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(American West) Gold Discovered
James Wilson Marshall found gold in the tail race of Sutter’s mill. The founding of gold started the California Gold Rush. This brought immigrants from around the world to the American West. -
(Women’s Suffrage) Seneca Falls Convention
Seneca Falls Convention was the first women’s rights conference in America. It was held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. They passed 10 resolutions unanimously relating to 10 women’s rights. -
(American Imperialism) Commodore Perry to Japan
Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay with warships. He went to open up trade with Japan who was isolationists. After an immense amount of gifts and unspoken threats, Japan signed the trade agreement. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter is important because it was the event that started the Civil War. 7 states had seceded from the Union. Major Robert and his men refuse to leave the fort after the South orders them out. The South then begins to fire on the fort. -
(American West) Pacific Railroad Act of 1862
Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 into law on July 1. This act authorized the creation of two companies, the Central Pacific Railroad Company in the west and the Union Pacific Railroad Company in the mid-west, in order to build the transcontinental railroad. -
NYC Draft Riots
The NYC Draft Riots were riots that took place because of anger from poor white people. The poor white people were most subject to the draft because they couldn’t pay their way out of it like rich white people and they were eligible for the draft unlike black people. So black people and rich white people were most subject to being attacked. This event is important because it led to forming more racial economic tension between blacks and whites. 115 people were killed snd 12 blacks were lynched. -
Proclamation of Amnesty
The Proclamation of Amnesty was Lincoln’s Plan for Reconstruction. His plan was to pardon all of the Confederates except for officers and only make 10% of voting population take an oath to pledge allegiance to the U.S. He didn’t consult Congress for this plan which created tension between the presidential office and Congress. -
Surrender at Appomattox
The surrender at Appomattox was the event when the Confederate Army surrendered to the Union army. Lee surrendered to Grant and Grant was very generous with the surrender terms. This event is important because it ended the Civil War. -
(Jim Crow) Start of Segregation
Official segregation came in the form of “Black Codes.” These were laws passed throughout the South starting in 1865. These laws were designed to limit the freedom of black people and ensure their availability as a cheap labor force after slavery was abolished. -
13th Amendment
This amendment was important because it ended slavery in all states. This was a step towards Reconstruction and it legally freed all slaves. However, it wasn’t enforced in the South, so no one was actually freed until months later. -
(American Imperialism) Seward buys Alaska
William Seward, Secretary of State, buys Alaska from Russia. He paid $7.2 million for the Alaskan territory. In 1896, Seward was vindicated when gold was discovered in the Klondike Gold Rush. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment guaranteed citizen rights for all Americans. These rights included rights to equal protection for all people born in the U.S. This amendment protected former slaves rights. -
(American West) Transcontinental Railroad Finished
Workers of the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railways held a ceremony on Promontory Summit, in Utah. The golden spike that connected both railroads was driven in on May 10, 1869. The spike symbolized completion of the first transcontinental railroad. -
(Urban Life) Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France, designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. The Statue of Liberty’s official name is Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World. It was established in the year of the U.S. 100 year anniversary of independence. -
(Urban Life) Brooklyn Bridge
When the Brooklyn Bridge was built, it was the longest suspended bridge in the world. It was designed by John Roebling and his son, Washington Roebling was the chief engineer of the project. The Brooklyn Bridge became a prime display of American ingenuity. -
(Ellis Island) First Immigrant
Annie Moore was the first immigrant to enter through Ellis Island enter the United Staes. This was a monumental day for America because it was the beginning of a new era. Annie was given a $10 coin. -
(Jim Crow) Plessy v Ferguson
Homer Plessy was arrested for sitting in “whites only” section on the train. He was kicked off the train and he sued the train company and the case went to the Supreme Court. The court ruled that segregation was legal as long as “facilities are separate but equal.” -
(Spanish-American War) Sinking of the Maine
McKinley sent the USS Maine battleship to Cubs to protect Americans and cause peace. The USS Maine exploded and the Americans declared war on Spain, thinking that the Spanish had attacked. In 1976, the ship was found and examined and the examiners found that the ship had an internal explosion from the ammunition bay, which means the Spanish didn’t attack and it was just an accident explosion. -
(Spanish-American War) The Start of the War
America declared war on Spain because of Spains mistreatment of Cuba, yellow journalism, and the sinking of the Maine. America also had trade ports in Cuba they wanted to protect. April 25, 1898 is the official date that Congress declared war on Spain. -
(Spanish-American War) Treaty of Paris
Spanish governments signed the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898. The Treaty of Paris gave Cuba independence and seceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and Philippines to the U.S. The U.S. now becomes recognized as a world power. -
(Ellis Island) Angel Island
Angel Island was America's major port of entry for Asian immigrants. It was the Ellis Island of the West. It was only opened for 30 years but between 1910 and 1940, about 100,000 Chinese and 70,000 Japanese were processed through the station. -
(Jim Crow) Ida B. Wells Marches for Women
