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Jamestown Settlement is Established
After King James I gave the Virginia Company of London the land, they sent an all-male group of colonists to start the very first settlement. Once they arrived, they faced massive challenges, and many died, with little access to food or water. Still, the settlement prevailed and had great support from the Virginia Company. Years later, their location paid off, and they started planting tobacco, which would be the beginning of the south's long relationship with cash crops. -
Protestants land at Plymouth
After being prosecuted for their religious beliefs, many Protestants left England for a life in the New World. In 1620, over 100 pilgrims and migrants left to find freedom. When they landed in Massachusetts, they had an advanced political structure, based on self-governance. Like in Jamestown, they initially struggled with a lack of food and widespread disease, but the colony was successful, and grew rapidly, especially once the colony merged with the but much larger Massachusetts Bay Colony. -
Metacom's War Begins
After decades of rapid growth, the Puritans had outnumbered the Natives 3 to 1. The Puritans were constantly accusing the Native Wampanoags of ignoring territorial borders, and engaging in illegal business practices, much to the Natives' dismay. That's why, in 1675, the Wampanoags, realizing that there was no turning back, started a war for freedom, equality, and coexistence. Despite large losses on both sides, the Wampanoags suffered the most, and lost a quarter of their entire population. -
European Enlightenment
Enlightenment was a philosophical movement that started in Europe and spread across the globe. Its beliefs centered around science, logic, rationality, and progress over superstition, religion, and precedent. The beliefs drastically changed the political, scientific, religious, and philosophical landscapes in Europe and America. -
Salem Witch Trials Begin
In the Northeast, there was an unnatural fear of witchcraft, wizardry, and Satan. After several girls in Salem, Massachusetts had seizures, they accused their neighbors of bewitching them. Many of these accusations went to court, and many judges allowed the use of "spectral evidence", which basically let the plaintiff accuse the defendant of anything, and blame it on witchcraft. Because of this, the accusations became out of hand, and over 150 women were tried for witchcraft. -
Salutary Neglect
Salutary neglect was a political and economic system employed in the colonies. Essentially, so long that the 13 Colonies followed rules, made money, and stayed out of trouble, they were given lots of freedom and independence, both politically and socially. This policy ended when colonists started to fight against taxation, and rebel against the King. -
First Great Awakening
The First Great Awakening was a Christian revival, that resulted in an increase in religious involvement and belief in Europe and America. Through passionate, exciting, and sometimes overly dramatic pastors such as George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards, new religious beliefs that prioritized confessing and accepting sins, and having a personal, direct relationship with God. -
Stono Rebellion
The Stono Rebellion was a slave rebellion that highlighted how difficult rebelling was. After the governor of Spanish Florida promised freedom for fugitive slaves, over 70 slaves escaped. Once a war between England and Spain broke out, the slaves revolted, and supported the Spanish. While it was one of the largest and most organized rebellions, it was also one of the deadliest, with 44 slaves killed. Finally, it made plantation life worse, with discipline much tighter. -
French and Indian War Begins
By 1754, France and England had overlapping land claims in North America, and both of them were defending their land. Because of this fighting broke out between both of them. They each allied with Native tribes, and established new forts and settlements all over Ohio and Pennsylvania. Finally, by 1756, the war spread all over the world, and pitted the two countries in an all-out battle for Imperial dominance. -
Sons and Daughters of Liberty are Founded
As anger towards the British increased, more citizens wanted a way to get involved. Because of this, the Sons of Liberty and Daughters of Liberty were founded in 1765. The Sons staged boycotts, riots, and mobs against the government and British businesses, while the Daughters boycotted British products, and produced textiles in America. Both groups were very successful in their missions. -
Stamp Act Congress Established
Due to the unpopularity of the Sugar and Stamp Acts, nine assemblies sent delegates to New York to discuss possible actions. They talked about taxation without representation, unfair jury trials, and other issues that colonists were faced with. Still, they delegates were very moderate, and only politely asked Parliament to repeal the acts, so not to upset the King. -
Townshend Act of 1767
Parliament was insistent on maintaining power in the colonies, and not showing weakness. Due to this, they made the Townshend Act. This taxed tea, glass, paper, and paint. This further angered colonists, who were already upset. -
Boston Massacre
As tensions increased, so did the amount of troops in the colonies. By 1770, British soldiers made up 10% of the population in Boston. In March, these tensions reached a breaking point, and after being taunted by colonists, British redcoats fired into a crowd. This turned into a massacre, with 5 people dead. -
