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Wilmot Proviso
amendment to a bill that provided two million to president Polk for the Mexican War. The Wilmot Proviso banned slavery in any state gained in the Mexico War or in the future. -
Treaty of Guadlupe Hidalgo
Treaty that ended the Mexican War, gave U.S Texas and the Rio Grande Rives as its boundary. The U.S also receiveed California and New Mexico territories in exchange for fifteen million dollars. -
Compromise of 1850
series of five bills that were intended to deal with the spread of slavery to territories in order to keep northern and southern interests in balance. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Nebraska was divided into two parts, Kansas and Nebraska and the question of slavery was to be decided by popular sovereignty. -
Harpers Ferry
Attack planned by John Brown on a armory in Harpers Ferry, John Brown and 24 other men raided the town in hopes of getting the slaves to join them and fight. None of the slaves ended up fighting and John Brown was caught, and hanged for treason on December 2, 1949 -
Jelly Bean
Jelly beans first surfaced in1861 when Boston confectioner William Schrafft Urged people to send his Jelly beans to soldiers during the American Civil War. -
African Americans’ Right to Vote
The 15th Amendment to the Constitution granted African American men the right to vote by declaring that the "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." -
15th Amedment
The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits each government in the United States from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude" -
Fisrt National Park
The world's first national park is established when President Grant signs legislation enabling the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in the states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idah -
Boundry Dispute
Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany arbitrates the international boundary dispute, the Pig War, between the United States and Great Britain over the ownership of the straits between Washington Territory and Vancouver Island. He rules that San Juan Island is the property of the United States, ending twelve years of occupation by both armies -
Train Robberey
Jesse James and James-Younger Gang start their first successful train robbery in the American West, taking 3,000 dollars from the Rock Island Express at Adair, Iowa. -
Chester Alan Arthur
Chester A. Arthur was out 22nd president, he was never elected to be the president but succeeded to office after the assassination of James Garfield. -
President Benjamin Harrison
President Benjamin Harrison opens up Oklahoma lands to white settlement, when the first of five land runs in the Oklahoma land rush start. More than 50,000 people waited at the starting line to race for one hundred and sixty acre parcels. -
Korean War
The Korean War began when 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean Army filled across the 38th parallel. It was a war against the forces of international communism itself. -
Winter Olympics
February 14, 1952 - The 1952 Winter Olympics open in Helsinki, Finland with thirty participating nations. During these games, the first triple jump in figure skating history is performed by Dick Button, who won one of the four gold medals gained by U.S. athletes -
Immigration and Nationality Act
Restricted immigration into the U.S. and is codified under Title 8 of the United States Code ( also known as McCarran–Walter Act ). It has been in effect since December 24, 1952. -
U.S Presidental Election
American presidential election in which Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower easily beat Democrat Adlai E. Stevenson.During this time, Cold War tension between the U.S and the Soviet Union was at a high level. -
DNA Description
The description of a double helix DNA molecule is published by British physicist Francis Crick and American scientist James D. Watson. They, along with New Zealand born scientist Maurice Wilkins, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery. -
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg were American citizens executed for conspiracy to commit espionage. Relating to passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. -
Army Investigation Hearings
April 22, 1954 - Joseph McCarthy begins televised Senate hearings into alleged Communist influence in the United States Army. Later this year, on December 2, the U.S. Congress votes to condemn Senator McCarthy for his conduct during the Army investigation hearings. -
Racial Segregation
May 17, 1954 - Racial segregation in public schools is declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in Brown vs. the Board of Education. The ruling of the court stated that racial segregation violated the 14th Amendment's clause that guaranteed equal protection. The Monroe School in Topeka, Kansas had segregated Linda Brown in its classes -
Warsaw Pact
A collective defense treaty among eight communist states of Central and Eastern Europe in existence during the Cold War. The Warsaw Pact was the military complement to the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. -
( McCarthyism ) Senate committees
primary committee for investigating Communists was the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee (SISS), in charge with ensuring the enforcement of laws relating to "espionage, sabotage, and the protection of the internal security of the United States." The SISS was headed by Democrat Pat McCarran and gained a reputation for careful and extensive investigations. -
Disneyland Opens
The first of two theme parks built at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is the only theme park designed and built under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. It was originally the only attraction on the property; its name was changed to Disneyland Park to distinguish it from the expanding complex in the 1990s. -
