City Beautiful Movement was started by Daniel Hudson Burnham which was nicknamed the "Father of the City Beautiful." This movement was led by architects, landscape architect and reformers. The most prominent cities that was influenced by the movement was Cleveland, Chicago and Washington, D.C. The movement was created to make the cities more livable and orderly and to shape the American urban landscape in a European manner. -
Pullman Strike
George Pullman increased working hours, cut wages and cut jobs which created anger between his workers and led to the Pullman Strike. The Pullman Strike was a widespread railroad strike in the United States on May 11, 1894. When the strike, by the railroad workers, occurred the business stood still which caused the federal government to take action. President Grover Cleveland ordered his federal troops to put an end to the strike. This led to dozens to be killed in the streets of Chicago. -
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The Progressive Era
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Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush was the discovery of gold in the Klondike River in Canada's Yukon Territory. In 1883 the first gold was found by Ed Schieffelin in the Yukon River. The expedition was started by George Washington Carmack, Dawson Charlie and Skookum Jim Mason in 1896. The trip to the Yukon was tedious and atrocious. Only 30,000 out of 100,000 gold-seekers made it to the Yukon. The masses of people started to migrate in 1897. The Klondike Gold Rush lasted for 3 years from 1896 to 1899. -
Election of 1896
William McKinley born on January 29, 1843 in Niles, Ohio. He was the our 25th president from March 1897 to September 1901. William McKinley (Republican) won the Election of 1896 against William Jennings Bryan (Democrat). McKinley led our nation into a war with Spain which gained us Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam. He also the U.S. to take an active role in the world affairs. After his assassination on September 6, 1901 Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him. -
U.S.S. Maine Incident
While the U.S.S Main was sitting in Cuba's Havana Harbor the battleship exploded by an unknown reason at the time. When the incident was investigated it was assumed that it was a mine planted by the Spaniards. The U.S.S Maine incident killed approximately 266 enlisted men. This had outraged the Americans that led to the pressure of Congress to declare war on Spain. After the Spanish-American War ended the United States gained Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. -
Battle of San Juan Hill
The Battle of San Juan Hill started and ended in July 1, 1898 in Santiago de Cuba. The U.S ground troops were led by Theodore Roosevelt which were called the "Rough-Riders". They defeated the greatly outnumbered Spanish Forces at San Juan Hill. On July 17, 1898 the Spanish surrendered the city to the Americans. Which now entitled us to the control of Cuba. -
Battle of Manilla Bay
The Battle of Manilla Bay started and ended on May 1, 1898 in the Philippines. This was the first major battle in the Spanish-American War (April 1898 to August 1898). The American located the Spanish fleet around dawn and around 5:40 a.m. Commander Dewey said "You may fire when ready, Gridley," Within two hours the Spanish fleet was decimated. Around afternoon a signal was sent from the gunboat USS Petrel to Dewey's flafship announcing that the enemy has surrendered. -
Siege of Santiago
The Siege of Santiago started in July 3, 1898 and ended in July 17, 1898 near Santiago de Cuba,Cuba. A Spanish Fleet under Admiral Pascual Cervera arrived in Santiago harbour on the southern coast of Cuba. The Spanish fleet was immediately blockaded in harbor by superior U.S. warships under Rear Admiral William T. Sampson. The Spanish would not be attacked if they stayed within the protection of mines and shore batteries. The U.S victory ended the war and supressed all Spanish naval resistance. -
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion started in China on November 2, 1899 and ended on September 7, 1901. The "Boxers" were the Chinese secret society known as the Yihequan (Righteour and Harmonious Fists). The rebellion was started by peasants in Northern China that did not want foreigners, American and Japanese, in China. The Boxer Protocol (America and China) ended the rebellion officially on September 7, 1901. The Protocol demanded for the Chinese to pay more than $330 million in reparations. -
Open Door Policy
The Open-Door Policy started in September 6,1899 by Secretary of State John Hay. It was created in order for the protection of equal privileges among countries trading with China and in support of Chinese territorial and administrative integrity.The Policy stated that each great power should maintain free access to a treaty port, only the Chinese government should collect taxes on trade and no great power having a sphere should be granted exemptions from paying harbour dues or railroad charges. -
Election of 1900
In the Presidential Election of 1900 William McKinley (Republican) went against William Jennings Bryan (Democratic). William McKinley won the Election and served as our 25th President from March 4, 1897 until he was assassinated on September 6, 1901 at the Temple of Music in Buffalo, New York. He was the first president since Ulysses S. Grant to win get consecutive re-election. During his re-election he emphasizes an expansion of foreign policy. -
