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George Washington Elected President
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Judiciary Act of 1789
Established the Supreme Court -
French Revolution
Federalists oppose it, Anti-Federalists support (U.S. Neutral) -
Period: to
The Early Republic
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Rhode Island becomes 9th state to officially ratify the Constitution
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Alexander Hamilton creates Bank of the United States
(opposed by Jefferson) -
All states unanimously ratify the Bill of Rights
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Proclamation of American Neutrality (by George Washington) –
keeps America neutral after France declares war on Britain, Spain, and Holland (example of U.S. foreign policy) -
Fugitive Slave Act
illegal to help slaves escape -
Eli Whitney invents Cotton Gin
** Creates massive increase of slaves in the South -
Whiskey Rebellion
1st time U.S. Government uses Federal troops to subdue domestic issues (Farmers did not like new excise taxes) -
Treaty of Greenville
U.S. cheaply pays 12 Native American tribes for Ohio territory -
Pinckney Treaty
Spain gives U.S. navigation rights on Mississippi River, New Orleans -
John Adams
(Federalist) defeats Thomas Jefferson (Republican) in first contested Presidential Election; Jefferson becomes Vice President -
XYZ Affair
French try to extort U.S. for diplomatic meetings – public wants war -
Alien & Sedition Acts
expands Gov’t power, limit dissent and weakening of Gov’t, ruled unconstitutional -Kentucky & Virginia Resolutions – increase state rights over Federal rights, written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison -
2nd Great Awakening
major religious reform movement; helps increase abolition -
Thomas Jefferson defeats John Adams (controversy)
Aaron Burr is VP -
Alexander Hamilton suggests U.S. capital moves to Washington, D.C.
(move helps gain Southern support for Hamilton’s economics) -
John Marshall becomes first chief justice of the Supreme Court
Judiciary Act/Midnight Judges – Adams attempt to secure the Federalist party days before he is to leave office by appointing Federalists into office -
Marbury vs. Madison
establishes Judicial Review -
Louisana Purchase
not known to Jefferson if it was constitutional to annex land, Congress approves purchase from France, doubles the size of U.S. -
Period: to
Western Epansion and Strained Neutrality
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Lewis and Clark Expedition sets to survey land of Louisana Purchase
(Sacagawea guided) -
Aaron Burr kills Alexander Hamilton in a duel
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Embargo Act
placed by Jefferson on Britain/France; fails – hurts U.S. economy -
James Madison elected President
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Tecumseh establishes union of Native Americans to resist westward movement of U.S.
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William Henry Harrison leads attack on Tecumseh at Battle of Tippecanoe
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Congress declares war on Britain
(issues – impressments, blockades, economy, Native Americans) -
Native Americans begin attacking U.S. settlers
(weapons provided by Britain) -
Period: to
War of 1812
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Treat of Ghent ends War of 1812
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Harford Convention
New England’s states threaten secession; Federalist Party is no more -
Era of Good Feelings’
(one party politics) begins in the U.S. -
U.S independence finally confirmed
Good relations with Britain begins (i.e. sharing of Oregon Territory) -
Westward expansion across North America
transportation revolution -
Sectional tension between north and south increases over slavery
-
underground railroad provides northern escape for slaves
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James Monroe elected 5th president
reelected in 1820 -
Period: to
Nationalism, Sectionalism, and Economic expansion
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Erie Canal
construction begins(connects to great lakes to Atlantic ocean) -
McCulloch vs. Maryland
ruling confirms Congresses’ right to found the 2nd banl of the US -
Spain cedes Florida to the U.S.
