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Great Railway Strike of 1877
Railroad workers in Martinsburg, West Virginia, went on strike to protest their working conditions and wage cuts, and the strike was called the "Great Labor Uprising." -
Creation of the Light Bulb
Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, allowing for homes to be lit and increased production hours for places of manufacturing. He received the patent for the light bulb in 1880. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first law to ban immigration by race or nationality. It banned Chinese immigration for 10 years and prohibited Chinese from becoming citizens. -
Pendleton Act
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act introduced federal exams and merit requirements in order to hire civil servants. -
Interstate Commerce Act
Congress passed this act due to farmers and populist groups demanding them to regulate railroads, making railroads the first industry to go through federal regulation. -
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act made Indian land to be sold to individuals in order to encourage American Indians to assimilate into American culture by becoming farmers. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
The Sherman Antitrust Act was passed by U.S. Congress to prohibit trusts and authorized the federal government to institute proceedings against trusts to dissipate them. -
Hawaii Annexation
In seeking sugar and economic advantages for farmers in the United States, U.S. American Marines invaded Hawaii, and Queen Lili'uokalani surrended the Republic of Hawaii. -
The Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a severe financial panic from May 1893 to November 1893 as banks and businesses closed down, as well as major declines in the stock market. -
Spanish-American War
The U.S. and Spain fought in 1898, beginning with the sinking of the USS Maine. This war resulted in the U.S. becoming a world power, gaining control over Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and purchasing the Philippines from Spain. -
Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906
Upton Sinclair, a muckraker that created his work, "The Jungle," exposed the major unsafe and unsanitary practices by the meatpacking industry which led to the passing of the Federal Meat Inspection Act. -
World War I
The U.S. enters World War I, declaring war on Germany and Austria-Hungary and fighting with other powers in order to stop Germany from conquering other countries. -
Prohibition in the United States
Under the 18th Amendment, the prohibition of alcohol was passed, resulting in an increase of organized crime and illegal consumption of alcohol. This lasted from 1920 to 1933. -
The Great Depression
Beginning with the stock market crash in 1929 known as "Black Tuesday," the Great Depression was a severe economic decline from 1929 to 1939. Banks and businesses failed, leading to major poverty and loss of jobs. -
World War II
Beginning with Germany's invasion of Poland, World War II was the major conflict between the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) and the Allied Powers (Britain, France, Russia, China, and the United States). The U.S., like in World War I, wanted to stay neutral, but later joined the war in 1941 due to the Japanese bombings on Pearl Harbor. -
The Cold War
Beginning in 1947 after World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union had an open rivalry between them and their allies. The Cold War was based on political, economic, propaganda, and geopolitical tension due to the conflict of capitalism versus communism. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was the conflict between the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam against the government of South Vietnam and its ally, the U.S. This resulted in a communist victory. -
The Attack on The Twin Towers
On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists boarded 4 commercial passenger airplanes. 2 hijacked planes flew into the World Trade Center, and the Twin Towers collapsed. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon, and another in a field in Pennsylvania. This led to the reform of TSA. -
United States Presidental Election of 2008
On November 4, 2008, Americans elected Democrat Barack Obama as the 44th president. He became the country's first African American president and was also the first sitting U.S. senator to win the presidency. -
United States Capitol Attack
The United States Capitol Building in Washington D.C. was attacked by a mob of supporters incited by President Donald J. Trump. This attack disrupted a session of Congress in which they had gathered to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.