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Oct 12, 1442
Columbus Lands in the Americas
In 1942, Christopher Columbus led three ships named the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria out of the Spanish port of Palos on August 3, 1492. His objective was to sail west until he reached Asia (the Indies) where the riches of gold, pearls, and spice laid untouched. While Columbus claimed he discovered America, it was the sailor in crow's nest that actually made the discovery. For the next few hundred years more and more settlers would arrive particularly from England to colonize the New World. -
The Mayflower Arrives
The Mayflower was the ship that carried 102 passengers plus 30 crew to leave England for religious freedom to America, this land was called, "The New World" back then. For 66 days, people ate, slept, and prayed to make it through the icy waters of the Atlantic. After arriving to America, the pilgrims had to face the grueling winters that awaited them on shore. During the year of 1620, many people died because of disease and starvation and frostbite. -
Jamestown
Jamestown was the very first English settlement established in newly made Colony of Virginia. In the first few years, there was a very high mortality rate as 80% of its colonists died within a year. Those that lived during the starving time had to push themselves to the breaking point to survive. For 83 years this young town was the capital of Virginia until more settlers arrived with resources. -
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French/Indian War
The French/Indian war was a conflict about colonial power that rose between British America and New France. The dispute lasted for 9 years until the French negotiated its surrender to British General Amherst. Amherst kindly accepted the requests that the French citizens could stay in their current homes undisturbed, and in addition the wounded soldiers were cared for. Unfortunately, Britain and France went bankrupt as well as having a stranded relationship for many years. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
These two battles were the first of many during the American Revolution in the fight against the fat King George the Third. In Lexington, by the North Bridge was called. "The Shot Heard Around the World". When British forces attempted to crush the rebellion, the local Militia was prepared to fight. From a strategic perspective, when the Patriots won these battles they got access to Charlestown and Boston. -
Declaration of Independence
Signed by 56 delegates in the 2nd Continental Congress, this living document declared our independence from Great Britain and the creation of the country we know today. The many people who signed this if they were captured by England would be tried for treason and executed. They took a big risk for what they believed in, "Freedom and Demoncray for all". -
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Constitutional Convention
The 1st Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia to discus the creation of a new government rather then to fix the Articles of Confederation which was unstable. The convention set fourth that the new government would have three branches with its system of checks and balances so no one would gain to much power. The 39 delegates out of 55 signed the document, then the next step in the process was for ratification and the Constitution to be released to the public. -
Cotton Gin (American Innovations)
In 1794, a man named Eli Whitney invented the machine that would change the way southerners produce cotton forever. This device was called the cotton gin. Instead of having to manually separate the cotton and plant residue, slaves would put the hand-picked cotton in the machine while another one turned the crankshaft that would sort the seeds easily. -
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Jefferson Presidency
Thomas Jefferson was an American founding father who served two terms in the White House and advocated for rights of the people. During his time in office, Jefferson got the national debt down from $85 million to $57 million and proceeded to found the United States Military Academy at West Point. He also appointed three Supreme Court justices as a result of the removal of his midnight judges by the Judiciary Act of 1801. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was a deal made between the United States in France for $11,250,000) and a cancellation of debts worth eighteen million francs worth $3,750,000. This vast swath of land gave America the opportunity to expand far beyond the original thirteen colonies. Overall, 827,000 square miles were added to US territory which included a small population of natives and slaves. -
Missouri compromise
The compromise of 1820 was when the North and South was arguing against the issue of where slavery would be allowed. To equalize the balance of power in Congress between the two, Maine would be admitted as a free state while Missouri as a slave state. In addition, all slavery would be probhited north of the 36°30′ parallel exculding Missouri. -
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Jackson Presidency
Andrew Jackson was an American soldier who was elected to be the 7th president of the United States. During his term Jackson sought to give more rights to the common man and to preserve the union. He created the democrat party to make sure the elites weren't getting all that power within the government. To get rid of even more corruption, Jackson wanted to establish term limits on presidents and make sure the states and federal government would have have so many powers over the people. -
Indian Removal Act
Signed by President Andrew Jackson, the Indian Removal Act was a law that forced American Indians to move west of the Mississippi River towards modern-day Oklahoma on a route natives called, "The Trail of Tears". Along this terrain, over 4,000 people died while being forcibly marched away from their homes. It's important to understand that many Americans didn't know that this was bad back then. -
