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YMCA Founded
The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) was a part of the Social Gospel Movement, beginning in England. It combined physical & other kinds of education with religious teachings. In 1851, Thomas Sullivan brought the idea of the YMCA to the USA. The first YMCA in America was in Boston, Massachusetts. Their mission was to put Christian principles into practice through programs that help build healthy spirit, mind & body for all. They set up libraries and kitchens & provided exercise & housing. -
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Transforming the West
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Homestead Act
The Homestead Act opened up settlement in the western United States, allowing any American citizen, including freed slaves, to put in a claim for up to 160 acres of federal land. They had to be the head of the family and at least 21 years old. Women were also allowed to own the land. It was endorsed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. In return for the land, the homesteaders only had to pay a small fee and were required to complete five years of residency and make improvements on the land. -
Morrill Land Grant College Act
The Morrill Land Grant College Act was the law in which the federal government distributed millions of acres of western lands to the state governments in order to establish state agricultural colleges. It funded new universities in sparsely populated areas through taxes on the sale of public land. These proceeds were used to finance public education & led to many land-grant institutions. It was signed into law by President Lincoln & was the foundation of public higher education in the US. -
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Becoming an Industrial Power
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Salvation Army Founded
The Salvation Army is an organization founded by William and Catherine Booth that was a major distributor of help to the poor. It emphasized both religious and social salvation. Their mission is to help drug addicts, prostitutes, the homeless, and others in need. Before 1878, it was actually called the "Christian Revival Society" and then the "Christian Mission." They want to transform lives, care for people, make disciples, and reform the society. It was apart of the Social Gospel Movement. -
Knights of Labor Founded
The Knights of Labor was the largest and most important American Labor organizations of the 1880s. It was founded by Philadelphia garment cutters and was led by Terrence V. Powderly. Their goal was to bring together wage earners, regardless of their skills. They demanded many reforms to offset the power of industrialists, such as the restriction of child labor, graduated income tax, abolition of contract labor, monetary reform, etc. This organization came to an end with the Haymarket Riot. -
Red River War
This war took place in the southern plains and was a military campaign by the US Army to remove the Southern Plains Indians from the territory and move them to reservations. The Southern Plains Indians were upset over the illegal white settlement & buffalo devastation, so they attacked the white settlement. Ultimately, they were crushed in 1875, and the US wiped out the native resistance on the Southern plains. The natives were defeated and would never again freely roam the buffalo plains. -
The First Telephone Call (Telephone Invented)
The first telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell, who was a teacher for the deaf. He was significant because his invention sparked the creation of gigantic communication network across the US. When he finished his improvements of the telegraph, he had his helper, Thomas Watson, go into another room with a similar device, and made a phone call to him. This invention became important to everyone in the world because people could communicate faster, which ultimately made businesses grew. -
Battle of Little Bighorn
This battle was fought near the Little Bighorn River in Montana territory, involving the federal troops, led by Lieutenant George Custer, & Lakota Sioux & Cheyenne warriors. This battle was caused by the discovery of gold in native lands & the native resistance & refusal to leave their homes. Due to Custer's underestimation of the native numbers, Custer & all his soldiers died in battle. This led to the increase of hostility towards natives, which confined Sioux & Cheyenne to reservations. -
Boss Tweed Delivered to the Authorities
William Magear "Boss" Tweed was the leader of New York City's corrupt Tammany Hall political machine during the 1860s to 1870s. He formed the "Tweed Ring" and openly bought votes, encouraged judicial corruption, extracted millions from city contracts, and dominated NYC politics. But a political cartoonist conducted a crusade against Tweed, and all the Tweed Ring were subsequently tried and sentenced to prison. On this day, Tweed was delivered to authorities in NYC after his capture in Spain. -
Period: to
The Gilded Age
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Great Uprising of 1877
When workers for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad had their wages reduced twice over the previous year, they went on strike, which restricted trains from running until the most recent pay cut was returned to the employees. This strike ended by the end of August due to gov't intervention, state militias, & employment of strikebreakers. This strike was typical for most strikes in this era. Workers barely gained anything from them due to government interventions and the high availability of laborers. -
FW Woolworth Company Founded
This retail company was one of the original pioneers of the five-and-dime store, a store that offered a wide assortment of inexpensive items, formerly costing 5 or 10 cents, for personal and household use. Frank Woolworth opened his first successful "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store" in Lancaster, PA. He and his brother pioneered and developed merchandising, direct purchasing, sales, and customer service practices commonly used today. It became the largest department store chain in the world. -
Chinese Exclusion Act 1882
This act prevented the immigration of Chinese people and was the first time a particular ethnic group was restricted from immigration. But the Chinese immigrants that were already there were denied rights in the US and were not allowed to become US citizens. This act was supported by labor unions and signed by Chester B. Arthur because they wanted to protect jobs for the whites since the Chinese were more willing to work for lower wages. In 1943, Chinese people were finally allowed citizenship. -
Pendleton Act
The Pendleton Act, AKA The Civil Service Reform, banned federal candidates from requiring federal employees to work on their campaigns or make financial contributions. This act was implemented after the assassination of Pres. McKinley since he had used the spoils system to appoint his own friends into office. The act got rid of the spoils system, and Civil Service Exam must now be taken in order to receive most government jobs, banning federal employees from giving campaign money to their party. -
Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show
On this date, William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody opened Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in Omaha, Nebraska. These shows sometimes included fake Indian attacks, and tried to evoke the mythical romance of the Old West. Cody also starred in his own shows, and became famous throughout the nation and Europe. It portrayed the West as full of adventure and romance. It rarely depicted the reality of western life. They had real Native Americans in the show and had them have mock battles with the army troops. -
Times Zones Were Created
Before this day, many people had set their clocks based on the position of the sun. However, this became a problem since most towns in the US had different times & could not communicate their schedules efficiently when railroads became more popular. To fix this problem, railroad companies worked together & divided the continent into four time zones, which is very close to the ones we still use today. It was embraced by most Canadians and Americans & was eventually adopted by Congress in 1918. -
Haymarket Riot
The Haymarket Riot started as a labor protest rally originally organized by labor radicals to protest the killing and wounding of several workers by the Chicago police during a strike the day before, but the situation soon escalated after someone threw a bomb at the police. The police and some members of the crowd began to open fire, causing chaos to ensue. As a result of that violence, at least eight people died that day. Afterwards, there was a national wave of xenophobia from the nativists. -
Coca Cola Company Founded
Coca Cola was first invented by John Pemberton, who was an Atlanta druggist who developed a syrup from a cola nut and mixed it with carbonated water to created a new soft beverage. It was originally intended to be a patent medicine, but marketing tactics led to its dominance in the snack industry throughout the 20th century. When the drink was first launched, its two key ingredients were actually cocaine and caffeine. The drink soon spread and is now one of the most popular drinks in the world. -
American Federation of Labor Founded
The AFL was a organization founded and led by Samuel Gompers, who was a die-hard capitalist that saw no need for a radical restructuring of America. This union was formed after the fall of the Knights of Labor after the Haymarket Riot when Gompers met with leaders of other craft unions. It became a loose grouping of smaller craft unions, making every member of the AFL a skilled worker. This organization ultimately made the working life better for everyone in the working class in the future. -
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was the government's first attempt at controlling businesses. They made pools (inter-company deals) & special deals between businesses illegal. It was mainly to target the railroad owners who raised rates & to ensure that shippers were treated fairly. Farmers supported this because they were often the victims of price gouging & discrimination. However, the act was very weak and was later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States. -
Dawes Severalty Act
The Dawes Severalty Act called for the break up of reservations and tried to dissolve native tribes by distributing the land. This act was a way to force the natives to assimilate to American culture, including the American Christian society. They gave the head of the families 160 acres to farm, but there were many problems with the land and it was a very corrupt system. It was designed to forestall growing Native poverty, but it resulted in many natives losing their lands to speculators. -
Hull House Founded
The Hull House, also known as a settlement house, was co-founded by Jane Adams Ellen Gates Starr in Chicago. The Hull House was devoted to improving the lives of poor immigrants, establishing employment bureaus & health clinics. Women like Adams knew that government action was essential for change. The Hull House brought an array of reforms in Chicago, which was soon adopted everywhere else, such as stronger building and sanitation codes, shorter working hours, safer working conditions, etc. -
Period: to
Imperial America
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Sherman Anti-Trust Act
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act banned trusts and monopolization tactics. It originally made trusts illegal, but corporations bought out and bribed politicians and made them water the language of the act down, ultimately making it useless to tackle monopolies. They passed this act because they wanted to create a fairer competition in the workforce and limit any take-overs of departments of merchandise. Although useless in this time, it will later be successful under the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt. -
