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Thousands of people moved west for land and new opportunities, helping expand U.S. territory. -
Texas joined the U.S., increasing tensions with Mexico and encouraging westward settlement. -
The U.S. gained major territories including California and New Mexico, shaping the map of modern America.
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Gold discoveries brought huge migration and economic growth to the West.
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Promised free land to settlers willing to farm it, speeding up western expansion. -
President Lincoln declared enslaved people in Confederate states free. While it didn’t end slavery everywhere, it changed the Civil War into a fight for human freedom. -
Created to help formerly enslaved people with education, food, and rebuilding their lives. -
The Union victory reunited the nation and ended slavery, but left the South devastated. -
Abolished slavery, granted citizenship, and protected voting rights for African Americans.
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The KKK formed during Reconstruction to terrorize African Americans and stop them from voting or gaining political power. Their violence and intimidation weakened Reconstruction efforts and led to decades of racial segregation. -
Large corporations like Standard Oil and U.S. Steel dominated the economy, creating huge wealth but also corruption.
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Ended Reconstruction and pulled federal troops out of the South, allowing Jim Crow laws to spread. -
Reformers pushed for safer working conditions, women’s rights, and government honesty. -
A major railroad workers’ strike that shut down railroads nationwide. The government intervened, showing how industrial conflicts shaped labor rights in the Gilded Age. -
Gave women the right to vote after decades of activism. -
The crash led to the Great Depression, causing massive unemployment and poverty. -
The attack forced the U.S. into World War II, changing the course of global history. -
The Allied landing in France began the liberation of Europe from Nazi rule. -
Ended legal segregation and protected voting rights, reshaping American equality. -
A major Civil Rights law that banned literacy tests and other barriers that prevented Black Americans from voting. It greatly expanded voting rights across the country.