Boston Tea Party
Due to anger over the Tea Act of 1773, the Sons of Liberty wanted to take action. So, the dressed up as Native Americans, boarded 3 British ships, and thew $1,500,000 of tea into the Boston Harbor. This made the King furious, and as a reaction, Parliament passed the coercive acts. This made colonists pay for the dumped tea, and also closed the Boston Harbor, prohibited town meetings, and created the Quartering Act. -
Second Continental Congress Begins
After the Battles of Lexington and Concord, there was truly no going back. Because of this, the Second Colonial Congress had to happen to officially make the United States a country. It established a continental army, nominated George Washington to be general, declared independence, and made a currency. -
Declaration of Independence is Signed
While the Continental Congress introduced the Declaration of Independence, it was signed on the 4th of July, in 1776. It was an incredibly progressive document, and used ideas from the European Enlightenment. It introduced "unalienable rights", and was an idea as to what the American political landscape would look like it they won the war. Finally, it officially declared that the U.S. was a free and independent country. -
Political Crisis of 1877
Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden were both running for president. As the electoral votes came in there was an issue: some states submitted two sets of electoral votes, one from each party. Congress appointed a commission to solve the issue, with 7 Reps. and 7 Dems, and a Supreme Court Justice. The group voted 8-7, for Republicans, on party lines, with the Justice voting with them. Hayes became president, but it ended reconstruction and was controversial. -
Camp at Valley Forge Opens
Initially, the war wasn't going very well for the Americans, who were unorganized, undersupplied, and smaller in nearly every aspect. The lowest point of the war, which highlighted these disadvantages, was Valley Forge, in the Winter of 1777. Over 12,000 soldiers were camped there, and sickness was rampant. Additionally, morale and food were in short supply. -
Battle of Yorktown Begins
When the powerful French West Indian Fleet arrived, General Washington devised a plan. He pretended that the Continental Army was going to New York, and even made fake camps and plans that he intentionally let fall into British hands. Instead, he went to Yorktown to meet the French Fleet. In Yorktown, he completely surrounded General Cornwallis, and Cornwallis surrendered. -
Treaty of Paris is Signed
After constant American victories in the 2nd half of the war, the British knew that the war was going to finish soon, and not on their terms. After the Battle of Yorktown, the British surrendered, with only minor battles taking place after. The Treaty of Paris was quickly created, and was very favorable to the colonists. The British wanted the whole crisis to be over, so the colonists got almost everything they asked for, including lots of land. -
Shay's Rebellion Begins
Due to massive war debts and having to repay war bonds, Massachusetts raised taxes fivefold. This made many people furious since it felt like nothing had changed since the new government took over. Daniel Shays led a violent rebellion against the government and the elite. While the rebellion didn't work, it was still a sign of the weakness of the Articles of Confederation -
Constitution is Ratified
Due to the weakness of the Articles of Confederation, something had to change. 55 delegates from all states but Rhode Island met in Philadelphia to discuss a new constitution. Two plans emerged, the New Jersey Plan, and the Virginia Plan, and both established a much stronger central government and only really differed in how many members of congress there were. In the end, both plans were implemented in the Great Compromise. The constitution was ratified in 1788 and went into effect in 1789. -
Bill of Rights is Ratified
One major issue with the constitution was that primarily only federalists supported it, and without anti-federalist support, it wouldn't get ratified. To get their support, the compromised, and said that if anti-federalists supported the constitution, then the first 10 amendments would be the Bill of Rights, which promised freedoms like speech, religion, and trial by jury. -
Jay's Treaty is Signed
Upset by American neutrality in the French Revolution, the British used naval dominance to seize American ships. Hoping to avoid a war, Washington sent John Jay to discuss a treaty. They were pretty successful and ended up with Jay's Treaty, which let the British stop neutral ships, and also made the U.S. pay back pre-Revolutionary War debts. In turn, Americans could submit claims of illegal seizures, and also required the British to remove troops from the Northwest Territory. -
Naturalization, Alien, and Sedition Acts
Once Adams became president, he created 3 acts which made it essentially illegal for people to criticize him. The Naturalization Act lengthened the requirement to become a citizen, the Alien Act made it legal to deport foreigners on essentially a whim, and the Sedition Act prohibited publications from insulting the president or congress. All 3 acts were met with heavy resistance and criticism, and even set up a constitutional crisis in the KY and VA Resolutions. -
Louisiana Purchase