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858 in Manhattan, New York City and died on January 6, 1919. He was our 26th President serving from September 14, 1901 to March 4, 1909. He passed the Meat Inspection Act and, the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906 which created a healthy environment for everyone else. He also created the Square Deal which benefited the middle class citizens. Completing the Panama Canal was also something he did while president. -
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal was an unfinished project by the French that President Theodore Roosevelt took up. The Panama Canal was started in 1903 and it was finished in 1914. It was created ti make a quicker passage to the Pacific from the Atlantic. The Panama Canal cost $40,000,000 to build it was one of the most expensive constructive projects in the United States. Building the Panama Canal was seen as the greatest accomplishment for President Roosevelt. -
Roosevelt Corollary
The Roosevelt Corollary was created by Theodore Roosevelt in 1904 and it was an addition to the Monroe Doctrine. It was created after the Venezuela Crisis of 1902-1903. The Monroe Doctrine stated that Eastern Hemisphere powers should not intervene into the Western Hemisphere but Roosevelt's Corollary not justifies American intervention throughout the Western Hemisphere. The first the Corollary was used was in 1905 against European debt collectors for the Dominican Republic. -
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War started on February 8, 1904 and ended September 5, 1905. It was fought due to the rivalry between Russia and Japan for dominance in Korea and Munchuria. Japan launches a surprise naval surprise against Port Arthur, a Russian naval base in China. The Japanese won a series of victories over the Russians. In 1905 President Roosevelt mediated a peace treaty at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. -
Meat Inspection Act
The Meat Inspection Act was singed by President Theodore Roosevelt on June 30, 1906. The act was created the release of "The Jungle" By: Upton Sinclair. The Act prohibited the sale of misbranded or poor quality livestock. The Act would ensure that the livestock is slaughtered and processed under sanitary conditions. The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) has to inspect cattle, swine, goats, horses and sheep before and after they are slaughtered and the process for human consumption. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Pure Food and Drug Act on June 23, 1906. Similar to the Meat Inspection Act the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed due to the release of "The Jungle" By: Upton Sinclair. The Act states "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated or misbranded or poisonous or deleterious foods, drugs or medicines, and liquors." Which means that production of food and drugs had to be supervised by the Bureau of Chemistry of the Department of Agriculture. -
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863 in Greenfield Township, Michigan and died on April 7, 1947. He was an American industrialist who founded the Ford Motor Company which sold automobiles and commercial vehicles. He also developed the assembly line which increased the production of vehicles he could sell and made the sells more affordable for the middle-class citizens. Ford also created the Model T which was the first affordable automobile he created in 1908 which catered to the middle-class. -
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution started on November 20, 1910 and ended in 1917. The revolution was started because of a widespread dissatisfaction with the President of Mexico and dictator, Porfirio Díaz. He would intimidate the citizens of Mexico into supporting him. The official end to the Mexican Revolution was due to the Constitution of Mexico in 1917. The revolution would end the dictatorship and would establish a constitutional republic. -
Election of 1912
Woodrow Wilson (Progressive) candidate defeated both William Howard Taft (Republican) and Former President Theodore Roosevelt (Republican).Previously Theodore Roosevelt while still in office announced he would not run again during the Election of 1908 to allow William H. Taft to win. During Taft's presidency he could not stand for a less protectionist tariff bill therefore making Roosevelt run again. Republicans were split into 2 groups which meant that more votes were going to the Progressives. -
17th Amendment
The 17th Amendment was passed by Congress May 13, 1912 and ratified on April 8, 1913. Prior to the 17th Amendment the Senate was known as the Millionaire's Club because the path into Senate was through the State Legislature. The State Legislature was corrupted at the time therefor those who wanted into join the Senate had to buy into it. The 17th Amendment states "The Senate of the U.S shall be composed of two senators from each state, elected by the people thereof, for six years." -
Federal Reserve Act
President Woodrow Wilson and the Senate signed the Federal Reserve Act into law on December 23, 1913. After the Panic of 1907 when the stock market collapsed, banks failed and credit evaporated it was evident that a central bank was needed. Congress wanted to create a safer, more flexible and more stable monetary and financial system. It was designed so safe guard United States economy. This act created the Central Banking System of the U.S. -