Silver Act
The Silver Act was a compromise between the western silver agitators and the eastern protectionists. The Westerners agreed to support a higher tariff and the protectionists, this bill. It ordered the Treasury to buy 4.5 million ounces of silver monthly. The national currency was switched to silver, which caused higher tariffs. This caused prices to skyrocket. However, the silver prices fell and that caused the Panic of 1893. When the currency gets switched back to gold, the panic gets worse. -
Wounded Knee Massacre
This was the massacre of over 300 Sioux warriors, women, and children along the Wounded Knee Creek, and it marked the final chapter in the long war between the US and the native tribes of the Great Plains. During this time period, there was the Ghost Dance Movement which demonstrated the resistance to white rule. The whites saw it as a threat and made military intervention. A gun accidentally went off and both sides started shooting, ending ultimately with the deaths of many Sioux people. -
Carnegie Steel Company Founded
The Carnegie Steel Company was founded by Andrew Carnegie in the Pittsburgh, PA area. It was a steel-producing company created to manage businesses at steel mills. They used the Bessemer Steel Process, which was a cheap and quick way to manufacture steel. Carnegie used vertical integration by buying all steps needed for production. This company was very successful and made Carnegie very rich. In 1901, Carnegie sold his company to JP Morgan, which then made Carnegie the richest man in history. -
Hawaii's Monarchy Overthrown
Hawaii's monarchy was overthrown when a group of businessmen and sugar planters forced Queen Liliuokalani to abdicate. She only chose to acquiesce in order to avoid bloodshed. The coup led to the dissolving of the Kingdom of Hawaii two years later, its annexation as a US territory, and eventual admission as the 50th state of the US. After the overthrow of the monarchy, he served as the President of the Republic of Hawaii until his government secured Hawaii's annexation by the United States. -
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World. Its purpose was to display the White City's downtown area and the fairgrounds along with the progress of American civilization such as new industrial technologies. Americans saw this World's Fair as their opportunity to claim a place among the world's most "civilized" societies, and many see this as the high point of the City Beautiful Movement. -
Coxey's Army
Coxey's Army was a protest march by unemployed workers from Ohio to Washington, led by Jacob S. Coxey, demanding that the government create jobs for the unemployed. Although this group had no effect whatsoever on public policy, it did demonstrate the social and economic impact of the Panic of 1893. It inspired other marches and was a symbol of the unrest among working people. The march came to an end when Coxey & some of his followers were arrested and jailed for trespassing on the the Capitol. -
Pullman Strike
The Pullman Strike was a nonviolent strike which brought about a shut down of western railroads, taking place against the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago because of the poor wages of the Pullman workers due to the Panic of 1893. It was led by Eugene V. Debs, who also founded the American Railway Union. This brought a bad image upon unions. It ended when the President Cleveland intervened with federal troops, with the justification that the strike was interfering with the train mail system. -
Period: to
The Progressive Era
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Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy, a member of the Citizen's Committee challenged the Louisiana law requiring blacks to ride in separate cars on trains. Plessy was only 1/8th black but refused to sit in a separate car, so was arrested. The Plessy v. Ferguson case was a Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws for public facilities ruling that segregated, "equal but separated" areas for blacks and whites did not violate the 14th amendment. This ruling made segregation legal. -
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush was the migration of thousands of people to the Klondike region of the Yukon in Canada w/ hopes of successfully prospecting for gold. 100,000 set out to Canada, but only 30,000 made it. Many quit their jobs to become gold diggers, but unfortunately, only about 4,000 prospectors out of 30,000 actually found gold. Some gave up or died due to the extreme temperatures. The gold rush ended when there was a new gold discovery in Nome, which led everyone to go there instead. -
Inauguration of President McKinley
The Election of 1896 was with William McKinley (Republican) and William Jennings Bryan (Democrat). McKinley won by a landslide and became the 25th president of the US. In 1898, McKinley led the US into war with Spain, ending with a US victory and the opening of doors for the US into an active role in world affairs. When he was reelected in 1900, McKinley was assassinated by an anarchist in Buffalo, New York, on Sept. 1901. His VP, Theodore Roosevelt soon took his place as the President. -
USS Maine Explodes
When the USS Maine exploded in the Havana Harbor, it killed 268 men and shocked the American populace. This incident was the climax of pre-war tension between the US and Spain. American media and newspapers blamed the whole incident on Spain. They lied and exaggerated about the situation to get more readers. This ultimately caused the Spanish-American War. However, with later investigation, it was learned that the Spanish had nothing to do with the explosion and that it was merely an accident. -