When Napoleon Bonaparte seized power in France, he wanted to get France's American territory back. Jefferson, obviously, didn't like this, and more specifically wanted control over New Orleans and the Mississippi. France refused to sell him just that, but they did offer him the whole Louisiana territory, so he said yes, and bought it for about $500,000,000 in today's dollars. This expansion single-handedly doubled the size of the U.S. -
Embargo Act of 1807
Jefferson was angry that Britain and France were having a trade war, and that they were putting the U.S. in the middle of it. To punish them, he enacted the Embargo of 1807, which prohibited American ships from visiting foreign ports until the fighting was over. While its intention was good, the embargo ruined the economy, because American reliance on British and French goods was vastly underestimated. -
War of 1812 Begins
Due to the British helping natives, the British seizing American ships, and general unhappiness with the British, much of congress wanted to go to war, so they did. Yet, by 1813, the British were winning, and they were disrupting ports up and down the coast. A year later, they tried to burn Washington D.C. to the ground, and they partially succeeded. Still, Britain was tired of the seemingly unnecessary war, and was already in deep debt, so the Treaty of Ghent was signed on Christmas Eve 1814. -
Construction Begins on the Erie Canal
As the American economy was growing, they needed more ways to transport things. In New York, the legislature financed a groundbreaking, 364-mile canal known as the Erie Canal. It was 13 times longer than the previous longest canal, and it was a huge success. Cities, towns, factories, and farms sprung up along the canal, it made transportation across New York much more efficient, and it also set off a canal boom that would be felt all over the U.S. -
Adams-Onis Treaty is Signed
After his success with the Treaty of Ghent, John Quincy Adams became Secretary of State. One of his main victories was the Adams-Onis treaty, which convinced Spain to give up Florida, and in return the U.S. would recognize Spain's claim to Texas. Additionally, they each compromised on recognizing Louisiana's Border. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was a groundbreaking foreign policy from, you guessed it, President Monroe. In it, he promised not to interfere in European issues, conflicts, wars, or crises, as long as European powers didn't colonize any more of the Western Hemisphere, and didn't try to take back former territories in the Western Hemisphere. Essentially, it proposed peace and respect for both sides of the Atlantic -
Corrupt Bargain
Due to no absolute majority in the Election of 1824, the 12th Amendment kicked in, and the House of Representatives chose one of the top 3 candidates. Before the House voted, Henry Clay and John Quincy Adams had a meeting behind closed doors. Clay, who was Speaker of the House, used his power to get Adams elected. Soon after, Adams appointed Clay to Secretary of State, which is the stepping-stone to the presidency. Jackson's supporters were outraged, and called it a "corrupt bargain". -
Tariff of Abominations
The Tariff of 1828 would become the Adams Administrations' greatest issue. It wanted to tax raw materials, textiles, and iron, and it had moderate support in the north. But in the south, people were outraged. They were forced to buy expensive northern goods, or heavily taxed British goods, and either way, it was very expensive, and the money was going to people they didn't like: northern businesses, or the American government. -
Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints Founded
After having repeated religious experiences, Joseph Smith wrote The Book of Mormon. This book laid down the principles for a new religion, Mormonism. In it, it prioritized family, hard work, and discipline. The church constantly faced violent threats due to its support of polygamy, until it left for Utah. -
Indian Removal Act
By the late 1820s, white people throughout the south and midwest were demanding that Native Americans resettle out west. Quite obviously, the natives didn't like this, because it meant being kicked off of land that they had lived on for centuries. President Jackson also thought that they should resettle, and barely passed the Indian Removal Act to do just that. It forced them to go to reservations and forced them to walk the Trail of Tears, a treacherous 1,200-mile journey to the reservations. -
The Alamo Ends
The Alamo is a well-known battle in the Texas Revolution. In it, the Mexican Army absolutely crushed the Texan Army at the Alamo mission. It was a huge loss, and in it, they lost many folk heroes from the era, like Davy Crockett. The phrase "Remember the Alamo" became common, and the Texas Revolution as a whole became a more mainstream issue. -
Panic of 1837
As the British economy was failing, the Bank of England stopped investing and sending capital and credit to the U.S. This wrecked the U.S. economy, because a large amount of development, especially southern development, was funded by the British. When banks started to run out of specie, issues only got worse, and many states defaulted on their debt. Canal and railroad construction almost completely stopped, jobs and wages dropped off a cliff, all while unemployment spiked. -
The Term "Manifest Destiny" Gains Popularity
