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Custer’s Last Stand/Battle of the Little Big Horn
America had been in conflict with Native Americans since the first settlement of America. Old anger resurfaced in the 1870’s. The Native Americans were becoming very protective of the ancestral lands because new settlements from the East were developing. On June 25, 1876, after much violence already, General George Armstrong Custer planned to seize the Sioux settlement in the Big Horn Mountains by trapping the Native Americans there until reinforcements came to take th -
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VHS Timeline
This is an interactive timeline demonstrating what I learned during my VHS course in U.S. History. This timeline will cover important events and ideas from 1877-2011. -
The Great Upheaval
After a 10% pay cut, railroad workers in Martinsburg, West Virginia were infuriated and ultimately decided to go on strike. On July 16, 1877, the rail workers drove the trains back into the station and would not let the trains leave until they were paid. The public then joined their cause and things began getting serious. The National Guard was sent and 2 people were killed. However, the trains still did not leave and so President Hayes sent federal troops to physically ge -
The Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed on May 6, 1882. It was an act that declared that all Chinese were banned from immigrating into the United States. It was the first time that a nationality was banned from immigration. Chinese who were already living in the United States were under new rules and ultimately were all denied citizenship. Other than that, no Chinese were allowed to enter until 1943. -
The Dawes Severalty Act of 1887
Under this act, each Native American family was allowed 160 acres of land, free of charge. From this land, they could make money from what they produced and keep it. However, this land was not allowed to be sold for 25 years but after these 25 years were up, the Native Americans were given American citizenship. By establishing this act, Congress hoped that the Native Americans would become more independent and become more mainstream American. However, the Native Americans greatly resisted this a -
Flappers
Flappers were a huge part of the Harlem Renaissance. Flappers can be defined as: “northern, urban, single, young, middle-class women.” (US History, 46d) These women were all about having fun and showing men that they were just as good as them. Many of these women worked at department stores or as operators etc. These women had tons of fun in the twenties. They went to jazz clubs, vaudeville shows, drank, smoked, danced and were carefree. These flappers also had a distinct style: “The long locks -
The Teenager
The idea of a “teenager” was established in the 1920’s. After the production of the automobile, people were given much more freedom. Before the 1920’s women did not date, but rather, they were courted. This all changed when men and women could leave together in an automobile away from a watchful parental eye. In addition, now kids could go to school far from their homes instead of a schoolhouse and high schools were created. This in turn, created an entirely different environment for these “teen -
Fads
Fads were created by radio stations in the 1920’s. Some of the most popular fads included the Charleston, the Miss America Pageant, Flagpole sitting, Mah-Jongg and Crossword puzzles. Since the radio could get out to millions in the U.S., they announced the new fads and America was immediately hooked and dominated America until the next fad was introduced. -
The 18th Amendment
The 18th Amendment was put into effect on midnight of January 16, 1920. This amendment made a ban on all alcohol: the production, sale, transport and drinking. The predicted effects were that: work productivity would increase, families would become closer and slums would start disappearing. However, there were more disadvantages than advantages to this amendment, so it was repealed 14 years later in 1934. -
Isolationism
Isolationism can be defined as “a policy of nonparticipation in or withdrawal from international affairs.” The United States was for this idea before WWI and WWII, however, in both cases, isolationism was not achieved. The U.S. was involved in both World Wars and isolationism was not tried to be achieved again in the U.S. -
Neutrality Acts
These were different acts established by the U.S. starting in 1935 to prevent the U.S. from getting involved in another full scale war like WWI. These acts were supposed to be there to allow them to stay neutral. There were 3 different acts involved. One was created in 1935 and basically stated that America was not allowed to supply arms to any nation at war. The next act was established in 1936 and stated that the U.S. was not allowed to loan money to any nations at war and Americans were forbi -
Three black boys entered a white school
