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Ratification of the 16th Amendment
The 16th Amendment was passed by Congress on July 2, 1909.
It was ratified on February 3, 1913.
It established Congress's right to impose a Federal income tax. -
Start of World War 1
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated on an official visit to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia with Germany's support.
German U-boats sank many American merchant ships around the British Isles, which prompted America's entry in the war.
On April 4, 1917, the Senate voted 82 to 6 to declare war.
Led to the fall of 4 great imperial dynasties including Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Germany, and Russia.
Laid the groundwork for World War 2. -
End of World War 1
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The Ratification of the 18th Amendment
In 1917 the resolution for submission of the Prohibition Amendment to the states received the necessary two-thirds vote in Congress; the amendment was ratified on January 16, 1919, and went into effect one year later.
Early temperance advocates aimed to reduce alcohol consumption and prevent alcoholism, drunkenness, and the disorder and violence it could result in.
The 18th Amendment started the era of the roaring 20s. -
Start of the Great Depression
It effected virtually every country, starting with Germany, Brazil, and southeast Asia by 1928.
Banks played a huge role following the huge 1920s credit boom.
Began publicly in the U.S. after the stock market crash on October 29, 1929.
Over the next several years, consumer spending and investing dropped. This caused great decline in industrial output, failing companies laid off workers causing immense unemployment.
Housing prices plummeted and international trade collapsed. -
End of the Gold Standard
President Roosevelt signed the Gold Reserve Act of 1934, which made it illegal for the public to own most forms of gold.
The public was required to sell their gold for paper money equalling $20.67 per ounce.
This allowed the United States to increase the amount of gold reserves at the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.
They raised the price to $35 per ounce, which allowed the Federal reserve to increase money supply.
Aided in the slow rise of the economy. -
The Ratification of the 21st Amendment
On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified. It repealed the 18th Amendment and ended the nationwide prohibition of alcohol. -
End of the Great Depression
It took 25 years for the stock market to recover from the great stock market crash of 1929.
There was no one thing that ended the Great Depression.
Roosevelt's New Deal program, which provided $41.7 billion in funding, helped get Americans back to work.
The economy was also aided by a new banking system and the end of the drought in the Midwest.
The Depression did not permanently end until we entered World War 2. -
Start of World War 2
Hitler's invasion of Poland in September of 1939 prompted Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany.
Japans attack on Pear Harbor on December 7, 1941 prompted the U.S. to declare war on Japan and enter the second world war. -
End of World War 2
The signing of the treaty of Versailles ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers.
Total military and civillian deaths during World War 2 are estimated at 70 to 85 million, about 3% of the global population at that time. -
Start of the Cold War
The Cold War was fought between the United States and its allies, and the Soviet Union.
It was waged on political, economic, and propaganda fronts.
It was a long war that consisted of the threat of nuclear war, competition over the loyalty of newly independent nations, and the military and economic support of each other's enemies around the world.
Both countries had missile defenses pointed at one another in 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, bringing the countries close to nuclear war. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren declared that state-sanctioned segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th amendment and was therefore unconstitutional. -
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
JFK was assassinated in Dallas, Texas during a motorcade ride through Delaney Plaza in downtown Dallas.
JFK was the youngest president to assume office through election. -
End of Cold War
1985-1991 marked the final period of the Cold War.
In 1989 Soviet forces withdrew from Afghanistan.
In 1990, the Berlin Wall came down, borders opened, and free elections ousted Communist regimes all throughout eastern Europe.