Manifest Destiny was a term coined by John O'Sullivan in 1845. It expresses the American desire to expand west, towards the Pacific. Many Americans were experiencing Manifest Destiny in the 1840s through the 1860s in their desires to move west, and get rich through farming, or mining. Additionally, the government was certainly feeling it, and our rapid expansion in the mid-1800s is clear evidence. -
Seneca Falls Convention
Widely considered to be the beginning of the modern Women's Suffrage movement, the Seneca Falls Convention was a truly magnificent milestone. In it, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the main leader of the Convention, wrote the Declaration of Sentiments, which was a highly modified Constitution that called for equality for women. While the Convention didn't actually achieve much, it did receive attention and started to shine a light on what would become a controversial topic later on. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a set of major compromises once again designed to hold the nation together for just a bit longer, and one again written by Henry Clay. For the north, it let California enter the Union as a free state, banned the slave trade in D.C., and for the South, it heavily strengthened the Fugitive Slave Act. -
Dred Scott Case
The Dred Scott Case was a landmark Supreme Court Case that was eventually overturned by the 13th Amendment. In it, Dred Scott, a slave, had claimed that he was no longer a slave since his owner moved to a free state, making him and his family free. The court sided with the owner, and it essentially meant that the federal government had no power over where slavery existed. Additionally, it declared that African Americans weren't citizens. -
South Carolina Secedes from the Union
South Carolina, which had always been a politically extreme state, was the first state to secede from the Union. They quickly left after Lincoln's election, and were just as quickly followed by 10 other states. This would set up the Confederate States, which in turn set up the Civil War. -
Homestead Act is Signed
This was an incredibly influential act that forever changed the American west. It promised 160 acres of land, for free, to whoever promised to occupy and develop the land. This was an amazing opportunity for lower-class immigrants, or those trying to escape the south after the Civil War -
Emancipation Proclamation
After a very, very slight victory at Antietam, Lincoln released quite possibly his greatest piece of legislation: the Emancipation Proclamation. In it, it freed all slaves in Confederate states, and it made the war entirely about slavery. It made all who helped the Confederate look bad, and also helped the Union army by giving them more people. Finally, it was also an incentive to come back, because Union states' slave policies weren't affected due to their loyalty and allegiance. -
13th Amendment is Passed
Since the Civil Rights Act of 1866, Slavery was illegal, but the federal government wanted to take it a step further, and amend the constitution. So, while the Amendment certainly wasn't perfect, (while it outlawed slavery, it still didn't guarantee equal rights) it was certainly better than before, and it permanently ended a dark chapter in our nation's history. -
General Lee Surrenders at Appomattox
After losing many major battles, and losing control of Richmond, things weren't looking good for General Lee. He tried to go to Appomattox to resupply, but the Union beat them to it, and trapped them in front and behind. Lee had no chance of winning, and had to surrender. While they were on opposite sides, Grant and Lee greatly respected each other, and after the tradition of giving the winner the loser's sword, Grant returned it, and tried to start reconstruction on a positive note. -
The Transcontinental Railroad is Completed
After the passing of the Pacific Railway Act in 1862, Lincoln made it clear that he wanted a transcontinental railroad, primarily for to transport people, and goods, such as food, to and from the west more easily. So, ahead of schedule, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads met in Promontory Point, Utah, and completed what was thought of as an impossible task. -
15th Amendment is Ratified
Another landmark Amendment, the 15th Amendment had an equally important effect on the U.S. It promised voting for every man (still not women). Voters couldn't be rejected for their race, so all African-Americans could finally vote. Also, they couldn't be rejected due to previous conditions of servitude, so those serving in or supporting the Confederate Army also couldn't be restricted from voting. -
The Women's Christian Temperance Union is Founded
Due to the effects of the Second Great Awakening, temperance, or abstinence from alcohol, became very popular. Drinking, they believed, had few positive effects, but an infinite amount of negative ones. So, alongside movements like abolition and suffrage, temperance grew rapidly in the 1800s. Unions like the WCTU sprouted, and grew to be popular until the 18th Amendment, and the economic failure that was prohibition. -
Great Railroad Strike
During the Long Depression, which lasted 65 months, a lot of large companies, especially banks, shut down, or at least became much smaller. Railroad companies, which needed large amounts of capital to fund their projects, had to find money elsewhere. So, the Baltimore and Ohio cut wages three times, and on the third time, the workers went on strike, but it spread. In the end, it lasted 52 days, and over 100 people had died by the time the National Guard and local militias shut the strikes down. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
