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Jamestown
Jamestown was the first permanent settlement for England in the New World. The beginning of the colony was called the starving times because so many settlers died from starvation or disease. This only changed when Native Americans started helping them. Not soon after that, the colony started producing tobacco and other natural resources which prompted the monarchy to create more colonies. -
Headright System
The monarchy needed people to move to the colonies so they said anyone who pays for someone to move to the New World gets land. This set up indentured servitude in the colonies while also encouraging families to move because land leads to opportunity. The system was successful but ultimately England's focus on Mercantilism meant that the colonies could only trade with England. -
Steam Engine (Patent)
After its creation, the steam engine slowly started changing both transportation and machinery throughout the world. These machines were often used to produce goods and then could be transported quicker than before because of how much the steam engine changed transportation. At first it allowed boats to travel against the current and later would be used in the railroads. The faster transportation of goods was good for the economy and it also helped people communicate across the country. -
Stono's Rebellion
Many colonies were created to generate cash crops like sugar and tobacco. Many colonies used slave labor to grow crops especially in South America. Conditions for the enslaved people was horrid. Slave owners were terrified of enslaved people revolting and used violence to suppress rebellions and to try and control people. The Stono Rebellion exemplified what plantation owners feared and led to harsher conditions for enslaved people after the Rebellion failed. -
Treaty of Paris (1763)
The Treaty of Paris 1763 marked the end of the 7 Years War. France was forced to give some of their territory in North America to Great Britain. However, the war was expensive and Great Britain needed more money. In order to get that money, their focus turned to the lucrative colonies. This marked the end of salutary neglect. Colonists were mad and a rift between England and the Colonies was created. -
Sugar Act
Unlike the Quartering Act, Stamp Act, and Proclamation of 1763, the Sugar Act was actually meant to help the colonists whereas the others taxed them or infringed on their perceived rights. This act lowered taxes on sugar or molasses product that was not produced by an English colony to try as stop rampant smuggling. The act did not really change much. -
Sons of Liberty is Founded
In August, the Sons of Liberty was founded by Samuel Adams and John Hancock. This group fought against England through speeches, literature, riots, and boycotts. The Daughters of Liberty was very similar and focused more on those boycotts. This was the group that pushed very hard for the American Revolution and was there for many key points including the Boston Massacre where one of their political stunts turned violent. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party consisted of the Sons of Liberty throwing $1.8 million of tea/taxes into Boston Harbor. As retaliation, England passed the Intolerable Acts which consisted of the closing of Boston Harbor, outlawing of assemblies, royal officers now had to be tried in England, and taxes and other laws were more strictly enforced. The Colonists reaction was to hold the first Continental Congress. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
Even though the delegate from the First Continental Congress sent the Olive Branch Petition to the English Government, many colonists started storing weapons just in case. When England found out about these weapons stored in Concord, they headed towards Concord in the hopes of seizing the weapons and capturing Adams and Hancock. However, both men escaped and the British army was met with a small militia. Eventually, a shot was fired and fighting broke out. The Revolution had begun. -
Common Sense is Published
Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense to try and convince people that the Colonies should be independent. It was very effective and his writing was distributed on a large scale. It drew on many Enlightenment ideas and because of the Enlightenment, many people had received an education and could read it. Later Paine wrote a second book called Crisis to boost the morale of the ill equipped Continental Army. These writings helped shape the Revolution in both ideals and support for the cause. -
The Colonies Declare Independence
After the battle of Lexington and Concord and the King of England rejecting the Olive Branch Petition, the colonies decided to hold the Second Continental Congress. This time, every single colony sent a delegate. Then Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and after some revisions by the other delegates, it was signed. However, not everyone supported it as loyalists made up 1/3 of the population and only about 1/3 of the population actually supported independence publicly. -
Battle of Saratoga
Saratoga was the turning point in the war. Until this point, the Continental army was outnumbered as the British had one entire army more than them. The British also had more supplies and training. But, the Continental Army used their advantage of knowing the land to avoid a swamp unlike the British. The British army was expecting to meet up with two other British armies but were instead met by the Colonists. This helped lower the British advantage and gave the Colonists a chance to win. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation as the first governing document. The new government would have no executive branch, no standing army, states would collect taxes, and the Northwest Ordinance. The Northwest Ordinance was a way for the territories to become states when they had a large enough population and helped organize them. Every community needed a school and slavery was outlawed in the Northwest Territories. This was how Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin became states. -
General Cornwallis Surrenders