Ida B. Wells was born a slave in Mississippi in 1862. Wells became an advocate for anti-lynching after two of her friends were lynched. In 1913, Wells marched in the Women’s Suffrage Parade in Washington D.C. -
(WWI) Sinking of the Lusitania
The Lusitania was a UK registered ship that was traveling about 11 miles off the coast of Ireland. It was carrying ammunition but also carried civilians. It was torpedoed by a German U-boat and 1,195 people were killed. -
(WWI) Espionage Act
The Espionage Act forbade all action that obstructed any recruitment of war. Anyone who violated this law could be punished with a fine of up to $10,000. This law was an attack on civil liberties because it discouraged freedom of speech. -
(WWI) Battle of Belleau Wood
In May, Germans pushed their frontlines into France. The Battle of Belleau was the first attempt by General Pershing to stop Germany’s front. The Battle of Belleau Wood was the first large scale battle fought by U.S. soldiers in the war. The U.S. won. -
(WWI) Armistice of War
The Central Powers surrendered and sought armistice of war. The treaty however was signed between the allied powers and the central powers had no say or negotiation in the making of the peace treaty. Germany got land taken away and was forced to take the blame for the war. -
(1920s) 18th Amendment
The 18th Amendment was put in place to discourage the drinking of alcohol. The 18th Amendment banned making or selling alcohol and this became known as Prohibition. -
(Womens Suffrage) 19th Amendment Passed
The legislators needed one more vote in order to pass the amendment and at the last second a representative who was about to veto the amendment got a letter from his mom. After reading the letter he switched his vote to be in favor of the amendment. In 1920 the 19th amendment became part of the U.S. constitution. The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote. -
(1920s) John Scopes Trial
In March 1925 Tennessee passed a law which made evolution illegal. John Scopes taught evolution and was taken to court. ACLU hired Clarence Darrow a famous lawyer and the prosecution hired William Byron another well known lawyer. The debate was well attended and they got a lot of attention from the press which was ACLU’s goal. Scopes lost and was fined $100. -
(Great Depression) Black Tuesday
Banks were beginning to loan money to stock buyers. Banks lost reserves and only held collateral funds. Buying on margin and bank loans for stock purchase caused the entire stock market to crash and helped further send the U.S. economy down a slippery slope. -
(Great Depression) Smoot-Hawley Tariff
Herbert Hoover passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930. It was considered the greatest mistake of the Hoover Administration. The act raised tariffs on U.S. imports up to 50%. This ignited an international trade war. -
(Great Depression) Bonus Army March
WWI vets were promised a money bonus in 1945. When the economy fell they all needed money. They asked the government for their bonus pay earlier but the government said no. So in 1932 over 20,000 vets protested in Washington D.C. and demanded their pay. Hoover called in military force and disbanded the group of veterans. This hurt Hoover’s reputation to the public. -
(Great Depression) Election of 1932
The Election of 1932 was between the Republican Herbert Hoover and the Democrat Franklin Roosevelt. Hoover stood no chance against FDR considering his lack of the nations support especially after the economic downfall of the country during his presidency. Franklin won by a landslide and immediately started implementing his “New Deal” for the U.S. -
(1920s) 21st Amendment
Prohibition contributed to the growth of crime when the 18th amendment was passed. People made their own illegal liquor called moonshine and bootleggers smuggled in liquor from other countries. More gangs were created. Prohibition was poorly enforced and the 21st amendment was passed which repealed the 18th amendment. -
(WWll) Start of the War
German forces broke through Polish defenses. They invaded the Polish border. Then they proceeded to capture Warsaw, the Polish capital. In the next period of a year, Germany also took over Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France. This started WWll. -
(WWll) FDR creates OSRD
FDR created the Office of Scientific Research and Development. This was created to direct the nation's mobilization effort to utilize science for weapon development. They created the Manhattan Project which was the creation of the Atomic Bomb. -
(WWll) Atlantic Charter
The Atlantic Charter was made by Roosevelt and Churchill. It was a treaty of friendship but also defined the Allied goals for the world after WWll. -
(WWll) Pearl Harbor
Japan surprise attacked the U.S. naval base in Hawaii. Their goal was to destroy the whole U.S. pacific fleet. However, the whole fleet was not there. The USS Arizona was the most damaged ship. This even got the U.S. involved in the war. -
(WWll) Battle of Stalingrad
The Allies stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union. This was a major turning point in the war in favor of the Allies. -
(WWll) D-Day
This was also called Operation Overlord. 3 million U.S. and British push backed the Germans on Omaha beach. This battle helped lead to the freedom of France and Belgium. -
(Cold War) Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was made by President Harry S. Truman. It’s purpose was to give financial aid to people who resisted subjugation in other countries. It also helped other countries like Turkey and Greece resist communism. -
(Cold War) Election of 1948
Harry Truman runs for re-election and goes against Thomas Dewey, governor of NY. Before the election was over, the newspapers said, “Dewey defeats Truman” but the headlines were changed when Truman won. -
(Cold War) Korean War
Communist North Korea tries to overrun South Korea. In 1953 NATO sent 7 million troops to defend the South and pushed the North Koreans back to the 38th parallel and then invaded the North. -
(Cold War) Korean War Armistice Agreement
The purpose of this armistice was to ensure a complete cessation of hostilities and all acts of armed forces in Korea. This truce officially ended the Korean War. U.S. had 33 thousand deaths the South Koreans had 1 million. -
(Cold War) Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was constructed to keep people from fleeing from communist East Berlin. Many people died trying to escape to the other side.