In the 1880s, there was a lot of racism in America. People were especially afraid that immigrants - especially from China, would steal their jobs. The act absolutely banned all Chinese workers from entering the U.S. for at least 10 years, at least at first. The act kept getting lengthened and strengthened, and only ended when the Magnuson Act went into effect in 1943. -
Dawes Act goes into Effect
An Act that, much like the Homestead Act, gave land to Native Americans in 160-acre plots. While the Act seemed positive, it was incredibly harmful. It broke up Native reservations and turned into a land grab through constant corruption, fraud, and mismanagement by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Horrificly, Native Americans ended up losing 66% of their land due to the law. -
National American Woman Suffrage Association is Founded
In 1890, NWSA, and AWSA merged to become NAWSA. It was the biggest woman's suffrage organization to ever exist in America. At its peak, there were two million NAWSA members. Its members worked very hard, and consistently held rallies, meetings, and protests, all to push for giving women the opportunity to vote, which they finally got with the 19th Amendment. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark Supreme Cour case, and it ruled that segregation was legal, as long it was "separate but equal". The case happened when Homer Plessy, a 7/8ths white man, who was classified as Black under Louisiana law, sat in a White train car after the passage of the Separate Car Act. When the court sided with Ferguson, and allowed "separate but equal", the effects were devastating. This case normalized segregation, Jim Crow laws, and racism, for almost another 70 years. -
Williams v. Mississippi
Williams v. Mississippi was another court case which was unfairly decided, and had devastating effects. In this case, the court upheld literacy tests, poll taxes, disenfranchisement clauses, and the grandfather clause. These things all took away voting rights from millions of Americans, especially African-Americans. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug Act tried, for the first time, to ensure the safety of our food. It regulated how food and drugs were labeled, and also resulted in the creation of the FDA. This act, along with the Meat Inspection Act (which was signed on the same day) ensured the safety and quality of food like never before, and was important after books like Upton Sinclair's The Jungle got the public's attention. -
NAACP is Founded
The NAACP is one of the largest civil rights groups to ever exist. It was, and still is instrumental in securing equality for Black people, and has had some sort of impact in almost every civil rights event in modern American history. Its founders include W.E.B Dubois, Ida B. Wells, and past leaders include Thurgood Marshall and Roy Wilkins. -
Standard Oil Decision (Standard Oil of N.J. v. U.S.)
Before 1910, Standard Oil was absolutely massive. So massive, that it violated the Sherman Antitrust Act. So, when the Supreme Court decided that Standard Oil was monopolizing, they broke it up into smaller regional pieces. Today, some of the biggest gas companies in the world, like ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, and Marathon, all started from what used to be Standard Oil. -
Zimmermann Telegram
The Zimmerman Telegram was a highly controversial telegram that caused the U.S. to enter WWI. In it, German officials were asking Mexico to declare war against the U.S., which would split and distract our military from what was going on in Europe. Germany promised that they would help Mexico recover Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. When the British intercepted this telegram, they gave it to the U.S., and the telegram became a large reason why the U.S. entered the war. -
18th Amendment
After decades of organized efforts and movements, temperance movements rejoiced when the U.S. passed the 18th Amendment, which prohibited the sale, manufacturing, and transportation of alcoholic drinks. In effect, this did almost nothing, and drinking actually increased. It was repealed about 14 years later. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles meant the end of WWI. Finally, Europe (and America) was at peace. The Treaty of Versailles was very harsh on the Central Powers, especially the Germans, and wrecked their economies, militaries, and morale. Looking back, it was likely too harsh, and if the treaty had been more fair, then WWII might've never happend. -
National Origins Act
The National Origins Act was an immigration act that established quotas for how many people could immigrate from Asia, Eastern Europe, and Southern Europe. Only 2% of each respective nationality's American population in the 1890 census was allowed to immigrate. This law was very racist, targeted, and discriminatory. It defined American immigration policy for almost three decades. -
Stock Market Crash Begins
After a decade of rising consumer culture, and rising debt, the American economy was in trouble. People knew it was on shaky ground, but people never could've guessed how devastating the crash could be. The Stock Market Crash led to Great Depression, and as the name implies, it was a depressing time in America, on all fronts. The Depression is still the worst economic crisis in American history, and Black Monday and Tuesday are still the 2nd and 3rd worst days for the Dow Jones. -