Battle of Manila Bay
This battle was the first major battle of the Spanish-American War. It was when the US Asiatic Squadron destroyed the Spanish Pacific fleet. US Commodore George Dewey, in command of the U.S. Asiatic Squadron, was ordered to capture or destroy the Spanish Pacific fleet, which was known to be in the coastal waters of the Spanish-controlled Philippines. Spanish losses were estimated at more than 370 troops, while American casualties were fewer than 10. The United States went on to win the war. -
Battle of San Juan Hill
This battle was fought was fought on a hill near Santiago de Cuba and was one of the most important battles of the Spanish-American War. In this battle, Roosevelt and Rough Riders defeated Spain. Placed America at an advantage. Two days later, American ships destroyed the Spanish fleet in Cuba. In August, the US and Spain agreed to a treaty ending the war. The Rough Riders played a central role in the victory but were also supported by black soldiers of the 24th and 25th infantry regiments. -
Treaty of Paris 1898
This treaty was the treaty that ended the Spanish-American War. It was an agreement where Spain would no longer rule over Cuba. The terms of this treaty was also that the US gets the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico. However, American negotiators had startled the Spanish by demanding that they also cede the Philippines to the U.S, but an offer of 20 million for the islands softened Spain's resistance. But the Spanish accepted their terms, and this marked the US as being a world power. -
Boxer Rebellion
AKA The Boxer Uprising, this was the popular peasant uprising in China ( was supported nationally), that blamed foreign people and institutions for the loss of the traditional Chinese way of life. Boxers were traditionally skilled fighters that attacked Westerners, beginning with Christian missionaries. Boxers killed foreign merchants and businesses & burned churches.They wanted to get rid of all foreign influence since they thought the Westerners stole their jobs and caused the famine. -
Platt Amendment
This amendment was a series of provisions that the United States insisted Cuba add to its new Constitution. This amendment gave the United States the right to take over the Island of Cuba if that country entered into a treaty or debt that might place its freedom in danger. This amendment also gave the U.S. the right to put a naval base in Cuba to protect it and the US holdings in the Caribbean. It severely restricted Cuba's sovereignty. This amendment was resented very much by the Cubans. -
Meat Inspection Act
As a reaction to the book "The Jungle," written by Upton Sinclair, which portrayed the filthy conditions in Chicago's meatpacking industry, the Meat Inspection Act was passed to set strict standards of cleanliness in the meatpacking industry. It established a rating system for meat, and it required a federal inspection of meat processing to ensure sanitary conditions. This act was signed by President Theodore Roosevelt and was one of the first reforms on the food and meatpacking industry. -
Teddy Roosevelt Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
Theodore Roosevelt, the President at that time, was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for negotiating peace btwn Japan and Russia in the Russo-Japanese war with a diplomatic conference btwn representatives of the two foes at Portsmouth, NH, where both signed the Treaty of Portsmouth. He also resolved a dispute with Mexico by resorting to arbitration as recommended by the peace movement. Roosevelt was the first statesman to receive the Peace Prize, and for the first time the award was controversial. -
Gentlemen's Agreement
This was an agreement when Japan agreed to curb the number of workers coming to the US (which limited immigration), and in exchange Roosevelt agreed to allow the wives of the Japanese men already living in the US to join them. This did not apply to Hawaii since they needed Japanese sugar workers. He also agreed that the segregation of Japanese children in school would be stopped. This prevented a war that would've been caused by California, who was, in Japan's eyes, oppressing their children. -
Great White Fleet Begins Showcasing
The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the powerful United States Navy battle fleet that completed a journey around the globe by order of US President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of 16,000 sailors and 16 battleships and accompanying vessels. The ships were painted white and went around the world to showcase America's naval power to the rest of the world. The Great White Fleet’s successful return and completion of its mission added luster to Roosevelt’s presidential career. -
Muller v. Oregon
The Muller v. Oregon case started when Oregon passed a law that said that women could work no more than 10 hours a day in factories and laundries. The law was challenged when a woman at Muller's Laundry was required to work more than 10 hours. Muller was convicted of violating the law. He questioned if a state law setting a maximum workday for women was constitutional. His appeal eventually was heard to the U.S. Supreme Court. By a unanimous 9-0 vote, the justices upheld the Oregon law. -
Ford Model T Invented
The Model T car was invented by Henry Ford, a factory worker who developed the assembly line, which quickened production in factories. The Model T car was the first affordable car and was sturdy, reliable, inexpensive, but only came in black. This car was less expensive than the other average cars by about $1,150. Model T was not the first car that Ford built, it was only the most successful one. After the success of Model T, Model A was introduced, which had a range of different colors. -
17th Amendment
This amendment to the Constitution calls for the direct election of senators by the voters instead of their election by state legislatures.