Ludlow Massacre
The Ludlow Massacre happened on April 20, 1914 in Colorado. The massacre was between the the Colorado National Guard and the striking coal miners. The coal strikes started in 1913 when workers got tired of the mistreatment. They worked in dangerous conditions and the pay was minimal. Approximately 25 people died which were worker's wife's, workers and children were killed in the massacre. Rockefeller established a system of company-sponsored unions instead of involving the UMWA. -
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
The Archduke of Austro-Hungarian, Franz Ferdinand was assassinated on June 28, 1914. He was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina by Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand a Serbian nationalist group. The assassination of the archduke would led to and start World War I. Countries would take sides and would declare war with others. -
Trench Warfare
Trench Warfare first were a collection of foxholes dug up by troops and after the holes would deepen to were the soldiers could stand up. These were now called trenches instead of "foxholes". The trenches were used for cover and to be able to fire their weapons. This made it hard for the opposing side to get near them and that space was then called "No Man's Land" due to whoever stepped in them would be immediately killed. -
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World War I
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Great Migration
The Great Migration occurred during 1916 to 1970. It was the relocation of more than six million African Americans. They went from the rural South to the cities of the North, Midwest and West. When WWI happened in 1914 there was a shortage of industrial workers. This made it easy for the African Americans to leave the harsh segregationist laws. They left the South by train, boat or buses. Employment and living space in crowded cities was complicated to find and this created competition. -
Sussex Pledge
The Sussex Pledge was a response from the German government on May 4, 1916. They agreed to give adequate warning before sinking merchant and passenger ships and to provide for the safety of passengers and crew. The Pledge would uphold til February 1917 when the unrestricted submarine warfare would continue. -
Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman Telegram was sent by the Germans to Mexico instructing an ambassador to convince Mexico to got to war with the United State. However the message was intercepted by the Americans. In the message Germans told Mexico to keep Americas "occupied" because they feared them joining World War I which would led the Germans to lose. When American found this out they were enraged and that led the United States to get involved into the World War. -
Shell Shook
The phrase "Shell Shock" was first introduced in 1917 by a Medical Officer named Charles Myers.Later on,in modern day it would be known as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). During the War doctors could not find physical damages to explain why some soldiers would go blind, deaf, mute or paralyzed. The name Shell Shock came from the belief that soldiers would have Shell Shock due to the exploding shells.At the end of World War I approximately 20,000 men were still suffering from Shell Shock. -
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution lasted from 1917 to 1918. This revolution was the most violent and which ended the Romanov dynasty and centuries of Russian Imperial rule. People were striking their dissatisfaction over their treatment and after the Petrograd army garrison were then called to calm the uprising. The revolution would remove Russia from World War I. Tsar Nicholas II would be overthrown and Lenin and the Bolsheviks took power. -
Espionage Act
The Espionage Act was a federal law passed by Congress on June 15, 1917. This was two months after American's formally entered World War I. The Espionage Act would make it a crime fro any person to convey information intended to interfere with the U.S. armed forces. Those who also promoted another country's success and be disloyal to the United States would also be charged.Those who were found guilty would be charged a fine of $10,000 and a prison sentence of 20 years. -
First Red Scare
The First Red Scare lasted from 1917 to 1920. It was the widespread fear of Bolshevism and anarchism. It was due to the Russian Revolution and the anarchistic bombings. The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia led to the fear of the immigrants from Russia, Southern Europe, and Eastern Europe. They were said to overthrow the United States government. This Fear would led to the production need to decline and unemployment to rise. After the rise of unemployment so will strikes. -
Spanish Flu
The Spanish flu was the deadliest in history in 1918 which would infect about 500 million people worldwide. The flu would kill about 20 million to 50 million which would include approximately 675,000 Americans. The flu was first noticed in Europe, the United States and parts of Asia in which then spread nationally. Drugs and vaccines were not effective to treat that strain of flu. The virus was so bad that schools, private homes and other buildings had to be converted into makeshift hospitals. -