Bonus Army
After WWI, Congress promised soldiers a bonus in 1945. They chose this because by 1945, most soldiers would need it more, due to families. But, in the 1930s, the soldiers wanted the bonus sooner, due to major economic hardship. So, they protested in Washington D.C., but they were shot down by both politicians and military leaders. Multiple veterans died or were injured during protests. -
One Hundred Days Begins
FDR campaigned on the promise that he would help Americans get through the depression. In the first one hundred days of FDR's presidency, there was the first session of the legendary 73rd Congress. They passed major New Deal legislation, including the Emergency Banking Act, Economy Act of 1933, and Federal Emergency Relief Act. -
Social Security Act
The 2nd Great Deal focused on turning the U.S. into more of a welfare state. A major piece of legislation that helped accomplish that was the Social Security Act, which promised regular checks money for those 62 and above. This was a huge deal, because Social Security programs were very common in other developed countries, and many Americans needed help with retirement. -
Fair Labor Standards Act
The Fair Labor Standards Act was a landmark bill for workers' rights. It established a national minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and set child labor standards. This was by far the most comprehensive workers' rights bill America had ever seen, and it still protects workers today. -
Four Freedoms Speech
FDR's 1941 State of the Union Address, also known as the Four Freedoms Speech, was notable because it tried to reverse our foreign policy. Many Americans thought that our involvement in WWI was a mistake, and meanwhile, this speech tried to get Americans to forget isolationism, and support our involvement in the war. Prior to this speech, we had only been supporting the Allies through supplies and weapons. While Pearl Harbor guaranteed our involvement in WWI, this speech it. -
Executive Order 8802
During WWII, FDR wanted all hands on deck. Additionally, he wanted Americans to put their differences and divisions on the back burner, so to focus on the war effort. It prohibited all racial and ethnic discrimination in the defense industry, and was the first government order to do so. Some might even say it's the start of the modern civil rights movement. Either way, it was very controversial, but important back in the 40s. -
Pearl Harbor
Just before 8am, the Japanese Navy surprise-attacked the American Pearl Harbor Naval Base. This was a devastating blow to our Pacific Fleet, and thousands of people died. While America would likely have eventually joined the war (as stated in the Four Freedoms speech), Pearl Harbor greatly accelerated our entry, and the very next day (Dec. 8), we declared war on Japan. On the 11th, we declared war on Germany and Italy after they declared war on us. -
Manhattan Project Begins
The Manhattan Project was an experimental military project that eventually developed the nuclear bomb. The project thrusted the world into the Atomic Age, and also set the stage for the cold war. The project also led to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which eventually led to the end of WWII. The Project itself consisted of a team led by physicist Robert Oppenheimer, some of the smartest physicists and chemists in the world at the time were working on that project. -
D-Day
D-Day was the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, and it was absolutely massive. Almost 350,000 soldiers or naval servicemen were involved. The operation had 5 different landing sites - the American Utah and Omaha, the British Gold and Sword, and the Canadian Juno. The invasion was very deadly, but also very successful, and led to the liberation of France, and eventually, the liberation of Europe and the fall of Nazi Germany. -
GI Bill
By mid-1944, it was clear that the Allies were picking up steam, and were becoming very successful in all fronts. So, Congress started to prepare for the soldiers' return home. The GI Bill provided servicemen with a free college or trade school education, an opportunity that most people never had at the time. Additionally, it provided home and small business loans, and had some other benefits. These all combined to boost our post-war economy, and ensure success in the late 40s and 50s. -
United Nations is Founded
After WWII, the world needed a way to keep the peace. So, countries around the world came together and established the United Nations, to establish order, justice, unity, peace, and cooperation. The idea of such an organization had been though of for a long time, and existed with the League of Nations, but the UN was larger, and had more power. After conferences in Moscow, Tehran, Yalta, San Francisco, and more, the UN was founded when a majority of its member states ratified it. -
Containment is first introduced
Containment was an American foreign policy that tried to accept the existence of Communism, while trying its very best to make sure that it doesn't spread. This was our foreign policy from 1945-1991, with some small breaks in between. Communism only theoretically succeeds when all countries are communist, so the U.S. made sure that that never happened, by supporting proxy wars, and installing capitalist democracies (and dictatorships). -
Loyalty-Security Program Begins (EO9835)