After Saratoga, France agreed to help the Continental army. So when General Cornwallis tried to corner the Continental army into another Winter of 1776 situation, he failed. He assumed he would have the support of the English Navy but the French defeated that Navy a few months earlier in September. So instead of beating the Continental army, like he planned he surrendered. This ended the fighting in the Revolutionary War and the war officially ended when the Treaty of Paris 1783 was signed. -
Shay's Rebellion
Daniel Shays and his army of angry farmers started taking over courthouses to prevent farms from being foreclosed on. Many farmers who had fought in the Revolutionary War were being screwed over so Shays Rebellion was a response to this and because there was no executive branch, the government was too weak to do anything. Even though the revolution was unsuccessful, it revealed many large faults in the Articles of Confederation. -
Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention was where the Constitution was created. There were two groups who wrote it, the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. The Federalists wanted the Constitution, strong federal government, and wanted every state to get a vote. The Anti-federalists wanted the Bill of Rights, strong state governments, and population based votes. Eventually the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Connecticut Compromise which created the Senate and House of Representatives. -
George Washington's Inaugeration
After the Constitution was created, Washington was essentially chosen to be the first president and no one ran against him. In his inauguration speech, he warned America about things like party systems and other dangers to avoid. As president, Washington set the precedent and helped form the government even more. For example, he created the presidential cabinets, the court system, and Hamilton's Financial plan. -
Whiskey Rebellion
Just like Shay's Rebellion was the test for the Articles of Confederation, the Whiskey Rebellion was the test for the Constitution. However, the Constitution was strong enough to last. The rebellion happened because Pennsylvania farmers were mad at the Whiskey Tax that was put into effect to try and pay back war debts. This time, the government was stronger and George Washington himself led troops to try and dispel the rebellion which was successful even though violence was not really used. -
The Bank of the United States is Founded
In the early days of the American government, Washington had to choose a financial plan and so he turned to the people in his cabinet. Hamilton and Jefferson fought a lot over the financial plan but eventually, Washington chose Hamilton's plan. This consisted of assumption of state debt, higher tariffs and taxes, and create an national bank which would issue a paper currency, strengthen the federal government, could give loans to business, and be a safe place to hold money. -
Cotton Gin (Patent)
The Cotton Gin was created by Eli Whitney and revolutionized growing cotton. It removed seeds from the cotton fiber which made it easier to grow. Before this, slavery was on the decline but then, farmers in the South realized they could make a lot of profit from growing cotton with slave labors. From there, the entire southern economy became focused on growing cotton using slave labor. The cotton gin changed the US because of the rift slavery caused as well as the boost in the south's economy. -
XYZ Affair
During the French Revolution, the US decided to stay neutral despite being their ally which made France very mad. To try and restore that relationship, President Adams sent over diplomats to negotiate a treaty. But when the diplomats arrived, the French demanded a "gift" of $250,000 and the American diplomats refused. Americans wanted war but Adams decided to negotiate with Napoleon. This was the first major thing that made the public mad at Adams and it would only get worse. -
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
Adams' major failure as president was the Alien and Sedition Acts. Basically it made it so that it was harder for immigrants to become citizens, any immigrant could be kicked out, and newspapers could not print anything negative about the executive branch. The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions was the response to this and states decided that the Constitution was a two way street and the states could nullify any law that basically overreached the power the federal government should have. -
Marbury V Madison
On his last day in power, Adams appointed as many judges as he could but the new president Jefferson refused to deliver the papers that would have actually appointed the new officials. One of the midnight judges who Adams tried to appoint sued and lost. However, because of this case, the Supreme Court gave themselves the right of Judaical Review which meant they could declare laws unconstitutional and then strike them down. This also marked the first bumpy but peaceful exchange of power. -
Louisiana Purchase
Pickney's Treaty gave the US navigational rights but Jefferson was scared about the impermanence of this so he decided to try and buy New Orleans. Napoleon wanted more money and would only sell it to Jefferson if he took the entire Louisiana Territory. However, Jefferson struggled because he did not think a president should have that kind of power but ended up buying the land. The country's size was doubled and Louis and Clark were sent to explore the land. -
Embargo of 1807
When England and France started fighting again, the US decided to stay neutral to avoid hurting their relationship with either country. However, both countries wanted the US to at least place an embargo on the other so Jefferson just put an embargo on all foreign trade. While this really hurt the economy and was very unpopular, it helped domestic manufacturing. This embargo effectively created the industrialized version of the US economy that Hamilton wanted to create with his financial plan. -
Battle of Tippecanoe
After this battle, the Native Americans realized that they needed help fighting the Americans and at the time England was willing to help them. This combined with England impressing sailors and the US wanting to prove themselves on a global stage led to the War of 1812. Again the Americans had the disadvantage and after they lost the capitals, a group called the Hartford Convention believed that the war was lost but Jackson's win at New Orleans turned the war around. -