18th Amendment
The 18th Amendment was completed on January 16, 1919 and it took effect on January 17, 1920. The 18th Amendment states "After 1 year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within the important thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the U.S and all territory subjects to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purpose is hereby prohibited." Prohibition would only last till 1933 because it was doing bad to the economy. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was singed on June 28, 1919 officially ending World War I. The treaty, negotiated between January and June 1919 in Paris, was written by the Allies with almost no participation by the Germans. In the treaty the allied powers imposed territorial, military and economic provisions on defeated Germany. Germany in 1924 and 1929 agreed to pay reparations under the Dawes Plan and the Young Plan, but the depression led to the cancellation of reparations in 1932. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919 and ratified on August 18, 1920. During the 19th century women were being denied the right to vote. In July 1848 reformers Elizabeth Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the first women's rights convention at Seneca Falls, New York. Later Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton would create NWSA who fought to change the Constitution. But during the 20th Century the NWSA and AWSA joined forces & got the right to vote. -
Radio
The first practical radio was created in 1895 by Guglielmo Marconi but in 1913 Edwin Armstrong would invent a long-range radio transmission of voice and music. Then later vacuum tube radios would be created. These radios could allow the entire family to listen to the radio together. When the government granted the call letters to KDKA what would later be known as the first news broadcasting station. Later in 1923 President Calvin Coolidge would use the radio to broadcast what is happening. -
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance started in 1920 in Harlem, New York and it ended in the 1930s. The years between World War I and the Great Depression. The Harlem Renaissance was also known as the "New Negro Movement." named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke. It was an intellectual, social and artistic movement. The Harlem Renaissance was considered the rebirth of African-American arts. The Harlem Renaissance was the embracement and celebration of African American art, music and literature. -
Vacuum
The first vacuum was created in the late 19th century which blew air instead of suction like in later models. In the mid 1920s the vacuum got reinvented to be more efficient and more successful in an average house. In 1926 Hoover created a vacuum company, Hoover Company, in which his vacuums would increase the dirt removal efficiently. This made it easier to maintain a cleaner house and easier for women and children to use. -
Period: to
The 1920's
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Tea Pot Dome Scandal
The Tea Pot Dome Scandal started in 1921.The scandal involved ornery oil tycoons, poker-playing politicians, illegal liquor sales, a murder-suicide, a womanizing president and a bagful of bribery cash delivered on the sly.The scandal empowered the Senate to conduct rigorous investigations into the corruption of the government.This would mark the first time a U.S.cabinet official served jail time for a felony committed while in office he was charged with accepting bribes from oil companies. -
American Indian Citizenship Act
The American Indian Citizenship Act was signed by President Calvin Coolidge. Congress then granted U.S. citizenship to Native Americans born in the U.S. on June 2, 1924. Before the Civil War granted citizenship was often limited to Native Americans of 1/2 or less Indian blood. Although the Indians were granted citizenship they were often denied the right to vote this lasted till 1957. The Dawes Severalty Act helped shaped the U.S. Indian policy. This encouraged Indians to become like the whites. -
Immigration Act of 1924
The Immigration Act of 1924 would limit the number of immigrants allowed to enter into the United States through a national origins quota. The quota provided immigration visas to two percent of the total number of people of each nationality in the United States as of the 1890 national census. It completely excluded immigrants from Asia. -
Silent Films
The First Silent Film was released in 1891 but until 1927 when the first "talkie" was produced. Silent Films were films that were without synchronized sounds until 1927. -
Charles Lindberg
Charles Lindberg was born on February 4, 1902, in Detroit, Michigan and died on August 26, 1974 in Maui, Hawaii. He completed the first solo transatlantic flight in his plane, Spirit of St. Louis. He was the first pilot to make the journey from New York to Paris without making any stops. He landed at Le Bourguet Field near Paris after 33.5 hours in the air and he traveled more than 3,600 miles. He was welcomed by more than 100,000 people. -
Valentine's Day Massacre
The Valentine's Day Massacre was on February 14, 1929 in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois. Al Capone sought to consolidate control by eliminating his rivals in the illegal trades of bootlegging, gambling and prostitution. This long fight of gang violence ended when Al Capone's longtime enemy George "Bugs" Moran was shot to death by several men dressed as policemen. The Massacre was never officially linked to Al Capone. -
