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Anglo-German Treaty of 1899
The U.S. accepts the Anglo-German Treaty of 1899 where the United Kingdom renounces its claims to the Samoan Islands. -
Hay-Pauncefote Treaty
Britain and the United States sign the Hay-Pauncefonte Treaty to provide for an isthmian canal in Central America. -
Carnegie Steel Company, Incorporated
The Carnegie Steel Company, which was organized in 1899, is incorporated in Jersey and capitalized at $160 million. -
Amnesty in the Philippines
Amnesty is given to Filipino insurgents in a decree issued by the military governor of the Philippines. -
President William McKinley is re-elected
William McKinley Jr. is re-elected in the presidential election, defeating William Jennings Bryan. He is the first president to be re-elected since Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. -
Hay-Pauncefote Treaty ratified
A modified Treaty is ratified by the Senate in which the British government is to agree to an American canal with the conditions that it is neutral and unfortified. -
Negotiating Dutch West Indies
Negotiations conclude between the Dutch and the Americans regarding the Dutch West Indies (which become the U.S. Virgin Islands), allowing Congress simply to appropriate funds to carry out the transfer. This transfer did not occur until 1917. -
First great oil strike in Texas
The first great oil strike in Texas occurs near Beaumont. -
Platt Amendment
The Amendment allows American intervention in Cuban domestic affairs to preserve the sovereignty of the island nation against threats from other foreign powers. -
British reject Hay-Pauncefote Treaty
The British government informs the United States that it will not accept the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty as amended by the Senate. -
Emilio Aguinaldo is captured
Although the United States acquired the Philippines from Spain through the Treaty of Paris, Aguinaldo continued his fight for independence. General Elwell Otis led American troops into combat in the fall of 1899 and routed the Filipino army by November. Filipino resistance leader Emilio Aguinaldo is captured by Frederick Funston, crippling the Philippine insurrection. -
Rebellion in the Philippines ends
The rebellion in the Philippines ends by proclamation. Sporadic fighting continues for another year before American military forces fully secure the islands. -
President McKinley is shot
Leon Czolgosz shoots McKinley in the stomach while the President shakes hands at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Czolgosz, an anarchist, admitted to the shooting, and he expressed no remorse for his actions. He died in the electric chair on October 29, 1901. -
Theodore Roosevelt becomes president
President McKinley dies from his wounds as the result of complications due to gangrene, and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt takes the oath of office to become the 26th President of the United States. -
Hay-Pauncefote Treaty signed
The United States and Great Britain sign the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, by which the British grant control of an isthmian canal to the United States. -
Coal miners strike
A coal-miners strike begins in Pennsylvania, during the course of which 140,000 workers would leave their jobs. -
Newlands Reclamation Act
President Roosevelt signs the Newlands Reclamation Act, thereby authorizing federal irrigation projects. -
Isthmian Canal Act
Congress passes the Isthmian Canal Act, which called for the funding and building of a canal across the Isthmus of Panama. -
Philippine Government Act
Congress passes the Philippine Government Act, establishing the Philippine Islands as an unorganized territory and all inhabitants as territorial citizens. -
Anthracite Coal Strike ends
During the spring of 1902, laborers tied to the United Mine Workers union had walked off the job in the hard coal mines of Pennsylvania. Roosevelt summoned union leaders and mine operators to the White House, known as the “Square Deal.” -
Department of Commerce and Labor
Roosevelt signs a bill creating the Department of Commerce and Labor, the ninth Cabinet office. -
Elkins Anti-Rebate Act
The Elkins Act is a response to railroads engaging in business practices that gave certain shippers and certain areas a marked advantage. It is approved by Congress, making it illegal for railroads to give rebates on their published freight rates. -
Revolt in Panama
A revolt breaks out in Panama against Colombian rule. The presence of the American Navy prevents Colombia from crushing the revolt. -
Panama recognized as a republic
The United States recognizes the Republic of Panama. -
Hay-Buneau-Varilla Treaty
The United States negotiates the Hay-Buneau-Varilla Treaty with Panama to build the Panama Canal. The treaty gives the United States control of a ten-mile-wide canal zone in return for $10,000,000 in gold plus a yearly fee of $250,000. -
Citizens of Puerto Rico are not U.S. citizens
The Supreme Court rules that citizens of Puerto Rico are not aliens and therefore cannot be denied entry to the continental United States. But the Court also holds that they are not U.S. citizens. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