Election of 1824 Decision
This election was mainly between war hero Jackson and John Quincy Adams after Henry Clay dropped out of the race. However, Clay was speaker of the house and no one won the majority vote so the house went to congress. Adams was later seen to go into a room with Clay and then won the presidency. Clay was then appointed secretary of state and this was called the corrupt bargain. However, Adams was not a good president and so the next election was somewhat easily won by Jackson. -
American Temperance Society
As the Second Great Awakening was happening churches began to take a larger part in social issues. One of these issues that they focused a lot on was temperance. Many people joined the movement because they believed that alcohol was the root of everything bad or at least contributed to it greatly so banning alcohol would be beneficial. This was the first large major movement in American history and its success helped other movements like abolition and women's suffrage. -
Tariff of Abominations
Politicians started putting tariffs on raw materials in 1816 in order to help the industrial north with their economy. One of these tariffs was called the Tariff of 1828 or the Tariff of Abominations. While it helped people in the north, it really hurt the cotton-centered southern economy. It was a failed attempt by Adams to get reelected. It was one of the last things Adams did and summed up his time as president of being an academic more than a political leader. -
Indian Removal Act
Americans widely thought that Native Americans should be relocated to the West so Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. The Native Americans did not want to leave their home and so they sued the government in Cherokee Nation v. Georgia and Worcester v. Georgia. They won both times but Jackson ignored the Marshall Court and forcibly moved the Native Americans. This was known as the Trail of Tears and Jackson ignoring the Supreme Court set a dangerous precedent. -
Battle of the Alamo
After Mexico won its independence, they decided to populate the territory of Texas by inviting anyone to live there as long as they were willing to be Mexican Catholic. So many Americans took advantage of this that once the Mexican government tried to control Texas, they started to fight for independence. One battle between Mexico and Texas was at the Alamo and it ended with every single Texan and American dead. This became a rallying call for the war and persuaded America to get involved. -
Nullification Crisis
South Carolina hated the Tariff of Abominations and threatened to nullify the law and this escalated until Calhoun threatened to secede. Jackson retaliated by passing the Force Bill which gave him the right to us military force against South Carolina and Clay passed the Compromise Tariff. Unlike other tariffs Jackson passed in an attempt to appease Calhoun, this one kept lowering the tariff until it was basically just gone in ten years. -
John Deere'e Miracle Plow
As the US kept expanding into the plains, they found a layer of sod that prevented farmers from reaching the soil. So the miracle plow was invented to easily remove the layer of sod and then be able to use the rich soil. Innovations like this and the cotton gin made it much easier for farmers to produce everything they need and make money off of it. Despite that, not many people started moving into the plains until the Homestead Act was passed. -
Women in the Nineteenth Century
This book was written by a transcendentalist author named Margaret Fuller and focused a lot on a mystical relationship with god. The Transcendentalist movement in general focused on people's individual relationship with god and not organized religion. It helped influence the Second Great Awakening and new ideas from both of them were a large part in the new social justice movements like abolitionism and women's suffrage. Fuller specifically fought for more education and work equality. -
The North Star by Frederick Douglass
This was one of the large writing of the Abolitionist movement that really helped spread the message and garner support. Frederick Douglass was a well educated black man who proved the South's idea of positive good to be wrong. Many people in the South thought they were doing enslaved people a favor because those enslaved people could not be effective on their own. Frederick Douglass's existence proved this wrong and he would be a big advocate for both Free Soil and Abolitionism. -
Oneida Community is Founded
John Humphrey Noyes looked at previous Utopian communities like the Shakers and Fourierists. He blamed Fourierist's failure on not being religious enough and instead of preaching celibacy like the Shakers, he devised a system of complex marriage. He then created the Oneida Community and had everyone who joined marry everyone who was there. The idea was that this would free the women. It was later shut down but like the other communities, brought in new ideas about social norms. -
Seneca Falls Convention
The Seneca Falls Convention was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott who were leading figures in the Women's Rights movement. They released the Declaration of Sentiments which echoed a line from the Declaration of Independence to argue for gender equality. Women were the main force behind the temperance movement and for a long time abolitionism until women decided to focus on their own struggles because of discrimination they faced while fighting. -
Foreign Miners Tax
After gold was found in California, white settlers quickly made their way west and started doing everything in their power to claim the land. They pushed the Native Americans/Mexicans basically out of California by killing them, selling them into slavery, or other violent means. After that, the Forty-Niners (mostly male miners) and the Californian government passed the Foreign Miners Tax to push Chinese immigrants and Latino men out of the mining industry. -
Compromise of 1850
Despite being mostly in the slave state territory per the Missouri Compromise, California wanted to enter the Union as a free state. Henry Clay then proposed the Compromise of 1850. It said California could be a free state, the slave trade would be abolished in DC, strict fugitive slave laws would be enforced nationwide, and new states would be allowed to vote on whether to become a free or slave state. However, this served as a band-aid that held the country together for a little longer. -
Bleeding Kansas
The north and south both advocated strongly for Kansas to vote either for slavery or against slavery when the became a state. It became clear that the north's use of church and other methods was likely going to win, so on election day, a group from the south attacked Lawrence and stuffed the ballot box with fraudulent votes. Kansas became a slave state because of this which led to violence both in Kansas and in the Senate because many people did not actually want Kansas to be a slave state. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott was born enslaved and when he was forced to move to a free state, he sued. He claimed that because he was in a free state, he should be free. The supreme court did not agree with him and as a result, they ruled that no state was truly a free state. This combined with the strict fugitive slave laws and things like that, angered the north who was scared of the south taking over more power and slavery expanding. More specifically, Abolitionism and the Free Soil Movement was mad. -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina finally seceded after the Election of 1860. Growing tensions that were seen years before in the Nullification Crisis were never dealt with and issues regarding slavery, states rights, and financial problems got worse. The 1860 election was the breaking point for South Carolina as Lincoln won because the Democratic vote was split and many people in the South did not even see Lincoln's name on the ballot. After South Carolina, the deep south states seceded and the Civil War began. -
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was a Union victory and marked the end of the Anaconda Plan. The Union had successfully blocked off the Confederacy's ability to export cotton and because they now controlled the Mississippi River, split the Confederacy in half. The Confederacy mainly struggled with this because of rapid inflation after the blockade was put into effect. However, the Confederacy still had better generals and the war would not end for a while. -
Homestead Act
The government wanted to populate the west/Great Plains and so they decided to give every head of house hold 160 acres as long as the people made it to the land, lived there for five years, and improve the land in some way. However, many of the farmers who moved to the Plains to farm and raise livestock found it hard to farm fields and bison instead of cows. The cows they tried to bring in died of extreme temperatures and natural disaster and the dry land made these problems even worse. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest day in American history and even though no one really won, Lincoln claimed it as a win and then used that momentum to release the Emancipation Proclamation. This outlawed slavery in states that were part of the Confederacy but if a state loyal to the union allowed slavery, nothing would change. This was largely symbolic and would not change anything until the Union beat the Confederacy. -
Battle of the Appomattox
Confederate General Lee realized after Gettysburg that he needed to be more defensive. However, the Union had finally found a good general, General Grant, and Grant was not going to give up until one side won. Eventually, Lee surrendered at the Appomattox which effectively ended the Civil War. However, the South was essentially in ruins after the war which led to Reconstruction efforts. The economy was ruined, cotton was no longer a viable cash crop, and the south was not loyal to the union. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment said everyone born in the US is a citizen, all people that were naturalized were full citizens, Confederate leaders could not hold office, and that states were required to protect all US citizens legally. During reconstruction, it was a requirement for Southern states to ratify it before their statehood was granted to them. However, Reconstruction efforts like this were mostly unsuccessful because of things like the KKK which quickly rose to power and undermined the efforts. -
Annexation of Alaska
Secretary of State William Seward realized that the US needed to grow economically and trading with Asia would do that. So Seward bought the island of Midway and Alaska to create a place for ships to refuel. Many people thought it was a mistake as the cost of expansion was too high and called it Seward's Folly at the time but this form of imperialism was becoming more popular and important. The US spread its ideas like Social Darwinism and boosted the economy and spread Christianity. -
Transcontinental Railway
In order to connect the different parts of the country, fast transportation was essential. So the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 was passed which funded the transcontinental railway. Two railroad companies were chosen to build it and each company had a certain amount of time to build the tracks and also would get paid based on how much track they built so the companies would build quickly. Train became an integral part of the economy and many more lines were built after this one was completed. -
Slaughter-House Case
This case was the first test of the 14th Amendment and reconstruction ideas as slaughter houses sued after the government made a big slaughter house a monopoly claiming it infringed on their rights granted to citizens in the 14th Amendment. The big slaughter house won the case and the court undermined everything the 14th Amendment was supposed to do. It also defined the 14th Amendment as something that was created specifically to address racial problems in the aftermath of slavery. -
Great Railroad Strike of 1877
When railway companies announced wage cuts during an economic depression, underpaid workers who worked in harsh conditions responded by striking in Martinsburg, WV and spreading to cities like Chicago and NYC. Pinkertons were brought in to stop the strike ultimately leading to more violence. Overall this strike exemplified the harsh nature of striking that was necessary at the time because of poor working conditions and yet change was too slow and soon, other labor movements were borne. -