Before the amendment, the problems were the legislative corruption and electoral deadlocks. The Seventeenth Amendment altered the process for electing United States Senators and changed the way vacancies would be filled. Under the original constitutional provision, state legislatures filled vacancies when a Senator left office before the end of their term. -
Federal Reserve Act
The Federal Reserve Act is the act that created created the federal reserve system and the central banking system of the united states, which was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson. It regulated banking to help smaller banks stay in business, creating 12 district reserve banks. This was the first central banking system since 1836. This act gives liquidity to fund all future wars without specifically going to Congress to ask for war funds. The goal of this act was to stop bank panics. -
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World War I
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Ludlow Massacre
The Ludlow Massacre was an attack by the Colorado National Guard and Colorado Fuel & Iron Company camp guards on a tent colony of 1,200 striking coal miners and their families at Ludlow, Colorado. United Mine Workers led a strike in Colorado coalfields calling for safety, higher wages, and recognition. Some two dozen people, including miners' wives and children, were killed. This massacre caused widespread protest against policies of Colorado Fuel and Iron and its owner John D. Rockefeller. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Serbian group, The Black Hand, who protested Austrian control of the region. He gunned down the archduke & his wife as their motorcade traveled down the streets of Sarajevo. Although Ferdinand was not well liked in aristocratic circles, his death set off a chain reaction of events, causing Austria to declare war on Serbia, leading to the start of WWI. -
Universal Negro Improvement Association
Also known as the UNIA, the Universal Negro Improvement Association is a black nationalist fraternal organization founded by Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican immigrant who believed in economic empowerment of blacks. It was the black working class's first mass movement. The UNIA wanted to establish close contacts w/ Africa & use black skill to empower Africans. They promoted a positive image of African Americans, building racial pride, & championed black separatism, urging blacks to return to Africa. -
Panama Canal Opens
The Panama Canal was a ship canal about 50 miles long. Before, ships would have to go all around the southern tip of Africa. However, the canal allowed ships to go through the Isthmus of Panama. It was built by the US under the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, and it was used to be a shortcut between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Roosevelt obtained the land by helping the Panamanians overthrow the Colombian government. It had a system of locks that allowed it to go through elevated areas. -
Sussex Pledge
On this day, the German government signed the so-called Sussex Pledge, promising to stop the indiscriminate sinking of non-military ships. According to the pledge, merchant ships would be searched, and sunk only if they were found to be carrying contraband materials. Furthermore, no ship would be sunk before safe passage had been provided for the ship’s crew and its passengers. This was the response to a demand by US President Woodrow Wilson in order to avert a diplomatic break with the US. -
Zimmerman Telegram
This was a secret diplomatic communication issued from Germany that proposed a military alliance between Germany & Mexico in before the US could have the chance to join World War I. Author Zimmerman, who was a German foreign secretary, was the one to issue the telegram. It called for Mexico to join the war against the US & promised to help recover territory lost in the Mexican War. However, British spies intercepted the message & made it public, causing the US to declare war against Germany. -
Bolshevik Revolution
The Bolshevik Revolution was the revolution that ended the leadership of the Provisional government and put the Bolsheviks in power. Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the collapse of Imperial Russia, and the end of the Romanov dynasty. Bolsheviks was a group of revolutionary Russian Marxists who took control of Russia's government, led by Vladimir Lenin. After the revolt, they established a Communist government and renamed Russia as the USSR, taking Russia out of WWI. -
Espionage Act
Two months after America’s formal entrance into WWI against Germany, the US Congress passes the Espionage Act. The Espionage Act essentially made it a crime for any person to convey information intended to interfere with the US armed forces prosecution of the war effort or to promote the success of the country’s enemies. Anyone found guilty of such acts would be subject to a fine of $10,000 and a prison sentence of 20 yrs. The whole point of this was to prevent any harm to military success. -
Wilson's 14 Points
Wilson's 14 Points were listed in a speech delivered by President Woodrow Wilson, explaining to Congress and the nation that WWI was being fought for a just cause. It also set the foundations for peace plans and was the basis for the German armistice. It calls for free trade; an end to secret pacts between nations; freedom of the seas; arms reduction; and the creation of a world organization - called the League of Nations, an organization formed to promote cooperation and peace among nations. -
Murder of Romanov Family
In Yekaterinburg, Russia, Czar Nicholas II and his family are executed by the Bolsheviks, bringing an end to the three-century-old Romanov dynasty. In March 1917, revolution broke out on the streets of St. Petersburg and Nicholas was forced to abdicate his throne later that month. Civil war broke out in Russia and a death sentence was later passed on the imperial family. The family was gunned down in the cellar of the house they were staying at, and everyone of the family had died that night. -
Treaty of Versailles
This was the treaty imposed on Germany by the Allied powers after the end of WWI, which demanded reparations from Germany & blamed it for the war. Due to the treaty, Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary, & Turkey lost part of their territory, but Poland, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, & Baltic states were created. It also crippled the German economy due to its harsh reparations. Germany also couldn't rebuild their economy, & they had to give up their colonies, forced to take responsibility for the war. -
President Wilson Suffers a Stroke
President Wilson was on the tour of the US to promote the formation of the League of Nations when he suffered a stroke. The tour’s intense schedule–8,000 miles in 22 days–cost Wilson his health. He managed to return to Washington, only to suffer a near-fatal stroke. As a result, he was permanently paralyzed on one side, and Wilson's wife kept his condition from the press, secretly acting as president on his behalf. Because of this, Wilson was unable to campaign in favor of the League of Nations. -
Period: to
The 1920's
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League of Nations Founded
This was the international organization founded to promote world peace & cooperation but greatly weakened by the refusal of the United States, USSR, and Germany to join. Although it was proposed by Pres. Wilson, the US never joined the League since Wilson could not get enough support from the Senate before he suffered from a stroke. Wilson thought it could be like a world parliament that would maintain world peace, improve people's lives and jobs, enforce disarmament & the Treaty of Versailles. -
18th Amendment
The 18th Amendment was the amendment that prohibited the selling, manufacturing, and transportation of liquors. It was caused by the Temperance Movement, which thought that the prohibition of liquors would reduce crime, corruption, social problems, and improve American health. But it had a negative effect, organizing crime due to illegal manufacturing and selling of alcoholic beverages and made thousands lose their jobs. As a result, the 21st amendment was passed, repealing the 18th amendment. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment granted American women the right to vote, ending almost a century of protest. The Suffrage movement started w/ the Seneca Falls Convention, and following the convention, the demand for the vote became a centerpiece of the women's rights movement. The women's activists raised public awareness and lobbied the government to grant voting rights to women. Southern states opposed it, but Tennessee was the state to cast the deciding vote, causing the amendment to be fully ratified. -
Immigration Act of 1924
The Immigration Act was the legislation that blocked Japanese immigration and set quotas for other nations based on the 1890 census. It favored immigrants from northern and western Europe. The law was aimed at further restricting the Southern and Eastern Europeans, as well as prohibiting the immigration of East Asians and Asian Indians. It cut the quota for immigrants from 3% to 2%, therefore, varying countries were only allowed to send a certain number of its citizens to America each year. -
"The Great Gatsby" Published
This was a novel about a self-made American man and entrepreneur who rose from obscurity, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a member of the Lost Generation, a group of post-WWI writers who established their literary reputations in the 20s. It was considered by many to be the literary masterpiece of the 20s, focusing on wealthy, sophisticated Americans who were often portrayed as self-centered and shallow. It talked about flappers, bootleggers, cars, & even the parties that occurred in this era. -
Scopes Monkey Trial
This Trial occurred in Dayton, Tennessee when John Scopes, a young high school science teacher, was accused of teaching evolution in violation of a state law. The law made it illegal to teach any theory that went against "creationism," which was the belief that God created the universe. William Jennings Bryan volunteered to assist the prosecution, & Clarence Darrow joined the ACLU to defend Scopes. In the end, Scopes lost & had to pay a fine of $100. This trial turned Dayton into a tourist trap. -
First Jingle on Radio
Jingles got its start back in 1926, when a Minnesota company called General Mills hired a barbershop quartet to promote its struggling cereal, Wheaties. The resulting radio ad was a success, saving the cereal from extinction. After their success, other companies began to use jingles, too. They liked the idea of jingles because radio broadcasts were not allowed to have advertisements, so a jingle was more like entertainment than an advertisement, allowing them to find a loophole in the rule. -
Charles Lindberg Lands in Paris
American aviator Charles A. Lindbergh rose to fame by flying nonstop from NY to Paris on his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis. He did this all in 33.5 hours. Many people tried to accomplish this due to the Orteig Prize, which awarded $25,000 to whoever flew the first Transatlantic flight, but many failed. Lindbergh's success caused him to be well known by many, & he even had his son kidnapped and killed for not paying the ransom. He also won a Pulitzer Prize for his book, The Spirit of St. Louis. -
Sacco and Vanzetti Executed
In April, a paymaster for a shoe company was shot and killed along with his guard, and their murderers were described as two Italian men. Sacco & Venzetti, two Italian anarchists, were arrested and sentenced to death. However, many people protested against their arrest. Plus, authorities failed to come up with any evidence of the stolen money, and much of the other against them was later discredited. But they were still convicted with the crime, and Sacco & Vanzetti were later electrocuted. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact
This pact was initiated by a French foreign minister Aristides Briand. Briand wanted an agreement where 2 countries would never go to war against each other as a ploy to draw the US into a French security system. It would mean that if France ever violated the US's neutral shipping rights, the US would not be able to declare war. Kellogg (the US representative) turned the tables by having 62 nations sign it. In other words, it was an agreement not to apply war in matters of foreign policy. -
Period: to
The Great Depression
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Valentine's Day Massacre
Chief gangster Al Capone wanted to gain control by eliminating his rivals in the illegal trades of bootlegging, gambling and prostitution. This gang violence reached its bloody climax in a garage on the city’s North Side when seven men associated with Irish gangster, Bugs Moran, one of Capone’s longtime enemies, were shot to death by several men dressed as policemen. The massacre was never officially linked to Capone, but he was generally considered to have been responsible for the murders. -
Black Tuesday
This day was the day that the New York Stock Exchange completely crashed, being the most devastating stock market crash in the history of crashes. After the crash, stock prices continued to fall. The 1920s had been a time where people people were investing in so many stocks. However, there had been an overproduction of goods and not enough buyers. So as the stock market weakened, people rushed to sell their stock, which drove prices down further. This was the start of the Great Depression -
Lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith
Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, two young black men, were arrested earlier that night as suspects in a robbery, murder & rape case. A mob broke into the jail and lynched the two. Police officers in the crowd cooperated in the lynching. A third black suspect, James Cameron, had also been arrested and was about to also be lynched, but was helped by a unknown woman and was returned to jail. The "rape" victim later testified that she was not raped. However, no one was ever charged for their murders. -
Bonus March
The Bonus March was when thousands of unemployed WWI veterans marched to DC demanding the payment of bonuses promised to them at a later date in 1945. However, Congress didn't pass the Bonus BIll they wanted. Hoover orders the US army to break up their encampment. Tanks and Tear gas was used to destroy the camps. It portrayed the massive failure of capitalism. This brought socialism back in the U.S launching the communist party to the largest most influential period in American history. -
Inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt
FDR was inaugurated as the 32nd president of the US. Roosevelt (Democrat) ran against former president Herbert Hoover (Republican), and due to Hoover's bad reputation with the Great Depression, most people voted for FDR. After the inauguration, he continued on for what became his First Hundred Days of the New Deal. During his presidency, he successfully got the US out of the Great Depression. He was the only president to serve more than two terms and died at the beginning of his fourth term. -
Civilian Corporation Corps Founded
During the 100 days of FDR, Congress created the Civilian Conservation Corps to provide government jobs in reforestation, flood control, and other conservation projects to young men. The CCC employed about 3 million men (ages 18-25) to work on projects that benefited the public, planting trees to reforest areas, building levees for flood control, and improving national parks, etc. It was the most popular New Deal program. The men only keep 20-25% of money, and the rest sent back to family. -
Glass-Steagall Act
The Glass-Steagall Act was passed by US Congress as the Banking Act. It was passed as an emergency measure to counter the failure of banks during the Great Depression, prohibiting commercial banks from participating in the investment banking business. Its main objective was to sever the linkage btwn commercial & investment banking that were believed to have been responsible for the 1929 market crash. However, The act lost its potency in subsequent decades and was partially repealed in 1999. -
21st Amendment
The 18th amendment (which prohibited the selling, manufacturing, and transportation of liquors) caused an increase of organized crimes and the loss of many jobs. The gov't figured that prohibition was not making things better for the country, so they repealed the 18th amendment with the 21st amendment. It caused reduced crime and created more jobs for Americans. However, it made Americans less healthy and increased corruption. Also, more revenue was made since taxes were placed on beer. -
Works Progress Administration Founded
The Works Progress Administration (renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration; WPA) was the largest and most ambitious American New Deal agency, employing millions of unemployed people (mostly unskilled men) to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads. It created jobs by improving highways, dredging rivers and harbors, and providing programs in the arts to unemployed artists. It was a locally run program that was leaded by Henry Hopkins. -
Social Security Act
The Social Security Act of 1935 created a federal insurance program based on the automatic collection of taxes from employees & employers throughout people's working careers. It guaranteed retirement payments for enrolled workers beginning at age 65. It also set up federal-state system of unemployment insurance & care for dependent mothers and children, the handicapped, and public health. It was a flagship accomplishment of the New Deal. It has long remained a pillar of the "New Deal Order". -
Assassination of Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long Jr., self-nicknamed The Kingfish, was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana and as a member of the United States Senate. Initially a supporter of Franklin D. Roosevelt during his first 100 days in office, Long eventually came to believe that Roosevelt's "New Deal" policies did not do enough to alleviate the issues of the poor. He was going to make his own solutions, but was soon assassinated by Dr. Carl Weiss, causing an end to his movement. -
Migrant Mother Photo Taken
The photograph that has become known as "Migrant Mother" is one of a series of photographs that Dorothea Lange made of Florence Owens Thompson and her children in Nipomo, California. This type of photo is known as social realism, which depicts the reality that these people experienced during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. This photo later became the symbol of the Great Depression, showing the struggles that Thompson had to go through to care for her seven children at the age of 32. -
Annexation of Austria by Germany
German troops march into Austria to annex the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. Austrian Nazis had conspired to seize the Austrian government by force and unite their nation with Nazi Germany. Hitler later marched into Austria and appointed a new Nazi government, and the next day, the Anschluss was proclaimed. Austria existed as a federal state of Germany until the end of World War II, when the Allied powers declared the Anschluss void and reestablished an independent Austria. -
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World War II
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German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
Shortly before World War II broke out in Europe, enemies Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union surprised the world by signing the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, in which the two countries agreed to take no military action against each other for the next 10 years. The pact also contained a secret agreement in which the Soviets and Germans agreed how they would later divide up Eastern Europe. The German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact fell apart in June 1941, when Nazi forces invaded the Soviet Union. -
Invasion of Poland
In the Non Aggression Act between Germany & Russia, Poland was divided among the two. However, Germany invaded regardless of the pact, breaking their agreement. Hitler had a surprise attack, resulting in German tanks & troops rumbling across the Polish border. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler claimed the massive invasion was a defensive action, but Britain & France were not convinced, declaring war on Germany, initiating WWII. Great Britain would respond with bombing raids over Germany three days later. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii. It was the target of a surprise attack by Japanese forces, destroying nearly 20 American vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and another 1,000 people were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan, and Japan's allies (Germany & Italy) declare war against the US in response. -
Germany & Italy declare war on the US
On this day, Adolf Hitler declares war on the US, bringing America, which had been neutral, into the European conflict. Japan wanted Germany to formally declare war on America, but the German foreign minister was unsure if the Germans were obligated to do so under the Tripartite Pact, which promised help if Japan was attacked, but not if Japan was the aggressor. However, Hitler chose to go to war against the US, despising Roosevelt & thinking that the US was going to declare war on them anyway. -
Bataan Death March
After the US surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese, approximately 75k Filipino & US troops on Bataan were forced to make a 65-mile march to prison camps. The marchers made the trek in intense heat & were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards. Survivors were taken to prisoner-of-war camps, where thousands more died from disease, mistreatment & starvation. America later avenged its defeat with the invasion of the island of Leyte. -
D-Day
The Battle of Normandy began on D-Day (officially called "Operation Overlord") when western allies landed in Northern France to open a Second Front against Germany. Over a million troops (the largest invasion force in history) stormed the beaches at Normandy and began the process of re-taking France. It was the turning point of World War II. Dwight Eisenhower was the supreme commander. It was the bloodiest and most costly on Omaha Beach. The Normandy Invasion drove the Germans out of France. -
Auschwitz Liberated
Auschwitz, the largest camp of the Germans, was a complex of camps, including a concentration camp, killing center, & forced-labor camps. As Soviet forces approached the Auschwitz camp complex, the SS began evacuating Auschwitz & its satellite camps. The SS would shoot anyone that fell behind or couldn't continue. More than 15,000 died during the death marches from Auschwitz. The Soviet army later entered Auschwitz & liberated more than 7,000 remaining prisoners, who were mostly ill and dying. -
Victory in Europe Day
Both Great Britain & the US celebrate Victory in Europe Day. Cities in both nations, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine. This was the day when German troops throughout Europe finally laid down their arms. It became a public holiday to celebrate the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces. This marked the end of WWII in Europe. -
Atomic Bombings of Japan
On this day, an American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s 1st deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90% of the city & immediately killed 80k ppl; thousands more would later die of radiation exposure. 3 days later, a second B-29 dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki, killing thousands of more ppl. Japan’s Emperor Hirohito announced his country’s unconditional surrender in WWII in a radio address, citing the devastating power of “a new and most cruel bomb.”
