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First Women’s Convention
The first women’s convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. Around 300 people attended about 40 being men. Some of the organizers were Elizabeth Candy Stanton and Lucretia Mott. During the convention, they wrote the declaration of sentiments. -
Trading with Japan
Commodore Matthew Perry was sent over to Tokyo Bay with warships. Japan was very isolationist and not open to trade. The warships helped apply some pressure to Japan and they ended up signing a trade agreement. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
South Carolina was the first state to secede and the government demands the North leave the fort. The government starts to fir on the fort until Anderson and his troops surrender. There were no casualties. This was considered the start of the war. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
This is also called the battle of Manassas. It’s considered the first actual “real” battle of the civil war. This is also where Stonewall Jackson received his nickname from standing his ground in front of his opponents. The South win the battle. -
Pickett’s Charge.
George Pickett was general for the Confederate army. He was known for Pickett’s Charge which was a charge attempt to break Union Line but it failed. This was part of the battle of Gettysburg -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment was passed during Lincoln’s presidency. It was the ending of slavery. It guaranteed that all slaves could be freed although the news wasn’t completely spread until months later. -
Grandfather Clause Eligibility
The grandfather clause said that if your grandfather was eligible at a certain time then you were also. This mostly applied to white men, considering most blacks grandfather was not able to vote. The eligibility date of the grandfather was as follows. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment was passed during the reconstruction period. It said that all people can be citizens and guaranteed citizenship rights to all people. This included former slaves. -
Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
The transcontinental railroad was an effort to make a railroad that would reach across the country. The Central Pacific Railroad helped plan the route that would be taken. The two companies reached at Promontory Point, Utah. -
Election of 1872
Grant ran for president against Horace Greeley. He was known as a better general than he would be president, but despite this, he still won. Horace actually died November 29, 1872 meaning he wouldn’t have even lived long even to serve if he did win and become president. -
Patent on Barbed Wire
Many new inventions were being created to make life easier. An important part out west was cattle ranching. To keep them on the correct property, Joseph Glidden invented barbed wire and received a patent on it. -
Gifting of Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France. It was given to us as a gift of celebration for the anniversary of our Independence. The Statue of Liberty was engineered by Frederic Bartholdi. -
Brooklyn Bridge Opening
The Brooklyn Bridge was engineered by John Roebling. It was a new amazing landmark. It was significant because at the time it was the worlds longest suspension bridge. -
Ida B. Wells Refused Her Seat
Ida B. Wells was a former Mississippi slave who gained her freedom. She was an advocate for anti-lynching. She is most famous for refusing her first-class train car seat. -
Ellis Island Opened
Ellis Island was established as an immigration site in 1890. It didn’t open until some years later. Around 12 million people passed through the site. 2 years after it opened a quota was set to restrict the amount of immigrants passing through. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy refused his seat in a train car after being asked to move. He was only 1/8th black but was still asked to be removed and was arrested. The Supreme Court ruled “separate but equal”. -
The Ellis Island Fire
The site caught on fire 5 years after it opened. They recovered and Ellis Island reopened. It continued running for the next 57 years. -
The USS Maine Explodes
The USS Maine was a battleship sent to Cuba to protect American citizens and property. It exploded in Havana Harbor and 260 Americans were killed. Many people believed it was Spain’s fault. -
Congress Declares War on Spain
The USS Maine was the catalyst event to the start of the war with Spain. America felt sympathy towards Cuba yearn for freedom. After the explosion, Congress declared war on Spain. -
The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
The start of World War I happened with a catalyst event. This event was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Astro-Hungarian Empire. This event convinced other countries to join the war and turn against each other. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
In the beginning of the war, America remains neutral. When German U-Boats torpedoed enemy ships and neutral ships who traded with the Allies. Germans torpedoed the Lusitania killing 1200 passengers. -
The 18th Amendment
Support for Prohibition grew in the in the 20’s. People realized it was not helpful and that it was tearing families apart. The 18th Amendment was passed, banning the making or selling of alcohol. However alcohol was not illegal to consume, so people would stock up after hearing the law was going to be passed. -
