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The Underground Railroad
The Southern slave owners despised the Underground Railroad. An estimated 100K slaves escaped the South via the Underground Railroad between 1810 and 1850.
The most popular helpers were former escapees, and the "conductors" normally only guided slaves from point A to point B - the initial escape or "boarding" was up to fugitives.
This saved the lives of many slaves that would later empower others to fight for their freedom. -
California Gold Rush
James Wilson Marshall finds gold at John Sutters Mill in the Sacramento Valley of California. The discovery happened just days before the signing of Guadalupe Hidalgo, meaning that the land which held the gold belonged to Mexico at the time. When the gold was first discovered, the territory had about 150K people, the majority of which were Native Americans.
By the end of 1849, the non-native population of California was over 100K. The surge of people was good until crime boom = scandal. -
The Compromise of 1850
North receives:
1. California admitted as a free state
2. Slave trade prohibited in Washington D.C.
3. Texas looses boundary dispute with New Mexico
South receives:
1. No slave restrictions in Utah or New Mexico territories
2. Slaveholding permitted in Washington D.C.
3. Texas receives $10M
4. The Fugitive Slave Act is enacted (prevents slaves from escaping Southern territories or fleeing possessors to find freedom in the North)
Will lead to further disputes over the FSA. -
Election of 1860
Lincoln (Rep), Douglas (Dem), Breckinridge (Dem), and Bell (C.U.) all run against each other with very personal campaign strategies. S Dems wanted fed. protection of slavery, N Dems vote for pop. sov., which divided the Dem party. Constitutional Union just wanted all to get along. Lincoln won though 60% of US didn't vote for him & 10 Southern States didn't even allow him on their ballots. -
The Formation of the Confederacy
South seceded in the name of slavery, states' rights, & outrage over Lincoln. Created a Constitution fit to their needs and modeled like that of the U.S., to gain appeal from Britain/France they banned the import of new slaves, though they could have slaves already in U. S. territory. On this date 7 states met in Alabama to sign and make Jefferson Davis their president. Lincoln could not prevent, as he did not come to office until March. -
Fort Sumter
As states seceded they took federal land with them. Fort Sumter belonged to the Union but held little forces. Lincoln would not strike first to prevent starting the war, but attempted to bring help to the fort and no extra men was taken as preparation to strike & the movement of the naval forces caused a 34 hour battle to begin the Civil War. Because of this the North gained 75,000 volunteers to join efforts in fighting South, as Lincoln spun the event & pit it on the Confederates. -
Problems Arise During War
-Trent Affair-
Union warship stops British steamer (Trent) & removed 2 Confederate diplomats aboard. Britain is angry, Lincoln apologizes & returns to avoid war.
-1863 Laird Rams-
2 Confederate warships being built in Britain, London gov't buys the ships to avoid war and Union's potential invasion of Canada. -
Conscription Riot
Volunteer numbers falter, so a draft is passed. All men age 20-45 are eligible & to opt out is $300. First riot took place in NY as immigrants (particularly Irish) protested, but as authorities violently moved in to contain damages being done a battle broke out leaving a little over 100 rioters killed.The riot was caused by immigrants blaming blacks for taking their jobs, refused to fight for black freedom. Eventually burned down black orphanage in protest. Rioters seen as drunks. -
Lincoln's Assassination
John Wilkes Booth assassinates Lincoln in Ford's Theater during the play Our American Cousin. Andrew Johnson, Vice President, and Seward, Secretary of State, were both in danger of being murdered as well to fully threaten Northern beliefs and overthrow the system, but both attempts were not followed through. Lincoln was killed in hopes of starting another civil brawl, but that goal was not meant. For America's future this meant a rushed reconnect and a racist president. -
The Reconstruction Act
President Andrew Johnson, acting in Lincoln's place, passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867 to reunite the two opposing sides of the Civil War. This hurried plan lead to the eventual 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, the Black Codes, Jim Crow Law, The Grandfather Clause and other such controversies and inconveniences. The amount of offenses and disputes caused by crafty forms of segregation infuriated Congress and abolitionist parties. This left a permanent blemish on our nation's morality. -
The Gilded Age
This period was named by Mark Twain and lasted until about 1900. It's title describes America during this 30 year period; like an apple, shining and red outside but rotten within. It's exterior drew in immigrants, expanded the economy, & allowed the wealthy to display their riches. It also, however, disregarded the slums, made child labor, created scandal and placed negative stigma on immigrants. These issues would haunt the US for a long while to come, until present times. -
The Industrial Revolution
The reason for the Gilded Age, inventions which would shape modern life today came into the world during this span of 30 years.
1870: Automatic signals, air brakes & knuckle couplers for railroads. The Bessemer & open-hearth for steel mills. Telephone, electric light, typewriter.
1880: Elevator, structure steel, skyscrapers.
1890: Phonograph, moving pics, electric generator, combustion engines.
These sparked everyday household items we know today (fridge, dish washer, etc.) -
The Chinese Exclusion Act
Chinese were only 0.002% of the population, but this racist law was set in place on the Chinese because their appearance and culture made them outcasts. Their oppression was blamed on their tendency to inherit the valuable jobs within the nation, which is why they were barred. Those here could stay, but could not return. Law was supposed to last 10 years but remained until 1943. The encouragement of this law made for the racial tensions that exist even today. -
Haymarket Square Riot
Knights of Labor rally in Chicago's Haymarket Square in the name of fallen labor unioners is interrupted by police. Unidentified person throws a bomb that both kills and wounds many. Police took 8 activist "suspects" into custody. Almost all were executed, one killed himself. Many years later, the three still alive were pardoned on account of false charges. Unions suffer and commoners questions the courts. This contributes to a bad reputation for officials that lingers today. -
How The Other Half Lives
In 1890, a revolutionary picture show was released by photographer Jacob Riis. The display showed immigrant life, captured by Riis as he entered the ghettos of New York and documented the tragic filth of the impoverish. The rich could finally see how terrible life really was, and this lead to George A. Waring and the "White Wings" cleaning the horrible streets of their grunge. From this point on the eyes of the wealthy were opened & they became aware of how dire things truly were. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890)
All trusts were considered bad because "bigness" was associated with badness. This act was made with intention of dissolving all trusts and monopolies but even more grew after its creation up until 1914. The law did, however, damage the manipulative Standard Oil company, which was a great success.
Worked to better common life; private greed should from then on be subordinate to public need. -
The Panic of 1893
Railroad struggles leave 4 million unemployed. Cleveland did nothing, hoping the problem would fix itself but it didn't. Stock market falls, European financial backing, gold reserve falls under $100M. Billion Dollar Congress spends on navy, soldier pensions and industry - strengthens our military dependency and power, we now have motive to grow via domination - which leads to imperialism. This was a big part of the course that lead to the US's massive size today. -
McKinley Sets US into Cuban Civil War
Yellow Journalism by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer exaggerates civil war against Spain in Cuba, US joins for sympathy (just want land). They join after letter is published discrediting McKinley w/ Teller Amendment (US won't annex Cuba). Roosevelt & Rough Riders win, Treaty of Paris ensues (US gets Cuba, Puerto & Guam & buy Philippines). US gets what they want; expansion. They helped of "sympathy" but this defined them as selfish instead. This is land we still possess today. -
Elkins Act of 1903
Law passed by Congress to impose penalties on railroads that offered rebates and customers who accepted them. The law strengthened the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The Hepburn Act of 1906 would eventually add free passes to the list of banned railroad behavior. The heavy fines imposed on large railroad corporations placed power back in the hands of the government and helped to shape the system we live under today. -
The Roosevelt Corollary
Monroe Doc: Western Hemisphere no longer open to European colonization, pol. systems (US democracy vs European monarchy), US regards all meddling within Western Hemispheric affairs as security threat, and US would keep out of European wars and wouldn't disturb Western Hemispheric colonies. This would establish a depth to our foreign affairs & rationalize the statement that we would only help others to benefit ourselves - Roosevelt Corollary justified the US's self-given godly role. US = selfish. -
Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906
Followed the Meat Inspection Act, also in 1906, which was brought forth by Roosevelt. This law prevented the adulteration and mislabeling of foods and pharmaceuticals. White-jacket inspectors would examine exports and products to certify their accuracy and appropriate care/titling. They raided the Swift & Company packinghouse of Chicago in efforts to clean up the slaughterhouses and corruption. This lead to honest brands and fairly open labels of today that we can see in nutrition facts, etc. -
The "Bull Moose" Campaign of 1912
Democrats wanted office, the Republicans held it for too long. They nominated Dr. Woodraw Wilson, who became elected because he was unlike TR and Taft. TR and Taft were both decent but were almost two extremes on a spectrum - Wilson was the middle balance people hoped for; values entrepreneurship and unmonopolized markets.