Part of the fight for containment involved never letting Communism get close to the U.S., geographically, socially, or politically. EO9835 was introduced to investigate suspicious individuals, and it investigated over 3,000,000 government employees. This program was part of the Red Scare, and was a kind of prologue to McCarthyism. -
Marshall Plan Begins
Communism spreads in times of need and struggle. Unfortunately, after WWII, Europe was struggling. After all, they had just been destroyed for about six years. Additionally, the U.S. wanted their biggest trading partner back in full force. So, due to containment and economic reasons, the U.S. introduced the Marshall Plan, which was a huge foreign aid project, worth about $173 billion in 2023. It let Europe completely modernize and rebuild, and let their economy and people fully recover. -
NATO is Founded
While the UN was important for world peace, it wasn't going to solve the world's main issue: communism. So, after France and the UK started to include other countries in their mutual defense treaty, it grew to include the U.S., Canada, and most of Europe. All NATO countries must defend each other in the event of attacks against a 3rd party. The concept was very successful, so much so that the Soviets made their own NATO, the Warsaw Pact. -
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
Brown v. Board was a landmark case establishing that segregation in schools wasn't legal. The ruling finally overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, and kickstarted the American civil rights movement. The case happened when the Topeka School Board refused to enroll Linda Brown into a white school. The case caught the eye of the NAACP, which was looking for cases they could win. With the NAACP's excellent legal team (with Thurgood Marshall), decades of segregation were finally over, at least legally. -
Montgomery Bus Boycotts Begin
After Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat, the local community was outraged. So, they staged a massive bus boycott, for over a year. Instead of riding the bus, people walked, rode bikes, and carpooled. Finally, they succeded when the bus company relented, because they simply weren't profitable without Black riders. -
National Interstate and Defense Highways Act
After Eisenhower went to Germany and saw the Autobahn, he knew we needed something like it. An interstate system was very efficient at transporting goods and people very quickly. Additionally, at the time, it was huge for the economy, and was the largest public works project in history. The interstate has proven to be a great success, and transformed the way we work, live, and travel. -
Beatnik Movement Starts
Baby Boomers were starting to grow up, and they wanted people to know that they weren't like their parents. Instead of always fitting in, Boomers wanted to stand out. So, they started the Beatnik movement. They were stereotyped as being emotional, dramatic, bold, and anti-materialistic. They were hippies before hippies existed. Beatniks were artists, writers, singers, and poets, and they all just wanted to express themselves, and be different. -
Sputnik is Launched
While America ended up finishing the Space Race, the Soviets had a lot of key victories. The launching of Sputnik, the first satellite, was one of their first ones. While it didn't do much, and didn't last long, Sputnik launched a cultural revolution, and made the Space Race culturally and politically relevant. People wanted their country to win, for both practical reasons, like science and defense, and reasons like pride and patriotism. -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee is Founded
The SNCC was a student-led civil rights group. The SNCC organized regular marches, speeches, rallies, meetings, and events, all for and by students who simply wanted to be involved civil rights. It was successful, at least for a while. They also organized voter registration events, and sit-ins. They also played a large part in keeping the Freedom Rides going, even after setbacks. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed invasion of Cuba. The Americans tried to invade, and overthrow Fidel Castro, but it was a colossal failure. The U.S. dramatically underestimated Castro's military and popularity, and didn't properly prepare. Additionally, there simply weren't enough American soldiers. Aside from the embarrassment of the failure, the invasion worsened Soviet-American and Cuban-American at the height of the Cold War. -
Cuban Missile Crisis Begins
After the failed invasion, things were tense. The U.S. noticed that the Soviet Union had missiles in Cuba, and that they were growing rapidly. Any of those missiles could reach a vast majority of the U.S. The U.S. decided to initiate a blockade of offensive weapons on Cuba, which was obviously not well received. The world was on edge that nuclear war could break out at any time. Finally, after days of tense negotiations, the USSR agreed to remove their missiles, if we removed ours from Turkey. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark act. It was, by far, the largest civil rights act in American history. It prohibited discrimination of any kind based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. It required equal education, housing, employment, public accommodations, and voter registration laws. This law was controversial at the time, but it was an absolutely massive step forward, and ensured legal equality. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was important because it gave President Johnson the ability to use military force in Southeast Asia without actually declaring war. After this resolution, the U.S. rapidly escalated its involvement in the Vietnam War. The Gulf of Tonkin event was highly complex, and involved France, Vietnam, and the Soviet Union. It became a large crisis, which turned into a war. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was an absolutely massive bombing campaign against North Vietnam. The Americans wanted to destroy North Vietnam and wanted to ensure that they couldn't win or succeed. They wanted to cut off all progress and travel and wanted to make the north uninhabitable for both the military, and the residents. Eventually, the U.S. canceled Rolling Thunder after the Vietnamese started fighting back with Soviet help. -