Pendleton Act
Starting in 1828, the Presidential Cabinet and other high ranking government jobs were based on the Spoils System instead of who was qualified. Eventually, the Republican Party split between Mugwumps who wanted reform and Stalwarts. So when President Garfield was assassinated by someone who felt they deserved a job, it gave President Cleveland a chance to pass the Pendleton Act. It made Federal employees pass a test before they could take office effectively ending the spoils system. -
Haymarket Square Riot
The Knights of Labor were a revolutionary moment as they allowed for workers of any race, ethnicity, and religion unlike other labor groups during that time. But the union and others like it fell after the Haymarket Strike. Protesters went in response to police brutality of a previous strike. At some point a protester threw a bomb at the police and a riot broke out leaving eight people dead most of whom were police. This led to a wave of xenophobia, anti-labor sentiment, and anti-communism. -
The Dawes Act
The Dawes Act was the same thing as the Homestead Act but for Native Americans. But, it fundamentally misunderstood the best way to help as Native Americans did not want to individually own their land. Things like this screwed the Natives over repeatedly until the Natives were forced onto smaller, useless portions of land. Many Natives were also killed during wars over land and culture and the Ghost Dance Movement was created to try and protect Native culture but that too quickly was destroyed. -
Hull House is Founded
As the Women's Suffrage movement grew they fought for the right to vote, temperance, and better lives for immigrants and the poor. The middle class was allowing movements to expand and Settlement Houses like Hull House were created. They allowed people to learn English, find legal help, get food, housing, an education and community help. Some of the issues they were trying to fix included tenement housing, high crime rates, and child labor that came with the rapid expansion of business. -
"How the Other Half Lives" by Jacob Riis
As big business expanded, things like child laborers, tenement housing, meatpacking, political corruption, and sanitary conditions were common and horrible. So a group of reporters called muckrakers published about these issues and brought attention to them allowing the masses to fight back. Jacob Riis specifically wrote about tenement housing. Muckrakers were successfully brought about change as one even enlightened TR leading to real, effective change in meatpacking and the FDA. -
Sherman's Antitrust Act
The government's history of siding with big business ended with Sherman's Antitrust Act when Teddy Roosevelt broke up "bad" trusts. Companies were taking advantage of horizontal/vertical integration and abusing things like prices of goods and worker's rights. During the Anthracite Coal Strike, there was a clear shift from the Haymarket Strike and Great Railroad Strike where police and Pinkertons fought against the laborers while this time, the military was going to fight for the laborers. -
Coxey's Army
With high unemployment during an economic depression, a large group of unemployed protesters marched to Washington D.C. They were led by Jacob Coxey and they wanted Congress to create a public roadwork program. This program would provide the country the infrastructure it needed while creating jobs for the unemployed. The march was unsuccessful and they were quickly turned away by congress. This program was revolutionary at the time but in a few decades, would become reality with the New Deal. -
U.S.S. Maine Explodes
While the U.S.S. Maine was stationed in Cuba to protect American interests, it exploded and quickly the US blamed Spain and the Spanish-American War started. The phrase "Remember the Maine, To Hell with Spain" became a popular cry and the US defeated Spain in a short time because of their superior Navy and Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders. Spain had to give the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico to America and America emerged as an imperialist power as Hawaii was annexed soon after. -
Andrew Carnegie Sells to J.P. Morgan
Some of the wealthiest men included Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt as they were the pinnacle of big business. Carnegie grew his wealth by creating his own steam company and using vertical integration to grow. He also believed in "Gospel of Wealth" unlike some of the other men who were more corrupt than him. Carnegie later sold his company to J.P. Morgan who specialized in mergers/buyouts that were good for business but often left many unemployed. -
Birth of Louis Armstrong
WWII led to the Great Migration as black people saw job opportunities in Northern Cities. Quickly black enclaves formed and the Harlem Renaissance was born. Black culture , music, and poets, started focusing on black pride and in the 1920's black musicians' blues and jazz music became popular. Louis Armstrong is regarded as one of the best and most popular jazz musicians of all time. He is often known as Satchmo and wrote "What a Wonderful World". He fundamentally helped shape jazz. -
Ford Motor Company
Ford's automobile was the first car that most people could afford. This was possible because Ford integrated the moving assembly line into his factories making them cheaper and faster to produce. Ford also treated his employees very well as he believed that loyalty and the overall benefits would outweigh the cost. As they were producing so much demand for cars, demand for roads, steel, rubber, and glass created a large boom in the Roaring 20s. People could now live in suburbs as well. -
Antiquities Act
The Bull Moose Teddy Roosevelt passed this act which was the first one to set aside land for national parks in order to protect the US's national resources as there was also a big problem at the time with companies removing too much oil from the Earth and generally depleting natural resources. This act would also pave the way for more acts regarding preserving nature and conservation legislation like the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Marine Mammal Protection Act. -
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is Founded
