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Discovery of Gold in California
When gold nuggets were discovered in California, it caused thousands of miners to rush over in hopes of becoming rich. Mining had really sparked in the West, and many boomtowns would form because of it. This California gold rush definitely shaped a large part of the mining industry and the west in general. -
Seneca Falls Convention
A women's suffrage convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York and was the very first one. 300 people attended, including 40 men. It was run by Elizabeth Stanton, and 10 resolutions regarding women's rights were passed. The Seneca Falls Declaration was written and modeled after the Declaration of Independence. -
Commodore Matthew Perry Sails Into Tokyo Bay
In 1853, Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay with warships with the intent of trading. To persuade them, he offered them many items but also threatened them with the warships. As a result, Japan signed a trade agreement with America. -
The Homestead Act
The Homestead Act was passed to encourage westward expansion. It offered 160 acres of free land to people who would agree to improve the land, and they would own it after five years. Married couples could have two shares, which was 320 acres. This act helped poor families who couldn't afford land. -
Battle of Antietam
Known as the bloodiest single day of the war, this battle was the first one to be fought in the North. It had three areas of fighting- the cornfield, the bridge, and the bloody lane. The end of the battle was technically a draw, but the North claimed Victory since the South had to retreat. Lincoln used this win to officially issue the Emancipation Proclamation. -
The Siege of Vicksburg
The Union was trying to take the Mississippi, and to do so they cut off the town of Vicksburg, not allowing anyone out. The citizens of Vicksburg suffered, they even had to dig caves for protection from the gunfire. Finally, after 47 days, Confederate General John Pemberton surrendered on the 4th of July. Independence Day was not celebrated in this town for the next 80 years. -
Little Round Top
This battle took place on the second day of Gettysburg, the bloodiest battle of the war. After repeated charges up the hill had been made, the North ran out of ammo. This caused Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain to order a bayonet charge, and it was successful. It shocked the enemy and they were able to make them retreat. -
The 13th Amendment
This amendment was passed in 1865 by Abraham Lincoln. It was passed to abolish slavery, making it illegal. It made it so that people officially could not own slaves, and involuntary service could only be used as a legal punishment. -
Andrew Johnson's Impeachment
Congress had been getting really tired of Johnson in a power struggle, as he vetoed many of the acts they tried to pass. They officially impeached him after he broke the Tenure of Office Act, and his trial took place. He was not removed from office in the end, but for the rest of his presidency he had little power. -
The Finishing of the Transcontinental Railroad
The Transcontinental Railroad was the first railroad to reach from the west to the east. It stretched from Sacramento to Omaha. The tracks were made from both sides and met in the middle. When it was finished being made, the two sides met at Promintory Point, Utah. -
The End of Reconstruction
The South had been getting tired of reconstruction and all of the Northern men being in the South. During the 1876 election, there was a tie between Hayes and Tilden. TO solve this, the Compromise of 1877 was made. The South would get an end to reconstruction and the North would get the presidency with Hayes. This officially ended reconstruction, but resulted in former slaves having less protection. -
Ida B Wells Refuses to Move
Ida B Wells had bought a first class train ticket, but was told to move. She refused so they forcibly removed me. She then sued and went to court, where she was given $500. She became an advocate for equal rights and was seen as fearless. She even bit the man who forcibly removed her! -
The Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge was done by John Roebling, whose son was in charge. However, he got sick so his wife took over and was the first to cross it. At the time, it was the longest one that was most popular. It was considered a symbol of America's ingenuity. -
Congress Declares War on Spain
America had been sympathizing with Cuba, as they were under Spanish rule and wanted their freedom. After the sinking of the USS Maine, and the push from yellow journalism, America finally declared war. The war was very short, and America ended up gaining new territories and was seen as a true world power. -
Oklahoma Land Rush
