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The second conflict between the U.S and Britain, over the effects of British restrictions on U.S trade.
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The first statewide convention that nominated candidates under the name "Republican" was held near Jackson, Michigan on July 6, 1854. It started a new party that opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories.
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After the Civil war, Abraham Lincoln is the first Republican candidate to win the Presidency. This was because of his speeches about ending slavery.
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Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation which made the Civil war about human freedom and just not North vs South.
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The 13th amendment of the Constitution was added after the Civil war to end slavery and allow former slaves to own property, be free and work in the U.S. It was passed by the House of Representatives on January 31st 1865.
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The death of President Lincoln saw Andrew Johnson, a Southerner, take over the Presidency. He was immediately at odds with the radical Republicans in Congress and tried to veto the 14th amendment. Johnson was an ineffective president and the power of congress increased while he was in office.
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President Woodrow Wilson entered the war because of Germany's submarine warfare and the intercepted Zimmerman telegraph, which showed Germany trying to convince Mexico to declare war on the U.S.
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The 18th amendment of the Constitution was implemented to ban the sale of alcoholic beverages. This resulted in a rise in bootlegging and organized crime in America.
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In 1920, the 19th amendment of the Constitution was implemented and gave women suffrage. This forever changed voting policies in the United States.
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The government granted Native Americans the right to vote in 1924, but since voting is regulated by the states, some native Americans did not get that right until as late as 1957.
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The stock market crash of 1929 followed by the failing of over 9,000 banks began the Great Depression. 13 million people become unemployed. Hoover followed his philosophy of limited government and refused to give direct aid to citizens.
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FDR in response to the crumbling economy, FDR introduced the New Deal program which included emergency relief, work relief, and banking reform laws. Many of the principles of his thinking are still with us today in the form of Social Security and Welfare programs.
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In 1941, Japanese warplanes attacked Pearl Harbor and bombed it. The U.S fought back but took heavy losses. After this, the U.S declared war on Japan and Germany declared war on the U.S, leading to and entered WW2. It would change the course of the war, result in the first nuclear bomb and change the U.S. economy.
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President Truman made the decision to use the atom bomb to end the Japanese fight in WW2. Over 80,000 people were killed and the devastation was unbelievable and lasted for years with the radiation. The world was devastated by the bomb and it has never been used again.
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After the bombing of Hiroshima, the Japanese government still would not surrender. Three days later, on August 9, Nagasaki was bombed killing an estimated 60,000-80,000 people. An atomic bomb has not been used by any country since WW2.
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Senator Joseph McCarthy started a crusade against people he accused of Communism in the government and in Hollywood. People were accused with very little evidence, and the trials and government questioning was even compared to the Salem witch trials. This was the height of the "Red Scare" where people in the U.S. were afraid Russia and communism would take over.
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The Supreme Court in 1954 in the case of Brown vs. the Board of Education ruled that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional. All children had to be given equal opportunity to attend the same schools.
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In 1962, The U.S compelled the Soviet Union to stop nuclear production in Cuba. This was known as the Cuban Missile crisis. This was the year before president Kennedy was assassinated. The confrontation between the Soviet Union and the U.S lasted 13 days. The world waited while it seemed these two countries were on the brink of nuclear war.
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The JFK is one of the most influencing events in America. A president known for his pure heart was killed in a rally in Texas. Cars were rolling through when suddenly, a shot was fired. President Kennedy was dead. At his funeral the people say goodbyes but none was more worthy than that of his son, John Jr. He gave his father a goodbye salute. This made the papers and changed government forever.
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The biggest victory for the Civil Rights movement was the Civil Rights Act, signed in 1964, which ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
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Two U.S. destroyers stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietman reported that they had been fired on. President Johnson went to Congress and asked for permission to retaliate. They gave him permission, but the government thought it would not go further without Johnson asking for a declaration of war. Johnson continued to increase U.S. presence and deploy troops without further approval from Congress. This changed the way military powers of the President were granted going forward.
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In 1966, the Supreme Court decided that anyone being arrested must be advised of their rights before being questioned by police, including the right to an attorney if they could not afford one. This historic decision protected the rights of citizens and the idea of innocent until proven guilty, and put an end to endless interrogations where prisoners were coerced to confess
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President Nixon visited China after almost 25 years of rivalry with the U.S. It changed the way the U.S. dealt with the Soviet Union and to this day, is credited with opening up the Chinese economy to the world.
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The Supreme Court decided that the 14th amendment gave a woman control over her reproductive rights. She could decide whether or not to have a baby, and she did not need her partner's approval.
