-
The Confederacy Surrenders
The confederacy (Robert E. Lee) surrenders to the North. Although fighting still occurred after the official surrendering, this was the first step towards the America we know today. This surrendering reunited our country. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2015/spring/cw-surrenders.html -
Colorado gold rush
The Colorado Gold Rush, originally known as the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, started in 1858 and was the 2nd largest mining excitement in US history after the California rush a decade earlier. When word got back east, the Colorado Gold Rush was on; Pikes Peak or Bust! was the slogan. The prospectors lead to the creation of towns, including Denver and Boulder, as well as many other smaller mining towns, such as Idaho Springs and Central City.
(https://westernmininghistory.com/articles/11/page1/) -
14th Amendment
This Amendment allowed former slaves national citizenship. The 14th Amendment stated that no state may create a new law to get away with not following this law. This was a big step for America because we were one step closer to the "equality" we see in modern America. https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv -
Transcontinental Railroad
In 1862, the Pacific Railroad Act chartered the Union Pacific Railroad Companies, and tasked them with building a transcontinental railroad that would link the United States from east to west. Over the next seven years, the two companies would race toward each other from Sacramento, California on the one side and Omaha, Nebraska on the other. They met at Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869. From: Link text -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment gave African American men the right to vote. It stated that a mans right to vote would not be turned away because of the color of their skin. Although the amendment was passed, many southern states found ways around it to exclude black men when voting. This helped lay the foundation for equality for America, however, at this time we were very far from true equality. -
Yellowstone became the first US national park
In 1871 artist Thomas Moran and photographer William Henry Jackson joined a 40-day geological survey to document the Yellowstone area. Through brushstrokes of paint and a camera lens, Moran and Jackson captured Old Faithful, the beauty of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the splendor of Hayden Valley. When Congress viewed the men's work in 1871, it worked. In 1872, Congress and President Ulysses Grant created Yellowstone National Park.
(https://www.yellowstonepark.com/park/history) -
Barbed Wire is invented
Barbed wire was the first wire capable of restraining cattle. Wood fences were extremely expensive to build in the west because most of the materials came from the east. Barbed wire changed how ranchers contained their cattle which helped save crops. https://historyengine.richmond.edu/episodes/view/6265 Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-rwbR_I0G8 -
Invention of the Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell is best known for his invention of the telephone. On March 7, 1876, Bell was awarded a patent on the device, and three days later he made his first successful telephone call to his assistant, electrician Thomas Watson, who would hear Bell’s famous words transmitted through the wire: “Mr. Watson, come here. I want you.”
Link Text (https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/alexander-graham-bell) -
The car was invented
Karl Benz patented the three-wheeled Motor Car, known as the "Motorwagen," in 1886. It was the first true, modern automobile. Benz also patented his own throttle system, spark plugs, gear shifters, a water radiator, a carburetor and other fundamentals to the automobile.
Link text (https://www.livescience.com/37538-who-invented-the-car.html) -
The Statue of Liberty was dedicated
The Statue of Liberty was a joint effort between France and the United States, intended to commemorate the lasting friendship between the people of the two nations. The Statue of Liberty was then given to the United States It stands on an American-designed pedestal on a small island in Upper New York Bay, now known as Liberty Island, and dedicated by President Grover Cleveland in 1886
Link text (https://www.history.com/topics/landmarks/statue-of-liberty) -
Founding of the American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of labor is created to protect the working people of America. This ensures unions are being compensated the amount they deserve. This event significant because as America became more industrialized the more workers were being mistreated. -
NAWSA is founded
NAWSA stands for the National American Woman Suffrage Association. It was created in May of 1890 by Elizebeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. This organization coordinated the national suffrage movement which eventually led to the passing of the 19th amendment. http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/nawsa-united/ Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8lmaJd0Las -
Teddy Roosevelt becomes president
During Roosevelts presidency he set aside over 200 million acres for national forests. Roosevelt helped the United States of America see the importance of conservation. Roosevelt and his accomplishes still has much influence on modern America - to this day we continue to set aside wilderness and recognize its importance. https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/theodore-roosevelt -
16th Amendment
The 16th Amendment was passed in July of 1909. This amendment allowed the federal government to collect taxes from all Americans. The 16th Amendment allows the federal government to use our income taxes to have an army, enforce laws, and build roads and bridges. This helped develop our nation into modern America because it gave the government the tools to expand our country. https://kids.laws.com/16th-amendment -
Ford Motors first assembly line
The Ford Assembly line was the first moving assembly line used for mass producing vehicles. This assembly line was revolutionary because it allowed workers to put together a car in 2.5 hours versus 12. This was revolutionary for American factories because it spend up production, therefore making cars more accessible to its citizens and thus contributing to the development of modern America. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fords-assembly-line-starts-rolling -
17th Amendment
The 17th Amendment broke the balance of power between the United States Government and the States. This amendment allowed there to be senators. This helped America develop into modern America because it is the system we still use today. https://kids.laws.com/17th-amendment -
Beginning of WW1
The Great War (as World War I was then called) would grow to involve Italy, Japan, the Middle East and the United States, among other countries. More than 20 million soldiers died and 21 million more were wounded, while millions of other people fell victim to the influenza epidemic that the war helped to spread. Link text (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/outbreak-of-world-war-i) -
America enters WW1
On April 6, 1917, the U.S. joined its allies--Britain, France, and Russia--to fight in World War I. Under the command of Major General John J. Pershing, more than 2 million U.S. soldiers fought on battlefields in France. Many Americans were not in favor of the U.S. entering the war and wanted to remain neutral.
Link text (http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/jazz/jb_jazz_wwi_1.html) -
18th Amendment passes
By its terms, the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquours” but not the consumption, private possession, or production for one’s own consumption.
Link text (https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-xviii) -
Woman earn the right to vote
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote, a right known as women’s suffrage, and was ratified on August 18, 1920, ending almost a century of protest.
Link text (https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/19th-amendment-1)
