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William Sherman's Special Field Order No. 15 is Issued
This was a promise to newly freed slaves in an attempt to make reparations to the newly freed slaves: that they would get at most 40 acres of tillable land and would possibly be lent mules. The description “40 acres and a mule” took around 400,000 acres of once Confederate land and had it settled by 40,000 freedmen. By the fall of 1865, Andrew Jackson, Lincoln’s successor, overturned the Order, returning the land and setting the stage for racial conflict later on and eventually integration. -
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Ulysses S. Grant's Presidency
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The Birth of Blue Jeans
On this day in history, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis received a United States patent on their design of blue jeans. In simple terms, blue jeans helped unify the country. They started with white working men but over time they changed to include all people. People of all shades, genders, class, and opinions came to wear jeans and used them to express themselves. It brought people together. Jeans have become an essential staple of American culture and to some extent, the world too. -
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Rutherford B Hayes' Presidency
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James A. Garfield's Presidency
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Chester A. Arthur's Presidency
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Grover Cleveland's Presidency
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Benjamin Harrison's Presidency
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Walt Whitman Dies
Walt Whitman was arguably America’s most renowned poet. Known as the father of free verse, Whitman drastically changed the socially accepted ideas behind literature. His artistic views not only impacted the written word but also influenced art movements, like modernism, futurism, and cubism. One of his most remembered poems, O Captain! My Captain greatly captured his recurring themes of democracy and historic subjects. He opened a whole new world of the human experience for the artists to come. -
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Grover Cleveland (2nd)'s Presidency
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Plessy v. Ferguson is Ruled
Homer Plessy was ⅞ white. He bought first-class tickets on a train to be denied his seat because he was not fully white. Eventually the Supreme Court (SC) ruled that segregation was legal if there was no distinction between spaces. “Separate but equal” allowed the South to continue in their discrimination against blacks, especially since no one checked the equality of spaces. This ruling created legal segregation until the SC overturned it with Brown v. Board of Education half a century later. -
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William McKinley's Presidency
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Theodore Roosevelt's Presidency
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Langston Hughes is Born
Langston Hughes was an amazing African American poet. Along with his poems, his plays, novels, and short stories helped define the artistic portions of the Harlem Renaissance. Unlike many black artists, Hughes didn’t differentiate between his personal experience and the usual experiences of Black America. And in a time where poetry was becoming increasingly inward and intimate, his outward focus influenced his great popularity and leadership of a cultural celebration. -
The Jungle is Published
Upton Sinclair was a muckraker: someone who pushes for change by investigating and sharing those findings. His novel “The Jungle” was the author’s attempt to convert America to a socialist society, but the popular takeaway was much different. People were disgusted by the unsanitary conditions of the meat-packing industry, and the government was able to intervene. Without “The Jungle”, the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 wouldn’t have been passed when they did. -
San Francisco Earthquake
This was the deadliest earthquake in the history of the United States. With an extreme magnitude of 7.9, the damage of over 3,000 lives lost and 80% of the city destroyed was significant. The fires that started burned for around 3 days. Property losses of $13.36 billion (in today’s terms) encouraged fire-proof and earthquake-proof rebuilds. In order to avoid this happening again, the city made another hospital and schools to staff it and pushed innovation to solve a still challenging problem. -
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William H. Taft's Presidency
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Titanic Sinks
April 1912, the unthinkable happened: the “unsinkable” Titanic sank. On her maiden voyage, the Titanic hit an iceberg and took over 1,500 lives with it, from the wealthy to emigrants. The social and philosophical effect led to preventative measures. Ships were to carry enough lifeboats for all and have mandated drills, the Radio Act of 1912 increased working hours and intership relay, and an International Ice Patrol was created. The dire accident led to safety standards that are still used today -
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Woodrow Wilson's Presidency
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The Zimmermann Telegram is Discovered
This discovery made America’s entry into World War I inevitable. German foreign minister, Arthur Zimmerman, told his ministers to approach Mexico with an offer: an alliance with Germany and their “generous financial support” in exchange for simply reconquering some land that was currently American soil. When America got a hold of the information, public opinion of Germany plummeted, and for the first time America had a deep personal connection to the war and getting back at Germany. -
Espionage Act of 1917 is Enacted
The intent was to prevent interference with military operations, military insubordination, and enemy support. Although the Supreme Court found it Constitutional in 1919, it was a blatant violation of American rights. It was now criminal to talk with the intent to ruin US plans, to falsely report on the war, and it gave the Postmaster permission to stop mail they found violated the rules. It was in 1918 the Sedition Act prohibiting negative speech about the country, its flag, or its military. -
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Warren G. Harding's Presidency
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Calvin Coolidge's Presidency
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Scopes Monkey Trial Begins
The Scopes Monkey Trial was a case staged in order to be able to challenge the law. It grasped public attention and raised a question of religious tradition vs. American values. While the prosecutor Williams Jennings Bryan won against Scope’s defense team, his image was so tarnished afterwards and he died a week later. Despite losing, the effects of the case were huge: that law was never again enforced and laws prohibiting teaching evolution were defeated in 22 states. -
Sacco and Vanzetti are Executed
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were Italian immigrants accused of killing 2 people during an armed robbery. They were sentenced to death in a trial that was largely clouded by anti-Italian, anti-immigrant, and anti-anarchist sentiments. They became “causes celebres”, as many believed they were innocent and called for their release. This international controversy continued after their deaths in August 1927, with some bombings as protests. -
The Jazz Singer is Released
“The Jazz Singer” was the first feature-length movie to have synchronized dialogue with it in a realistic way. With this musical film came the rise of ‘talkies’ and marked the fall of the silent film era. It was a defining moment in the advancement of entertainment. Its influence is part of the reason you can watch “White Christmas” and have lip-synchronous speech and singing with it. -
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Herbert Hoover's Presidency
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"Black Tuesday"
Black Tuesday is the name of the day when the Great Depression officially started. The Depression was a ten-year economic slump that affected all of the industrialized world. On this Tuesday, the fragile foundation holding up the stock market collapsed when the scared investors rushed to sell their stocks. Unemployment in the U.S peaked at 25% in early 1933. The failure of their government to resolve the issues led to new political allegiances. -
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Franklin D. Roosevelt's Presidency
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Pearl Harbor is Attacked
Pearl Harbor was a naval base attacked during a peacetime Sunday morning. Japan did this hoping to ruin America so that they wouldn’t be able to fight Japan’s advances. This was their downfall. Americans, riled up by the over 3,400 casualties on “a date which will live in infamy”, were now invested in the war and nothing could stop them fighting for their America. Had the sleeping giant not been provoked, the Axis powers would have won the war, dramatically reshaping the future of our world. -
The Servicemen's Readjustment Act is Signed
Also known as the G.I Bill, it offered Federal aid to help veterans go back to civilian life. The influence spheres of hospitalization, homes, business, and education was radical, especially as it applied to any and all veterans. In practice however, social views did stop many from receiving their deserved benefits. It was because of this Bill that America as a whole became further educated and was part of the reason America actually prospered after the heavy war. -
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Harry S. Truman's Presidency
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The First Atomic Bomb Detonates (The Trinity Test)
This was the test to see if their research had worked. The Trinity Test presented once only imagined results to the bomb. The detonation completely vaporized the tower it was on, turned the surrounding desert into green glass, and the explosion was seen from as far as 200 miles away. With that, the first nuclear weapon was used, and with it came a new age of terror: the Atomic Age. An invention that changed the world arguably as much as the wheel, indoor plumbing, the printing press, or fire. -
Malcolm X is Jailed
Malcolm X was a human rights activist as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam, advocating for Black empowerment. He was sentenced for 10 years in 1946 and it was during his time in prison that he converted to Islam. His conversion led his actions and approach on the civil rights issue. He helped Black America believe in itself and this original conversion paved the way for him to become Sunni Islam, making him an enemy to the Nation of Islam. This sealed his death and completed his legacy. -
Jackie Robinson's First Brooklyn Dodgers' Game