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover (Republican) was our 31st President from March 4, 1929 to March 4, 1933.When he was running he promised to bring peace and prosperity to the nation. Hoover came into office when the U.S. economy plummeted into the Great Depression. When the Depression deepened Hoover failed to recognize the severity of the situation. Americans would portray him as indifferent to the suffering of the American People. This led to his defeat in the Election of 1932. -
Jazz
The Jazz Age was post- World War I which has lived on in American popular culture. Most known musicians during the Jazz Age were Tin Pan Alley, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington.Jazz was part of the African American culture. The birthplace of Jazz was in New Orleans, Chicago, and then it was spread out to New York and Kansas City. Jazz had influenced all aspects of society such as poetry, fashion, and the industry. -
Period: to
The Great Depression
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The Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl started in 1930 and ended in 1936. The Dust Bowl was an environmental disaster that hit the Midwest in the 1930s. The lack of rain killed the crops that would keep the soil in place and when winds blew, dust of clouds would raise. Dust suffocated livestock and caused pneumonia in children. The drought and dust destroyed a large part of U.S agriculture production. The Dust Bowl made the Great Depression even worse. Later President Roosevelt passed the Soil Conservation Act. -
Emergency Relief Act
The Federal Emergency Relief Act was created on May 12,1933 by President Roosevelt. The Act was part of the New Deal which meant that it should be effective, provide work for employable people on the relief rolls, and to have a diverse variety of relief programs. FERA provided grants from federal governments to state governments for a variety of project in fields such as agriculture, the arts, construction and education.Most of those who received relief aid were highly trained, skilled workers. -
Glass-Steagall Act
The Glass-Steagall Act was created in 1933 was signed into law by President FDR. Congress wanted to reform the banking system which would eventually come to be as the Banking Act of 1933 or the Glass-Steagull Act. The bill was created "to provide for the safer and more effective use of the assets of banks, to regulate interbank control, to prevent the undue diversion of funds into speculative operation and for other purposes." The Act created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. -
The Holocaust
The Holocaust started on January 30,1933 and ended on May 8, 1945. During the Holocaust six million European Jews and other groups such as Gypsies and homosexuals were murdered by Nazi Germany during World War II. Adolf Hitler saw the Jews as the inferior race and that the Jews were tainting German racial purity and community. German authorities deported Jews from Germany to Germany-Controlled Poland to "extermination camps." The weak, sick and old would be taken to the gas chambers and killed. -
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the 32nd President from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945. He was born on January 30, 1882 in Hyde Park, NY and died on April 12, 1945. When Roosevelt was on vacation in Campobello Island, New Brunswick he feel ill. He first thought it was a simple cold until his legs became numb which left him unable to walk. Doctor Robert Lovett had diagnosed him with Polio. When he became President his disability was well hidden that many Americans were unaware that he was disabled. -
21st Amendment
The 21st Amendment was passed and ratified on December 5, 1933. It would now repeal the 18th Amendment that banned the consumption of alcohol and the national Prohibition would end. The failing of the prohibition made people disrespect the law in which would make criminals sell illegal alcohol. Section One of the twenty-first amendment states "The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed." -
Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884 in New York City, NY and died on November 7, 1962. She was the wife to President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933 to 1945). She was involved in Democratic Party politics and numerous social reform organization. She was one of the most active first ladies in history and worked for political, racial and social justice. After President Roosevelt died she was a delegate to the United Nations and continued to serve as an advocate to human rights issues. -
Social Security Act
The Social Security Act was signed into law on August 14, 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Before the 1930s Social Security was a matter of local, state and family rather than a Federal concern. On January 17, 1935 President Roosevelt sent to Congress asking for "social security" legislation. Eventually on August 15, 1935 the bill was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives. The act provided funds to assist children, the blind and the unemployed. -
Wagner Act
