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Establishment of Jamestown
Though it was the first permanent English settlement in the "new world", it struggled heavily due to starvation and disease. The Natives in the area took pity on them and taught the English how to utilize the soil. Settlers were attracted by the Headright System, and in 1619, they brought their slaves to the colony. The colony was founded in order to make money for the English Crown, and the introduction of tobacco helped the Jamestown thrive and attract more settlers to the area. -
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1st Great Awakening
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French and Indian War
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Proclamation of 1763
After the end of the 7 Years War, Parliament created the Proclamation of 1763 to prevent colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. This act was seen as restricting, and many colonists crossed the mountains anyway. This was one of the first of many transgressions against the colonists that would begin the thoughts toward independence. -
Boston Massacre
Years of tension due to countless taxes and acts such as the Sugar Act, Quartering Act, and Stamp Act came to a head in front of a customs house on a cold Boston night, where nine British soldiers fired upon a crowd of three to four hundred. Five were killed, including Crispus Attucks. Paul Revere's exaggerated depiction of the event helped spread animosity toward the British and would eventually become another grievance against the colonists on the Declaration of Independence. -
Intolerable Acts of 1773
After the Boston Tea Party, the British Parliament passed the Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts. They closed the Port of Boston, outlawed assemblies of any kind and took total control of colonial governments, and royal officials accused of crimes were tried in England. This led to increased animosity in the colonies and led to the First Continental Congress, the last attempt to remain a part of the British Empire. -
Second Continental Congress
One month after Lexington and Concord, all thirteen colonies sent delegates to Philadelphia to decide the course of action for the colonies. Conservatives sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George III, but he refused it and declared the colonies in open rebellion. Instead, the delegates charged Thomas Jefferson with writing the Declaration of Independence. They then establish a rudimentary government and army to fight against the British with George Washington as general. -
Lexington and Concord
The colonists secretly prepare for revolution by storing weaponry at Concord, but the British learn about it and start marching there, planning to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington on the way there. The colonists stood their ground in Lexington, and the British realized that the weapons had been removed from Concord. As they marched back to Boston, they were harassed by 1,500 militiamen and 2,500 British were killed or wounded. -
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Revolutionary War
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Battle of Saratoga
Confident that they will easily win the war with the colonists, British General John Burgoyne planned to meet up with two more armies to take on the continentals then. When he arrives, the other two armies are not there, and Burgoyne is quickly surrounded by the Continental Army and is forced to surrender along with his whole army. This represented a turning point in the war and gave Benjamin Franklin the leverage he needed to convince the French to support the colonies. -
Battle of Yorktown
After being chased through the southern colonies, British General Cornwallis retreated to the coast of Yorktown, but he didn't know that the British fleet there had already been defeated by the French Army. When he got there, he was surrounded and the Americans and the French laid siege until Cornwallis surrendered on the 20th of October 1781, which ended major fighting in the Revolutionary War and led to the Treaty of Paris in 1783. -
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Articles of Confederation
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Shay's Rebellion
During the war, the Continental Congress printed paper money and they paid their soldiers with that money. After the war, the paper currency lost it's value immensely, and many of the veterans paid in those formed a mob after falling into debt. The federal government had no power to stop them under the Articles of Confederation, but the rebellion was eventually put down by private armies. While the rebellion failed, it exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. -
Northwest Ordinance
Created by the Articles of Confederation, the Northwest Ordinance gave rules for new territories on how to become states. The territory had to have a minimum population of 60,000 before it could apply for statehood. It also stated that territories must provide funding for public education and outlawed slavery in the territory. The states Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin were created out of the Ordinance. -
Constitutional Convention
Seeing the failures of the Articles of Confederation, delegates from each state convened to create a new document, the Constitution. The Virginia Plan dictated representation based on population size, while the New Jersey Plan wanted equal representation. The Connecticut Compromise created two houses of government using both plans. Other important parts to come out of the Convention include the 3/5th Compromise, 3 branches of government, the Bill of Rights, and the Necessary and Proper Clause. -
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Washington Presidency