Jackie Robinson was a game-changer for the colored community and the whole baseball world. He was a representation of someone so equal if not better than his white teammates who was never given the same opportunity. He gave African Americans a unifying person to finally root for, and with so much extra support for the Dodgers, it practically forced the other teams to integrate as well. He received so much hate and still kept his head up. His integration paved the road for more to come. -
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Dwight D. Eisenhower's Presidency
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Brown v. Topeka Board of Education Ruling
This landmark court case that partially overturned the Plessy case and the doctrine of "Separate But Equal". It unanimously agreed that separate even if equal schools were not constitutional, paving the way for the Little Rock Nine and Ruby Bridges. This was essential to the black community because now their children, the future generation, were being educated more than they ever had before. They were being taught how to best fight for their freedom, giving the movement an essential foothold. -
The Day After The Montgomery Bus Boycott
On this day, African Americans were finally able to ride buses in any seat they wanted, due to an effort that lasted 381 days of perseverance. Their ability to create economic pressure and overcome legal challenges basically kicked off the Civil Rights Movement. The colored community learned they could fight the injustices they were met with and that they were stronger than anyone knew. -
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John F Kennedy's Presidency
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Lyndon B Johnson's Presidency
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Griswold v. Connecticut
In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that married people had the right to contraceptive use. This was the stepping stone from birth control being restricted/outlawed to easily accessible and not damning. It led to sex being able to be something that is important enough to need to be discussed in the American public, to the point of frenzy in modern culture. At the time, it gave married couples more flexibility in their life goals and slowly allowed the people to get more freaky with it. -
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Richard M Nixon's Presidency
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Lunar Landing
The efforts of an over eight year project finally came to fruition. With more than half a billion people watching, Neil Armstrong put the first steps on the moon. This was a victory for Americans, but for mankind in general. America had finally beat the Soviet Union in the Space Race. It was the most watched event in television history, meaning that not only great scientific gains were made, but also significant leaps in the hearts and minds of America, its people, and the world. -
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Gerald Ford's Presidency
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Jimmy Carter's Presidency
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Ronald Reagen's Presidency
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George Bush's Presidency
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Bill Clinton's Presidency
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Maya Angelou Speaks at President Clinton's Inauguration
At Bill Clinton’s first inauguration, Maya Angelou read her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” and while many agree that wasn’t her best, the significance echoed. Angelou was the second inaugural poet (the first being Robert Frost) as well as the first African American and woman. The press praised her ability to represent American people and the sign of progress it showed to have a black woman in the place of a white man. Her performance mirrored how the nation had changed in a relatively short time -
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George W Bush's Presidency
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Barack Obama's Presidency
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Obergefell v. Hodges is Ruled
This was basically a modern civil rights case. On this day the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry in all states. On top of the legal effects, this was astronomical socially and politically. Denying the people who make different choices than us the ability to make that choice is completely against what our country was founded for. It increased tensions between homosexuals and heterosexuals but it allowed a whole new demographic to feel included. -
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Donald Trump's Presidency
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COVID19 is Confirmed in America
Within a few months of its discovery, a pandemic with fervor last seen a century ago came and greatly affected the world. We had to adapt quickly, finding new and effective ways to stay in our modern interconnected age. It was an aspect of history that affected just about every American area: its politics, economy, policies, education, health, and especially its future. There is no information on the long term effects quarantining will have on the generation that was mid-development during it. -
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Joseph Biden's Presidency
The follow person is still in office and hypothetically should still be in office until January 20th, 2025 if just serving one term. However as no one can tell the future, the current year is used as the end date as it made me put in a number