Dred Scott v Sanford
More commonly known as, the Dred Scott Decision, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in a ruling that suggested that Dred Scott's ancestors were sold as slaves so he couldn't be a citizen and was therefore not free. Many historians all agree that this was one of the courts worst decisions in regards for an innocent human being'slife. -
Attack on Fort Sumter (Start of Civil War)
After South Carolina seceded from the Union on Dec. 20th, 1860 the authorities demanded that the Union withdraw its forces from the area. Unfortunately, when the army forces took refugee at Fort Sumter the Confederates attacked the base and forced the Union to withdraw. Luckily there were only two reported deaths on the blue side. This seige would be the spark that started the American Civil war. -
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Lincoln Presidency
Abraham Lincoln was an American lawyer and politician who became the 16th president of the United States and served 1 term before his untimely death. After Lincoln entered office, a handful of southern states hatched their plan to secede from the Union. When the Civil War began, the president wanted to stop the war before it started but failed because the South wanted more of States rights and to keep slavery. Lincoln was an honest and fair man who said, "Let us not be Enemies but Friends". -
Emancipation Proclamation
Proclamation 95 was an executive order issued by President Lincoln in 1863 to free all slaved within Southern territory. In addition, former suitable slaves were given the chance to fight the South. This led to years later when the 13th amendment would be passed that would permanently abolish slavery. -
Rise of the K.K.K.
The KKK is a terrorist organization that supported white supremacy and flourished in the deep South and has since grew to large numbers. This group wore white robes and masks with eye holes to hide their identities. Primary, the Ku Klux Klan use lynchings and blood crosses in the fields to scare African Americans away. -
Surrender at Appomattox (End of Civil War)
This courthouse was where General Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant started negotiations for the Confederacy's unconditional surrender. The battle of Appomattox Court House marked the end of a 4-year long war with brothers surrendering to one another. The surrender of Lee and his forces led to other surrenders across the South. The war was offically over. -
Lincoln Assassinated
While watching a play called, "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre in D.C, Lincoln was shot fatally in the head by John Wilkes Booth. The killer was searched on a massive manhunt lasting 12 days, finally, Booth was found and shot. President's Lincoln's death sparked a nation to mourn as he died a slow death that was supringly calm. -
Thirteenth Amendment Ratified
On the day of December 6th, 1865 the 13th amendment was ratified by the Congress. Up until Lincoln's death, all the Northern states got rid of slavery while Andrew Johnson encouraged the newly constructed South to follow suit. All Twenty seven states in the U.S got rid of slavery before 1865. -
Jeans (American Innovations)
The initial pair of jeans was created by Jacob Davis in 1871 and patented by Levi Strauss & Co in 1873. Originally these pants were designed for cowboys of the wild west and miners. In the 1950s jeans became quite popular with teenagers. The jeans had a strong design that was meant for heavy duty since the material used make it was denim or dungaree cloths. Even today in 2019 many people throughout western culture wear these multi-fit pants with pride. -
Statue of Liberty Built.
Originally a gift from France and designed by Gustaf Effie, this monument is one of the most iconic images that immigrants see when they come to America. In her left hand, the phrase "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI" is inscribed on the book. The letters translate to the day the United States was born, (July 4, 1776). The time it took to construct Liberty was 9 years. This photo shows the construction of Liberty's face when it was being placed on the massive 303 foot body. -
The Telephone (American Innovations)
Scottish immigrant Alexander Graham Bell was the very first American to patent a device that could send communications from one place to another with the use of a human voice. From the moment it was made this device is the most used small appliance in the U.S. Since then the telephone has gotten extensive work done to make it's use much more simple. -
Electric Light Bulb (American Innovations)
In 1879, Thomas Edison created the first energy-efficient incandescent lightbulb that would soon be in use all throughout American in the coming years. The bulb itself was able to be mass produced in factories which in turn led to more advanced light systems that would forever change the way workplaces and pretty much everywhere else would be lit up. Ultimately, even after the light bulb was made, us as Americans can apreiate the value this super important invention has given to many people. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion was a series of acts that originally was supposed to last for 10 years but was instead upgraded with more bills to prevent Chinese laborers from entering US territory. After the Gold Rush of 1848 as minerals became more scare, competition to get these resources increased between the Chinese and Americans. A little-known fact is that the Emperor of China supported the ban that President Chester A. Arthur signed into law of all Chinese due to a labor shortage. -
The Modern Skyscraper (American Innovations)
