-
U.S. buys Alaska
The looming U.S. Civil War delayed the sale, but after the war, Secretary of State William Seward quickly took up a renewed Russian offer and on March 30, 1867, agreed to a proposal from Russian Minister in Washington, Edouard de Stoeckl, to purchase Alaska for $7.2 million. -
Cuba gains Independence
A series of rebellions during the 19th century failed to end Spanish rule. -
Yellowstone Becomes First National Park
Yellowstone National Park is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho. -
Women's Suffrage Movement
The women's suffrage movement was the struggle for the right of women to vote and run for office and is part of the overall women's rights movement. -
Spanish-American War
The United States declared war against Spain following the sinking of the Battleship Maine in the Havana harbor -
U.S. Annexes Hawaii
The last monarch of Hawaii, Queen Liliuokalani, was overthrown by party of businessmen, who then imposed a provisional government. Soon after, President Benjamin Harrison submitted a treaty to annex theHawaiian islands to the U.S. Senate for ratification. -
T.R. Becomes President
He became president when William McKinley was assassinated. -
US begins Panama Canal Work
A man-made 48-mile waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. -
The Jungle is Written
Sinclair wrote the novel to portray the harsh conditions and exploited lives of immigrants in the United States in Chicago and similar industrialized cities. -
Pure Food & Drug Act
President Theodore Roosevelt signs the Pure Food and Drug Act as well as the Meat Inspection Act. -
Taft Elected President
Popular incumbent President Theodore Roosevelt, honoring a promise not to seek a third term, persuaded the Republican Party to nominate William Howard Taft, his close friend and Secretary of War, to become his successor. -
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
NAACP is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States -
Wilson Elected President
A Democrat, Wilson was elected to the US presidency in 1912 after having served as president of his alma mater Princeton University and as Governor of New Jersey. -
US finishes Panama Canal
Throughout the 1800s, American and British leaders and businessmen wanted to ship goods quickly and cheaply between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. -
Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States was a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages