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French Revolution
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Hamilton's Financial Plan
After Alexander Hamilton was made Secretary of the Treasury, proposed a plan that would pay off the war debt to develop relations with other nations. His plan of assumption had the federal government assume the state's war debt and planned to raise money through tariffs and taxes, which would also encourage the growth of American industry. He also created a National Bank that would be a safe place to keep government money and strengthen the power of the federal government. -
XYZ Affair
To repair trade relations with France, Adams sent diplomats to negotiate a treaty, but they were stopped by low-level French diplomats who demanded that they give a "gift" of $250,000 before they would be allowed to negotiate. The American diplomats refused to pay, and the rest of the U.S. wanted to go to war with France. Adams avoided war by negotiating peace with Napolean, increasing Adam's unpopularity greatly. -
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Adams Presidency
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Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
Outraged by the Alien and Sedition Acts, some states reviewed the acts and nullified them. The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions stated that the Constitution was a pact between the states and the federal government and if the government broke it, the states could nullify the laws in their state. States did not have this power over the federal government as dictated by the Constitution, and the resolutions were struck down. -
Revolution of 1800
After years of Federalist power, the Election of 1800 represented the first change of ideologies in power. The rest of the world watched, unconvinced that the change would come peacefully. Somehow, it did, and with it came the end of the Federalist Era and the beginning of the Jeffersonian Era. This change of power became known as "The Revolution of 1800" since it brought upon a multitude of new events and changed the nation forever. -
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Jefferson Presidency
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Marbury v. Madison
After losing the election of 1800, Adams attempted to fill all federal court positions with loyal justices. When Jefferson came into office, he ordered Secretary James Madison not to deliver the remaining appointments, one of them belonging to John Marbury. Marbury sued in order to get his position and the Supreme Court sided with Madison and found that part of the Judiciary Act of 1789 was unconstitutional and void. The Supreme Court claimed the right of Judicial Review. -
Louisiana Purchase
After Pinckney's Treaty of 1795, Americans had access to the Mississippi River and New Orleans, but still, President Jefferson feared that privilege would be taken from them. After Napolean offered to sell the entire Louisiana Territory for $15 million, Jefferson wrestled heavily with his beliefs of strict constitutional interpretation. He finally put aside his own views for the good of the country and bought the territory, securing the Mississippi, New Orleans, and doubling the size of the U.S. -
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Lewis and Clark Expedition
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Robert Fulton's Steamboat
In 1807, Robert Fulton piloted the first steamboat, the Clermont, upstream from NYC to Albany, proving the commercial capabilities of the steam engine. Following this, a large interconnected system of canals, and later railroads, were built (mainly in the North) to facilitate the faster travel of goods and people across the quickly industralizing country. The steam engine, and other inventions such as the cotton gin and interchangeable parts helped to make the North a manufacturing powerhouse. -
Embargo Act of 1807
After the Lousiana Purchase, the U.S. now had good trade relations with both France and Great Britain, but the two European countries were at war, and Jefferson, wanting to remain neutral, imposed an embargo on all foreign trade, which was incredibly unpopular among merchants, traders, and businesses. The embargo does great damage to the American economy, but it also promotes the growth of domestic manufacturing. -
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Madison Presidency
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War of 1812
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Battle of New Orleans
After the War of 1812 ended, a diverse American army of soldiers and warriors led by General Andrew Jackson defended New Orleans from a huge number of invading British. The attackers had been caught by surprise by the Americans, who had constructed large earthworks and hid behind cannons and other equipment, and suffered over 2,000 casualties compared to the Americans' 71 casualties. Despite the war being over, news had not spread of its end, so Andrew Jackson became a national war hero. -
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Monroe Presidency
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Missouri Compromise
In 1820, Missouri gained enough population to enter the Union as a slave state, but Congress refused, wanting to stop the spread of slavery. Henry Clay proposed that states should enter into the Union in pairs, with Maine entering as a free state to keep the balance better free and slave states. Clay also proposed that any future state above the 36th Parallel be free, and those below would be slave. This "Missouri Compromise" would last until the Compromise of 1850, also proposed by Henry Clay. -
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Market Revolution
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2nd Great Awakening