Skyscrapers first made their appearance in society after the Chicago Fire in 1871. These early towers were usually 10 stories tall and a steel frame so the outer covering's of the building itself could be hung like picture frames. The production of these massive buildings skyrocketed because of Andrew Carnegie (Steel Maker) and later became the places where many people would work in everyday. Cities like New York, Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis and many more would all have skyscrapers. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
In 1890, Congress passed under the Benjamin Harrison administration, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act which prohibited monopolies from forming. The one big goal of this law was to reserve a competitive marketplace and protect consumers from abuse by bad companies. Politically, Republicans hated this law because they were big business, while the Democrats liked it because of people's liberties being protected. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This famous court case made the notion that racial segregation was legal as long as white and black facilities were equal in quality. Formally the saying is, "Separate but equal". Unfortunately, this case did not help African American facilities get better once so ever. Courts back then did not think of other African American people as equal but inferior because of their color. Many Americans didn't know this kind of thinking was bad until later on after the Civil Rights Movement. -
Movie Theaters (American Innovations)
Traditionally called a Movie Cinema, these viewing rooms have padded seats and usually a sloped floor to for more allow higher up seating. Many of the films shown at the theaters were silent until wall mounted speakers and reels were invented. In all, Americans went to the movies for entertainment and still do today. Soon, drive in-theaters were made so that people could watch movies from their cars while enjoying the outoors at the same time. -
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Spanish American War
The Spanish American War was an armed confrontation between America and the Spanish controlled colonies of Cuba. This war started because of the USS Maine exploding on the coast of Cuba and yellow journalism deterring the facts. After it began, American forces helped Cuban revolts against the Spanish government. In less then three months, the Spanish gave up the territories to the US in the Treaty of Paris. So, instead of letting the rebels make up their own government the US intervened. -
Assembly Line (American Innovations)
If it weren't for the assembly line created by Henry Ford when he was producing Model T's at his factories, many of America's goods would not even have been made yet. This mass production method was used everywhere in factories to so that sellers could get their goods to the customers. Traditionally, the assembly line works by having a worker perform one step of doing making the good while further up the line another would add on to it until the product would be ready to sell. -
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Teddy Roosevelt Presidency
Teddy Roosevelt was a writer who was sworn in as the 26th president of the United States in 1901 after President McKinley died. During his term, Roosevelt created the Sherman Anti Trust act which prohibited monopolizes from forming. He was known as, "The Trust Buster" because he regulated Standard Oil and breaking up the largest railway company there was at that time. Another bill he managed to also get passed was the Department of Commerce and Labor. -
Electric Air Conditioning (American Innovations)
Due to the brilliant mind of Willis Carrier and several other advancements in chemistry, Americans keep themselves cooler in hotter environments. This invention led to the creation of refrigerators, meat factories, and other devices that increased consumer comfort. Because of the Air Conditioning system, valuable goods that needed cooling such as meat could be frozen with ease. -
The Airplane (American Innovations)
In 1903 the two Wright brothers successfully flew the Wright Flyer I with the longest flight being 10 ft off the ground and 59 seconds. Over the next few years, more and more modifications were made until eventually, you could fit large amounts of people in the plane. Even today, the airplane has caused Americans to travel much more and in doing so have created the airplane industry. -
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Ford Model T (American Innovations)
The Model T was the first automobile to be produced on an assembly line and massed produced by Henry Ford. It's design allowed for inexpensive production and ultimately allowed the user to drive anywhere in a quick amount of time. Over 16.5 million cars were sold during its time period. Like most vehicles today, the Model T had a few minor setbacks. The tires were very futile which allowed horse nails to pop them easy, in addition the car also did't have a modern break pedal. -
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Wilson Presidency
Woodrow Wilson was an american who became the 28th president of the United States in 1913. During his term in office he managed to to get he Federal Reserve System created in 1913 which helped the finance the Allied war effort. Wilson also supported the public opinion about racism and suggested that it, "Removed friction between the races". His biggest contribution was the proposal after WWI for his peace plan called, The 14 Points and the creation of a League of Nations. -
WWI Begins
In 1914, the spark was ignited that began World War I was lit when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria-Hungarian Empire was shot to death by the Black Hand. The assassination of the Archduke led to different countries in Europe declaring war on each other that worked like a chain reaction. Instead of manufacturing consumer goods, factories made weapons. Europe would be in a war that would last for 4 grueling years. -