"I want to be a Bull Moose, And with the Bull Moose stand, With antlers on my forehead, And a Big Stick in my hand." - TR
Wilson's win brought the US to a democracy. -
Reemergence of the Ku Klux Klan
William Simons of Georgia was inspired by the controversial silent film "Birth of a Nation," targeted nonwhite protestant Americans (discriminatory against many peoples). Segregationist beliefs gained about four million followers for the group at its peak of popularity. This and the Red Scare would contribute to immigration bans soon to follow. -
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Immigration Bans
Nativism/Americanism:
1. Emergency Quota Act (1921) - 3% of any nationality allowed per year based of population in US in 1910.
2. Immigration Act (1924) - 2% instead of 3% based on 1890 instead of 1910.
This impacted the Chinese, who were under the Exclusion Act in 1890. Helped Northern Euros, Latin Americans & Canadians. Those who were already in US that suffered a lack of influx of their kind were subject to more discrimination and less of an opportunity to form unions and gain rights. -
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The Great Depression
The "Black Thursday" stock market crash struck Wall Street hard - what caused it?
1. Overproduction in association with over population. Too much product, no interest, prices had to drop, the producers made next to no cash due to lack of demand.
2. Buying on credit leads to personal debt.
3. Bank loans used to purchase stocks, banks owned stocks instead of people. Banks fail.
4. Smoot-Hawley Tariff - created trade, war worsens economy, huge tax increases harm corporations and individuals alike. -
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Presidency
Inaugurated on Mar. 4, 1933, FDR would later be reelected thrice more & would die in office Apr. 1945. He was a democrat & modern-day socialist, 32nd president, creator of the New Deal & "fireside chats." He remedied the GD & redefined fed. gov't & was later credited w/ winning WWII against Germany, laying the ground for the United Nations. He was a loved & hated pres., giving way to Truman after his cerebral hemorrhage. Many ND programs & doctrines are alive in our gov't today- huge impact. -
The Migrant Mother Photo Is Taken
Dorothea Lange photographs 32 yr old Florence Owens Thompson, mother of 7, in an arid pea field migrant camp of CA. This intimate and personal photo captivated a huge audience, bringing attention to the poor as Jacob Riis had done years before in "How The Other Half Lives" during the Gilded Age. This image is emotional and powerful, and continues to be one of the most impactful photography pieces ever taken due to its sincerity and genuine pain. It is the epitome of the GD's struggles. -
"The Grapes of Wrath" Is Published
John Steinbeck's book about a family that loses their home & is forced to find work in CA during the GD. Won the Pulitzer & National Book prizes, Steinbeck won the Noble Prize in 1962 for his literature. The perspectives this book provides for the Dust Bowl migration was controversial - the First Lady even called for hearings and reformed labor laws within migrant camps. This stirred further tension among the wealthy and the impoverish majority. ( Now: CA has the droughts & job loss.) -
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The Red Scare
Nativist beliefs manifested due to concept of isolationism. Events such as the Palmer Raids (1919-1920, "radicals" rounded up) & the Sacco/Vanzetti case (1920-1927, likely innocent Italian immigrants charged of murder, executed) made people believe Democracy would be overthrown, even gov't officials feared communism at a time of such suspicion. This lead to propaganda, & would lead us to a boom in racial tensions that we can see in our nation today; older generations influenced by their parents. -
Brown vs The Board of Education
The justices ruled that segregation in public schools was "inherently unequal" and therefore unconstitutional. This reversed the determination of the Plessy vs Ferguson case (1896), stating that "separate but equal" facilities were wrong. This would lead to the monumental history of the Little Rock 9, the nine brave black students who first risked their lives to attend a once white-only school in pursuit of a better education. This would give America the diverse school system we know today. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
Military engagement in French colonial Vietnam in which French forces were defeated by Viet Minh (communist) nationalists loyal to Ho Chi Minh. The French ended there colonial involvement in Indochina, paving the way for America's entry (1954). Was the last major campaign by a Euro. state in the region. By the end of the decade France was no longer a forerunner in the war because of this tremendous loss, and the US took the lead in the war. This would lead to a tricky retreat for the US. -
The Federal Highway Act
Pledged the $27B plan to build forty-two thousand miles of highways throughout the nation. These were seen essential to national defense because they aloud troops to mobilize anywhere in case of invasion. They were also a means of adding construction jobs to the market. Today we benefit from this decision because we are now able to travel from tip to tip of the US in our own automobiles. This connects people, communities and heritage, also allowing for more job opportunities. Shapes our culture! -
The Election of 1960
This was one of the closest. A race between JFK(D) and Nixon(R), Eisenhower's VP. Nixon had come from being radical to mature/wise, most known for his "kitchen debate" w Soviet leader Khrushchev in Moscow (1959) where the two pointed fingers over dominance in the arms race. JFK, however, was a young Roman Catholic millionaire senator from MA. His faith came into question, southerners concerned by Catholicism vs their Protestant, but JFK pulled through anyway. JFK gave fed. hope to the silenced. -
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
Fifty years ago, shortly before midnight, a group of some 1,500 Cuban exiles trained and financed by the CIA launched an ill-fated invasion of Cuba from the sea in the Bay of Pigs. The plan was to overthrow Fidel Castro and his revolution. This attack was an utter failure - Castro used fail to solidify his power & tho JFK didn't want Cuba communist this made tensions worse so he was forced to step back. The later Operation Mongoose lead tumor problems/espionage(?). -
March on Washington & MLK Jr.
