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Lincoln unveils ten percent plan
The ten percent plan was the first official reconstruction policy crafted by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil war. The policy tried to appeal to the confederate states by offering a forgiving and lenient outcome if they left the confederacy and joined back into the Union. -
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HIST152.E59 Timeline
20 most influential events from 1865-1980 -
Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone
The invention of the telephone forever changed the way humans communicate with one another. No longer did people need to be near each other in order to converse, the invention was a great way to relay information while also preserving relationships at a distance. -
Great Railroad strike
On July 17th of 1877 thousands of railroad workers in West Virginia responded to the second announcement being made about wage cuts for railroad workers. Railroad workers were already severely underpaid for the tiresome and hard work they had to do. Railroad companies especially took advantage of these workers during the poor economy since many were willing to work for cheap pay. -
Thomas Edison invents the light bulb
In 1879, Thomas Edison while in his laboratory located in New Jersey built the first high resistance electric light. This worked by passing electricity through a thin filament in the bulb. This in turn replaced gas lighting completely which was not cost efficient and faced many flaws. -
Charles Guiteau assassinated president James Garfield
Guiteau stalked Garfield around Washington D.C for several weeks before shooting him on a train. More so, after Garfield was shot, he lived for about eighty days, suffering at the hands of horrible medical care, Garfield finally passed on September 19th and Guiteau was trialed for murder. Guiteau in his plea of innocence even stated that he did not kill the president that Garfields death should be placed on his horrible doctors. -
Homestead Steel Strike
The Homestead strike was a violent dispute that occurred between the Carnegie steel company and its workers in the Summer in Homestead, Pennsylvania. Tension between the company and its workers were extremely prominent which led to the strike along with industrialization and changing ideas of employee rights. Carnegie steel company also demanded wage cuts for 325 workers even though three years prior they had already made wage cuts. -
Coney Island amusement park opens
The first enclosed amusement park was Coney Island, between 1895 and World War II Coney Island was the largest amusement park in the US thus attracting millions each year. The area was the center for new technological advancements such as electric lights, and roller coasters. Soon enough, Coney Island was seen as a symbol of America. -
US fights Spanish-American war
In the Spring of 1898 the US declared war against Spain. The immediate join of the war was caused by the US’s support of the Cuban and Filipino struggle against the Spanish rule. Eventually Spain and the US signed a peace treaty in Paris which let Cuba be independent and ceded Puerto Rico to the United States. The US also gained Hawaii after the war. -
US obtains rights to build the Panama Canal
Throughout the 1800s America was thinking of ways to quickly transport goods in a cost-efficient way. So, in 1903 the US made a treaty with Columbia which gave the US the power to operate and build the canal for 100 years after that Panama would take full control. The US agreed to pay Columbia 25 million dollars and received about 5000 canal workers. -
Triangle shirtwaist factory fire
The horrible fire of the Triangle shirtwaist factory which was located in New York city is considered to be a pivotal moment in not only New York’s history but safety precaution advancement. The fire killed about 146 people with the oldest being a 43-year-old and the youngest being just 14 years old. Although fortunately this tragedy sparked reform for factories in the US. Factory owners were now required by law to install sprinkler systems and established the New York Fire Prevention Bureau. -
Sinking of Lusitania
On May 7, 1915 German U-boats sunk the Lusitania, a passenger ship traveling from the US to the UK. The boat was sunk due to beliefs that the US was aiding the UK with weapons on passenger ships. Prior to the sinking the US remained isolationist, not wanting to get involved in a foreign conflict. -
18 Amendment
The 18th amendment prohibits (Okrent, Daniell)“the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors” Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition 2010. In general, the prohibition movement did not foresee an increase in smuggling, and a decrease in tax revenue. It did not abolish alcohol, rather it made citizens sneakier and non-trusting of the government. -
Treaty of Versailles
The treaty of Versailles officially ended World War 1, with the US and the rest of its allies being victorious. The treaty was very hard on Germany and Austria, and many wanted to punish the countries for starting the war. The treaty made Germany pay for the war and Germany had to give up land to other countries as punishment. -
Black Tuesday
On this date the US stocked market crashed after many investors had a run on the banks to attempt to withdraw their money. This caused to banks to run out of money and many people lost their entire fortunes and many companies went bankrupt. -
FDR’s first term
In 1932 Democrat FDR beat the current Republican Herbert Hoover in the presidency. FDR wanted to reinvigorate the economy with spending money on social policies such as the New deal and TVA which aimed to create jobs for people struggling in the great depression. FDR also regulated the banks with the banking act of 1935 which gave the government control of monetary policy which is something still in place today. -
Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th was a surprise military attack which was carried out by the Imperial Japanese Navy air service on the coast of Oahu Hawaii. The attack killed roughly 2,403 US Navy Personal including 68 civilians. Following the devastating attack, Congress voted to declare war on Japan which in turn officially brought the US into World War II. -
First Levittown House sold
The first Levittown home sold for roughly $7,900 and in a very quick amount of time nearly 18,000 Levittown homes were sold providing homes for 84,000 people. Thus was born the American suburb. -
Sputnik Launched
On October 4th 1957 at 7:28 PM the USSR launched Sputnik which was the first artificial satellite to orbit the Planet. Sputnik was a metal sphere no bigger than a basketball which was shot up out of our atmosphere at a speed of 29,000 Kilometers per hour. -
Voting Rights Act
Signed in August 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson the Voting rights Act which outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted by many southern states. Many of which included literacy tests as a requirement to vote. These prerequisites were adopted by the south to prevent African American people from voting those continuing the cycle of slavery since none of them were allowed to get educated and they could not vote someone in to stand up for voting rights -
Roe V Wade
In 1973 the Supreme court acknowledged the decision whether to terminate a pregnancy is a constitutional right to bodily autonomy and privacy. The case came from a pregnant single woman (Roe) who challenged the Texas criminal law against abortion and whether it is a constitutional right. Before the Supreme court’s ruling abortion could be punishable by prison time.