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Missouri Compromise
sets dividing line between free and slaves states at
latitude 36’30’ o Above line (free), Below line (slave) -
Stephen F. Austin
establishes first U.S. Settlement in Texas -
Monroe Doctrine
claims western hemisphere closed to European intervention (first major U.S. foreign diplomacy) -
Gibbons vs. Ogden
establishes federal control of interstate commerce -
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die on same day
(50th anniversary of Dec. of Independence) -
Andrew Jackson elected 7thPresident
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Two party system fully emerges in U.S. politics for first time
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Period: to
Age of Jackson
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Indian Removal Act– authorizes forcible westward relocation of Native Americans
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Cyrus McCormick
invents mechanical reaper – transforms agriculture -
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
transcendentalism (individualism) -
Thoreau
Civil Disobedience -
Spoils System
giving government positions to friends or colleagues (Andrew Jackson) -
Horace Mann
reforms in education -
Trail of tears
Cherokee tribes sent on forced removal to Oklahoma, 4,000 die on way -
First Jim Crow Laws
established (legal segregation) -
Manifest destiny
– U.S. destiny and duty to expand and conquer the west -
William Lloyd Garrison
wants immediate emancipation (he was white) -
fredrick douglas
– creates North Star abolitionist newspaper, writes Narratives of... -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
ends Mexican War, Mexico cedes Texas and all land north of the Rio Grande to U.S. (creates modern border of the U.S. with Gadsden Purchase) -
Compromise of 1850
North gets California as free states, ban of sale of slaves in D.C. South gets stricter enforcement of Fugitive Slave Act, $10 mil to Texas -
Period: to
Antebellum Period (pre-civil war)
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Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes Uncle Tom’s Cabin
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Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas-Nebraska Act– repeals Missouri Compromise, popular sovereignty to determine slave/free states -
– “Bleeding Kansas”
John Brown leads antislavery massacre at Pottawatomie Creek, fight over slavery in Kansas -
Dred Scott vs. Sanford
ruling effectively nullifies Missouri Compromise, declares that slaves are property – cannot sue -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Stephen Douglas wins Illinois Senate seat. Lincoln a household name -
John Brown leads attack on arsenal at Harper’s Ferry
later captured and hanged -
Abraham Lincoln elected 16th President
South Carolina secedes the Union = Civil War -
Period: to
The cival war
-
– Confederate States formed , Jefferson Davis
1st and only President -
– Fort Sumter (S.C.)
confederates attack Union – war starts -
Homestead Act
160 acres to each farmer willing to cultivate land in West -
Battle of Antietam
– bloodiest battle of the Civil War -
Battle of Gettysburg
turning point of Civil War; South never recovers -
Emancipation Proclamation
– frees slaves in only Confederate states; foreign diplomacy! -
William Sherman – ‘March to Sea’ – Atlanta to Savannah
destroys everything! -
13th Amendment
abolishes slavery -
Gen. Robert E. Lee (confederacy)
surrenders at Appomattox Court House to Union Gen. Ulysses Grant -
Abraham Lincoln assassinated by John Wilkes Booth
Andrew Johnson now President -
South establishes Black Codes
limits rights of freed blacks -
Period: to
reconstruction
-
Civil Rights Act of 1866
grants citizenship to all people born in U.S. (14th
Amendment) -
Tenure of Office Act
used to impeach Andrew Johnson (said he had violated it) -
– U.S. purchase Alaska from Russia
(becomes 49th state in 1959) -
Transcontinental Railroad
connects the coasts of the United States; greatest transportation achievement -
Hiram Revels
first black senator – Mississippi -
15thAmendment
grants protection of voting rights to black males -
– William “Boss” Tweed
greatest example of a political machine (NYC) -
Slaughter House Cases
authority of state governments over individuals -
– Whiskey Ring Scandal
corruption in Grants administration & Republican party -
Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse lead Sioux to crushing victory of General George Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn
-
Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone
-
Period: to
the gilded age
-
Susan B. Anthony
gets women’s suffrage vote to Congress – leads to 19th Amendment -
Thomas Edison creates the electric light
-
– Booker T. Washington
gradual approach to equal rights – prove yourself W.E.B Dubois – changes in civil rights now; founds the NAACP -
President James Garfield assassinated
-
– Chinese Exclusion Act
bans Chinese immigration for 10 years -
John D. Rockefeller
Standard Oil Trust; Andrew Carnegie – Steel -
– Dawes Severalty Act
denies tribal rights, advances forced assimilation, opens lands to whites -
Wounded Knee
Federal forces massacre 200 Sioux Indians -
Sherman Antitrust Act