In accordance with the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, the Supreme Court, in Northern Securities Company v. United States, orders the dissolution of the Northern Securities Company. The decision is a major victory for Theodore Roosevelt and his belief in the necessity of trust-busting. -
American Tobacco Company created
A merger between the Consolidated and the American & Continental tobacco companies produces the American Tobacco Company. -
Theodore Roosevelt is elected
Roosevelt wins the presidential election, trouncing Democratic candidate Alton B. Parker, 336 electoral votes to 140. Theodore Roosevelt vows to not seek another presidential term in order to deflect Democratic charges that he would remain in office for life. -
Trade Agreements with the Dominican Republic
The United States signs a protocol with the Dominican Republic, giving it control of the latter's customs and international in and mollifying European creditors. -
National Forest Service established
Roosevelt establishes the National Forest Service. -
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) forms in Chicago, Illinois, to counteract the conservative American Federation of Labor. -
The Niagara Movement and the NAACP
A group of black intellectuals, including W.E.B. DuBois, meets near Niagara Falls to demand racial equality. This begins the Niagara Movement, a forerunner of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). -
Portsmouth Treaty
Russia and Japan sign the Portsmouth Treaty, ending the Russo-Japanese War. The treaty also allowed the United States to maintain a balance of power in the Far East while preserving an Open Door Policy in China. -
Clashes in Brownsville
Clashes erupt in Brownsville, Texas, after white civilians taunt black soldiers. Three whites are killed. -
National Monuments Act
Roosevelt signs the National Monuments Act, establishing the first eighteen national monuments, including Devils Tower, Muir Woods, and Mount Olympus. -
Hepburn Act
Gives the Interstate Commerce Commission increased power to regulate railroad rates. -
Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act
The legislation calls for both an honest statement of food content on labels and for federal inspection of all plants engaging in interstate commerce. The motivation for these measures was 'The Jungle,' a scathing report on meatpacking plants written by muckraking journalist Upton Sinclair. -
Cuban President Tomás Estrada Palma asks Roosevelt to send troops
Cuban President Tomás Estrada Palma asks Roosevelt to send American troops to Cuba to quell a rebellion which arose from a disputed election. Roosevelt eventually sends troops in October. -
Platt Amendment invoked over Cuba
The Platt Amendment is invoked, authorizing U.S. military control of Cuba. -
Roosevelt awarded Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Prize Committee awards Roosevelt its Peace Prize for his role in ending the Russo-Japanese War during the Portsmouth Conference in 1905. -
Reaching an agreement with the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic and the United States sign a treaty empowering American agents to collect Dominican customs taxes for the purpose of satisfying the nation's creditors. -
Immigration Act of 1907
President Roosevelt signs the Immigration Act of 1907, which includes a provision allowing the President to restrict Japanese immigration. -
The Panic of 1907
The Panic of 1907 begins when shares of the United Copper Company begin to fluctuate wildly. Panic sets in, destabilizing the shaky foundation of the American banking system. -
The Great White Fleet
Under Roosevelt's orders, the Great White Fleet embarks on a voyage around the world from Hampton Roads, Virginia. The fleet returns triumphantly on February 22, 1909. -
Grand Canyon Becomes National Monument
President Theodore Roosevelt designated the Grand Canyon in northwest Arizona a national monument. Roosevelt used the American Antiquities Act of 1906 to create 18 national monuments during his presidency. The Grand Canyon became a national park in 1919. -
Restriciting Japanese immigration
The United States and Japan reach an agreement on the restriction of Japanese immigration. The Japanese government agrees not to issue any more visas permitting Japanese laborers to emigrate to the United States. -
Child Labor Law
Congress passes a child labor law for the District of Columbia. -
General Motors Company, Incorporated
The General Motors Company files incorporation papers in Hudson County, New Jersey. -
Ford introduces the "Model T"
Ford introduces the “Model T” automobile, which costs $850, making Henry Ford's mass-produced cars available to the average wage earner. -
NAACP is formed
Black intellectuals, including W.E.B. DuBois, and white progressives, led by Oswald Garrison Villard, form the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). -
President William Howard Taft inaugurated
William Howard Taft is elected President over Democrat William Jennings Bryan on November 3, 1908. He becomes the 27th President of the United States. -
Calling for the Sixteenth Amendment
The Senate passes a resolution calling for a sixteenth amendment to the Constitution, authorizing Congress to collect income taxes. -
Negotiation with China
The Chinese regent Prince Chun is requested to grant American investors a share of a loan that had been floated in Europe for the purposes of building a railroad in southern China. The Chinese reluctantly grant the United States investment privileges. -
Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act
Taft signs the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act, which establishes a Tariff Board and reduces the tariff. -
Warships to Nicaragua
Taft orders two U.S. warships to Nicaragua in response to the deaths of 500 revolutionaries, and two of their American advisors, at the hands of Nicaragua dictator José Santos Zelaya. The further threat of American force convinces Zelaya to retire on December 16. -
Charles E. Hughes appointed to Supreme Court
President Taft appoints Governor Charles E. Hughes of New York to the Supreme Court. -
Mann Act
Congress passes the Mann Act, also known as the “white slave traffic act,” which prohibits the interstate or international transport of women for “immoral purposes.” -
Postal Savings Bank Act
Taft signs the Postal Savings Bank Act, which allowed one bank in each state, under federal supervision, to give two percent interest on accounts under $500. -
Roosevelt's "New Nationalism" Speech
Roosevelt outlines a new role for the government in dealing with social issues. His program takes American progressivism in a new direction, endorsing conservation, control of trusts, labor protection, and a graduated income tax. It also embraces the growing conviction that the nation must address the plight of children, women, and the underprivileged. -
The International Court of Arbitration
The International Court of Arbitration at The Hague settles a dispute between Britain and the United States over the Newfoundland fisheries. -
Mobilizing along Mexican border
Taft orders the mobilization of 20,000 American soldiers along the Mexican border after American ambassador to Mexico Henry Lane Wilson reports that the safety of Americans residing in Mexico may be endangered. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory fire
The Triangle Shirtwaist Company bursts into flames in Manhattan, killing 146 women who worked in very cramped and unsafe conditions. The tragedy highlights the need to provide social justice for immigrant sweatshop workers, and the New York legislature responds by undertaking remedial legislation to ensure better working conditions and provide fire safety measures. -
Dissolution of Standard Oil
Chief Justice Edward White issued the Supreme Court's majority opinion upholding the dissolution of the Standard Oil Company. White agreed that the Standard Oil Company's business practices did violate the Sherman Antitrust Act because they were anticompetitive and abusive. -
Call for federal budget
Taft urges the adoption of an annual federal budget. -
American interests in Chinese Revolution
American troops occupy Tientsin, China, to protect American interests from the Chinese Revolution. -
Children's Bureau
Taft signs a bill authorizing the creation of the Children's Bureau in the Department of Commerce. The agency is charged with monitoring child welfare. -
Titanic sinks
The British luxury liner Titanic sinks off the coast of Newfoundland. Taft's key aide, Archie Butt, perishes in the tragedy. -
Marines land in Cuba
American Marines land in Cuba to ensure order under the Platt Amendment. -
Congresses passes 8-hour workday
Congress passes labor law authorizing an eight-hour working day for all workers with federal contracts. -
Battleships sent to Nicaragua
U.S. battleships are sent to Nicaragua to protect American economic interests and rail lines. -
Panama Canal Act
Taft signs the Panama Canal Act, which exempts American coastwise shipping from paying tolls when transiting the Panama Canal. Many Americans, as well as Britons, consider this a violation of the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty of 1901. -
Marines sent to Santo Domingo
U.S. Marines are sent to restore order in Santo Domingo. -
Woodrow Wilson wins three-way presidential election
The three-way race between Taft, Wilson, and former President Theodore Roosevelt illustrated the rise of progressivism in presidential politics. Although Roosevelt's Progressive Party had one of the strongest third-party showings in American history, he and Taft divided the Republican Party vote, and Wilson easily won the election. Woodrow Wilson becomes the 28th President on March 4, 1913. -
General Huerta overthrows Mexican President Madero
General Victoriano Huerta overthrows Mexican President Madero. Taft refuses to intervene, despite the American public's calls for action. -
Sixteenth Amendment ratified
The Sixteenth Amendment, originally passed in Congress on July 2, 1909, is ratified. Prior to this amendment, tariff revenue had been the largest single source of government income. -
Splitting Department of Labor and Commerce
Congress divides the Department of Labor and Commerce into two separate departments, both with cabinet status. -
Republic of China is recognized
President Wilson extends official recognition to the new Republic of China. -
Rockefeller Foundation
One of the largest philanthropic acts in American history, John D. Rockefeller donates $100,000,000 to begin the Rockefeller Foundation. -
Webb Alien Land-Holding Law
Gov. Hiram W. Johnson signs the Webb Alien Land-Holding Law, prohibiting Japanese ownership of land in California. The statute is enacted despite the objection of President Wilson and the Japanese Government. -
Seventeenth Amendment
The Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is enacted, providing for the direct popular election of U.S. senators. Previously, senators were chosen by their respective state legislatures. This amendment succeeds in diminishing the prestige of state governments and enhances popular control of the federal legislature. -
Underwood-Simmons Tariff Act
President Wilson signs the Underwood-Simmons Tariff Act, considerably reducing rates set by previous Republican administrations. -
Federal Reserve Act
The Federal Reserve Act created a Federal Reserve System, comprised of a Federal Reserve Board, twelve regional reserve banks, and the underpinnings of a smooth central banking system. It was the most comprehensive overhaul of the nation's banking system since the Civil War and represented one of the crowning achievements of President Wilson's New Freedom program. -
Tensions at Tampico
In the port of Tampico, Mexican officials detain several U.S. Marines from the U.S.S. Dolphin. Despite their quick release and an expression of regret by President Victor Huerta, U.S. Admiral Henry T. Mayo demands that Mexican troops salute an American flag as a sign of contrition. President Huerta refuses the demanded salute on April 11; three days later President Wilson orders American warships to Tampico Bay. -
Resolving the Tampico controversy
President Wilson accepts the offer of arbitration presented by the “ABC Powers” of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile to resolve the Tampico controversy. The mediation proves unnecessary when Mexican President Huerta is forced to resign on July 15. -
Smith-Lever Act
Congress passes The Smith-Lever Act, providing federal funds for agricultural instruction for farmers and state college students. -
Germany launches war on Belgium, France, and Britain
Germany launches a war on Belgium, France, and Great Britain. The United States declares its official neutrality as the Great War begins. -
The Panama Canal officially opens
The Panama Canal officially opens after decades of toil, controversy, and diplomatic maneuvering. -
Clayton Anti-Trust Act
The law strengthens the original Sherman Anti-trust Act of 1890 by prohibiting exclusive sales contracts, predatory pricing, rebates, inter-corporate stock holdings, and interlocking directorates in corporations capitalized at $1 million or more in the same area of business. The act restricts the use of the injunction against labor, and it legalizes peaceful strikes, picketing, and boycotts. -
U.S. forces in Vera Cruz are withdrawn
U.S. forces in Vera Cruz, Mexico, are withdrawn as a result of the resignation of Mexican President Huerta, who fails to win Wilson's support. -
First transcontinental telephone call
The first transcontinental telephone call is made by the same men who had made the original telephone call in 1876. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
A German U-Boat torpedoes the British passenger liner Lusitania off the coast of Ireland. The American public recoils at the loss of 1,198 civilians, including 114 Americans. The Wilson administration issues a fiery response to Germany, holding that nation responsible for the loss of American lives and the violation of American neutrality. Berlin promptly expresses its regret but claims that the British were illegally smuggling arms aboard the ship. -
Haiti signs protectorate agreement
Haiti signs an agreement with the United States to become an American protectorate for ten years. U.S. forces would not leave Haiti until 1934 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt withdraws them in accordance with his “Good Neighbor” policy. -
Pershing invades Mexico
General John Pershing begins a punitive expedition into Mexico, without the approval of the Mexican government, to capture Pancho Villa and his bandit force. Villa had staged raids along the U.S.-Mexico border after President Wilson failed to support his claims on the leadership of the Mexican government. -
"Sussex Pledge"
Germany issues the “Sussex Pledge” after a U-Boat sinks another passenger ship, the French liner Sussex, without warning on April 24. Following protests from Washington about German unrestricted submarine attacks, the German government promises not to sink any more merchant ships without prior warning and without time for passengers and crew to abandon ship. -
National Defense Act
Congress passes the National Defense Act in response to deteriorating relations between Germany and the United States. The act bolsters the standing Army to 175,000 and the National Guard to 450,000. -
Federal Farm Labor Act
President Wilson signs the Federal Farm Labor Act, establishing a banking system for farmers to improve their holdings. -
Adamson Eight-Hour Act
President Wilson signs the Adamson Eight-Hour Act, mandating an eight-hour day standard for most railroad workers. -
Nation's first birth control clinic
Margaret Sanger, Fania Mindell, and Ethel Burne open the nation's first birth control clinic in Brooklyn, New York. -
President Woodrow Wilson is re-elected
Wilson staves off stiff competition from Charles Evans Hughes, winning a 49.6 percent majority of the popular vote versus Hughes' 46.1 percent. -
U.S. severs relations with Germany
In reaction to the German resumption of unrestricted attacks against merchant shipping, the United States severs diplomatic relations with Germany. -