The Wagner was signed into law on July 5, 1935 by President D. Roosevelt. NIRA (National Industrial Recovery Act) tried to prevent strikes or shut them down once they began. But sometimes emoloyers and management refused to negotiate with union leaders and workers' representatives. The Wagner was officially named the National labor Relations Act (1935). The main purpose was to establish the legal rights of most workers to organize or join labor unions. -
The New Deal
The New Deal was created in 1935 and was introduced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. When President Roosevelt came into office he tried to stabilized the economy and provide jobs and relief to those who were suffering. Over the next 8 years the government established a series of experimental projects and programs which was known as the New Deal. Which was aimed to restore some measure of dignity and prosperity to many Americans. -
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was started in 1939 and ended in 1946. It was a code name for American led efforts to develop a functional atomic weapon during World War II. The Manhattan Project was worked on by the world's leading scientific minds as well as the U.S. military. Most work was done in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The Manhattan Project was in response to fears that German scientists had been working on a weapon which would contain nuclear technology. -
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World War II
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The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain, the first air battle, started on July 10, 1940 and ended on October 31, 1940. On July 10, 1940 120 German bomber and fighters struck a British Shipping convoy while 70 more bombers attacked dockyard installations in South Wales. German and British air forces clashed in the skies over the United Kingdom which was the largest sustained bombing campaign to that date. Germany's Luftwaffe failed to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF). -
Pearl Harbor
The Pearl Harbor attack was a surprise attack by Japanese forces on Pearl Harbor a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii. The attack was at 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning on December 7, 1941. Japanese fighter planes descended on the base and destroyed and damaged 20 American naval vessels, Approximately 2,400 Americans died in the attack and 1,000 were wounded. After the assault President Franklin D. Roosevelt would ask Congress to declare war on Japan. -
Executive Order 9066
The Executive Order 9066 was signed on February 19, 1942 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. On March 21, 1942 Congress implemented the order by passing the Public Law 503. After the bombing of the Pearl Harbor President Roosevelt was pressured to address the nation's fears of further Japanese attack or sabotage. Mostly on the West Coast due to naval ports, commercial shipping and agriculture being vulnerable there. The document ordered the removal of resident enemy aliens from military areas. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge started on December 16, 1944 and ended on January 25, 1945. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest battle fought on the Western Front in Europe During World War II. German offensive intended to drive a wedge between the American and British armies. The German code name was Watch on the Rhine but the actually code name was Operation Autumn Mist. The Operation failed but it would create a bulge in the American lines 50 miles wide and 70 miles deep. -
D-Day
June 6, 1944 Code-named Operation Overlord also known as D-Day. 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a fifty-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France;s Normandy region. On late August 1944 all of northern France had been liberated and the following spring the Allies had defeated the Germans. The liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany's control was between June 1944 to August 1944. -
VE Day
V-E Day stand for Victory in Europe which was celebrated by Great Britain and the United States. They would celebrate the defeat of the Nazis. on May 8, 1945 the German troops throughout Europe finally laid down their arms. While 1 million German would attempt a mass exodus to the West they were stopped by Russians. The Russians would hold approximately 2 million prisoners. V-E Day was celebrated on May 9, 1945 in Moscow due to losing 600 soldiers before the German finally surrendered. -
Little Boy Bomb
On August 6, 1945 at 8:15 in the morning during World War II the first atomic bomb was dropped by an American B-29 bomber piloted by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, Jr.. The 9,000 pound uranium-235 bomb named the Little Boy Bomb targeted Hiroshima, Japan. It would explode 2,000 feet above Hiroshima wiping out 90 percent of the city. This immediately killed 80,000 people and thousands of more people would later die due to radiation exposure. Later on August 9, 1945 a second bomb would be dropped. -
VJ Day
V-J Day stands for Victory over Japan Day. The announcement that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies was on August 14, 1945 by President Harry S. Truman. V-J Day was celebrated on both August 14 and August 15. On September 2, 1945 General Douglas MacArthur, Japanese foreign minister: Mamoru Shigemitsu and chief of staff of the Japanese army: Yoshijiro Umezu signed the official Japanese surrender which effectively ended World War II.