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Reconstruction in the south begins under Johnson
After the death of Lincoln, Johnson takes over reconstruction in the south after the civil war. Johnson was not as forgiving towards the south which led to lasting tensions between the north and south -
transcontinental railroad completed
The transcontinental railroad was completed in Promontory, Utah. This simplified travel westwards - instead of a family having to sell everything and get in a wagon on a dangerous trip, they could just hop on a train and be back home the next month -
telephone invented
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, which opened up quick communication between people who weren't face to face. this revolutionized communication and led to many advancements in technology and engineering as people devoted new and better phones -
ellis island begins accepting immigrants
With America accepting immigrants, the American Dream was opened to anyone across the world willing to move and take it -
ford model T
the first Ford Model T enters production and leaves the factory. The Model T was the first affordable car for the average American to buy, allowing for easier and cheaper travel. With the Model T came the assembly line for better, cheaper factory work, and higher pay for workers. -
NAACP established
The NAACP would go on to win monumental victories for African Americans, for example winning Brown vs Board which desegregated schools -
Standard Oil broken up
The Sherman Anti-Trust act was used against Standard Oil to declare it as a monopoly and break it up. Opened room for competition in an open market -
US enters WWI + Sedition act (1918)
the United States declares war on Germany after Germany sunk several US merchant ships. many people died and this marked one of the first and biggest times that America got involved in international issues - sedition acts were passed making it illegal to speak out against the government, going against the basics of free speech and press -
18th amendment passed
the 18th amendment was passed kicking off the prohibition era. With alcohol now illegal, there was now a highly profitable, illegal business that many mobs and gangs got involved in. repealed by the 21st amendment in 1933 -
Stock market crash of 1929
right when the economy was booming and everything was looking great, the stock market crashed, sending America and the rest of the world into a decade recession. the American Dream at this time would have been seen as completely out of reach -
New Deal is passed under FDR
FDR passed many new government programs in an attempt to pull America out of the depression, some programs more effective than others. While it may not have solved the depression, it did give many people jobs and a hope for a bright future -
America enters WWII
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the United States declared war on Japan, marking their entrance into WWII. Again, this shows America stepping out and getting involved in international affairs, and also important it got the American economy rolling enough to pull it out of the recession and back on an upwards route, opening up the American Dream for the millions of Americans who saw it unreachable.