There was two million acres of land in Oklahoma that had belonged to Natives, and it was the last part of the frontier line. Thousands of settlers gathered together for a race to claim land there. There were some people who got there earlier than the others, and they were called Sooners. In the race, people road on horses, wagons, bikes, etc. -
First Person to Go Through Ellis Island
17 year old Annie Moore was the first person who registered to Ellis Island and immigrated into America through the island. She was given a $10 coin in honor of the event. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
Homer Plessy had paid for a train ticket, but was told to move to the colored car even though he was only one eighth black. To prove a point, he refused to move and was arrested. He sued, and his case was taken to court. the final ruling the judge made was that segregation was legal as long as it was "separate but equal". -
The Sinking of the USS Maine
This event is considered the start of the Spanish American War, and kickstarted the hatred that Americans had for Spain. President McKinley had sent a battleship called the Maine to Havana Harbor to protect American property. It exploded very suddenly and 206 men died. Many Americans immediately blamed the Spanish, and Yellow Journalism contributed to the blame on them. The rallying cry "Remember the Maine!" began after this event. -
Battle of San Juan Hill
During this battle, Theodore Roosevelt led a volunteer regiment known as "Rough Riders" into battle. They ended up winning the battle, and the soldiers were called "Buffalo Soldiers". Roosevelt later became vice president, and then president when McKinley was killed. -
Ida B Wells Walks in the Women's Suffrage Campaign March
Ida B Wells was a freed slave who was an advocate for anti lynching and black rights. She was also a teacher in a black school. She was well known for her incident where she refused to move from her train seat. Ida was also big on women's rights. She had spoken with the president and was able to walk in the front of the Women's Suffrage March, which was very rare for black people. -
Women's Suffrage Parade
A women's suffrage parade took place in Washington DC, with 250,000 spectators present. Ida B Wells was told to march in the back but later marched in the front of the parade anyway. The spectators grew hostile and chaos broke out in the street, but police didn't try to stop them. US armies later showed up to break up the chaos on the street. -
The Sinking of the Lusitania
Germany had warned Americans that if they didn't stay off British ships, they would shoot. The Lusitania was a passenger ship that had many Americans on it, and Germany torpedoed it because they thought there was ammo on board. This resulted in 1200 people dying, 128 being American. This angered America and was one of the main reasons they joined the war. Germany later promised to not sink on sight but broke this promise in 1917. -
America Joins WWI
Throughout WWI, America had been aiding the war but was not actually apart of it and remained neutral. With the Lusitania sinking, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and the Zimmerman telegram, America was finally pushed to the edge and officially joined the war in 1917. -
Wilson's Fourteen Points
To help convince Americans to join WWI, President Woodrow Wilson created his 14 points, which played out his vision for the future after the war and what the goals were. Point number 14 was for the League of Nations to work for world peace. He officially put them out in 1918. -
Battle of Belleau Wood
This was the first major battle fought by America in WWI and was led by John Pershing. The Germans had gotten close to Paris and they needed to halt German defense. They succeeded, and this showed that America could be very successful in the war. -
The 18th Amendment: Prohibition
Prohibition had been gaining increasing support, as many believed it led to abuse and crime. Once the 18th amendment was passed, it became illegal to make, sell or transport alcohol. This really affected life in the 20s as it caused an increase in organized crime, and led to things such as speakeasies and bootleggers. -
19th Amendment Passed: The New Woman
Once the 19th Amendment was passed, it gave women the right to vote, which was a big step in changing the lives of women. In the 20s, a new woman came to light. Flappers became the new ideal woman, and often had shorter hair and shorter skirts. Women started getting to work outside of the home more, and new inventions like the washing machine gave them more free time. -
Immigration Act Limits the Amount of Immigrants
When this immigration act was passed, it prevented immigration from Asia and limited the number of immigrants that could come from the Eastern hemisphere. This also began a quota system for Ellis Island, and made xenophobia grow. -
Scopes Monkey Trial
In 1925, Tennessee made it illegal to teach evolution in class, but John Scopes challenged this law by teaching it anyway. This led him to go to court, defended by Clarence Darrow. The ACLU wanted this trial to become well known in hopes it would lead to the law being dropped. Scopes was eventually found guilty and fined $100. -