Medicare and Medicaid Act
The Medicare and Medicaid Act was the largest change in Social Security since the Social Security Act itself. Medicare promised health insurance for those over 65, and with disabilities. Medicaid promises health insurance for low-income Americans. These two acts revolutionized healthcare in the U.S., and they made it truly affordable. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 added on to the success of the Civil Rights Act. It outlawed racial discrimination in voting of any kind. The act outlawed literacy tests, and made it much easier for Black people to get registered to vote. Finally, after decades of fighting, and progress, Black people had equality. They had civil rights, and voting rights. -
Kerner Commision
The Kerner Commission investigated why there was so much unrest and rioting in American cities. It uncovered a multitude of issues, like a lack of economic opportunity, a lack of government support, and large amounts of discrimination, police brutality, and urban decay. The Commission was an eye-opener, and made many Americans think about cities in a new light. After the white flight, cities had been forgotten, and left to fend for themselves, while the suburbs has opportunity and progress. -
Soviet-American Detente
The Soviet-American detente was a period in time in which relations were normalized, and almost friendly. Key arms-limitation agreements, such as SALT I and SALT II, were signed, and were imperative to the de-escalation of the Cold War. The Detente was unfortunately short-lived, after the Soviet intervention of Afghanistan, and the American boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Relations weren't normalized again until near the end of the USSR. -
EPA is Founded
People had been concerned about the climate for a while, and it wasn't going away. There were toxic cars, toxic factories, and toxic plastics everywhere. So, Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency. While much of the EPA wasn't new, it was the first time that everything had been organized under one agency. The EPA has been imperative in the clean-up of the environment, and without it, we wouldn't have nearly as much clean energy or electric/fuel-saving cars. -
Watergate
Watergate was one of the largest American crises ever. The scandal broke out when burglars entered the Watergate Hotel, the home of the DNC, to search for documents and wiretap phones. While these burglars were connected to the Nixon Campaign, he didn't order them to be there. The real scandal happened when the Nixon Administration tried its very best until the very end to cover up its involvement. The coverup went against all evidence. In the end, lots of trust was lost in the government. -
Title IX
Title IX was a landmark civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in schools. This applied to both academics and athletics. The major changes came to athletics, and after Title IX, there was a huge rise in the popularity of women's sports. -
Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade was a landmark case that guaranteed a pregnant woman's right to have an abortion. The ruling was highly controversial, and still is, and was contested constantly by the Religious Right. The ruling was highly celebrated by feminists, and many Americans who simply thought that "my body, my choice" made a lot of sense. The ruling was recently overturned last summer, to a great amount of controversy. -
Energy Crisis Begins
The 1973 Oil Crisis happened when OAPEC declared an embargo, causing massive gas shortages, and high gas prices. The embargo happened due to a crisis in Israel-Palestine, and put the car-centric, American way of life on pause. Along with EPA regulations, the energy crisis caused a massive rethinking on fuel economy, and made foreign imports such as Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, and Nissan very popular due to their efficient nature. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic issue between the U.S. and Iran. Iran was holding Americans hostage due to the takeover of the American Embassy by members of the Iranian Revolution. Americans hated it, and though it was blackmail. Iranians loved it, and thought it represented their hate of the U.S. In the end, the hostages were freed on the first day of Reagan's administration. -
Reaganomics
Reaganomics was President Reagan's economic policy. It's also called "trickle-down-economics", because it focuses on making the rich richer, and making sure that that money "trickles down" to the lower classes. It took a while, but it worked, and helped the American economy succeed in the 90s, after decades of issues like stagflation and energy crises.