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Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was President Monroe's annual speech to Congress, stating that European countries should stay in their own sphere of influence, leaving the West for the United States to take care of. This allowed the U.S. to stay out of European matters while maintaining good trade relations, and it lasted until the Civil War when Confederates were supplied with British weapons. -
Corrupt Bargain
The election of 1824 is considered the first modern election as both J. Q. Adams and A. Jackson vied for the votes of the common man. Historians believe that Adams and Speaker of the House Henry Clay had a secretive agreement behind closed doors in which Adams persuaded Clay to support him. After their meeting, Clay convinced the House of Representative to vote Adams into presidency and Adams made Clay secretary of state. Furious Jackson supporters coined the election as the Corrupt Bargain. -
The American System
In 1824, Henry Clay proposed the American System, an economic system that would strengthen the economy, industry, and infrastructure of the United States. Clay proposed creating a strong central bank for easy access to funds, and credit, and enacting protective tariffs to encourage manufacturing and fund transportation projects such as roads, railroads, canals, telegraph wires, and other new inventions. -
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Quincy Adams Presidency
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The Election of 1828
The Election of 1828 is known as the first modern political campaign between Whig candidate John Quincy Adams and Democrat Andrew Jackson. Mudslinging and fierce campaigning happened on both sides with mass meetings, parades, and picnics being held to gain support for a candidate, but Jackson appealed more to the majority of white men who were in the middle or lower classes and he won in a landslide. After a wild party at the White House, Jackson was called "King Mob" by his rivals. -
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Jackson Presidency
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Indian Removal Act
During Jackson's presidency, he was concerned with expanding westward, but Native Americans stood as a hindrance to free land. Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, which forced all Indians to west of the Mississippi River, and in this case, forced several thousand Cherokee to make the long trek to unsettled Oklahoma. Almost 20% of the Cherokee population died along the way, painting Jackson in a negative light for years to come, despite winning a second term. -
Nullification Crisis
In 1831, Southerners still angry about the "Tariff of Abominations" of 1828 threatened to nullify the law because it favored the North. South Carolina passed the Nullification Ordinance in 1832 and threatened to secede if the federal government tried to stop them. Jackson fought to preserve the Union, stating that secession would be treason, and prepared to force them to comply. Henry Clay created a tariff that would be lowered over the next 10 years, and Carolina South repealed its ordinance. -
The Bank War
In 1832, the charter for the 2nd Bank of the United States was brought to Jackson to be renewed four years early. Jackson, not trusting the banks and believing that the states should be in charge of their banks, vetoed the charter and ordered the transfer of money from federal banks to state banks, which created large amounts of inflation and led to the Panic of 1837 and a national reduction in the money supply. -
Battle of the Alamo
American settlers had been living in Mexico for several years until the Mexican government started centralizing power and taking away Americans' slaves. American rebels declared independence and the government sent an army to capture the Alamo. They did easily and killed folk heroes Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, and American newspapers reported the deaths and told people to "Remember the Alamo", which led to many Americans going to help the Texas rebels and help them fight for independence. -
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Van Buren Presidency
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Tyler Presidency
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Henry Harrison Presidency
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Annexation of Texas
American settlers living in Mexican territory under the oppressive Mexican government declared independence and formed the Republic of Texas, and the Mexican government sent troops to capture the Alamo, which they did. The U.S. got involved, Polk sent troops into contested territory to incite conflict, and eventually captured Mexico City. Texas agreed to be annexed into the Union as a slave state for protection from Mexico, upsetting the delicate balance between the North and the South. -
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Polk Presidency
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The Mexican-American War
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Seneca Falls Convention
Held in Seneca Falls, New York, the two-day convention was attended by over 300 women including Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony, who created and signed the Declaration of Sentiments. It was similar to the Declaration of Independence since it stated all the wrongdoings that had been committed against women. Another notable attendee was Frederick Douglass, who campaigned for women's right to vote as well. -
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Taylor Presidency
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Compromise of 1850
