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Jamestown Settlement
In 1606, the journey to Virginia started with three ships. In 1607, 104 men had arrived at North America to make a settlement. This settlement would be known as Jamestown, being named after the English King. The settlers of Jamestown would've starved and ultimately failed if it weren't for the Powhatan Indians' help in the earlier years of the settlement. -
Salem Witch Trials
The witch trials were started after two girls were diagnosed with bewitchment in Salem Village. After this, more and more young girls began exhibiting similar symptoms to the first two girls. After this, arrest warrants were put out for 3 women (Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborn) who the girls all accused of bewitching them. The amount of trials overwhelmed the court, so many witches ended up being hanged or stoned to death. This continued until 1693, when all accused were let go. -
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a revolution that began in the early 1700's and would take over the latter half of the 18th century. It would be characterized by the power of steam energy. Goods that were once hard to produce by hand were now being able to be produce by machinery in factories. -
Boston Massacre
Private Hugh White was the only solider defending the king's money and this would turn out to be a bad cause for him, as a crowd of angry colonists joined him and would start threatening him. White tried to fight back but ultimately failed, having to call reinforcements. When Captain Thomas Presten arrived, the real carnage happened. During the fight, a solider fired his gun. I's not known if this was intentional, but many colonists perished. Eventually, Preston and his soldiers were jailed. -
Brook Farm
Brook Farm was the site of a once famous utopian community for transcendentalists. The transcendentalists were people who believed that society and it's institutions would "corrupt" the purity of oneself. Brook Farm was one of the most famous communities for these people. It was founded by George and Sophia Ripley, and it sought to equally distribute the tasks of lives and also educate all of its residents. It was home to some of the most celebrated thinkers of the period. -
American Civil War
The American Civil War began after decades of conflicts and simmering between the North and the South over the state's right, westward expansion, and most importantly: slavery. The election of president Abraham Lincoln caused 11 of the southern states to withdraw and form the Confederate side of the war. After multiple wins on the Union's side and few on the Confederate's, they eventually surrendered in 1865. The war was one of the costliest and deadliest wars in America. -
American Spanish War
The American Spanish war actually originated from the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain, which had began in February 1895. The struggles from Cuba were graphically documented by US newspapers who participated in yellow journalism. The demand for the US to intervene was caused by the sinking of the USS Maine. War was declared on April 24th on the US by Spain. Spanish losses were high, while American losses were low. Eventually, the Spanish surrendered after the loss of a big fleet. -
Prohibition
Prohibition was the nationwide ban on the sale, transportation, and production of alcohol. It was a "noble experiment" to try and reduce the amount of crime, solve social problems, and to try and improve the health and hygiene of America. Prohibition ultimately failed however, due to many American adults protesting how they wanted to continue drinking. -
The Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was a series of sever dust storms caused by failure to properly farm dryland and drought. The Dust Bowl caused severe damage to not only the American ecology but agriculture as well. -
Space Exploration
Space exploration first set off after the Soviet launch of the satellite "Sputnik 1". Four years later, the russian Lt. Yuri Gagarin would be the first human to orbit the earth, with a flight lasting 108 minutes. The first US satellite would be the "Explorer 1" went into orbit on January 31st, 1958. John Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth, with his flight occurring on February 20th, 1962.