Panama Canal (Constructed from 1881 to 1914)
The Panama Canal is a 51 mile waterway that was constructed so ships from the Atlantic could travel to the Pacific ocean. Before the canal was built, the Panamanians were held under an oppressive Colombian government. America made a deal that in exchange for some land the US would get rid of the Colombians and liberate the Panamanians. Shortly after, the canal began construction in 1881 and took 33 years to finish. -
Supermarket (American Innovations)
Before the supermarket was invented, customers in a small store would have to stand in line and ask the clerk for what they wanted which would take hours. However in 1916, Clarence Saunders opened the first grocery store, so instead of standing in line you could pick foods from shelves and pay for them at the checkout. Now all the meats, fruits, and veggies sellers would advertise their products in the same building so everyone could buy them with ease. -
National Park Service
The National Park Service is an organization that preserves and protects 60 national parks all throughout the US. Originally this land was managed by the Department of the Interior until President Hoover signed a bill that created the NPS. In 1951, Conrad Wirth became director of the National Park Service. He quickly went to work ensuring that each park would be available for the public to use while maintaining it's ecologically integrity. -
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a period of time where African Americans would experiment with intellectual, social, and artistic expressions that would forever change their culture. Many all black clubs opened, and as a result the idea that to be black was seen as a good thing. In addition to this, sixteen elected African Americans from Congress gave more speeches that rose the spirits of many. However, the KKK still inflicted their power over blacks who settled in the south. -
Wilson’s 14 Points
When World War one ended, President Woodrow Wilson created a set of principles to peace so another war could be prevented. The Fourteenth Points established ideas of self determination, free trade, democracy, and open trade agreements. Unfortunately, many European countries were quite skeptical of Wilson plan which one of them was who to blame for the war. Almost all of the countries involved in the war signed up to be in the League of Nations that also in Wilson's Fourteen Points. -
WWI Ends
After the bloodshed that was World War I, over thirty seven million people died with most of European nations in tatters. After the ceasefire was initiated, a meeting was held by France, the US, England, and even Japan was invited. Its important to note that none of the axis powers were given a say in the Treaty of Versailles. Formally, the treaty completely blamed Germany for the war and said $33 billion dollars in today's money would be given to the Allied powers as reparations. -
Eighteenth Amendment
The 18th amendment was a law that from the year it was ratified prohibited the sale, transportation, and consumption of alcohol. For the next 13 years, alcohol was illegally imported from foreign countries and stored in speakeasy's. Overall, 65,000 federal crimes were committed which were enough to overfill prisons. Mass disobedience was also common since crime soared to alarming proportions. The 21th amendment finally repealed the 18th amendment in 1933. -
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Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was the document that laid the terms for surrender after WWI was stopped. It took six months when the armistice was signed to negotiate with only the allied sides present at the meeting. The treaty required a split up of German territory that would create six new nations. In addition there could only be a set number of men in the military. Finally the most controversial policy was the War Guilt Clause that blamed Germany for starting the war. -
Nineteenth Amendment
Ever since the 1860's western states had given partial suffrage to women but not have total legal status. Originally, the 19th amendment was proposed in 1878 by Senator Aaron A. Sargent. After 41 years women finally got the right to vote by default. With the passing of this federal law, states were forbidden to discriminate women on the basis of sex. Still, there were white supremacists who despised the law and tried to prevent women from voting. -
Gitlow v. New York
This court case argued the notion that the 14th amendment had overextended the reach of federal authority specifically outlined in the 1st amendment to the governments in those individuals states. Benjamin Gitlow, the defendant, violated the criminal anarchy law by publishing, "The Left Wing Manifesto". In accordance with the court proceeding's the definition of free speech was labeled as to the extent states and the federal government could go when criminalizlizng certain speech or media. -
Scopes Trial (The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes)
The Scopes Trial was one of the most controversial cases at the time because of the fact that Mr.Scopes taught Darwin's theory of Evolution in school. This was a theological battle and a trial to see if modern science would be taught in schools and prove that the Bible's word is false. The funny thing is that Mr.Scopes had to effectively teach evolution because it was a requirement at the school. So in turn the law had to be broken according to the schools rules. -
The TV (American Innovations)
The world's first electronic television was invented in 1927 by a 21 year old whose name was Philo Taylor Farnsworth. In high school Phio thought up a system to capture moving pictures and turn them into a code and project them on a screen using a beam of electrons. The first image ever to be transmitted was Phio holding a dollar sign. Years later, Cathode Ray Tubes were made and modified so that there could be images that could be successfully be shown on a black and white screen. -
