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Manifest Destiny
The concept that rationalized westward expansion. This gave settlers the right to move into new territories to expand the influence of the United States at the cost of removing land from indigenous people. -
The Oregon Trail
The 2000-mile-long path that spanned from states territories that became the states that we know as Ohio all the way to Oregon and even Wyoming. It was a long and treacherous path that led to many deaths due to disease and wild animals. -
The Mexican American War
Never truly accepting the annexation of Texas, Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande to re-claim it. However, congress decided to go to war. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Marking the end of the Mexican American War. This treaty made the then Mexican territories such as California into states and made the citizens of the territory U.S. citizens. -
The creation of the telephone
The first telephone was created. This was able to revolutionize how we communicate. Once started as a high-class luxury, the telephone was able to be afforded by the middle class changing society as a whole. -
Creation of the lightbulb
Thomas Eddison created the first lightbulb and filed for a patent in 1880. This was ultimately able to illuminate the cites and homes of lower-, middle- and upper-class citizens alike and ultimately lead to innovation to architecture but technology throughout history. -
Pullman Palace Car Company Strike
One of the most important labor boycotts of the 19th century. Under the cause of wanting wages that match with rent and utilities, the workers of the Pullman Palace Car Company went on strike. -
Yellow Journalism
Joseph Pulitzer, who ran the New York World was challenged by William Hearst, the owner of a rival paper to see who could sell more papers. In 1898, the USS Maine was blown up. Without doing any research, Pulitzer published that it was the Cubas fault and changed public perception to go to war. This set president on how the media can cover foreign policy and is still prevalent today in new forms such as clickbait titles. -
Spanish-American War
The U.S wanted to liberate Cuba, but it ended up turning into a war that lasted 10 weeks. The war ended in a decisive victory for the Americans. As part of the settlement, Cuba was liberated and the U.S got Puerto Rico and Guam added as territories. -
Formation of the National Consumers League
During this time, workplaces were exploiting children and immigrant women and having unsafe working conditions. This led to the National consumers league being formed to protect these people and advocate for the 8-hour workday and better conditions. -
The Galveston Plan
A hurricane in 1900 and an inefficient government led the people of Galveston Texas to form a new government. It had 5 commissioners run their own individual departments and made the government more efficient. This progressive era innovation was a success and although discontinued in the 60's, its effects can still be seen today. -
The creation of the model-T
Henry Ford created the model-T. The creation of the model-T helped revolutionize the transportation system as a whole by creating better roads and faster modes of transportation. -
The era of mass production
Since the price of goods was too high, manufactures had to find a way to make them cheaper. Henry Ford was able to find a way to do this by constructing his cars on an assembly line. This allowed the price of the cars to drop to $300 and make sales numbers higher. This would later be used by other manufactures and is still used to this day. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire
Twelve years after the National Consumers League was formed, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company was caught on fire and led to the death of 146 people. This ultimately led to the National Consumers League to convince politicians for better working regulation which led to the modern-day working conditions we have today. -
Election of FDR
The 1930's was the time of the great depression. In 1932, there was a presidential election and the man who won was Franklin Rosevelt. During his campaign, he promised the American people a new deal and he won. It was thanks to his policies that he was able to get America back on its feat -
The End of WWII
World War II was one of the most tragic events of all time, not only did it impact the world but there were also effects that impacted America as well. Most notably, it created tension between the US and Russia after America's use of atomic bombs. These tensions would lead to several indirect encounters that made up the Cold War. -
Brown v. Board of Ed
One of the many cases from the civil rights era that paved the way for equality. This case allowed black children to attend white schools and abolish the separate but equal doctrine. This gave the black people more rights while also changing everything socially and changed laws for special eduaction. -
Dr.King's I had a dream speech
During this time in history, Black Americans were facing social injustice. They weren't allowed to be in the same spots as their White counterparts. By waiting for the 100th year of emancipation, Dr. King had this speech to pressure the government to take action. This speech allowed for those changes and for Black Americans to have the rights that they have today. -
The Civil Rights act
Black Americans have fought long and hard for equal treatment. Although the battle wasn't over, they had one of if not, there biggest victories of all time. President Johnson passed the civil rights act, which finally banned segregation and ended funding for discriminatory programs.