After Texas was annexed into the Union as a slave state, there was an imbalance between the North and the South. Henry Clay proposed that California enter the Union as a free state, the slave trade be abolished in Washington D.C., strict fugitive slave laws be enacted countrywide, and territories that were applying for statehood would be governed by "Popular Sovereignty", deciding if the state would be free or slave. This compromise would be the main cause of Bleeding Kansas. -
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Fillmore Presidency
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Pierce Presidency
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The Missouri Border Ruffians
When Kansas was populated enough to apply for statehood, the abolitionist North had a slight advantage due staunch campaigning to persuade abolitionists to move there. On election day pro-slavery men from Missouri invaded the large abolitionist town of Lawrence and stuffed the ballot box full of fraudulent pro-slavery votes, making Kansas a slave state. Outrage over the election led to years of bloodshed with John Brown at the helm known as Bleeding Kansas, and violence in the halls of Congress. -
Dred Scott Case
Generally agreed to be the worst Supreme Court decision in history, Chief Supreme Court Justice Roger B. Taney ruled that Dred Scott and his wife were still slaves even though they resided in a free state. The ruling meant that there was no such thing as a free state and black people had no legal rights and could not be citizens, something that would be overturned with the 14th Amendment in 1868. -
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Buchanan Presidency
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Lincoln Presidency
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Civil War
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Pacific Railway Act of 1862
This act signed by Lincoln created the conditions and terms for the Transcontinental Railroad, which was to be finished by 1873. Two railroad companies were hired, starting at opposite sides of the country and laying track towards each other. The companies were paid according to the terrain of each mile laid and were given 10 mi^2 of land around the track, causing boomtowns to spring up along train depots. The tracks finally met at Promontory Point, Utah in 1871, two years before the deadline. -
The Homestead Act of 1862
Also signed by Lincoln, this act promoted agriculture in the West by giving 160-acre plots of western land to people who moved onto the land and improved it by building permanent dwellings and engaging in agriculture. After five years of working the land, it was theirs to keep. This lured many westward in hopes of starting a new life, and while they were there, began taking care of the Indian problem by forcing them off their native lands and onto crowded reservations. -
Battle of Gettyburg
Three days of fierce fighting around and in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania culminated in a Union victory and stopped Lee's offensive into the Northern Territory. This was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War and afterward, Lincoln used the dedication ceremony for Gettysburg's Soldiers National Cemetery to give his Gettysburg Address, which redefined the purpose of the war. The North would now be fighting to preserve a Union that treated all men as equals. -
Siege of Vicksburg
After a monthlong siege of the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, the Confederates surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, completing the Anaconda Plan and splitting the Confederary in two. Grant's "hard war" mentality and brilliant battle tactics were on display, and he bombarded the city into ruins. His success put an end to the "Carousel of Generals" in the Union and bolstered Grant's popularity tremendously, leading to him winning the presidency in 1869. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
Despite not winning the battle of Antietam due to General McClellan's ineptitude, Lincoln was able to make a victory out of it to publish the Emancipation Proclamation. The Proclamation abolished slavery in Confederate states but allowed peacefully reconquered southern territory and border states to keep their slaves. Lincoln hoped that it would entice the South to come back to the Union, but instead, it made them more fearful of returning and they continued to fight a lost cause. -
Sand Creek Massacre
In 1864, the U.S. Army attacked a peaceful tribe of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians camped along Big Sandy Creek in Colorado while the men were out on a hunting trip. Many of the 160 Native Americans killed were women, children, or elderly who had fled across the river and frantically dug out trenches to hide in. This was just a first in a series of massacres and wrongdoings against the Native American population in the West. -
Johnson's Reconstruction Plan
After the assassination of Lincoln, President Andrew Johnson issued a plan similar to Lincoln's 10% plan, but with several changes. Along with the 10% and abolition requirements, he forgave the Confederate states of their war debt and disenfranchised Southern leaders or those who had more than $10,000 in property. Johnson could also grant "personal" pardons to disenfranchised people, and he did, allowing former Confederate leaders back into state and federal governments. -
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Johnson Presidency
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Reconstruction
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Lee's Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse
As Grant chased Lee back through the South Lee knew that the Appomattox Courthouse in Appomattox, Virginia held the ammunition necessary to continue fighting. Grant knew this as well, and split his army in two so he could slow down Lee while the other half hurried to Appomattox to secure the ammunition. When Lee arrived at the Courthouse, he saw he was outnumbered and surrendered. When he gave up his sword to Grant, Grant returned it to Lee due to the respect both men had for each other. -
Ratification of the 13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States, was passed by Congress during the Civil War, but would not be ratified until 11 months later. Lincoln would not live to see the amendment ratified, but it marked the end of slavery once and for all. Later amendments would be passed to protect the rights of freedmen and by extension, the rights of any U.S. citizen. -
Reconstruction Acts of 1867
After taking over the responsibility of Reconstruction from Andrew Johnson, Congress passed the Reconstruction Acts of 1867, which stripped Southern states of their political power, split them into 5 military districts, placed them under the authority of the Union Army, and stated that Southern states must ratify the 14th Amendment and rewrite their state constitutions to include it to be able to rejoin the Union. -
Ratification of the 14th Amendment
Fearing that the Civil Rights Act of 1866 would be overturned in the future, Congress created the 14th Amendment, which stated that all people born in the U.S. were full citizens, had full legal protection, and that foreigners could become citizens after becoming naturalized. This also barred former Confederate leaders from holding state or federal offices and threatened to take away a state's representation in Congress if they denied people their voting rights. -
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Grant Presidency
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Ratification of the 15th Amendment
After the election of 1868, Congress recognized that African Americans needed the right to vote, so they quickly pushed the 15th Amendment through Congress. It prohibited any state from denying any citizen the right to vote, regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude". The amendment was very unpopular in the North, and the Republicans lost their supermajority in Congress during the next election cycle. -
Civil Rights Act of 1875
Signed by President Ulysses S. Grant, the Civil Rights Act of 1875 prohibited discrimination in public facilities and accommodations. Despite the necessity of this act for ensuring equal treatment to all citizens, it was not enforced by future presidents after Grant left office, and allowed "Jim Crow" laws that ensured segregation in all public spaces and buildings to rise, undoing years of progress in the South. -
Custer's Last Stand
In 1876, the 7th Calvary numbering over 700 men led by Lieutenant George Custer rode into Little Bighorn Valley to subdue a wandering village of Sioux and Cheyenne tribes led by Sitting Bull. Custer had divided his troops into three columns to surround the Indians but failed to meet up again, allowing Indians to surround them and kill over 200 Americans, including Custer himself. This would be the last Indian victory as Custer was remembered as a hero and many sought to avenge him in the West. -
Election of 1876
The election of 1876 saw Democrat Samuel Tilden run against Republican Rutherford B. Hayes, but when the votes came in, it seemed as though 100% of the South had voted for Tilden. Sensing fraud, the U.S. Army was charged with a recount in South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida, which all declared Hayes triumphant. Seeing as the Constitution did not account for this circumstance, a committee of 8 Republicans and 7 Democrats decided Hayes as the winner, and military oversight in the South ended. -
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Hayes Presidency
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Ghost Dance Movement
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Arthur Presidency
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Garfield Presidency
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Cleveland Presidency (First)
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Dawes Act of 1887
On the surface, this act was the Homestead Act for Native Americans, but in reality was the federal government's plan to diminish the power of native tribes. Separating an individual family from the influence of their tribe would allow the family to be remade to have the beliefs of white men and not be able to participate in native traditions, furthering shrinking and weakening the power of tribes on reservations. -
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Benjamin Harrison Presidency
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Wounded Knee Massacre
By 1890, Sitting Bull had died in prison and a group of traveling Lakota thought to be practicing the Ghost Dance had been arrested by the 7th U.S. Calvary and forced onto a reservation near Wounded Knee Creek. When the army came to take the Lakota's weapons, a gun went off, and the U.S. Calvary opened fire into the crowd of Lakota with some members returning fire Over 300 Indians died, and the massacre marked the end of the Ghost Dance movement in the West. -
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Cleveland Presidency (Second)
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Plessy v. Ferguson
In 1892, Homer Plessy boarded a white-only first-class train car but was forced to return to the black car. Four years later, the U.S. Supreme Court made the second worst ruling ever, in a 7-1 vote, stating that "separate but equal" accommodations on railway cars complied with the 14th Amendment. The decision was used to justify segregating all public buildings and facilities, ignoring the "equal" requirement. This ruling would hold until Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954).