outlaws monopolies, price-fixing, other trade restraints -
Populist Party
formed specifically to give farmers a voice in government -
yellow journalism
journalism that features unethical or unprofessional practices by news media
organizations or individual journalists -
**Plessy vs. Ferguson
Separate but Equal’ is constitutional (overturned by Brown vs. Board of Education) -
Grandfather Clause
voting rights of blacks challenged with literacy tests and poll taxes -
Spanish-American War
Teddy Roosevelt leads Rough Riders, U.S. crushes Spain’s Navy -
Treat of Paris
ends the Spanish-American War -
Open Door Policy
U.S. attempt to gain foothold in Chinese markets -
President McKinley assassinated
Teddy Roosevelt now 26th President -
Period: to
Progressive era
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Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine
increases U.S. presence in Latin America -
Muckraker
writers who expose big business corruption -
Pure Food and Drug Act, Meat Inspection
set food quality standards -
Panama Canal
connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (opens in 1914) -
Henry Ford introduces the Model T car
assembly lines introduced -
16th Amendment
establishment of income tax -
17th Amendment
direct election of senators -
World War I begins in Europe
-
Woodrow Wilson wins reelection on campaign of keeping U.S. neutral during war
-
WWI
bloodiest war in world history to date, aka “The Great War,” “The War to End All Wars” -
German U-Boat sinks British passenger liner Lusitania
Americans killed on board -
Period: to
U.S. involvement in WW1
-
Germany continues unrestricted submarine warfare
gets warning from U.S. -
Zimmerman Telegram
intercepted by British, asks for Germany/Mexico alliance against U.S.; US. Enters WWI -
Selective Service Act
establishes the draft -
Fourteen Points
by Woodrow Wilson, 14th pt most important – calls for League of Nations -
Treaty of Versailles
ends WWI; calls for heavy reparations on Germany, disarmament, and creation of League of Nations; U.S. Senate rejects it -
18th Amendment
outlaws purchase, sale, and transport of alcohol -
19th Amendment
women’s suffrage (right to vote) -
Period: to
The Roaring Twenties
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Teapot Dome Scandal
exposes massive corruption in Harding Administration -
Dawes Plan
ease war reparations on Germany -
Scopes Monkey Trial
popularizes debate over teaching evolution in schools – outlawed -
Charles Lindbergh
completes world’s first solo flight across Atlantic – seen as a hero -
Sacco and Vanzetti
executed for murder; controversial because the were anarchists, politically motivated and unjustified -
Stock Market Crash
‘Black Tuesday’ – launches Great Depression -
Period: to
The Great Depression
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Bonus Army (WWI vets) march on Washington demanding compensation
forced out -
Franklin Delano Roosevelt elected President
-
U.S. unemployment rate reaches 25%
FDR claims Bank Holiday to fix banks -
Fireside Chats
FDR address public on radio – continues to 1944 – gives public hope -
1st 100 Days
creation of countless jobs, most productive of any president’s 1st 100 days -
Unemployment Relief Act and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to employ public works
AAA – controls crop production, compensates farmers for cooperation
TVA – established to construct dams in Tennessee River to generate electricity
NIRA – sets nationwide business practices oNRA – manage industry recovery
PWA – employ jobless -
20th Amendment
shifts presidential inaugurations from March to January -
21st Amendment
repeals 18th amendment (prohibition) -
Huey Long
criticizes FDR, “Share Our Wealth” proposes large tax burden on wealthy -
Wagner Act
supports union rights, protects collective bargaining -
Social Security Act
establishes funds for unemployed and elderly -
*Germany (led by Adolf Hitler) invades Poland
WWII begins -
*U.S. attempts isolationism from war in Europe
-
Axis and Allied power
Axis Powers– Germany, Italy, Japan;
Allied Powers– Britain, France, China, U.S., USSR -
FDR elected for unprecedented 3rd Term
-
Lend-Lease Act
provides U.S. loan aid to Britain, USSR & allied powers -
Atlantic Charter
agreement b/n U.S President FDR and Britain Prime Minister Churchill -
Period: to
World War II
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*December 7, 1941
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor – U.S. enters the War -
Propaganda
motivate U.S. citizens to support war efforts -
Battle of Midway
U.S. defeats Japan, seen as turning point in the war in the Pacific -
Interment of Japanese Americans
imprisonment of Japanese in California -
Manhattan Project
creation of the Atomic Bomb -
Battle of Stalingrad
seen as wars turning point for allied victory -
Allies invade Normandy, France on D-DAY, June 6, 1944
(largest land/sea invasion) -
Battle of the Bulge
begins to break down Axis position on western front -
Germany surrenders on V-E-DAY(victory in Europe day)
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Allies liberate Nazi concentration camps in Eastern Europe
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-FDR dies, Harry Truman becomes President; Adolf Hitler commits suicide
