-
Westward Expansion and The Mexican-American War
This was a war between the United States and Mexico. The United States wanted to expand westward. When the Americans won, they gained more than 500,000 square miles of Mexican territory that contained a variety of resources. The U.S. also gained any Mexican citizens who decided to stay in the territories. -
Reconstruction
The Reconstruction Era was the period after the Civil War. This is when former rebel Southern states were reintegrated back into the Union. Reunification was President Lincoln's main goal. He was going to do this by implementing the ten percent plan. -
Black Codes
Johnson declared the end of Reconstruction, and southern states began passing discriminatory state laws. These codes limited the types of jobs African Americans could hold, and their ability to leave a job once hired. Some also restricted the types of property African Americans could own. -
The Gilded Age
Spanning from about 1870 to 1900, the Gilded Age was a time characterized by materialism, corruption, and people seeking personal gain. There were also some social issues at the time including racism. -
Alexander Graham Bell and the Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone in 1876. He was not the first person to come up with the idea, but he was the first to capitalize on it. He worked with financiers and businessmen to create the National Bell Telephone Company. -
The Election of 1876
Incumbent Ulysses S. Grant was beaten out by Rutherford B. Hayes to be the Republican candidate. Hayes advocated for "hard money" to protect against inflationary pressures and civil service reform. He also had no history of political scandal, unlike Grant. Hayes ran for the presidency and won against Democratic candidate Samuel J. Tilden. -
Haymarket Affair
In Chicago's Haymarket Square, an anarchist group gathered in response to a death at a prior nationwide demonstration for the 8-hour workday. Even though it was a quiet protest, police arrived armed and ready for conflict. Someone threw a bomb at the police and killed an officer. The protestors who spoke were arrested and charged with the murder. They were sentenced to death. -
The Progressive Movement
This was a time when people fought for all kinds of social change. The political goals of progressives included spreading democracy, government efficiency, and social justice. Some topics of interest were women's rights, the well-being of workers, prohibition, and regulation of massive corporate businesses. -
Spanish-American War
The Spanish-American War was a conflict that ended Spanish rule in the Americas. It also resulted in the U.S. acquisitions of territories in the Western Pacific and Latin America. The war started with the Cuban struggle for Independence. -
The African American "Great Migration"
The Great Migration took place between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the Great Depression. It was a large exodus of African Americans from the South who traveled to the Northeast and Midwest. There were many factors that "pushed" African Americans out of the South and many that "pulled" them to these other regions. -
WWI
This was a war sparked by the assassination of the Archduke of Austria. The Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire) fought against the Allied Powers (Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Canada, Japan, and the U.S.). The Allies won the war, but millions of people had died. -
The Roaring 20s
The 1920s was a time of prosperity. There were many advancements in entertainment and technology that created new methods of leisure and consumption. -
Stock Market Crash/The Great Depression
The stock market crash in 1929 threw many Americans into financial ruin. While it was not the only cause of the Great Depression, it definitely set things in motion. The Great Depression was a time of worsening conditions and great suffering. Unemployment rates rose and American saving fell. -
FDR's First New Deal
FDR wanted to implement a combination of relief and recovery programs to save the American people and reform federal regulation of the economy. Specific goals of FDR's First New Deal included bank reform, job creation, economic regulation, and regional planning. -
Pearl Harbor
At 7:48 a.m. the Japanese attacked the U.S. Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. They snuck six aircraft carriers into the central Pacific, and there were two waves of attack. The Japanese had about 350 fighters, bombers, and torpedo bombers. All 8 U.S. battleships were hit, 4 of which sank. 2400 men were killed, and another 1100 were injured. -
Dropping the Atomic Bomb
In August 1945, America dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. One on Hiroshima, and the second on Nagasaki when Japan refused to surrender. The bombs killed between 125,000 and 250,000 people. -
The Cold War
American alliances with the Soviet Union began to fall apart after WWII. Joseph Stalin wanted to retain hold of Eastern Europe and establish communist governments there. The United States wanted to establish democratic governments across the world. The two nations found themselves engaged in a contest for military, economic, social, technological, and ideological supremacy. -
Vietnam War
The main conflict of the Vietnam War was that North Vietnam wanted to unify the country under a communist regime. South Vietnam wanted to preserve a country more closely aligned with Western nations. The U.S. military was introduced to support the South while the Soviet Union and China supported the North. The war finally ended in 1975. -
The Civil Rights Movement
The Civil Rights Movement was a social movement to end racial segregation and discrimination. -
Iranian Hostage Crisis
A group of Iranian students and activists invaded the American embassy and captured 66 employees. After releasing women and African Americans, they were still holding 53 men hostage. Negotiations to free the men failed, as well as a rescue attempt in April of 1980.