W.E.B. DuBois was the first black man to graduate from Harvard and believed in the Talented 10 while his counterpart Booker T. Washington wanted to give all black people a better education instead of a select few. Washington also focused a lot on self-help and racial solidarity which aligned with the Harlem Renaissance. But, DuBois's most notable accomplishment was creating the NAACP. It is one of the most influential organizations and heavily contributed towards civil rights. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
The Traingle Shirtwaist Fire happened at a sweatshop that mainly employed young immigrant women. These women worked long hours and were not allowed to leave as the managers would lock the door to prevent people from leaving. When a fire started, the workers could not leave the burning building resulting in 146 people dying. The tragedy led to people learning about the horrors that workers were dealing with and enraged many leading to more protests and people demanding safer working conditions. -
Zimmerman Telegram
The large majority of America wanted the US to maintain neutrality in WWI as per the Monroe Doctrine. However, after Germany sunk the Lusitania which was carrying American passengers. Then Germany sent the Zimmerman Telegram to Mexico telling Mexico that they could have part of the if they allied with Germany. When the US intercepted the message, combined with the breaking of the Sussex Pledge drove the US to war despite isolationism still being very popular. -
Creel Committee
As many American did not want to participate in WWI Wilson needed to convince the public so he created the Creel Committee lead by George Creel. It was basically in charge of creating propaganda for WWI. These propaganda pieces needed to not only convince people to join the army, but buy war bonds, work war jobs, and in general help the war effort in any way possible such as giving away their steel, grow victory gardens and deal with shortages and rationing when necessary. -
Wilson's Fourteen Points
Woodrow Wilson outlined the ideals for a peace negotiation during Armistice in his 14 Points. Germany was willing to surrender because of the 14 Points which involved the creation of League of Nations, light punishments for Germany, open diplomacy, and redrawing borders. But, the Treaty of Versailles only lightly followed the 14 Points. The Treaty of Versailles was so harsh with Germany that Germany was economically destroyed and laid the groundwork for Hitler to rise to power. -
18th Amendment
The Temperance Movement claimed that alcohol was the root of all evil and outlawing it would make society better especially among middle class white women. So the Volstead Act was passed which would later be the 18th Amendment outlawing the sale, manufacturing, distribution, and importation of alcohol. But people did not stop drinking and illegal speakeasy became common. Major gangs and illegal crime made a lot of money and speakeasy and jazz music became a key part of the Roaring 20's culture. -
Palmer Raids
After WWI, there was a Red Scare as the US was scared of communism spreading especially with bigger and bolder labor unions and a rise of immigration. People were leaving Europe because of the turmoil of the war. So Attorney General Mitchell Palmer started Palmer Raids which involved mass arrests, and deportations. These Raids and anti-immigrant sentiment led to the Sacco and Vanzetti being arrested and found guilty even though there was little to no evidence of them being guilty. -
National Origin Act
During a wave of xenophobia and a Red Scare, the US passed the National Origin Act to limit immigration from Eastern European countries. The number of immigrants was limited to a set percentage of 2% the population based on each country's census from 1880. Countries from Western Europe were not restricted. This would have hurt relations between the US and Eastern European countries but the instability in the after war period combined with the resettlement of displaced persons prevented that. -
Scopes Monkey Trail
When a Dayton, Tennessee outlawed the teaching of evolution in school in favor of biblical teachings, George Scopes taught students about it anyways knowing he would be arrested and was guilty. With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, Scopes challenged this law and while he lost the case, the prosecutor William Jennings Bryan was humiliated and fundamentalist Christianity had been questioned. This would spark debates lasting to present day between fundamentalists and modernists. -
Black Tuesday
The Roaring 20's came to an abrupt end with Black Tuesday and the Great Depression started. For years, people had been buying on margin, and spending more than they could actually afford because of credit. This included things like houses and luxury goods like cars. The Stock Market was ballooning and there was not enough regulation on to prevent a crash like this one. The crash cost many of their savings, jobs and homes. The banks were closed and Hoover did nothing enraging Americans. -
Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) is Founded
Hoover hoped the Great Depression would simply disappear and asked America to tighten its belt. When he finally turned to government action, it was either a failure like the Smoot-Hawley Tariff or not enough like the RFC. The RFC was supposed to lend money to banks to lift the country out of the crisis but it only ever gave away 20% of its funds. Quickly, Hoover became the scapegoat for the Great Depression and shantytowns across the nation took on the name Hoovervilles as unemployment hit 25%. -
Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)
In FDR's first 100 days, he actively fought against the Great Depression which was a stark contrast after Hoover. One of his many policies was the AAA which helped with overproduction in agriculture by paying farmers who were willing to cut back production. Realistically, this did not help small farmers but did help the industry overall. Meanwhile manufacturing was not producing enough so FDR created the NRA to regulate working rights and he created the HOLC to help people refinance mortgages. -
Indian Reorganization Act
