History Timeline

  • Compromise of 1877

    Compromise of 1877
    Settling the disputes over the presidential election and ended military occupation in the South. This ended the reconstruction era and allowed for white Democratic control.
  • Chinese Exclusion Act

    Chinese Exclusion Act
    First major law to restrict immigration targeting Chinese laborers. It prevented them from entering the country for at least 10 years.
  • Sherman Antitrust Act

    Sherman Antitrust Act
    A federal law that prohibits activities that restrict interstate commerce and competition in the marketplace, outlawing contracts, combinations, or conspiracies in restraint of trade or monopolization.
  • Plessy v. Ferguson

    Plessy v. Ferguson
    The Supreme Court case that legalized racial segregation in the United States. The ruling established the "separate but equal" doctrine, which permitted states to enforce segregation laws.
  • Spanish-American War

    Spanish-American War
    The conflict between the United States and Spain, resulting in the US gaining control over Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, and effectively ending Spain's colonial empire.
  • Pure Food and Drug Act

    Pure Food and Drug Act
    A Progressive-era law mandating truthful labeling of food and medicines to protect consumers from unsafe products, inspired by Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle.
  • World War 1

    World War 1
    The United States entered World War I, after the assassination of Ferdinand. Contributing to the defeat of Germany and reshaping the global balance of power.
  • 19th Amendment

    19th Amendment
    Granted women the right to vote. It was a major victory for the women’s suffrage movement after decades of activism.
  • Stock Market Crash

    Stock Market Crash
    The sudden collapse of the U.S. stock market led to the Great Depression, the worst economic downturn in American history, causing widespread unemployment and poverty.
  • New Deal

    New Deal
    The New Deal was a series of domestic programs, public work projects, and financial reforms and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States.
  • Pearl Harbor Attack

    Pearl Harbor Attack
    The Japanese Empire launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, leading to the United States' entry into World War II.
  • Atomic Bomb & End of WWII

    Atomic Bomb & End of WWII
    The U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japan’s surrender and ending World War II while in the nuclear age.
  • Truman Doctrine

    Truman Doctrine
    A U.S. foreign policy strategy that aimed to contain the spread of communism, marking the beginning of the Cold War with the Soviet Union.
  • Brown v. Board of Education

    Brown v. Board of Education
    A landmark Supreme Court decision declaring racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.
  • Civil Rights Act

    Civil Rights Act
    The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark law that prohibited discrimination in the United States. It was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson.
  • Voting Rights Act

    Voting Rights Act
    The Voting Rights Act of 1965 that prohibits racial discrimination in voting and prevents the use of literacy test or taxes.
  • Roe v. Wade

    Roe v. Wade
    A Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, recognizing a woman’s right to privacy under the Constitution.
  • End of the Cold War

    End of the Cold War
    Marked by the fall of the Soviet Union, ending decades of tension between the U.S. and the USSR and signaling the United States’ dominance as the world’s superpower.
  • 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

    9/11 Terrorist Attacks
    The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States.
  • Affordable Care Act

    Affordable Care Act
    Also known as “Obamacare,” this law aimed to expand healthcare access, reduce costs, and prevent insurance discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions.