Presidents timeline

By s2128082@online.houstonisd.org
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    George Washington

    -Westmoreland County, VA
    -Local school in VA
    -Yes
    -No
    -3 brothers, 2 sisters, 3 half-brothers, and 1 half-sister.
    - expand his economic enterprise, complete the renovations of the mansion, and maintain some semblance of privacy from the thousands of visitors who passed through his home.

  • Congress enacts tariff

    Congress, led by Representative James Madison, enacts the first protective tariff. Madison consulted with President Washington about the need for the measure.

  • Ratifying the Constitution

    Rhode Island ratifies the Constitution, becoming the last of the original thirteen states under the Articles of Confederation to join the newly formed Union.

  • Establishing the capital

    President Washington signs a bill into law that permanently places the nation's capital along the Potomac River, in an area to be called the District of Columbia.

  • Revolutionary War debts

    President Washington signs a bill into law that directed the federal government to assume the Revolutionary War debts of the states.

  • Creating a national bank

    Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, with President Washington's support, sends Congress a controversial message (The Report on a National Bank) calling for the creation of an official Bank of the United States. After a hard-won approval by Congress, Washington signs the bill on February 25, 1791.

  • Fighting in Miami

    The Miami Indians soundly defeat an American military force of 1400 men led by General Arthur St. Clair at the cost of 900 American lives. The Washington Administration had sent St. Clair to the Ohio country with the hope that his presence would clear the way for American settlers.

  • Ratifying the Bill of Rights

    The states officially ratify the first ten amendments to the Constitution, also known as the Bill of Rights. President Washington had called for their ratification in his first inaugural address.

  • The President's mansion

    The cornerstone for the President's mansion is laid in Washington D.C.

  • Proclaiming neutrality

    President Washington issues a proclamation of neutrality, warning Americans to avoid aiding either side in the emerging conflict between Britain and revolutionary France.

  • Straining relations with Britain

    American relations with Britain begin to deteriorate rapidly after the British government issues secret orders for the Royal Navy to confiscate any vessels trading with French possessions in the Caribbean. The Royal Navy seizes more than 200 American ships.
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    John Adams

    -Braintree, MA
    -Graduated Harvard collage
    -Yes
    -VP to Previous President
    -John and Abigail had six children
    -Adams retired to his farm in Quincy.

  • Negotiating with France

    Adams appoints a three man commission, composed of Charles C. Pinckney, Elbridge Gerry, and John Marshall, to negotiate a settlement with France.

  • The Eleventh Amendment

    The Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution of the United States is declared in full force by President Adams. It stipulates that federal courts shall not have the jurisdiction over litigation between individuals from one state against individuals from another state.

  • Mississippi Territory

    Congress establishes the government for the new Mississippi Territory. The Spanish had ceded the territory to the United States in the 1795 Treaty of San Lorenzo. President Adams appoints native Winthrop Sergeant as governor and selects the town of Natchez to serve as its first capital.

  • Preparing for war

    Congress empowers Adams to enlist 10,000 men for service in case of a declaration of war or invasion of the country's domain. It also authorizes Adams to instruct commanders of ships-of-war to seize armed French vessels praying upon or attacking American merchantmen about the coast.

  • Passing the Alien Act

    Congress passes the Alien Act, granting President Adams the power to deport any alien he deemed potentially dangerous to the country's safety.

  • Sedition Act

    Congress adopts the Sedition Act, the fourth and last of the Alien and Sedition acts. The bill subjects any American citizen to a fine and/or imprisonment for obstructing the implementation of federal law, or for publishing malicious or false writings against Congress, the President, or the government.

  • Kentucky Resolutions

    The Kentucky State Legislature adopts the Kentucky Resolutions, reserving states' right to override federal powers not enumerated in the U.S. Constitution. Thomas Jefferson, angry at the Adams administration for the Alien and Sedition acts, authors the resolution.

  • Victory against France

    The United States Navy scores its first clear victory against France when the frigate Constellation captures the French ship L'Insurgente near the island of St. Kitts.

  • Treaty of Amity

    U.S. diplomats conclude a Treaty of Amity between the United States and Prussia in Berlin.

  • Treaty with Tunis

    Congress finally passes a treaty with Tunis, negotiated originally in 1797.
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    Thomas Jefferson

    -Shadwell, VA
    -Law School
    -Yes
    -VP of previous president
    -4 younger sisters and 3 younger brothers and 2 older sisters
    - pursued science and natural history through research, experimentation, and invention.

  • War with Tripoli

    Congress recognizes the War with Tripoli, authorizing the arming of merchant ships to ward off attacks.

  • War with Tripoli

    Congress recognizes the War with Tripoli, authorizing the arming of merchant ships to ward off attacks.

  • Excise taxes repealed

    Infamous excise taxes on commodities such as whiskey are repealed.

  • Naturalization laws repealed

    The notorious naturalization laws of 1798 are repealed. The required length of residency reverts from fourteen years to five years.

  • Ohio becomes a state

    Ohio officially becomes the seventeenth state of the Union. It is the first state to prohibit slavery by law at its inception.

  • Louisiana Purchase

    Livingston and Monroe are sent to conclude a treaty for the acquisition of New Orleans, but instead conclude a treaty for the purchase of the entire Louisiana Territory. This day marks the official signing of a peace treaty with France and the purchase of Louisiana. The addition of 828,000 square miles of land between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains is purchased from France for approximately $15 million, increasing the national territory by 140 percent.

  • Lewis and Clark

    Captain Meriwether Lewis, formerly Jefferson's personal secretary, sets out from Pittsburgh to begin an expedition of the newly acquired western territory of the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis will pick up Captain William Clark to serve as co-leader of the trip early in the next year. Jefferson sponsored the journey out of personal scientific curiosity and concern for the economic and political security of the western United States.

  • The Twelfth Amendment

    Motivated by the infamous election of 1800, Congress passes the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution, requiring electors to vote for President and vice president separately. This ends the tradition of the runner up in a presidential race becoming vice president and prevents chances for a deadlock tie.

  • Louisiana Territory Act

    Congress passes the Louisiana Territory Act, dividing the Louisiana Purchase into the Territory of Orleans in the south and the district of Louisiana in the north.

  • Burr Kills Hamilton in Duel

    On July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton met for duel, and Burr shot and fatally wounded Hamilton, who died the next day. The Burr-Hamilton duel stands as a vivid example that in the early republic partisan politics were also highly personal politics.
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    James Madison

    Port Conway, Virginia
    Graduated collage
    yes
    no
    no
    major contribution to the ratification of the Constitution

  • Address to the People of the United States

    Former secretary of state Robert Smith publishes an Address to the People of the United States, attacking Madison's administration and revealing the disagreements within the cabinet.

  • War message

    Madison delivers a tentative war message to Congress, indicating his shift in policy

  • Declaration of war

    Madison issues a declaration of war against Britain. In addition to concern over British actions with regard to international trade, some proponents of war also endorse territorial expansion into British Canada and Spanish Florida; they also hope to end suspected British support of Indian attacks.

  • Winchester's battle

    Americans throughout the northwest are outraged by Winchester's battle and surrender at Frenchtown, and the Wyandotte murder of sixty Kentucky prisoners of war. The northwest ceases to play a role in war strategy.

  • War costs

    Congress authorizes the borrowing of $25 million to finance war costs.

  • Amendment for national bank

    James Jackson of Virginia introduces a constitutional amendment in the House authorizing the establishment of a national bank, but Congress postpones consideration.

  • Campbell appointed Secretary of Treasury

    George Washington Campbell of Tennessee replaces Gallatin as Secretary of the Treasury.

  • Invasion of Canada

    Madison and his cabinet decide to continue with the attempted invasion of Canada
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    James Monroe

    Monroe Hall, VA
    Graduated Collage
    Yes
    Yes, 4 siblings
    he joined the anti-Federalists in the Virginia Convention which ratified the Constitution

  • Illinois becomes a state

    Illinois is admitted as the twenty-first state of the Union.

  • Alabama becomes a state

    Alabama becomes the twenty-second state of the Union.

  • Monroe Doctrine Announced

    On December 2, 1823, President James Monroe formally articulated a foreign policy position that became known as the “Monroe Doctrine.” Although it only occupied three paragraphs in the President's annual address to Congress, the Monroe Doctrine was one of the most influential foreign policy statements made by an American President and it remained a touchstone of American foreign policy into the twentieth century.

  • General Survey Bill

    Monroe signs the General Survey Bill, departing from his opposition to congressionally sponsored internal improvements. The United States Army Corps of Engineers prepare to produce surveys, plans, and estimates to improve navigation. Monroe subsequently purchases 1,500 shares of stock in the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Co. for $300,000.

  • Tariff of 1824

    Monroe signs the Tariff of 1824 into law, implementing protectionist measures in support of local manufactures and goods. Complaints arise in the South with cotton-growers fearful of British retaliation for the increase in price. Northern manufacturers are pleased with the law.
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    John Quincy Adams

    Braintree, MA
    Law school
    yes
    no
    House of representatives

  • Military Training Manuals Created

    Military standardization and integration of Union and state militias is a foremost concern during the Adams administration. In response to a proposal by the secretary of war to revamp military organization and seniority systems, a joint House and Senate resolution calls for the production and dispersal of training manuals.