This undid the Dawes Act and granted Native American tribes their state of being dependent nations in the US. While this helped many tribes get a lot of their culture back and thrive economically, it did not work for every tribe as their cultures differed from what the new policies were expecting from Native Americans. But, the government/BIA still had control over finances on reservation. Like other parts of the New Deal, there was a step in the right direction but was not enough. -
Glass-Steagall Act
FDR's bank reforms were aimed to rebuild trust the banking system again. The (FDIC) closed every bank in the and only allowed healthy ones to reopen. More regulation was placed on banks for more protection and to prevent another horrible crash. However, FDR"s New Deal legislation was not able to fix the Great Depression as it was not enough change as by that point, the banking system was not the only problem. Other acts were also either not enough change and/or unconstitutional. -
Executive Order 8802
To meet the high demands of war, America needed more workers so FDR signed Executive Order 8802 which made discrimination during hiring illegal. then, more black people joined the war effort and soon realized that the tyranny they were fighting abroad was present in their life and so they created the Double V Campaign to fight for civil rights and fight the Axis powers at the same time. However, black people were still segregated in the military although Mexican and Native Americans were not. -
Pearl Harbor
Similar to WWI, the US started out wanting to remain neutral during WWII but still economically supported one side more than the other. After the US told Japan to leave China and Indochina, Japan responded by attacking a US base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 2,403 people were killed during the attack and the Pacific Fleet was heavily damaged driving American into the war. But Japan was not expecting America's abilities to produce good and soldiers as the country launched into another total war. -
Zoot-Suits Riot
Young Latinos in LA adopted a style called Zoot-Suits but many white servicemen saw their clothing as unpatriotic and wasteful. They associated the clothes with negative stereotypes and after a brief kerfuffle involving Mexican Americans beating up a sailor, servicemen started a riot where they beat up mostly young Latinos. Racially motivated riots were happening around the country in Detroit and Chicago but the Bracero Program and Double V Campaign remained strong despite the setbacks. -
D-Day
D-Day was the turning point of the war as the USSR had faced the brunt of the war by fighting on the Eastern front. So, Stalin wanted the Allies to launch an attack from the West to split German troops between the two fronts. But the US was not prepared for such an invasion for a few years and to alleviate the fighting on the Eastern Front, they fought in Africa. During D-Day, led by Eisenhower, the Allies finally pushed Germany out of France and kept going despite the mortality rates on D-Day. -
Serviceman's Readjustment Act
After the failure to help veterans after WWI, the US passed the G.I.Bill to pay back their veterans for WWII. It paid for 2.2 million vets' college education and 5.6 million vets trade school. The G.I. Bill also provided healthcare, housing, and loan subsidies. As more people could afford an education and housing, the middle class was growing and the workforce was the most educated it ever had been. This prosperity allowed for the baby boomers who would then create another economic boom. -
Yalta Conference
After Nazi Germany fell, Stalin, FDR, and Churchhill had two main conferences to discuss the aftermath of the war. At Yalta, they discussed conditions for a Japanese defeat and/or surrender, the Soviets allowing Eastern Europe to have free elections, and created the United Nations. At the next conference in Potsdam, Truman took over for FDR and Germany was divided into four zones with the USSR wanting to take reparations in the form of natural resources from its portion of Germany. -
Hollywood 10
During the Cold War, the people worries about communism and Soviet Spies led to fear mongering and the House Un American Committee was televising trails of communists and when people were convicted, their lives were destroyed. Some of the first people to be charged were the Hollywood 10 which was a group of writers, producers, directors, and actors who utilized their right to remain silent and their lives were destroyed because of it. They were all blacklisted and served time in jail. -
Kinsey Report
The generations who lived through the 1910-1940s longed for conformity and turned to fundamentalist religion. Most women at this time would go to college, get a job, get married and have kids like more conservative ideals. People like Billy Graham were the ideal but during this revival, Kinsey released a report detailing how society has more affairs, premarital sex, homosexuality, and deviant behavior. While not the entirety of the report was correct and biased, it correctly identified a trend. -
Marshall Plan
To combat the spread of communism in Western Europe and to help out in general, the US paid for all repairs in Western Europe for damage caused by the war as they could not afford it. The US also created a new foreign policy called the Truman Doctrine based on Domino Theory/the policy of Containment. All of these combined when the USSR tried to cut off the US's portion of Berlin from any resources so the US simply instated the Berlin Airlift to fly in resources for West Berlin. -
Joseph McCarthy Rises in Prominence
Senator Joseph McCarthy is most known for McCarthyism or the Second Red Scare as he stoked the flames of the fire by claiming he knew of government officials who spied for the Soviet Union. McCarthyism played a large role in the conformity that time because not conforming could get you accused of being a communist. That is what happened to Alger Hiss who was convicted of perjury after being accused and the Rosenbergs were executed even though there is no evidence of Ethel's guilt. -
Brown v. Board of Education