Jeannette Rankin, first woman in the House
The first woman in the House of Representatives, Rep. Jeannette Rankin (R-MT), is seated. -
United States Declares War on Germany
Congress debates and votes on a declaration of war against Germany. The Senate approves the declaration on April 4 by a vote of 82-6; on April 6, the House of Representatives passes the resolution by a vote of 373-50. Wilson signs the declaration on April 6. -
Selective Service Act
Congress passes the Selective Service Act, requiring all men between the ages of 21 and 30 to register with locally administered draft boards for a federal draft lottery. It is the first conscription act in the United States since the Civil War. -
Espionage Act
Congress approves the Espionage Act, which President Wilson had requested in his April 2 speech. The act severely limits freedom of expression, mandating that public criticism of the military or the government be punished by a $10,000 fine or up to twenty years in jail. -
Industrial Workers of the World raids
Federal agents stage raids against the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in twenty-four cities, seizing literature and arresting ten, including William “Big Bill” Haywood. -
Fighting at the Rhine
The first engagement involving U.S. forces in Europe takes place near the Rhine-Marne Canal in France. -
Women win the right to vote
Women in New York win the right to vote in accordance with a state constitutional amendment. -
Eighteenth Amendment
Congress submits the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to the states for ratification. The amendment forbids the sale, manufacture, or transport of alcohol except under special circumstances. -
Wilson's "14 Points"
In an address to Congress, President Wilson lists his “14 Points” for a just and lasting peace. His objectives include the self-determination of nations, free trade, disarmament, a pact to end secret treaties, and a league of nations to realize collective security. This speech becomes the basis for Wilson's peace proposals at the end of the war. -
Sedition Act
Congress passes the Sedition Act, which couples with the Espionage Act to limit freedom of expression during the war. The Sedition Act grants the Postmaster General the right to ban the mailing of publications deemed subversive, and erects heavy penalties for those criticizing the government or the war effort. -
Wilson defends women's suffrage
President Wilson addresses the Senate with the message that voting rights for women is a “vitally necessary war measure.” -
Allied and German armistice
Allied and German military leaders implement an armistice. The new German government issues an appeal to President Wilson to negotiate peace along the lines he enumerated in his Fourteen Points speech. -
Wartime Prohibition Act
President Wilson signs the Wartime Prohibition Act, banning the manufacture of alcohol for domestic sale effective from June 30, 1919, until demobilization. -
Eighteenth Amendment ratified
The State Department announces the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution as of January 16, 1919, when Nebraska's approval achieved the amendment's required three-fourths majority. A nation-wide ban on the sale, distribution, or production of alcoholic beverages will go into effect on January 16, 1920. -
Nineteenth Amendment
Congress adopts the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the franchise. The joint resolution reads: “The right of citizens of the U.S. to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” -
Treaty of Versailles, League of Nations
After failing to secure peace without spiteful provisions from his fellow Allied leaders, President Wilson submits the Treaty of Versailles and League of Nations to the Senate for ratification. -
League of Nations Tour
President Woodrow Wilson boarded a train to begin a transcontinental speaking tour to try to build support for the League of Nations and the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I. He gave his first speech in Columbus, Ohio, on September 4. -
Volstead Act
Congress passes the Volstead Act over President Wilson's veto to provide enforcement power to the Eighteenth Amendment. -
Treaty of Versailles fails
After a lengthy national debate, the Treaty of Versailles fails to achieve ratification in the Senate by a vote of 53 to 38. -
"Red Scare" raids
Foreign-born radicals arrested by the Department of Justice in the “Red Scare” raids of 1919 are deported, leaving from New York harbor on the U.S. transport Buford, popularly referred to as the “Soviet Ark,” bound for the U.S.S.R. -
Palmer's extensive raids
Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer stages the most extensive series of raids of the entire “Red Scare,” arresting nearly 2,700 people in 33 cities. -
U.S. withdraws from Siberia
U.S. forces cease their operations in support of counter-revolutionary forces in Siberia and are withdrawn. -
Wilson vetoes end of war
Congress passes a joint resolution declaring an end to the war with Germany. President Wilson vetoes the resolution. -
Nineteenth Amendment becomes law
The Nineteenth Amendment, granting women the right to vote, officially becomes law. -
Warren G. Harding elected as president
Warren G. Harding is elected the 29th President of the United States with an overwhelming 404 electoral votes.