  • Ports closed to British

    Adams proclaims all American ports closed to trade with British colonies, suspending disagreements from an era of protracted contention with the British over tariffs, navigation and duties. Adams's declaration embodies his response to a rising Continental cartel of exclusive trading relationships.

  • MFN Trade System

    Additional European states are incorporated into the MFN trade system, the pre-conditions of commercial growth being ëneutral rights,' which began in April 1826.

  • Proposed sale of U.S. Bank stock

    Nicholas Biddle of the Bank of the United States implements the sale of government securities to curtail the outward flow of specie. This policy results in propositions by Congress for the public sale of United States Bank stock.

  • Tariff of Abominations

    Proposed by South Carolinian and Vice President John Calhoun in an attempt to bolster support for Andrew Jackson's bid for President, Congress passes a new tariff bill. The plan calls for incredibly high tariffs on raw materials to accommodate Western interests and on British woolens to appease New England interests.
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    Andrew Jackson

    Waxhaws
    Studied law
    Major general
    Florida gov.
    no
    Annexation of texas

  • Tensions between Jackson and Calhoun

    Following his anonymous printing of the South Carolina Exposition and Protest in 1828, Vice President John C. Calhoun suggests that his state of South Carolina annul the federally imposed protective cotton tariff. Jackson threatens to deploy federal troops to occupy the state in the event of nullification.

  • Indian Removal Act

    Congress passes the Indian Removal Act, sanctioning the forcible relocation of Creek, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Choctaw, and Seminole tribes to land allotments west of the Mississippi river. Ninety-four removal treaties follow the bill's enactment. From 1835 to 1838, Cherokee and Creek are forcibly removed from the Southeast onto reservations. Nearly one quarter die along what became known as the “Trail of Tears.”

  • Jackson vetoes Maysville Road bill

    Jackson vetoes the Maysville Road bill, which would have sanctioned the federal government's purchase of stock for the creation of a road entirely within Kentucky, the home state of longtime foe Henry Clay. Jackson regards the project as a local matter and thinks its funding should come from local sources.

  • Peggy Eaton Affair

    Jackson reshuffles his cabinet following the divisive and ongoing “Peggy Eaton Affair.” The woman's first husband supposedly committed suicide after discovering her dalliance with Tennessee senator John Eaton, whom Jackson later names secretary of war. Members of Jackson's inner circle and their wives feud over accusations about the woman's alleged behavior. Jackson supports the Eatons and is outraged by the charges.

  • French spoliation claims

    The French government agrees to a treaty settling spoliation claims by the United States dating back to the Napoleonic Wars. France agrees to pay $5 million but initially declines to make the payment. When U.S. representatives warn the French of American naval superiority, monies flow from French to U.S. coffers, beginning in 1836.

  • Jackson opposes Second Bank of the United States

    On July 10, 1832, President Andrew Jackson vetoed a bill that would have renewed the corporate charter for the Second Bank of the United States. It was one of the most definitive acts of his presidency.

  • Jackson wins reelection

    Running on the Democratic ticket, Jackson wins reelection to the presidency, soundly defeating Henry Clay and William Wirt. Jackson scores an impressive victory, amassing 219 electoral votes to Clay's 49. The election marks the entrance of third parties onto the national scene, with Wirt running on the Anti-Masonic ticket. It also features the use of national nominating committees.

  • Nullification Proclamation

    On December 10, 1832, President Andrew Jackson issued the Nullification Proclamation, which stated that states and municipalities are forbidden from nullifying federal laws. He also threatened to enforce the proclamation with the use of federal arms.

  • Jackson withdrawals federal deposits

    Viewing his reelection as a mandate to continue his war against the Second Bank of the United States, Jackson issues an order for the Treasury Department to withdrawal federal deposits from the Bank of the United States and place them in state banks.

  • Jackson recognizes Texas independence

    Jackson recognizes the independence of Texas but declines to address annexation in light of threats by Mexico and its concerns about security.
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    Martin Van Buren

    Kinderhook, NY
    Claverack College
    No
    Vp of US
    Grandchild: Singleton Van Buren
    Albany Regency, political organization

  • Arbitration commission

    Van Buren agrees on the principle of forming an arbitration commission to settle disputed claims with Mexico.

  • Ending the Aroostook War

    A treaty ending the Aroostook War, which begins in 1838, is signed between the United States and Canada. Lumberjacks in Maine and New Brunswick had disputed the border and disagreed on the ownership of trees in the Aroostook Valley; the claims stemmed from an ambiguous boundary determination in the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Van Buren sends General Winfield Scott to calm matters in the area before working toward the treaty.

  • The Comet and the Encomium

    Van Buren secures an agreement with England on compensation for two slave ships, the Comet and the Encomium, which had run ashore on the British territory of the Bahamas.

  • Seizing the Amistad

    The U.S.S. Washington seizes the Amistad, a mutinous slave ship, and brings the captives to a jail in New Haven, Connecticut. West African slaves had taken over the Cuban ship, traveling from one Cuban port to another, and sail up the United States coastline.

  • Independent Treasury Act

    By signing the Independent Treasury Act, Van Buren “divorces” the federal Treasury Department from its relationship with all banks. His action stems from the controversy surrounding the Deposit Act of 1836. The Whigs will repeal the Independent Treasury Act in 1841; it will be restored in 1846.
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    William Henry Harrison

    Virginia
    Uni of Pennsylvania
    Sublieutenant
    Ohio senator
    Benjamin, who served three terms as governor of Virginia. William's mother, Elizabeth Bassett Harrison
    no
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    John Tyler

    Greenway Plantation, VA
    William and Mary
    Captain
    Senator VA
    Letitia, wife
    southern secession.

  • Harrison dies of pneumonia

    Harrison dies of pneumonia only one month after his inauguration, making him the first President to die while in office.

  • The Democrats gain majority

    In the congressional elections, the Democrats gain a majority over the Whigs in the House of Representatives, while at the same time defending their majority in the Senate.

  • The Texas Annexation Treaty

    The Texas Annexation Treaty is signed by the United States and the Republic of Texas.

  • John Tyler marries Julia Gardiner

    On June 26, 1844, President John Tyler married Julia Gardiner in a private ceremony at a New York City Episcopal church. It was the first time a President had wed while in office, and two days later the Tylers held a reception in the Blue Room of the White House to introduce the country to its new First Lady.
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    James K Polk

    Pineville NC
    Uni of north Caroline at chapel hill
    militia
    speaker of house
    no
    free slaves upon wifes death

  • Texas annexation

    Congress passes the joint resolution (which only requires a simple majority by both houses) submitted by Tyler to annex Texas. The Republic of Texas votes to accept annexation on June 23.

  • President Tyler Signs Joint Resolution for Texas Annexation

    On March 1, 1845, President John Tyler signed a joint resolution to annex Texas. The resolution called for Texas to enter the United States directly as a state, with its boundaries to be determined after annexation.
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    Zachary Taylor

    Orange County, VA
    HS
    officer in army
    no
    5/6 children
    n/a
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    Millard Fillmore

    Summer Hill, NY
    Lawyer
    major captain
    attorney
    wife and two kids
    Unionist

  • Compromise of 1850

    Congress debates solutions to the issue of slavery's possible expansion into the territories won in the Mexican War. Henry Clay proposes the Compromise of 1850, and Daniel Webster with Stephen Douglas lead its supporters against the measure's opponents who coalesce around John C. Calhoun of South Carolina.

  • Zachary Taylor dies

    Zachary Taylor dies of “cholera morbus,” making him the second President to die in office and vaulting Vice President Millard Fillmore into the White House

  • Treaty with El Salvador

    Acting on long-held interest in gaining influence in Central America, the United States ratifies its first commercial treaty with El Salvador.

  • Uncle Tom's Cabin published

    Appearing in serialized form, the first installment of Uncle Tom's Cabin (or Life Among the Lowly), by Harriet Beecher Stowe, is published in the National Era; the book form appears in 1852. Coupled with Northern anger over the Fugitive Slave Bill, this book generates more support for abolitionist causes.

  • Moby Dick published

    The first American edition of Melville Herman's Moby Dick is published. The work does not become widely accepted for another seventy years. Uncle Tom's Cabin Published
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    Franklin Pierce

    Hillsborough, NH
    Bowdoin College
    Brigade commander
    Jane Appleton ​ ​ ( m. 1834; died 1863)​
    Children 3
    Senator NH
    publicly blamed lincon for civil war

  • Pierce's son killed

    Two months before taking office as President, Franklin Pierce and his family are struck by tragedy. A train wreck kills the Pierces' eleven-year-old son, Benjamin, the only surviving child of his marriage. Jane Pierce, already unhappy with the prospect of moving to Washington, interprets the death as a condemnation of her husband's decision to be President and becomes a recluse. President Pierce, meanwhile, is grief and guilt-stricken when he enters office.

  • Gadsden Purchase

    The Gadsden Purchase, negotiated by James Gadsden, U.S. minister to Mexico, is signed. At the cost of $15 million, the United States acquires more than 29,600 square miles of new territory in southwest Arizona and New Mexico.

  • Treaty of Kanagawa

    After nearly three centuries of Japanese isolation, Commodore Matthew Perry -- first ordered to Japan by President Fillmore -- signs the Treaty of Kanagawa, marking the beginning of the Pacific nation's trade with the rest of the world. The United States is permitted a consulate in Japan, and U.S. ships will be allowed to sail into Japanese ports for the purpose of conducting limited trade.

  • Republican Party founded

    Coinciding with the further disintegration of the Whig Party, the Republican Party is founded in Jackson, Michigan. Its membership is composed of Whigs, Free-Soilers, and northern Democrats angry at the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, specifically, and concerned with the prospect of expanding slavery.

  • Nationality laws amended

    Nationality laws are changed so that all children born abroad to U.S. parents are guaranteed American citizenship.
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    James Buchanan

    Cove Gap, PA
    Dickinson College
    reserve unit war of 1812
    senator PA George Washington Buchanan Harriet Lane Elizabeth Spear Jane Buchanan Edward Young Buchanan James Buchanan, Sr. lover of slavery??

  • Dred Scott Decision

    In the Dred Scott decision, a Southern, pro-slavery majority on the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, finds that (1) blacks are not citizens, and (2) that slavery cannot be prohibited in the territories. It further declares the 1820 Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. Scott, a slave who lived in the free state of Illinois and free territory of Wisconsin before moving back to the slave state of Missouri.

  • Lecompton Constitution Defeated

    The Lecompton Constitution loses by an overwhelming vote, with 10,226 voting against the constitution and only 138 for it.

  • Minnesota Joins Union

    A Republican-controlled Congress admits Minnesota to the Union as the thirty-second state (and a free one). Congressional approval had been delayed for several months due to the Kansas controversy.

  • Lecompton Constitution Defeated

    The federal government submits the Lecompton Constitution to the people of Kansas for the third time. It again fails to win approval, with a vote of 11,300-1,788 against, turning Kansas into a non-slaveholding state when it enters the Union officially in 1861.

  • Southern Commercial Convention

    The Southern Commercial Convention meets in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Southern slave owners advocate for the reopening of the African slave trade. A congressional act banned the slave trade in 1808.
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    Abraham Lincoln

    Laarue County, KY
    self educated
    illinos milita
    wife, Mary Todd, and his sons--Robert, Edward (“Eddie”), William (“Willie”), and Thomas (“Tad”).
    illinois state rep.
    important speech writer

  • Lincoln's intentions

    Lincoln announces to his cabinet his intention to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. By this point, he believes the border states will remain in the Union. Lincoln decides to wait to address the nation publicly, however, hoping to introduce his proclamation after a more favorable military battle.

  • Emancipation Proclamation

    Following the Confederate defeat at Antietam, Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, to go into effect on January 1, 1863. In the document, Lincoln frees all slaves in Confederate or contested areas of the South. Slaves in non-Confederate border states and in parts of the Confederacy under Union control are not included. European public opinion sides with Lincoln and the Union.

  • Battle of Fredericksburg

    The Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, marks a grave defeat for the Union. General Lee and his Confederate troops defeat General Burnside. Union losses number more than 12,600, while Confederate casualties rise to 5,300.

  • The Union ironclad Monitor sinks

    The Union ironclad Monitor sinks off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

  • National Banking Act

    The National Banking Act, designed by Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, creates the system for a national bank. To supervise, Congress creates the “controller of the currency” position, which is first given to Hugh McCulloch on May 9, 1863.
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    Andrew Johnson

    Raleigh, NC
    never attended school
    Tennessee house of rep.
    N/A
    Eliza McCardle Johnson (m. 1827–1875)
    elected senate after

  • Extending the Freedmen's Bureau

    Johnson vetoes a bill calling for the extension of the Freedmen's Bureau. The bill, a response to the repressive Black Codes of the South, would expand the power of the Bureau, the organization formed for the freedmen's protection.

  • Johnson vetoes the Civil Rights Act

    Johnson vetoes the Civil Rights Act, a second attempt by Congress to provide freedmen with federal citizenship after the failed Freedmen's Bureau bill. The act sanctions the employment of federal troops for enforcement. The Senate overrides Johnson's veto on April 6. Three days later, the House of Representatives also overrides the veto.

  • Fourteenth Amendment

    Unhappy with what it views as Johnson's lenient approach to the South, Congress passes and sends the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution to the states for ratification. Not only does the amendment seek to prevent ex-Confederates from holding office, it also establishes the citizenship of African Americans, affirming that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction.

  • Nebraska becomes a state

    Nebraska joins the Union.

  • Johnson asks Secretary of War to resign

    Johnson asks Secretary of War (and Radical Republican) Edwin Stanton to resign. The two disagree over Reconstruction plans; Stanton refuses.
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    Ulysses S Grant

    Point Pleasent, OH
    military academy
    n/a
    general for us army
    Parents: Jesse Root Grant, Hannah Simpson Grant
    Spouse: Julia Dent Grant (m. 1848–1885)
    Organization founded: United States Department of Justice

  • Fifteenth Amendment

    Black male suffrage becomes universal when the Fifteenth Amendment -- stipulating that no state shall deprive any citizen of the right to vote because of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude” -- is adopted with Grant's help and approval. The suffrage amendment is only partially successful. During Reconstruction, black men vote frequently; following Reconstruction, however, whites use discriminatory laws and taxes to disenfranchise black men.

  • Voting rights and the KKK

    Congress makes it a federal crime to deprive anyone of his civil or political rights by interfering with the right to vote. It is the first of three such Enforcement Acts the legislature will pass. The act is designed to allow the federal government to take action against the Ku Klux Klan when local authorities fail to prosecute crimes. The KKK, organized in 1866 in Pulaski, Tennessee, employs harassment and terror to dissuade African-Americans from voting.

  • Creation of the Department of Justice

    Congress passes an act creating a Department of Justice under the direction of an attorney general.

  • Ku Klux Klan Act

    The third of the Enforcement Acts, the Ku Klux Klan Act, is passed to enforce the Fourteenth Amendment in the South. It outlaws activities such as wearing disguises, forming conspiracies, and intimidating officials. Grant has worked extensively to secure such legislation to fight the Klan and uses the provisions of the act to ensure fairness in the election of 1872.

  • Treaty of Washington

    The Treaty of Washington is signed between the United States and Britain, initiating friendly relations between the two nations. The treaty provides for an arbitration procedure to settle the Alabama claims, in which the United States demands that Britain pay for damages to American shipping during the Civil War caused by Confederate vessels built and equipped in England. The treaty also renews Canadian-American fishing arrangements.

  • Great Chicago Fire

    The city of Chicago is nearly burned to the ground in one of the worst disasters in U.S. history. The rise of skyscrapers, as part of the city's rebuilding project, marks an innovation in urban architecture.

  • Private Pension Bill vetoed

    Grant becomes the first President to veto a Private Pension Bill. He will veto five such bills while in office.

  • Grant reelected

    Grant is reelected in the largest popular-majority victory for a Republican in the nineteenth century. He wins 55.6 percent of the popular vote and 214 electoral votes to Greeley's 80. The result is more an expression of dislike for Greeley than support for Grant.

  • Panic of 1873

    The failure of the prominent brokerage firm Jay Cooke & Company initiates the Panic of 1873. The underlying causes for the panic are rapidly expanding railroads, over-speculation in land and securities, and excessive issuance of paper money and inflation. As rampant selling takes place, the panic will cause the New York Stock Exchange to close for ten days on September 20. The Panic initiates six years of depression.

  • Virginius captured

    A Spanish cruiser near Cuba captures an alleged U.S. ship, the Virginius, and argues that the ship was sent to provide armaments for an invasion of the island. Before Spain's instructions not to impose the death penalty could reach Cuba, fifty-three of the men captured on the ship are executed. Tensions are calmed when Secretary of State Fish and the Spanish minister to the United States sign an agreement providing for the return of the remaining prisoners and the payment of an indemnity.
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    Rutherford Bichard Hayes

    Delaware, Ohio
    He was the son of Rutherford Hayes, a farmer, and Sophia Birchard.
    Hayes attended Kenyon College and law at Harvard University.
    During the Civil War, Hayes joined the Union Army and was brevet major general.
    Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 2nd district (1865-1867)
    29th and 32nd Governor of Ohio (1868-1872, 1876-1877)
    Lucy Ware Webb, and they had eight children together, including Webb C. Hayes, Rutherford P. Hayes, and Fanny Hayes.
    advocating for equal

  • Hayes limits Chinese immigration

    Hayes vetoes a bill which bans incoming vessels from carrying more than fifteen Chinese passengers. Hayes then works to negotiate changes to the Burlingame Treaty with China in order to set limits on Chinese immigration.

  • Greenback buyback and recovering economy

    Hayes allows the resumption of gold payments for Civil War greenbacks, paper money not backed by specie, silver, or gold. This is a continuation of the Specie Act begun under President Grant. During the Hayes administration, as the government's gold supply grows and the issuance of silver coins increases, the economy begins to recover. By the spring of 1879, the government has retired all Civil War bonds.

  • Army Appropriations Bill

    Congress passes the Army Appropriations Bill. The law includes a “rider” which forbids the use of federal troops at polls, which many regard as an attempt to nullify black voting rights. Hayes vetoes the bill, but the House sustains the veto. Hayes again vetoes the rebuffed version, and many Republicans feel the veto secures the election of 1880.

  • Hayes vetoes appropriations

    The appropriations designated by Democrats exclude implementation of election law funds; Hayes vetoes the bill.

  • Hayes supports a canal

    In a speech to Congress, Hayes continues to support a Central American canal to unite the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Following the trip to America by French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps -- the builder of the Suez Canal in Egypt -- Hayes states that “the policy of this country is a canal under American control.” A canal running through Panama will be completed in 1914.
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    James A. Garfield

    Orange Township, OH
    Williams College

    General
    OH Senetor
    Married Lucretia Rudolph in 1858, they had seven children together
    Children: Eliza, Harry, James, Mary, Irvin, Abram, Edward
    Advocated for civil service reform and civil rights during his brief presidency
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    Chester A. Arthur

    Fairfield, Vermont
    Union college

    Brigadier General
    VP of James A. Garfield
    Married Ellen Lewis Herndon in 1859, they had three children together.
    Children: William Lewis Arthur, Chester Alan Arthur Jr., and Ellen Herndon Arthur.
    establishing a bipartisan Civil Service Commission.

  • Garfield removes E. A. Meritt

    Garfield removes E. A. Meritt from the collectorship of the New York Customhouse after Conkling feels assured that the President would not make any such changes. Garfield then sends W. H. Robertson's name to the Senate as his replacement, intensifying the struggle between Garfield and Conkling.

  • Geneva Convention Ratified

    The Senate ratifies the Geneva Convention of 1864 for the care of wounded war personnel.

  • Edmunds Act Passes

    Congress passes the Edmunds Act, which excludes bigamists and polygamists from voting and holding office, and establishes a five-man “Utah commission” to supervise voting in the territory of Utah.

  • Chinese Exclusion Act revised

    A revised version of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which reduces the period of non-immigration to ten years but maintains the ban on Chinese citizenship, becomes law. The act will be renewed regularly into the twentieth century.

  • U.S. recognizes Korean Independence

    The United States recognizes the independence of Korea, although Korea's future is uncertain because of Chinese, Russian, and Japanese manipulations.

  • Steamboat Safety Bill vetoed

    Arthur vetoes the Carriage of Passengers at Sea Bill, a steamboat safety bill, claiming that it contains several major technical errors.
  • Period: to

    Grover Cleveland

    Grover Cleveland was born in Caldwell, New Jersey in 1837. He had no formal education beyond public school. During the Civil War, he hired a substitute to avoid military service.
    Previous offices held include Mayor of Buffalo, Governor of New York, and President (1885-1889, 1893-1897).
    He married Frances Folsom in 1886 and they had five children.
    As President, he promoted civil service reform, vetoed many bills, and invoked the Monroe Doctrine in a boundary dispute with Britain

  • Cleveland addresses Congress

    In a message to Congress, Cleveland asserts that labor is a vital element of national prosperity and should be a concern of the federal government. He suggests the creation of a government committee to resolve disputes between labor and capital, making him the first President to do so.

  • Cleveland marries

    Cleveland and Francis Folsom marry.

  • Interstate Commerce Commission

    Following complaints about railroad rates and policies, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) is created to ensure fairness in the management of interstate railroads. Eventually, the scope of the ICC will expand to include all common carriers. The commission is the nation's first independent regulatory agency. Although Cleveland approves its creation, he has reservations about the agency.

  • Cleveland vetoes Texas Seed Bill

    Cleveland vetoes the Texas Seed Bill, which was designed to provide relief to drought-stricken farmers. Cleveland believes the bill oversteps the powers of the federal government.

  • Department of Labor established

    The Department of Labor is established.
  • Period: to

    Benjamin Harrison

    Benjamin Harrison was born in North Bend, Ohio in 1833. He graduated from Miami University in 1852 and studied law in Cincinnati. During the Civil War, Harrison served as a colonel in the Union Army, rising to the rank of brevet brigadier general. Harrison married Caroline Lavinia Scott in 1853 and they had two children, Russell and Mary. After leaving office, Harrison briefly returned to law practice in Indianapolis.

  • Dependent Pension Bill passed

    The Dependent Pension Bill is passed, providing benefits to Union veterans as well as to their children and widows. Former President Cleveland vetoed the same bill three years earlier. By 1907, the law will have cost the government more than a billion dollars.

  • Sherman Anti-Trust Act

    The Sherman Anti-Trust Act is enacted, forbidding business practices that restrain trade and commerce or attempt to create monopolies. Until the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, the government will rarely invoke the law: between the act's inception and 1901, only eighteen antitrust suits appear, with four of them coming against labor unions.

  • Idaho becomes a state

    Idaho is admitted as the forty-third state.

  • Sherman Silver Purchase Act

    Harrison signs into law the Sherman Silver Purchase Act after convincing free silver senators to compromise on the legislation. Support comes from farmers who argue that increased silver coinage will inflate the currency supply and raise prices, as well as from leaders of new western states with silver mines. The law permits the Treasury to buy 4.5 million ounces of silver each month, doubling the previous purchase amount. Nevertheless, the bill has little effect on the economy.

  • Anti-Lottery Bill

    Congress passes the Anti-Lottery Bill proposed by John Caldwell of Ohio. It is signed into law on September 19.
  • Period: to

    Grover cleveland

    Grover Cleveland was born in Caldwell, New Jersey in 1837. He had no formal education beyond public school. During the Civil War, he hired a substitute to avoid military service.
    Previous offices held include Mayor of Buffalo, Governor of New York, and President (1885-1889, 1893-1897).
    He married Frances Folsom in 1886 and they had five children.
    As President, he promoted civil service reform, vetoed many bills, and invoked the Monroe Doctrine in a boundary dispute with Britain.

  • Cleveland withdraws Hawaiian annexation treaty

    Cleveland withdraws the Hawaiian annexation treaty, signed just prior to his inauguration. He takes the advice of a special commissioner who reports that proponents of the annexation are sugar planters; the majority of the population opposes such action. Cleveland advocates the restoration of the queen but the provisional government rejects this idea.

  • Cleveland defends gold standard

    Cleveland vows to defend the gold standard.

  • The Panic of 1893

    The Panic of 1893 begins after the National Cordage Company and the Philadelphia and Reading railroads go bankrupt on May 4. A sharp decline in the New York stock market follows the next day, known as “Industrial Black Friday.” The panic also distresses farm regions.

  • Cleveland's secret opperation

    In a secret operation aboard the yacht Oneida in New York's East River, Cleveland's cancerous growth -- and a portion of his jaw -- are removed.

  • Sherman Silver Purchase Act

    The Sherman Silver Purchase Act, implemented under President Harrison, is repealed. Cleveland supports this policy shift.

  • The “Army" arrives in Washington

    The “Army of the Commonwealth of Christ” arrives at Capitol Hill. Their arrival had been greatly anticipated and feared by many, but the event proves anti-climactic. Coxey and others are arrested for trespassing.
  • Period: to

    William Mckinley

    William McKinley was born in 1843 in Niles, Ohio. He briefly attended Allegheny College before serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, rising to the rank of brevet major. Governor of Ohio (1892-1896)
    His family included his wife Ida Saxton McKinley and his parents William and Nancy Allison McKinley.
    As president (1897-1901), McKinley led the U.S. to victory in the Spanish-American War, acquiring territories like the Philippines.

  • The U.S. Navy reports on the Maine

    The U.S. Navy reports that the Maine explosion was the result of external factors.

  • Conflicting naval report

    The Spanish Navy releases its own report on the Maine disaster, concluding that an internal explosion destroyed the battleship.

  • Civil war in Cuba

    President McKinley asks Congress for authority to “use armed force” in Cuba to end the civil war. Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Sagasta makes a last-minute peace concession by offering the Cubans limited autonomy.

  • War Revenue Act

    Congress passes the War Revenue Act, which generated about $150 million of tax revenue a year from taxes levied on beer, tobacco, amusements, and some business transactions. President McKinley signs the bill on June 13.

  • Guam surrenders

    Guam, whose Spanish commander was oblivious to the outbreak of the war, surrenders to advancing western Pacific fleets. The ignorance of the Spanish garrison becomes apparent to the captain of the U.S.S. Charleston when, following his bombardment of Guam, the Spanish apologize for not having returned the salute.

  • Peace in the Philippines

    American peace commissioners in Paris receive instructions to demand from Spain the cession of the Philippine Islands.

  • First presidential car ride

    President McKinley becomes the first President to ride in an automobile when he motors in a Stanley Steamer in his hometown of Canton, Ohio.

  • Gold Standard Act

    President McKinley signs the Gold Standard Act, which fixes the standard of value for all money issued or coined by the United States. It marks a victory for the so-called “goldbugs” from the Northeast and urban Midwest who pushed for gold-backed currency to stabilize industrial investment. Likewise, it is a crushing defeat for the free silver forces from the South and West who advocated silver coinage as a way to flush the agricultural economy with more available currency.

  • Second Philippine Commission

    President McKinley appoints a Second Philippine Commission, chaired by William Howard Taft.

  • Territory of Hawaii established

    Congress passes an act establishing the Territory of Hawaii.
  • Period: to

    Theodore Roosevelt

    Theodore Roosevelt was born in 1858 in New York City. He was homeschooled as a child but later attended Harvard, graduating in 1880. During the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt resigned as Assistant Secretary of the Navy to lead the Rough Riders cavalry regiment in Cuba,
    He became president in 1901 after the assassination of William McKinley.
    As president (1901-1909), Roosevelt promoted Progressive reforms, conservationism, and a strong foreign policy.

  • Chinese Exclusion Act

    Congress extends the Chinese Exclusion Act, prohibiting the immigration of Chinese laborers from the Philippines.

  • Crater Lake National Park

    The President establishes Crater Lake National Park in Oregon.

  • Isthmian Canal Act

    Congress passes the Isthmian Canal Act, which called for the funding and building of a canal across the Isthmus of Panama.

  • Department of Commerce and Labor created

    Roosevelt signs a bill creating the Department of Commerce and Labor, the ninth Cabinet office, which will itself emerge as two separate departments in 1913.

  • Northern Securities Co under federal prosecution

    The Department of Justice announces that the federal government would prosecute the Northern Securities Company (a subsidiary of J.P. Morgan) for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act.

  • First federal bird reservation

    Roosevelt proclaims Pelican Island, Florida, as the first federal bird reservation.

  • Revolt in Panama

    A revolt breaks out in Panama against Colombian rule. The uprising is sponsored by Panamanian agents and officers of the Panama Canal Company, with tacit permission of the Roosevelt administration. The presence of the American Navy prevents Colombia from crushing the revolt.

  • National Monuments Act

    Roosevelt signs the National Monuments Act, establishing the first eighteen national monuments, including Devils Tower, Muir Woods, and Mount Olympus.

  • Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act

    Roosevelt signs the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act. The legislation calls for both an honest statement of food content on labels and for federal inspection of all plants engaging in interstate commerce. The major impetus for these measures was The Jungle, the scathing report on meatpacking plants written by muckraking journalist Upton Sinclair, which TR personally read.

  • Atlanta, Georgia race riot

    A race riot in Atlanta, Georgia, leaves twenty-one people dead, including eighteen black Americans.
  • Period: to

    William H. Taft

    William Howard Taft was born in 1857 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Alphonso and Louisa Taft. He graduated from Yale in 1878 and Cincinnati Law School in 1880.
    Governor of the Philippines
    His family included his wife Helen Herron Taft and their four children.
    Taft taught law at Yale and served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

  • Secretary of State tours Central, South America

    Secretary of State Philander Knox tours Central and South America on a good-will mission.

  • Injunction on freight rates

    Taft obtains an injunction to prevent western railroads from raising freight rates. Taft was a fervent anti-trust supporter whose unrelenting anti-trust crusade outmatched even that of Teddy Roosevelt.

  • Postal Savings Bank Act

    Taft signs the Postal Savings Bank Act, which allowed one bank in each state, under federal supervision, to give two percent interest on accounts under $500.

  • Taft supports Roosevelt

    At the New York State Republican Convention in Saratoga, New York, Taft supports Roosevelt's choice for governor of New York, Henry Stimson.

  • Democrats win seats

    In congressional elections, Democrats win control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 1894, gaining a 228 to 162 to 1 majority. In the Senate, Republicans hold a 51 to 41 advantage.

  • National Progressive Republican League

    Wisconsin Senator Robert LaFollette establishes The National Progressive Republican League in Washington, D.C.

  • Taft vetoes tariff reductions

    Taft vetoes tariff reductions on wool and woolen goods, arguing that the Tariff Board had not completed its investigation.

  • Madero becomes president of Mexico

    Francisco Madero, a wealthy landowner, assumes office after being elected President of Mexico.

  • Washington's first cherry trees

    Mrs. Taft plants the first of the cherry trees in Washington, D.C., given to the United States by Japan as a symbol of international friendship, along the Tidal Basin of Potomac Park.

  • Marines land in Cuba

    American Marines land in Cuba to ensure order under the Platt Amendment.
  • Period: to

    Woodrow Wilson

    Woodrow Wilson was born in 1856 in Staunton, Virginia. He graduated from Princeton and earned a PhD from Johns Hopkins. Wilson had no military service. Before becoming president, he was a professor and president of Princeton, and Governor of New Jersey. His first wife Ellen died in 1914, and he later married Edith Bolling Galt. As president (1913-1921), Wilson led the U.S. in World War I and proposed the League of Nations. He died in 1924 in Washington, D.C.

  • Seventeenth Amendment

    The Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is enacted, providing for the direct popular election of U.S. senators. Previously, senators were chosen by their respective state legislatures. This amendment succeeds in diminishing the prestige of state governments and enhances popular control of the federal legislature.

  • Federal Reserve Act

    In an effort to safeguard America's financial institutions, the American economy, and the supply of U.S. currency, the Federal Reserve Act is signed into law. In contrast to the economies of Europe, the U.S. economy had functioned without the sophisticated management of banking ever since Andrew Jackson destroyed the Second Bank of the United States in 1830.

  • Tensions at Tampico

    In the port of Tampico, Mexican officials detain several U.S. Marines from the U.S.S. Dolphin. Despite the their quick release and an expression of regret by President Victor Huerta, U.S. Admiral Henry T. Mayo demands that Mexican troops salute an American flag as a sign of contrition. President Huerta refuses the demanded salute on April 11; three days later President Wilson orders American warships to Tampico Bay.

  • U.S. Marines land in Haiti

    U.S. Marines land in Haiti to restore order after the assassination of Haitian president Vilbrun Guillaume Sam. With the country suffering seemingly endless political strife, Wilson justifies the intervention as an exercise in teaching Haitians “how to elect good men.”

  • Georgia grants the KKK a charter

    Georgia grants the Ku Klux Klan a new state charter after decades of dormancy.
  • Period: to

    Warren G. Harding

    Warren G. Harding was born in 1865 in Blooming Grove, Ohio. He briefly attended Ohio Central College, graduating in 1882. Harding had no military service. Before becoming president, he was a newspaper publisher, Ohio state senator, and U.S. Senator from Ohio. His family included his wife Florence and eight siblings. Scandals emerged, teapot dome

  • Emergency Quota Act

    Harding signs the Emergency Quota Act into law, limiting the number of immigrants from any given country to 3 percent of that nationality already in the United States by 1910. The temporary act lasts three years and serves as the precursor to the harsher and permanent 1924 act. The law represents the growing nativism of the 1920s, motivated, in part, by the massive influx of south and east European immigrants into the United States following the end of World War I.

  • Denby transfers oil control

    In a relatively unnoticed move, Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby transfers control of the naval oil reserves in California and Wyoming to the Department of the Interior, headed by Albert B. Fall. The reserves at Teapot Dome, Wyoming, will later figure prominently in the scandals that stain the Harding administration.
  • Period: to

    Calvin Coolidge

    Calvin Coolidge was born in 1872 in Plymouth, Vermont to John Calvin Coolidge Sr. and Victoria Josephine Moor. He graduated from Amherst College in 1895. Coolidge had no military service. Before becoming president, he was a lawyer, mayor of Northampton, MA, state senator, lieutenant governor and governor of Massachusetts. His wife was Grace Goodhue and they had two sons. After leaving office, he retired to Northampton and died in 1933.

  • The U.S. and the World Court

    The Senate adopts a resolution allowing the United States to join the World Court in the event that U.S. participation accord with five separate conditions. All but one are satisfied; failure to meet every condition leads the Senate to reject full U.S. participation. While America will work with the World Court and the League of Nations over the next decade, it never becomes a member of either.

  • Cancelling French debt

    France and the United States sign an agreement that eventually cancels sixty percent of the French debt from the Great War.

  • Marines land in Nicaragua

    The U.S. Marines land in Nicaragua to quiet a revolt. America military forces will maintain a presence in Nicaragua until 1933.

  • Air Commerce Act passed

    The Air Commerce Act is passed by Congress. While the federal government already subsidized airmail, this act gave the Commerce Department regulatory powers over sectors of the aviation industry, such as the licensing of pilots and aircrafts.

  • Court gives President right to remove

    The Supreme Court rules that the President has the right to remove cabinet members at his own discretion. The ruling nullifies the 1868 Tenure of Office Act, which required consent of the Senate in order to restrict the powers of President Andrew Johnson during Reconstruction.

  • U.S. and Canadian relations

    The United States and Canada establish diplomatic relations independent of Britain.

  • Voting restrictions unconstitutional

    The Supreme Court rules that a Texas law prohibiting black people from voting in Democratic primaries is unconstitutional.

  • Coolidge chooses not to run

    Concerned that four more years in office might appear to some observers as a third term as President, Coolidge ends any talk of his candidacy for the 1928 election stating, “I do not choose to run.”

  • Sacco and Vanzetti executed

    Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are executed in Massachusetts for their alleged 1920 murder of a factory guard, despite protests that the two men had been unfairly prosecuted for their radical beliefs.

  • Conflict in Mexico's Constitution

    Reversing its 1917 Constitution, Mexico's Congress grants unlimited concessions to foreigners for lands on which they engaged in any “positive” acts prior to May 1917. Soon after, however, the government revokes all rights to oil-rich territories, generating fierce protest by American businessmen. The United States recognizes new president Alvaro Obregon on the condition that he grant American firms subsoil rights. Under such pressure, the Mexican Supreme Court rules the law unconstitutional.
  • Period: to

    Herbert Hoover

    Herbert Hoover was born in 1874 in West Branch, Iowa to a Quaker family. He graduated from Stanford University in 1895 with a degree in geology. Hoover had no military service. Before becoming president, he was a mining engineer and U.S. Secretary of Commerce under Harding and Coolidge. His wife was Lou Henry Hoover and they had two sons. . After leaving office, he wrote books criticizing the New Deal and served on government reorganization commissions. Hoover died in 1964 at age 90.

  • Stock index doubles

    The index of common stock prices reaches an average of 216, more than double what it had been three years earlier. The increase represented the largest bull market the country had ever seen. At the same time, national income statistics indicate that roughly 60 percent of Americans have annual incomes below the poverty line, estimated at $2000.

  • Census report

    The U.S. Census reports a population of nearly 123 million, illiteracy hitting a new low of 4.3 percent of the population--down 1.7 percent from 1920--with about one in five Americans owning an automobile.

  • Veterans Administration Act

    Hoover signs the Veterans Administration Act, establishing the Veterans Administration. The act consolidates all existing federal agencies handling benefits for former servicemen into a single department.

  • Yuko Hamaguchi assassinated

    Japanese Premier, Yuko Hamaguchi, is assassinated by a military fanatic. Hamaguchi had supported the London Naval Treaty signed in April, and his death opens the government to the increasing influence of military groups. Eighteen months later, Hamaguchi's replacement, Ki Inukai, will also be assassinated, with these groups assuming full control of the government.

  • Bank of the United States closes

    The Bank of the United States in New York City, with 60 branches and 400,000 depositors, closes. It is merely the largest of the more than 1300 bank closings across the country as the economic depression worsens.
  • Period: to

    Franklin D. Roosevelt

    Franklin D. Roosevelt was born in 1882 in Hyde Park, New York to James and Sara Roosevelt. He attended Groton School and Harvard, graduating in 1903. Roosevelt had no military service. Before becoming president, he was a New York state senator, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and Governor of New York. His wife was Eleanor Roosevelt, and they had six children. Roosevelt's New Deal programs and wartime leadership made him one of the most influential presidents in U.S. history.

  • The House of Representatives forms the Committee t…

    The House of Representatives forms the Committee to Investigate Un- American Activities. Headed by Martin Dies of Texas, its purpose is to investigate all groupsóon both the Right and Left of the political spectrumódeemed un-American.

  • FDR signs the Fair Labor Stand…

    FDR signs the Fair Labor Standards Act; raising the minimum wage and setting the maximum work week at 40 hours, though only for businesses engaged in interstate commerce.

  • FDR formally submits his budget to Congress

    FDR formally submits his budget to Congress, requesting more than $1.3 billion for defense out of a total of $9 billion.

  • The Supreme Court declares the sit-down strike, on…

    The Supreme Court declares the sit-down strike, one of organized labor's most powerful tactics, unconstitutional.

  • As the Spanish Civil War effectively comes to an e…

    As the Spanish Civil War effectively comes to an end, the United States recognizes the government headed by General Francisco Franco.

  • FDR declares all American ports and waters closed …

    FDR declares all American ports and waters closed to submarines of belligerents.

  • FDR signs the Neutrality Act of 1939, repealing th…

    FDR signs the Neutrality Act of 1939, repealing the general embargo on arms and allowing the sale of arms to belligerents on a “cash and carry” basis. Ostensibly a neutral plan, it is clearly designed to allow the United States to aid Britain and France while retaining their official stance of neutrality.

  • FDR establishes the Office for Emergency Managemen…

    FDR establishes the Office for Emergency Management, illustrating his belief in the increasing inevitability of U.S. involvement in the war.

  • FDR is inaugurated for his third term as President…

    FDR is inaugurated for his third term as President.

  • The Office of Price Administra…

    The Office of Price Administration (OPA) is established to control and stabilize prices during wartime.
  • Period: to

    Harry S. Truman

    Harry S. Truman was born in 1884 in Lamar, Missouri. He attended business school but dropped out due to financial troubles. Truman served in the Missouri National Guard from 1905-1911 and again in World War I, rising to the rank of captain. Before becoming president, he was a farmer, county judge, and U.S. Senator from Missouri. His wife was Bess Wallace and they had one daughter, Margaret. After leaving office, he retired to Independence, Missouri and died in 1972.

  • Truman delivers “Truman Doctrine” speech

    Truman delivers his “Truman Doctrine” speech to Congress, asking for a $400 million appropriation to fight the spread of Communism in Greece and Turkey.

  • Federal Employee Loyalty Program

    Truman creates the Federal Employee Loyalty Program, known as the “Loyalty Order,” via Executive Order 9835. This order’s purpose was to ensure loyalty against communism in the federal government.

  • Jackie Robinson integrates baseball

    Jackie Robinson plays his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers and integrates major league baseball.

  • Marshall plan

    Secretary of State George Marshall proposes economic aid to Europe in an address at Harvard University. Officially titled the European Recovery Program, the package aids Western Europe in rebuilding their economies, and becomes known as the “Marshall Plan.” Marshall Plan Announced

  • Taft-Hartley Act vetoed

    Truman vetoes the Taft-Hartley Act.

  • Truman addresses the NAACP

    Truman addresses the NAACP, the first President to do so.

  • National Security Act

    The National Security Act passes Congress, creating the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, and the National Security Resources Board.

  • Marshall Plan passed

    Congress passes the European Recovery Program (the “Marshall Plan”).

  • Marshall Plan passed

    Congress passes the European Recovery Program (the “Marshall Plan”).

  • U.S. recognizes Israel

    The United States recognizes the state of Israel.

  • Soviet Union blocks West Berlin

    The Soviet Union blockades the overland access routes to West Berlin.
  • Period: to

    Dwight D. Eisenhower

    Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in 1890 in Denison, Texas and raised in Abilene, Kansas. He graduated from West Point in 1915. During WWI, Eisenhower commanded a tank training center but was denied overseas service. Before becoming president, he was Army Chief of Staff, president of Columbia University, and first NATO Supreme Commander. His wife was Mamie Doud and they had two sons. After leaving office, he retired to his farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and died in 1969.

  • Eisenhower appoints Earl Warren

    Eisenhower appoints Earl Warren Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

  • Soviets test H-bomb

    Eisenhower announces that the Soviet Union has tested a hydrogen bomb.

  • U.S., Taiwan sign mutual defense pact

    The United States signs a mutual defense pact with Taiwan.

  • Eisenhower’s “open skies”

    Eisenhower makes his “open skies” proposal at Geneva, calling for the Unites States and the Soviet Union to share maps indicating locations of military installments. Though this particular proposal is not accepted, it lays the foundation for Reagan’s future “trust, but verify” policy.

  • U.S. announces artificial satellites

    Plans for the first artificial satellites, scheduled to be launched in 1957, are announced by the United States.
  • Period: to

    John F. Kennedy

    John F. Kennedy was born in 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. He graduated from Harvard in 1940. During WWII, Kennedy served in the U.S. Navy, earning the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism. His family included his wife Jacqueline and four children. Kennedy's presidency is remembered for his youthful vigor and his challenge to "ask what you can do for your country."

  • Inaugural Address.

    “Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage--and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.”

  • Executive Order 10924

    directs the Secretary of State to establish the Peace Corps, In a Statement and Message calls upon Congress to make the program permanent.

  • Address before the General Assembly of the United Nations.

    Address before the General Assembly of the United Nations. Addresses an array of issues include Vietnam and Berlin.

  • Report to the American People on the Soviet Arms buildup in Cuba.

    In a televised speech, reveals that he has received “unmistakable evidence” of offensive missile sites in Cuba. Accuses the Soviets of deliberate deception. Announces that a strict quarantine on shipping offensive weapons to Cuba.
  • Period: to

    Lyndon B. Johnson

    Lyndon B. Johnson was born in 1908 in Stonewall, Texas to Sam and Rebekah Johnson. He graduated from Southwest Texas State Teachers College in 1930. During WWII, Johnson served briefly in the U.S. Navy, earning the Silver Star. Before becoming president, he was a U.S. Congressman and Senator from Texas, and Vice President under Kennedy. His wife was Lady Bird Johnson. After leaving office, he retired to his ranch in Texas and died in 1973.

  • Announces postponement of underground nuclear tests

    Announces postponement of underground nuclear tests during discussions of a test ban treaty.

  • Economic Opportunity Act

    Johnson signs the Economic Opportunity Act, creating the Office of Economic Opportunity and beginning the War on Poverty.

  • Elementary and Secondary Education Act

    Johnson signs the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

  • Contraceptive ban deemed unconstitutional

    The U.S. Supreme Court finds a Connecticut law banning the use of contraceptives unconstitutional.

  • Movement moves North

    Martin Luther King Jr. leads a demonstration in Chicago in an effort to extend the Civil Rights Movement to the North.

  • Medicare, Medicaid created

    Johnson signs legislation creating Medicare and Medicaid.

  • Voting Rights Act becomes law

    Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act into law.

  • France withdraws from NATO

    Fearing that American involvement in Vietnam will draw France into a world war, French president Charles de Gaulle announces that France will withdraw from NATO.

  • White House pushes Congress for legislation

    The White House Conference on Civil Rights urges Congress to pass further civil rights legislation.

  • James Meredith shot

    James Meredith, known for integrating the University of Mississippi as its first black student, is shot on his solo march from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi. While Meredith was hospitalized, other civil activists organized to complete his march, which Meredith rejoined along with 15,000 other marchers. As a result, 4,000 black Americans in Mississippi were registered to vote.

  • Miranda v. Arizona

    In Miranda v. Arizona, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the constitutional provision against self-incrimination applies to police interrogations; this led to the “Miranda rights” procedure in which these rights are read upon arrest.

  • Black Panther Party founded

    Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale found the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California.

  • Six Day War

    The Six Day War breaks out between Israel and several Arab nations.
  • Period: to

    Richard M. Nixon

    Richard Nixon was born in 1913 in Yorba Linda, California to Francis and Hannah Nixon. He graduated from Whittier College in 1934 and Duke Law School in 1937. During WWII, Nixon served in the U.S. Navy, rising to lieutenant commander. Before becoming president, he was a U.S. Congressman, Senator, and Vice President under Eisenhower. His wife was Pat Nixon. After leaving office, Nixon remained active in foreign policy until his death in 1994.

  • Post Office goes public

    Nixon asks that Congress make the Post Office department a public corporation.

  • North Vietnam rejects peace

    Nixon reveals that North Vietnam has rejected the administration's secret peace offers. He proposes a plan for the gradual and secretive withdrawal of troops.

  • Nixon signs Selective Service Reform

    Nixon signs the Selective Service Reform bill aimed at calming conscription anxieties; this bill ensured that draftees are selected by a lottery system, that the prime eligibility of draftees be reduced from seven years to one, and that draftees aged 19 would be selected at highest priority.

  • Aims to end segregation

    The administration announces that it will seek to end de jure segregation, or segregation by law, though de facto segregation or segregation in practice is still common.

  • Postal Service established

    Nixon approves and signs the Postal Reorganization Act, which establishes an independent United States Postal Service.

  • Five-point peace in Vietnam

    In a televised address, Nixon proposes a five-point peace plan for Indochina. The plan includes a “cease-fire in place” and the negotiated withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam.

  • Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970

    Nixon signs the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970, which gives the secretary of labor the responsibility of setting workplace safety standards for jobs in the United States.

  • Keynesian economics

    Nixon tells an ABC news commentator that he is now a “Keynesian,” or one who subscribes to the ideal (of Keynesian economics) that government spending could break a recession. This was unusual for a Republican president.

  • Bugging the EOB

    A voice-activated taping system in the Executive Office Building (EOB) becomes operational. Taping also begins on phone conversations held in the Oval Office, the EOB, and the Lincoln Sitting Room.

  • Wage-Price Controls Bil

    Nixon signs a Wage-Price Controls Bill, extending his authority to impose restraints on wages, prices, salaries, and rents for another year.
  • Period: to

    Gerald R. Ford

    Gerald Ford was born Leslie King Jr. in 1913 in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents divorced when he was young and his mother remarried Gerald Ford, who adopted him. Ford grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan and Yale Law School. During WWII, he served in the Navy as an instructor and lieutenant on the USS Monterey. His wife was Betty Ford and they had four children. After leaving office, Ford remained active in politics and public life until his death in 2006.

  • Clemency for draft evaders

    The government announces a clemency whereby draft evaders and military deserters could “earn their return to the mainstream of American society” by performing alternative services.

  • Airstrikes on Cambodia

    Marines move onto Koh Tang, an island off the shore of Cambodia believed to hold the captured sailors of the Mayaguez. Fierce fighting kills fifteen Marines, but the sailors are not found. Ford orders airstrikes on the Cambodian mainland. At 10:35 PM, the crew of the Mayaguez is released.

  • President Ford Committee established

    The President establishes the President Ford Committee to run his 1976 nomination for the presidential election.

  • Betty Ford on 60 Minutes

    First Lady Betty Ford shocks the nation when on the “60 Minutes” television show, she speaks candidly on topics such as extra-marital affairs and marijuana and admits to strongly favoring the Supreme Court's ruling making abortion legal.

  • Ford requests tax reductions

    Ford addresses the nation via television asking for a reduction of $28 billion in taxes and spending.
  • Period: to

    Jimmy Carter

    Jimmy Carter was born in 1924 in Plains, Georgia. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 and served in the Navy's submarine service until 1953. Before becoming president, Carter was a Georgia state senator and governor. His wife was Rosalynn Smith and they had four children. After leaving office, Carter founded the Carter Center and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts to advance democracy and human rights worldwide.

  • Congress passes energy, employment bills

    Congress passes a revised energy bill eighteen months after Carter proposed it. Congress also passes the Humphrey-Hawkins full employment bill.

  • MX missile approved

    Carter approves development of the MX missile.

  • A crisis of confidence

    Carter delivers what becomes known as his “malaise speech,” blaming the problems of the nation on “a crisis of confidence.”

  • Department of Education established

    Carter signs a bill establishing the Department of Education and appoints Shirley Hufstedler as its secretary.

  • Americans taken hostage in Tehran

    In the longest hostage situation in recorded history, Iranian students take fifty-two American diplomats and citizens hostage for 444 days at the American embassy in Tehran. The students were supporters of the Iranian Revolution and took the hostages in protest of the United States’ harboring of the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi who was accused of numerous violent crimes against Iranian citizens.
  • Period: to

    Ronald Reagan

    Ronald Reagan was born in 1911 in Tampico, Illinois to Jack and Nelle Reagan. He graduated from Eureka College in 1932. During WWII, Reagan served in the Army Air Forces, producing over 400 training films. Before becoming president, he was a radio sports announcer, actor, and Governor of California. His family included his wife Nancy Davis and four children. After leaving office, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and died in 2004.

  • Reagan shot in chest

    Reagan is shot in the chest by John Warnock Hinckley Jr.

  • Soviet grain embargo lifted

    Reagan lifts a grain embargo imposed on Soviet Union by President Carter.

  • Reagan dismisses strikers

    Reagan orders the dismissal of 13,000 PATCO air traffic controllers out on strike, citing their violation of a federal law against industry strikes.

  • Military buildup

    Reagan declares that the United States will produce the B-1 bomber and MX missiles as part of military buildup.

  • Negotiating with Soviet Union

    Reagan states that he will not deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe if the Soviet Union agrees to dismantle similar weapons already in place.

  • Sanctions on Poland

    Reagan imposes economic sanctions on Poland following that government's imposition of martial law.

  • Reagan visits West Berlin

    Reagan visits West Berlin.

  • Invasion of Grenada

    U.S. forces invade the island nation of Grenada to overthrow the military government that had carried out a government coup days before. Grenada, a small country, was no match for U.S. military force, and the U.S. forces subdued the opposing forces within a few days.

  • Exchange with China

    Reagan signs scientific and cultural exchange accords with the Beijing leadership while on six-day visit to China.

  • Farm credit crises

    Farm credit crises pose serious a threat to U.S. agriculture. The Reagan administration eases rules on a loan-guarantee program, but rejects provisions for additional funding.
  • Period: to

    George Bush

    George H.W. Bush was born in 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts to Prescott and Dorothy Bush. He attended Phillips Academy and Yale, graduating in 1948. During WWII, Bush served as a Navy pilot, flying 58 combat missions. Before becoming president, he was a Congressman, UN Ambassador, RNC Chair, CIA Director, and Vice President under Reagan. His family includes his wife Barbara and their six children. After leaving office, Bush remained active in public life until his death in 2018

  • The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.

    oil spill caused havoc.

  • Goverment

    Chinese government begins bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators who had been gathered in Tiananmen Square starting mid-April.

  • Signs agreements with Soviet President Gorbachev

    Signs agreements with Soviet President Gorbachev in Washington, DC, including chemical and nuclear weapons reductions.

  • Condemns Soviet intervention

    Condemns Soviet intervention in democratic uprisings in Lithuania and Latvia

  • Founding of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

    Founding of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
  • Period: to

    Bill Clinton

    Bill Clinton was born in 1946 in Hope, Ark. to Virginia Cassidy and William Blythe. He graduated from Georgetown University in 1968 and Yale Law School in 1973. Clinton had no military service. Before becoming president, he was a Rhodes Scholar, professor at the University of Arkansas Law School, and Governor of Arkansas. His family includes his wife Hillary and daughter Chelsea. After leaving office, Clinton has remained active in public life through his foundation and as a global ambassador.

  • Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act

    President Clinton signs the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. The legislation, which passes both houses of Congress by slim majorities, lays out a plan to reduce the budget deficit by $496 billion through 1998, using a combination of spending cuts and tax increases.

  • Clinton unveils healthcare plan

    President Clinton unveils a plan for universal health care that would fix what he called a “badly broken” system. Clinton emphasizes that under his plan, all Americans would have high quality health care and would be able to choose their physicians.

  • Brady Act

    President Clinton signs the Brady Act, which requires a potential handgun purchaser to wait five days while a background check is performed by law enforcement officers.

  • NAFTA creates free trade zone

    After a hard-fought battle in Congress, President Clinton signs the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), eliminating nearly every trade barrier between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, creating the world's largest free trade zone.

  • Vietnam trade embargo lifted

    President Clinton ends the nineteen-year old trade embargo against Vietnam, noting that Vietnam is indeed trying to locate 2,238 Americans listed as missing in action since the Vietnam War.

  • Congress delays heath care reform

    The White House and congressional leaders, including Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-ME), announce that Clinton's ambitious plan for health care reform will not be acted upon in 1994. Clinton's initiatives fail to find support in Congress.

  • Clinton expands law enforcement, death penalty

    President Clinton signs into law the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act that includes provisions providing for the hiring of 100,000 more police and the expansion of the death penalty to cover more than 50 federal crimes.

  • NATO begins strikes on Serbia

    NATO, with a strong contingent of American forces, begins two weeks of air attacks on Serbian positions.

  • Expanding health care coverage

    President Clinton signs a health care reform bill that he expects to expand coverage for many Americans. The measure specifically allows workers who change or lose their jobs to keep their health insurance coverage.

  • Missile strikes Iraq

    President Clinton orders a cruise missile strike against Iraq after Saddam Hussein leads a siege against the Kurdish city of Irbil in northern Iraq.
  • Period: to

    George W. Bush

    George W. Bush was born in 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut to George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush. He graduated from Yale University in 1975 with an MBA. During the Vietnam War, Bush served in the Texas Air National Guard. Bush was a businessman, Governor of Texas, and Vice President under Ronald Reagan. His family includes his wife Laura and their two daughters. After leaving office, Bush has remained active in public life through his presidential library and various initiatives.

  • Operation “Enduring Freedom”

    Speaking from the Treaty Room of the White House, President Bush announces the commencement of military action in Afghanistan, an operation code-named “Enduring Freedom.”

  • Searching for signs of 9/11

    Congress presses the Bush administration for further information about warnings of the September 11, 2001, attacks. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice holds a briefing, maintaining, “I don’t think that anybody could have predicted that these people would take an airplane and slam it into the World Trade Center, take another one and slam it into the Pentagon.” She insists that there was no lapse in intelligence.

  • Curbing corporate abuses

    Following the Enron and WorldCom scandals, in which both companies claimed profits

  • Bush addresses UN Security Council

    President Bush addresses the United Nations’ Security Council, making his case for military action to enforce UN resolutions in Iraq. Additionally, he warns that the United States will move alone if the Council does not act. In the coming days, Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell will continue to press the Security Council for a resolution against Iraq. France, Germany, and Russia, all permanent members of the Security Council, express severe reservations.

  • Bush declares war with Iraq

    The 8:00 p.m. deadline for Hussein to leave Iraq passes. At 10:15 p.m., Bush addresses the nation and informs the American people that the United States is at war with Iraq.

  • Circumventing bans on torture

    Attorney General John Ashcroft appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer questions regarding two leaked government memoranda that contained legal arguments for circumventing U.S. and international bans on torture, specifically for the questioning of terrorist suspects.

  • First Bush-Kerry debate

    Bush and Democratic nominee, Senator John Kerry, have their first of three presidential debates, this one focused on national security issues and foreign policy. The Bush administration’s handling of the Iraq War is the main focus.

  • bin-Laden addresses America

    Qatar-based television channel Al-Jazeera airs excerpts from a videotape of Osama bin-Laden, leader of the terrorist network al-Qaeda, who addresses the American people; he accepts responsibility for and justifies the September 11th attacks while condemning Bush’s response to them. Many view this tape as an attempt by al-Qaeda to influence the U.S. presidential election.

  • Bush delivers State of the Union

    In his State of the Union, President Bush calls for an historic restructuring of Social Security, allowing workers to use their payroll taxes to invest in the stock market. However, he is unable to move the policy through Congress.

  • Hurricane Katrina strikes

    Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf coast of the United States with devastating effects. The storm breaches the levee system in New Orleans, causing massive flooding and destruction of property. The Bush administration is harshly criticized for an inadequate response by the federal government to the storm’s destruction.
  • Period: to

    Barrack Obama

    Barack Obama was born in 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Barack Obama Sr. and Stanley Ann Dunham. He graduated from Columbia University in 1983 and Harvard Law School in 1991. Obama was a community organizer in Chicago, an Illinois state senator. After leaving office, Obama has remained active through his foundation and library, focused on inspiring and empowering people to create change

  • Stem cell research

    The president overturns a rule that restricted the amount of federal money that could be used on embryonic stem cell research.

  • Justice Sotomayor

    Obama nominates federal judge Sonia Sotomayor to take over for retiring Justice David Souter. She is confirmed in August.

  • HIV travel ban

    Obama lifts a 22-year-old ban that restricts those with HIV/AIDS from entering the United States.

  • Haiti aid

    Obama pledges $100,000,000 to assist Haiti in recovery from the devastating earthquake that hit the country on January 12.

  • School grants

    Obama announces $900 million in grants that will be given to under-performing schools if they accept new reforms.

  • Justice Kagan

    Obama nominates Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court. She is sworn into office in August.

  • First presidential pardons

    President Obama pardons nine individuals with crimes ranging from drug charges to conspiracy.

  • American Jobs Act

    President Obama makes an address to the joint session of Congress to present the American Jobs Act, which is designed to improve the U.S. economy.

  • End of Iraq War

    President Obama announces that U.S. troops will be home from Iraq by December and that the U.S. role in the war is over.

  • Gay marriage

    President Obama announces his support of same-sex marriage.
  • Period: to

    Donald J. Trump

    Donald Trump was born in 1946 in Queens, New York to Fred Trump and Mary Anne MacLeod Trump. He graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968. Trump had no military service. Trump's family includes his three wives - Ivana Zelníčková, Marla Maples, and Melania Knauss - and five children: Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany, and Barron. After leaving office, Trump continued to make unsubstantiated claims of election fraud.

  • Flynn resigns

    President Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn resigns after he admits to misleading Vice President Mike Pence about conversations Flynn had with the Russian ambassador before Trump’s inauguration.

  • Action against Syrian government

    President Trump orders US strikes against an air base in Syria after the Syrian government launches a chemical weapons attack against the Syrian province of Idlib, killing civilians including children.

  • Tax bill signed

    President Trump signs $1.5 trillion tax bill into law. The bill overhauls the federal tax code and is a victory for Republicans. The bill cuts taxes for corporations and the wealthy while delivering only moderate cuts to most Americans.

  • Attorney speaks on affair

    President Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, admits that he paid $130,000 of his own money to an adult film actress who had an affair with Trump.

  • March for Our Lives

    The March for Our Lives is held in Washington, DC, with companion marches around the country to push for gun control legislation. The march is organized by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which had been the site of a mass shooting in February 2018.

  • Call with Xi Jinping

    Weeks after taking office, Biden held a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, setting a tone for a contentious relationship with Beijing.

  • COVID-19 relief

    Biden signed into law a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that included direct payments of $1,400 to most American adults.

  • Afghanistan withdrawal

    The withdrawal was popular amongst Americans, according to public opinion polls. But the Afghan government quickly collapsed to Taliban forces without putting up a serious fight, something Biden later admitted happened “more quickly than we anticipated”.
  • Period: to

    Joseph R. Biden

    Joe Biden was born in 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Delaware in 1965. Biden had no military service. Before becoming president, Biden was a U.S. Senator from Delaware for 36 years and Vice President under Obama. Biden's family includes his wife Jill, daughter Ashley, and sons Beau (deceased) and Hunter. After leaving office, Biden plans to continue his work on these issues through his foundation and library.

  • Build Back Better

    The plan, dubbed Build Back Better, was to be the core of his self-proclaimed agenda to revive the economy “from the bottom up and the middle out”. The bill was later scaled down to $1.75 trillion in spending, to be spread over 10 years. It was approved by the House of Representatives.

  • Kyiv visit, Warsaw speech

    Speaking to thousands in Warsaw, Poland, in February, Biden promised that the war in Ukraine “will never be a victory for Russia”.