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Stock Market Crash
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 was when the entire stock market collapsed that brought the US into the Great Depression. Millions of people lost their jobs savings and many of the things they bought on credit. For many years after credit was introduced, people began buying things and not paying the bills each month so the debt kept increasing month by month. Not only was the US affected but Europe was still in ruins and since it relied on American goods to prosper so they were hit hard too. -
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The Great Depression
The Great Depression was a time period in the US that lasted for 12 years following the collapse of the New York Stock Exchange. Personal income, tax revenue, and overall world trade dropped to staggering proportions. Thousands of banks were forced to close since their were so many debts owned from the people who borrowed to much money. Roosevelt, in 1933 came up with a plan to try and restore America's financial status and get rid of the massive employment levels. -
Presidential Election (Franklin D Roosevelt)
Before the election, the stock market crash of 1929 and prohibition was felt throughout the country as President Herbert Hoover's popularity was shrinking. This was the chance for democratic nominee Franklin D Roosevelt to swing for an easy victory into the White House. The former president got 472 votes while Hoover got only 42. Roosevelt promised many fixes for the problems that included the new deal for the Great Depression many other solutions to Americas issues. -
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Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
During the Great Depression, Roosevelt passed the Civilian Conversation Corps act in 1933 to provide relief for unemployed, unmarried men from ages 17-28. As a result of the this program, over 3 billion trees were planted and worker morale increased. After WWII happened, the overall need for the program declined since the United States has since recovered from, "The Crash of 1929". In 1942 Congress voted to close the program since WW2 was taking most of the men to join the armed forces. -
Social Security Act
n August 14, 1935, the (SSA) established a system of old-age benefits for workers, victims of industrial accidents, unemployment insurance, aid for dependent mothers and children, the blind, and finally the physically handicapped. This act created a set of basic rights for a pension when it comes to specific instances. Initially, the SSA was signed into law by Roosevelt during the 2nd new deal during the Great Depression. -
(FDR) Court Packing Scandal
The Judicial Procedures Reform Bill was a plan developed by Roosevelt to add more justices to the Supreme Court that would turn his rejected New Deal reforms to be constitutional. This swift action by the president was called the court packing scandal by the general public. Politically both parties saw the bill as a way to sack the court. In the Senate judiciary committee, the bill sat in committee for 165 days which caused it to die out. -
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World War II
In 1939, over 100 million soldiers from most countries of the world were involved in a total war that spanned 6 years. War began after Germany invaded Poland and France declared war on Germany. A significant part of WWII was total war which was when opposing sides would destroy civilian infrastructure as well as military bases. Another portion of the war was when Hitler and the Nazis committed genocide to over 6 million innocent Jewish people.
When WWII ended, over 63 million people died. -
Pearl Harbor Attacked!
In 1941 as Roosevelt put it, "A day which will live in Infamy" was the time which the US naval base in Hawaii was attacks by Japanese fighters. Japan needed oil to maintain it empire and since the United States put an embargo on them, they decided to attack to air base and seize the land for themselves. During the assault over 4 battles ships were destroyed and 2,335 soldiers were killed in action. Japan had awakened the sleeping giant that would change the tide of WWII. -
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Korean War
The Korean war was an armed conflict between North and South Korea. Beginning in 1950, North Korea invaded the South because they wanted a unified country that would follow Communist ideas. Since the Democratic South didn't want to submit to North Korea they called the United Nations to back them up. Since American forces left Korea right before the North invaded UN forced intervened to protect the South's border. The armistice was signed on July 27th, 1953. -
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Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a long and costly conflict pitted against North and South Vietnam with the South's principle ally being the United States. There was massive protest in the US because of requiring men to join the draft for enlistment. The Communists Chinese, and Russians supported Northern Vietnamese against South Vietnam. President Nixon ordered American forces to withdraw in 1973. In doing so the North Communist forces ended the war by seizing control of South Vietnam in 1975. -
The Walkman
Released in 1979 by Sony, the Walkman was the 80's version of the iPhone when it came to music. This technology used cassettes and had a magnetic system to allow the user to wear a set of headphones while they listened to the music when they pleased. As a result, many Americans wanted to listen to music on the go which put pressure on Sony and other companies to come up with the best music players. In addition many Americans found themselves to be walking more.