On September 3, 1957, three black boys attempted to enter an all white High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. These three boys were named the “Little Rock 9.” Then again, on September 24th, the same boys tried to get in yet again but this time they were let in by the back door. This enraged the white citizens of Little Rock and thousands stormed the school. Then on September 25th, President Eisenhower allowed the boys to attend school there but under the constant watch of armed guards. The school -
Hippies
Hippies were prominent in the 1960’s. They were mostly youth who were rebelling against their parents. They developed new attitudes towards sex, drugs, lifestyle, food, fashion and music. They also had a particular type of dress. They had long hair or afros, wore flowers, peasant and ethnic clothing, tie die, beads and bellbottom jeans. In addition, they listened to lots of rock and artists such as Bob Dylan and the Beatles. -
Birth Control Pill release
The matter of Birth Control Pills was a hugely debated one. In the past women were left with the responsibility of unwanted pregnancy. If they did not mean to have a baby, there was no way of doing anything about it once they found out. However, the Pill would enable them to have the choice as to whether or not they wanted to get pregnant in the first place. However, there was much opposition to this new pill. The Church in no way approved and the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional. This er -
Sexism
Sexism is defined as: “discrimination on the basis of sex.” (Dictionary.com) During the 1960’s sexism was a term frequently used in day to day conversation as women’s rights activists were on the move at that time. Also during that time, women were often discriminated against. -
The "Sit-in" Strategy
The sit in strategy was developed on February 1, 1960. On this day, four black college students sat at the all-white counter at Woolworth’s in North Carolina. They asked to be served and the waiters obviously refused. Instead of putting up a fight, these students waited patiently, just sitting there. Thus, the “sit-in” was born. From then on, sit-ins became common. Whenever someone from the sit-in was arrested, new students would come to replace them and this peaceful cycle continued. -
James Meridith is the first black man to attend the University of Mississippi
In 1962, James Meridith became the first African-American man to ever attend the University of Mississippi. However, things were not completely normal for him. On campus he was always accompanied by armed guards for protection and he clearly did not fit in. However, this new development sparked African-American enthusiasm to protesting for their rights. For example, sit-ins, protests all went on vigorously. In addition, this marked a new era of African-American education, acceptance and it also -
The Wilderness Protection Act
The Wilderness Protection Act was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964. This document saved 9.1 million acres of federal forest land from development and destruction. It all started in 1962, with the publishing of Rachel Caron's book, "Silent Spring." In her book, she wrote about the terrible effect of DTP. She wrote about her concern for the birds who were accidentally digesting this chemical and dying. Her book was extremely moving for some people as she described how in -
Internet and the World Wide Web development
The Internet was developed in the 1970's by the Department of Defense. It's original purpose was to be used in case of attack so that multiple computers could be used at once. However, internet was not released to the public until around 1984. Once it was released, it went viral. In the early 1990's the Internet was used all over America and the World Wide Web had many uses. For example, people could now develop home pages for corporations to sell their products, they could by airline tickets, b -
Email
The first email was sent via Arpanet in 1971 (a precursor to Internet) also created by the Department of Defense. However, the email was not commonly used until the 1990's. Email was a faster and more efficient way of sending mail. Instead of sending a physical letter, people could deliver what would have been sent in a few days in no time at all. This was very useful for the business world and eventually, the normal people of society. In addition to email, chat rooms were set up on the internet -
First Personal Computer Released by Apple
The first personal computer was released in 1977 by Apple. It “allowed management of personal finances, quick word processing, and desktop publishing from the home.” (US History, 59d) The PC also allowed businesses to function more efficiently. In addition, with the production of this PC, Silicon Valley flourished and was identified as the heart of technology. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
In the fall of 1989, the West and East Germans tore down the Berlin wall with pick axes. This wall was symbolic of the Cold War and separated communist East Germany from democratic West Germany. This symbolized the complete end of the Cold War and the triumph of democracy and American perseverance during the war. This then paved the way for the Union Treaty in 1991. However, after the wall was taken down, it was tough for the American public to readjust to living life without the Cold War.