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U.S. drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima (Aug. 6) and Nagasaki (Aug 9) – Japan surrenders
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United Nations created with 51 founding nations
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Nuremberg Trials
prosecute Nazi war criminals Baby Boom, Economic Prosperity -
•* Soviet Union emerges as only major U.S. rival, creating intense, prolonged standoff between superpowers, known as the Cold War
-
“Iron Curtain”
describes division of Communist Eastern Europe from Western Europe -
Period: to
The Cold War
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Truman Doctrine
U.S. intent to fight Communism by helping free nations resist it. -
Marshal Plan
postwar economic recovery to help Western Europe; largest relief aid given by the U.S. in U.S. history -
Berlin Blockade –
USSR blocks all aid into West Berlin -
Berlin Airlift
U.S. drops food and supplies by air to West Berlin -
Harry Truman orders desegregation of military
-
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
created – alliance system of 26 countries in North America and Europe -
Korean war begins
U.S. aids South Korea against North Korea; Peace Treaty in 1953 -
Joseph McCarthy
begins rabid anti-communist campaign; hurt when he accuses military of having communists; alcoholic -
Communist Fear in U.S.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed for espionage; Alger Hiss convicted of perjury – 1991 Soviet documents confirm their guilt! -
* Brown vs. Board of Education
overturns Plessy vs. Ferguson; says separate but equal is unconstitutional -
“Containment”
(Truman) must stop spread of all communism; “Domino Theory” (Eisenhower) – fears that Indochina must not go communist or it will spread all over the world -
Geneva Peace Accords
temporally divides Vietnam at 17th parallel -
Rosa Parks
arrested for not giving up seat on bus to whites; sparks Montgomery Bus Boycott -
Jonas Salk
creates polio vaccine -
USSR launches first satellite in space – Sputnik
-
JFK launches New Frontier platform to help America
-
1st televised Presidential debate
JFK vs. Nixon (JFK wins); JFK president 1960 -
Lunch Counter “Sit-Ins” spark waves of civil rights protest
SCLC created by MLK, Jr. -
Bay of Pigs
failed invasion of Cuba by U.S. (CIA) trained military -
Berlin Wall
divides East and West Berlin (East was communist) -
Period: to
Civil rights, Nixon, and Vietnam
-
Cuban Missile Crisis
standoff b/n U.S. and USSR after Soviets placed missiles in Cuba pointed at the United States; no fighting incurs -
“I have a dream” speech given by MLK
speech for civil rights -
Lee Harvey Oswald assassinates JFK in Dallas, TX
-
Lyndon Johnson President
launches “Great Society” program to end poverty and racism -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
bans discrimination in education, employment, & public places -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
broadens LBJ’s military powers in Vietnam – no declare war -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
bans literacy tests for voting -
Malcom X (Nation of Islam)
blamed whites for African American problems; assassinated -
Miranda vs. Arizona
police must read suspects their rights -
Thurgood Marshall
first black justice of the Supreme Court -
Tet Offensive launched by North Vietnamese Army
turning point of U.S. in Vietnam -
James Earl Ray assassinated MLK, Jr. – hurts Civil Rights movement
-
Sirhan Sirhan assassinated Robert Kennedy, JFK’s brother; Richard Nixon voted President
-
Apollo 11 lands on the moon, Neil Armstrong first to walk on moon
-
My Lai Massacre – U.S. soldiers kill 200 innocent men, women, and children
-
Pentagon Papers– 7,000 page document outlining U.S. government plan in Vietnam; shows gov’t was not telling truth to public
-
Watergate Scandal– Nixon authorizes break-in and wiretapping of Democratic National Committee headquarters in Watergate complex in Washington, D.C
-
Roe vs. Wade – legalizes abortion (up to 3 months)
-
U.S. Energy Crisis– fuel shortage in U.S. due to OPEC raising prices
-
U.S. withdraws from Vietnam; North Vietnam overtakes South after departure
-
Richard Nixon resigns to avoid impeachment; Gerald Ford President – pardons Nixon; Ford is only President never voted into office.
-
Period: to
Now
-
Jimmy Carter elected President
-
Camp David Accords – Carter negotiates peace between Egypt and Israel
-
Three Mile Island – nuclear power accident causes concern of nuclear safety
-
Ronald Reagan elected 40th President
-
Iran releases U.S. embassy hostages released after 444 days in captivity.
-
Strategic Defense Initiative (a.k.a. STAR WARS) – space based missile defense proposed
-
Space Shuttle Challenger explodes on takeoff, crew killed; space program never the same
-
U.S. bombs Libya for supporting Palestinians
-
Osama Bin Laden founds Islamist group Al Qaeda
-
Chinese government crushes pro-democracy revolt in Tiananmen Square
-
Berlin Wall falls (Reagan feels its U.S.’s great est accomplishment of the era)
-
Saddam Hussein orders invasion of Kuwait; starts Operation Desert Storm
-
Bill Clinton President; appoints Janet Reno first female attorney genera