Black Tuesday
Black Tuesday was the day that the stock market crashed and is said to be one of the worst days for the crash of the stock market. It caused people to freak out and try to sell their stocks, but there were very few buyers so many people lost money. People's stocks were worthless and many people were in extreme debt. -
Revenue Act of 1932
Passed by President Hoover, this Revenue Act was the largest peacetime income tax increase in history. Income taxes raised from 1% to 4% at the low end and from 23% to 63% at the high end. This increase hurt many people who were already struggling, which also caused them to spend less and hurt companies. -
National Bank Holiday
As banks were failing and people were in a panic, Roosevelt decided to declare a bank holiday to temporarily close banks. This allowed the government to analyze each bank and decide if it could reopen. This also stopped everyone from frantically going to take out all their money, which banks didn't have. -
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority was created by President Roosevelt as a way to get the Tennessee Valley caught up with the rest of society. It helped build electric lines, dams, and other necessities that were needed in the area. The TVA is still in existence and running today. -
Germany invades Poland
This is considered the start of World War II. Germany invaded Poland and took over France, meaning Great Britain had to fight the axis powers. -
The Battle of the Atlantic
Hitler wanted to prevent war supplies from reaching Britain from America’s east coast. He ordered submarine raids on US ships in the Atlantic, and ended up sinking 87 US ships in the first four months. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Japan attacks US navy ships docked at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. They attacked because the US had restricted their access to oil and other resources when they formed the Axis of Power. This event is what brings the US into the war against Japan and Germany . -
D-Day
Also known as Operation Overlord, this event was the largest sea-air operation ever. It mostly took place at Omaha Beach, where soldiers were dropped off by ships and paratroopers dropped from planes. They were met with a very brutal retaliation from Germany. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
Hitler was found dead in his bunker, alongside his wife who had also died. He had given his wife poison and then shot himself. He had also written a note in which he blamed the Jews for starting the war and blamed his generals for losing the war. Some today believe that Hitler didn’t actually die and escaped to Argentina. -
V-J Day
Americans celebrated Victory in Japan day after Japan finally surrendered. This happened days after the atomic bombs had been dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. -
The Truman Doctrine
As Greece was being threatened by communism, this doctrine allowed the US to send them $400 million worth of war supplies. This tactic was successful and helped push out communism from Greece. This also marked a new level of American commitment to the Cold War. -
Easter Parade
When West Berlin was being blocked off and was struggling, the US regularly sent ships over to drop supplies to them. This was called Operation Vittles. “Easter Parade” was the biggest day for the amount of airlifts sent over. -
North Korea Invades South Korea
North Korean communist forces crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea. Two days later, Truman ordered US forces to help, and the UN sent troops to restore peace. This ended up being successful as they were able to stop communism spread in South Korea. This also resulted in NATO forces expanding. -
Castro Takes Power
Forces under Fidel Castro overthrow Fulgencio Batista and he takes power of Cuba. Once in power, Castro not only nationalizes the sugar industry but he also signs trade agreements with the Soviets. A year later, he also seizes US assets on the island. -
Hawaii Becomes Part of America
America wanted to continue expanding, and Hawaii was often used as a stopping point for trade ships. There were also many Americans that owned plantations there. Queen Liliuokalani gets overthrown by businessmen, and Dole refuses to surrender power. President Cleveland was against it, but later on President McKinley finally declares Hawaii a state, making it the 50th. -
The Moon Landing
Russia and America had been having a space race where they were competing to accomplish many milestones regarding getting to space first. Up until this point, Russia had already gotten the first man made object, Sputnik, into space and the first human into space, Alan Shepard. Then, America finally took the lead in something when they got the first man on the moon- Neil Armstrong. There are some that question if the landing was faked just to beat Russia, but it has not been proven.