The 19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment is women's right to vote. It says, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by by any state on account of sex.” It was passed during the Presidency of Woodrow Wilson. -
Al Capone’s Arrest
The crime rate in Chicago during the 20’s was increasing. Since the 18th Amendment was passed, smugglers and bootleggers became more popular. People would make liquor illegally and sell it to buyers. One of these famous bootleggers was Al Capone. He was the best in the business until he was finally arrested. -
The Stock Market Crashed
During the late 20’s the economy started to decline. Banks no longer had enough money to give to all of its investors and people were panicking trying to pull out their money and couldn’t because the bank didn’t have it. The stock market finally crashed and over 16 million shares were sold in a frenzy. -
Smoot-Hawley Tariff
During the Great Depression, President Hoover decided to intervene too late. He passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act which raised tariffs on U.S imports up to 50%. It closed borders to foreign goods and started an international trade war. -
The Revenue Act
President Hoover not only passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act during the Great Depression, he also passed the Revenue Act. This Act raised taxes from 25 percent to 63 percent. It was known as the largest peacetime income tax increases in history. -
The 21st Amendment
People had been tired of the alcohol ban. Crime was rising and people were still finding ways to drink despite it being illegal. The 21st Amendment finally repealed prohibition. -
Pearl Harbor
Japanese attack the US Navy at Pearl Harbor, and this brings America into WWII. Japan had been looking at establishing a huge empire in the pacific while America was busy with Hitler. The USS Arizona was sunk and 1100 lives were lost. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was the one being the attack. -
MacArthur withdraws
Soon after the war, a war in the pacific started. Japan was conquering Asia so America didn’t celebrate for long. General Douglas MacArthur took troops into the Philippines but were not trained well. He was ordered to withdraw his troops but promised to return. -
Battle of Midway
The Japanese tried to take over Midway Island near Hawaii. Admiral Chester Nimitz, the commander of American Naval forces tried to defend the island. The Americans won this battle. -
The Golden Spike Ceremony
The transcontinental railroad was an effort to make tracks across the country. They completed the tracks May 10, 1869. There was a ceremony held to remove the golden spike at the site for World War II efforts. -
D-Day
The was officially known as Operation Overlord. It was the largest land-sea-air operation in history. It was an amphibious landing going from sea to land. It was at Omaha Beach and involved 3 million Allied troops. It was an attempt to weaken the German forces. -
Hitler’s Suicide
After the Battle of the Bulge, Germany was barely holding on. The Nazi’s had to retreat and their reign was near over. After Americans started liberating death camps with prisoners. Then, Hitler shot himself and gave his wife poison and they both died. -
V-E Day
The Allies celebrated V-E Day, which stands for Victory in Europe Day. The war was now over. Soon after President FDR died of a stroke and Vice President Harry Truman became President. -
Philippines gain Freedom
America helped fight for the freedom of the Philippines. We fought against Spain for their freedom. They were purchased for 20 million dollars from Spain at the end of the war. -
The Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade was an attempt to starve the city into submission. However, Stalin lifted the blockade and East and West Germany was created. During the blockade British airlifts flew over and brought 2mil tons of supplies to drop into Berlin. -
Election of 1948
Harry Truman ran for re-election against Thomas Dewey. Truman ended up winning. He found out by someone handing him a St. Louis newspaper and he said, “That ain’t the way I heard it.” -
Establishment of NATO
During Nixon’s presidency the US joined Canada, Britain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg and established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization aka NATO. It is a defense pact where the signers pledged to attack as one. -
Mao Zedong takes over
Mao Zedong takes over the PRC or the People’s Republic of China, and two months later he negotiates a treaty with the Soviet Union. He signs the SinoSoviet Treaty of Friendship. He also signs the Alliance and Mutual Assitance. China becomes a second Soviet power. -
Korean War
WWII had been ended and it divided Korea. North Korea was led by Kim Il Sung which was communist. The south was ruled by dictator Syngman Rhee. The North invades the South and Truman backs the South. North Korea is declared the aggressor and forces aid the South including Gen. Douglas MacArthur. -
Seward bought Alaska
William Seward was interested in purchasing Alaska to add onto America. He convinced Russia to sell it to America for 7.2 million dollars. The purchase was then nicknamed “Seward’s Icebox”.