On this day, King addressed the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial during the height of the Civil Rights movement with his infamous "I Have a Dream" speech. This was in support of a proposed civil rights legislation to protect black citizens. This moment was pivotal in the spark of pride among the oppressed. It empowered the silenced to find their voice, and King is known as a martyr for his cause today. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
A fed. law (started by JFK, finalized by Johnson despite opp. by Southern congress) that banned racial discrimination in public facilities & strengthen fed. control of the segregation issues. Ex: employers cannot discriminate based on race in the workplace - this empowers the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This was monumental, now blacks and whites stood side by side w out a line between them. Opened gates to more civil rights legislation like The Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
In NYC, Malcolm X, an African American nationalist and religious leader, is assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing a rally of his Organization (Afro-American Unity) at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights. His incredibly impactful story lives on, his legacy as a Civil Rights advocate continuing. Those who adored him view his death as the killing of a martyr - he died standing for what he believed in. (Controversial, but inspiring, man.) -
Vietnamization
Military strategy lead by Richard Nixon. The plan to reduce the number of American combat troops Vietnam by withdrawing them, leaving the fighting to the South Vietnamese (essentially abandoning them), who were supplied with American armor, tanks and weaponry (so long as we contributed to them in this way, we experienced an economic benefit while simultaneously decreasing the number of American lives lost). This pleased the American protestors dissatisfied w our role in the war. Counterculture! -
The Stonewall Rebellion
Ended July 1, 1969, uprising in support of equal rights for gay people sparked by an assault by off-duty police officers at a gay bar in NY. The rebellion led to a rise in activism and militancy within the gay community and furthered the sexual revolution of the 1960s. -
Cambodianization
Cambodia (neut. in the V War) bordered South Viet. The North Viet. was using Cambodia for troops, weapons, & supplies. Pres. Nixon ordered American forces to attack the enemy in Cambodia. Protests erupted at Kent State University, on 4/29 on which the Nat. Guard shot 4 students. Nixon pulled troops from Cambodia, tho the bitterness b/t the hawks & doves increased.
Pent. Papers: a leaked/secret Pent. study of the deceptions of the previous pres. administrations, in regards to the Vietnam War. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The ERA was an amendment that declared full constitutional equality for women, passed in both houses of Congress in 1972. Phyllis Schlafly and many other members of the antifeminism party persuaded enough state legislatures to vote against ratification, however. The amendment then failed. -
Watergate Scandal
5 men are arrested for planting bugs in the Watergate apartment-office complex in Washington (HQ of campaigning for Dem. party). Nixon was accused of trying to eliminate comp. though he plead innocent. His hush money & coverups said otherwise, however, & threatened impeachment for the act of espionage. Because of this Nixon was forced into retirement & gave way to Johnson - making Nixon one of the most controversial presidents to date. Sparked civil mistrust of gov't that burns true today. -
The Election of 1980
Republican Reagan dominates Independent party's Anderson and Democrat Jimmy Carter in a landslide victory. Reagan's win meant old conservatism (new populism) for the US, Supply Side economics, debt, and a return to the Moral Majority. Yet, despite liberal defiance & the tremendous national debt he would accumulate, Reagan "The Communicator" still prevails as a very popular past president. -
The Rise of the Moral Majority
Pol. action committee founded by evangelical Reverend Jerry Falwell in 1979 to promote traditional Christian values and oppose feminism, abortion and gay rights. The group was a major linchpin in the resurgent religious right of the 1980s. This was only further pressed on by Reagan's encouragement of prayer in school and the conservative attitude of the court after Reagan's impression on them. This is a great example of counterculture prevailing in history - if liberals reform their foil does. -
The Iran-Contra Affair
This was a major political scandal of Reagan's second term revealed in 1986. It was a response to the Nov. 1979 - Jan.1981 Iranian Hostage Crisis An illicit arrangement of selling "arms for hostages" with Iran and using money to support the contras in Nicaragua, the scandal deeply damaged Reagan's credibility and stained his presidential reputation- which is an image we analyze today in reflection of former presidents.