To fight against Plessy v Ferguson/Jim Crow laws, Thurgood Marshall chose very specific cases that could lead to change. Linda Brown's case argued that the school Brown attended was separate but not equal striking down Plessy. It became law that schools had to desegregate but there was no time limit so most schools refused. People like Ruby Bridges were faced with so much hatred that Eisenhower sent in Marshalls proving that this and other legal victories were necessary but still not enough. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on the bus and so she was arrested sparking off the Montgomery Bus Boycott organized by MLK. 40,000 people joined the boycott which lasted over a year and by the end of it, the bus companies were on the side of the boycotters. Nonviolent protests like this, the Lunch Counter Sit-Ins, the March on Washington, Selma to Montgomery and the Children's Crusade was crucial to the movement's success as it always gave them the moral upper-hand. -
Interstate Highway Act
With more people having cars and living in suburbs because of Levitt Houses, America needed better roads. So Eisenhower passed the Interstate Highway Act but as this was the largest public works project, it was expensive and needed support. So he played into Cold War fears claiming the roads would make evacuations easier and could be emergency runways. This interstate would soon become very important in terms of everyday Americans getting to work/transporting resources around the country. -
Elvis goes on the Ed Sullivan Show
By the 60's a new genre of music emerges called Rock 'n' Roll that mixed the blues, western, and hip hop. Even though it was created by black people, it was not popular until Elvis. When Elvis went on the Ed Sullivan Show, young Americans fell in love while the older ones thought that it was a gateway to drugs, sex, and eventually hell. The music became rebellious as the Beatniks who rebelled against conformity through poetry, clothes, sex, and music like Elvis and Howl by Alan Ginsburg. -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committe (SNCC) is Founded
Ella Baker created the SNCC to provide an opportunity for young black people to get involved in the civil rights movement. Eventually, the SNCC grew more radical as the young students were fed up with the slow progress the movement was making. The Civil Rights Movement was organized by this organization and others like it such as the NAACP, MLK's SCLC, and CORE. They all served different purposes as the NAACP focused on legislation, SCLC focused on Christian Leaders and CORE did more protests. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
When the USSR was ready to back Castro in Cuba, the US was scared of how close they were. In response, Eisenhower created the Bay of Pigs that involved Cuban exiles overthrowing the government with America's help but it was unsuccessful. So when the US got word of USSR missile launch sites in Cuba, they were worried. When the Soviet ship Gronzy crossed a line, both countries could have started a nuclear war but luckily, the Gronzy turned around preventing mutually assured destruction (MAD). -
Kennedy's Assasination
Kennedy won his election after the presidential debate was televised for the first time and those who watched it said Kennedy won because of appearance even though people who listen thought Nixon won. As President, Kennedy's age brought youth and masculinity to the role but he was inexperienced. The Bay of Pigs was mishandled but he made up for it with the Cuban Missile Crisis well and creation of the Peace Corps. Despite his mixed record, after the assassination, people mostly loved him. -
Opportunity Act
Lyndon B. Johnson took over after Kennedy died and focused on what he called The Great Society. One example of this is the Opportunity Act which set aside $1 billion to create more jobs. He also expanded Medicare, Medicaid, education, created PBS, passed the Department of Housing and Development, and the Clean Air Act. While all of these were successful and poverty was decreasing, the US was going into massive amounts of debt and the prosperity from the post war period disappeared. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
After the Civil Rights Act of 1964, civil rights activist realized that they needed the right to vote if they were ever going to truly be equal. So they kept peacefully protesting as the March from Selma to Montgomery was about voting rights and even after Bloody Sunday, the protesters kept trying to march until they made it to Montgomery. The Voting Rights Act was passed by LBJ and banned discrimination in polling places and banned literacy tests, and other methods that would discourage voters. -
My Lai Massacre
The Vietnam War also lasted a fairly long time and many wondered why the US was even fighting the proxy war. Many were tired of war and the violence shown on television was disheartening. The war even started shaky with the Gulf of Tonkin Incident and when word about the My Lai Massacre got out, and as they saw the images of an entire village decimated by American troops their hatred grew. That hatred then spread to LBJ and eventually, the US just left Vietnam and the communists took over. -
Watergate
After people with ties to Nixon were found trying to break into the Democratic Party Committee, Nixon's entire government was under investigation. While the president might have been entirely innocent, he tried to cover it up by firing people and refusing to release the Nixon tapes. Nixon resigned before he could be impeached as the America no longer trusted him (or politicians in general) in any capacity. Ford took over after Nixon making Ford the only President to serve without being elected. -
Camp David Accord
Jimmy Carter and Jimmy Carter could not agree on anything so Carter switched to foreign affairs in the Middle East. After the establishment of Israel, Israel and Egypt did not have good relations post the Six-Day-War and Yom Kippur War. Both sides were willing to negotiate as after the Six-Day-War agreed that lasting peace in the Middle East was necessary but needed a third party to mediate all the aspects so Carter stepped in. He won a Nobel Peace Prize for the Accord in 2002. -
9/11
The terrorist organization Al Qaeda planned the 9/11 attack involved four hijacked planes to hit the twin towers, the Pentagon, and the White House. The twin towers were hit first and later that day, the Pentagon was hit. When the towers fell, it kill almost 3,000 people. It sparked a wave of patriotism and America was more scared. 9/11 was used to justify going to war in the Middle East. Today, many Americans can remember where they were and how it impacted their lives going forward.