Vietnam War
Vietnam War was a long, costly armed conflict that pitted the communist regime of North Vietnam and its southern allies, known as the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
A political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama.( from December 1, 1955 ) when Rosa Parks, an African American woman, was arrested for refusing to surrender her seat to a white person ( to December 20, 1956 ). -
Soviets Test ICBM
Officials of the Soviet Union announced that they have launched the first intercontinental ballistic missile. The Americans will have such a weapon of their own ready for launch four months late. -
Little Rock Desegregation
Eisenhower sends federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce the court-ordered desegregation of the city's public schools. As a result, nine black students are allowed to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School -
Alaska Earthquake
The Lituya Bay, Alaska earthquake registers 7.5 on the Richter scale, producing a landslide that caused a megatsunami with a 520 meter high wave. Only two people were killed in the incident, due to the desolate nature of the area involved. The wave dissipated when reaching the open sea. -
NASA selects first 7 Military Pilots
April 9, 1959 - NASA selects the first seven military pilots to become the Mercury Seven, first astronauts of the United States. The Mercury Seven included John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, Gus Griscom, Wally Scare, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton. -
AIDS
49-year-old Jamaican-American shipping clerk died of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, a disease closely associated with AIDS. Gordon Hennigar, who performed the postmortem examination of the man's body -
Kitchen Debate
Kitchen Debate American Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev debate the merits of capitalism versus communism during Nixon's visit to the Soviet Union. The talk takes place beside a model kitchen at a trade exhibition and becomes known as "the kitchen debate." The confrontation boosts Nixon's status in the U -
JFK Wins Presidency
Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy is elected president of the United States. His margin of victory over Republican candidate Richard M. Nixon is just over 100,000 votes. Kennedy wins 300 Electoral College votes to Nixon’s 219 -
Peace Corps
President John F. Kennedy issues an executive order establishing the Peace Corps. The Corps aims to disseminate good will and practical knowledge by enlisting volunteers, most under age 30, to two-year terms of service -
Kennedy Assassination
President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson is sworn in as president the same day. -
Johnson Proclaims "Great Society"
In a speech at the University of Michigan, President Lyndon Johnson introduces the theme for his domestic agenda in stating that we must “set our course toward the Great Society. -
LBJ Trounces Goldwater in Election
Democratic incumbent Lyndon Johnson is elected president of the United States. He defeats Republican Barry Goldwater by the largest margin in American history. Johnson wins 61% of the popular vote and 486 of 538 Electoral College votes. -
Creation of Medicare and Medicaid
President Lyndon Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The act abolishes literacy tests and other tests used by local and state governments to inhibit African-American voting. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
President Lyndon Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The act abolishes literacy tests and other tests used by local and state governments to inhibit African-American voting -
Housing Discrimination Ban
President Lyndon Johnson signs the Open Housing Act outlawing discrimination in the sale or rental of most privately-owned homes and apartments. -
Man on the Moon
Astronaut Neil Armstrong sets foot on the moon, fulfilling President John Kennedy’s pledge to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade -
Weatherman Bomb Accident
Three members of the Weathermen, a radical political organization growing out of the Students for a Democratic Society, are killed when the bomb they are constructing in their Greenwich Village townhouse explodes. -
First Earth Day
The first Earth Day celebration is held with millions of Americans participating in anti-pollution demonstrations. These demonstrations included school children walking to school instead of riding the bus. -
Disney in Orlando
Walt Disney World opens in Orlando, Florida, expanding the Disney empire to the east coast of the United States. -
North Vietnam
The largest attacks by North Vietnam troops across the demilitarized zone in four years prompts bombing raids to begin again by United States forces against Hanoi and Haiphong on April 15, ending a four year cessation of those raids. -
Mt Saint Helen's Eruption
An earthquake followed by the eruption of Mt St Helen's kills 57 people in Washington. There was over $1 billion in damage and the eruption caused the land to be wasteland. -
1980 Summer Olympics Boycott
US boycotts 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest against 1979 invasion of Afgahnastan. -
Iran Releases Hostages
US citizens were held hostage for 444 days from Nov. 4 1979 - Jan. 20 1981 after the US embassy was taken over by Islamic students and militants. -
Challenger Crash
the space shuttle Challenger exploded during lift off, killing all on board including school teacher Christa McAuliffe. -
Tax Reform Act of 1986 Passed
Simplified the tax code and broadedned the tax base. It was referred to as "Reagan tax cuts".