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In 1983, the US invaded the Caribbean nation of Greneda partly because of its concerns over their ties with Cuba. This changed government because an island was invaded that had possibly false ties with Cuba
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In the 1984 election, Republican president Ronald Reagan was re-elected for a second term in office. He defeated Democrat Walter Mondale. He continued "Reaganomics" with big government spending and debt.
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In 1992, Democratic candidate Bill Clinton was elected president of the United States. He defeated incumbent Republican president George H.W Bush. He became the 42nd president. He went through the impeachment process but did not get removed.
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A car bomb on a government building in Oklahoma, which killed and injured hundreds, was the worst attach on U.S. soil since Pearl Harbor. It changed the way government in the U.S. did security at all federal buildings, and people weren't allowed to get vehicles near the White House after that.
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In 2002, President George W. Bush had his state of the Union address. He discussed many topics including Iraq, Iran, and North Korea which he described as an " axis of evil."
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A terrorist attack on both buildings of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington DC using commercial airplanes that were hijacked has been the worst attack ever in America. It prompted George Bush to start the "War on Terror" and has changed the way the government deals with terrorism.
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The USA Patriot Act is approved by the Senate, giving the government power to detain suspected terrorists, eavesdrop on communications and watch for money being used to fund terrorism. There are concerns over how the government could use this power against citizens claiming it was suspected terrorism.
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After the Patriot Act, President Bush signed an order saying all non-citizens suspected of terrorism would be tried in military tribunals. The rules are different than regular court and it is run by the military. Critics of President Bush say that defendants in military tribunals may not receive a fair trial. They think that using tribunals might undermine American credibility with other countries.
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President Bush signs the law that creates the Department of Homeland Security. It is the biggest change in the organization of the government in over 50 years. The department is large, has a lot of power and is in charge or protecting the United States.
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In 2003, a space shuttle called Columbia's 28th went on a mission that ended tragically. The craft broke up while re-entering earth's atmosphere and 7 astronauts on board the shuttle were killed.
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Upon re-entry after a 2 week mission, the shuttle exploded killing all the astronauts inside. As in 1986 shuttle tragedy, an engineering problem was the cause. This failure was the end of the government funded space program. Since it's end, many private citizens are now trying to fly to space.
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In July 2004, after the U.S invaded Iraq, the Senate reported that the U.S and other allies went to war with Iraq on "flawed" information. independent reports into 9/11 highlight deep institutional failings in intelligence services and government.
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In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. It was the most destructive storm to hit the U.S in decades. Much of the city was submerged in flood water. The federal government had to provide economic relief.
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Even though it had some trouble passing, in 2006 the Patriot Act was renewed. It expanded the situations where the government could use wire taps and get private information without a court order. Some critics of the final legislation said that it gave too much power to the executive branch.
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In the 2008 election, Senator Barrack Obama becomes the first black president of the United States. He was a Democratic candidate for office.
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In 2010, The U.S and Russia agreed to a limit on nuclear weapons. There was a reduction treaty to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction treaty. The pact signing was due on April 8th.
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In 2011, US forces killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. It was an operation in the city of Abbottabad, Pakistani.
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Yet another hurricane devastated cities up and down the East Coast. This made the government think about climate change and what needed to happen to our infrastructure to prepare. A year later, President Obama promoted legislation for states to work with the federal government to prepare for the effects of climate change.
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In the 2012 election, President Obama defeated Republican candidate Mitt Romeny. This was another turning point in government because Obama was a decent president.
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In May 2013, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden fled to Russia via Hong Kong after revealing leaking information on extensive internet and phone use surveillance by US intelligence. Later, Russia refused a US demand for his extradition.
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In November 2014, the Republicans win a Senate majority in mid-term elections and gained control of both houses of Congress. In response, President Obama said he would use executive powers to allow 4 million illegal immigrants to apply for work permits.
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In 2014, President Obama orders curbs on the use of bulk data collected by U.S intelligence agencies, in response to criticism sparked by Snowden leaks. However, Civil liberty groups said the changes didn't go far enough
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In March 2015, President Obama announced that 10,000 US troops will remain in Afghanistan as trainers and advisors until 2016. This put a great effect on those troops who couldn't see their families for a long time.
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In June 2015, the U.S accused Chinese hackers of personal data breach of nearly 4 million government officials. China denied this however. This put a great toll on government because of the scandal in general.
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President Obama noticed in his time in office that Iran was doing illegal nuclear production. A speech in the White House lead to a deal with Iran to stop the production and paying Iran to do the right thing.
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In the 2016 election, Republican candidate Donald Trump won the presidency and defeated Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton. This has since been government changing because Mr. Trump has done decent things so far in office.
