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Period: to
Early Republic
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George Washington
First President of the USA
Years in office: 1789 - 1797
Party: not affiliated -
Hamilton’s Financial Plan 🟧
Hamilton’s Financial Plan was used to try and stabilize the American economy and establish the United States’ credit. His plan created a National Bank which managed government funds, regulated currency and support economic growth. Hamilton’s plan laid the foundation for the U.S. economy and strengthened federal power and contributed to the rise of political parties. Source:
https://www.ushistory.org/us/18b.asp?srsltid=AfmBOorShmvh0AYUS95ZhOlPUB9dvy0_KLCnRpkHu76LtXBn_04PR7dv -
Period: to
The Second Great Awakening 🟦
The Second Great Awakening was a nationwide expansion of Christianity that lasted from about 1801 to 1840. The awakening shaped American society in many ways. It emphasized personal salvation, emotional religious experiences, and deepening of faith for individuals. Source:
https://www.cuamerica.org/what_was_the_second_great_awakening -
John Adams
Years in office: 1797 - 1801
Party: Federalist -
Thomas Jefferson
Years in office: 1801 - 1809
Party: Democratic-Republican -
James Madison
Years in office: 1809 - 1817
Party: Democratic-Republican -
Period: to
Manifest Destiny/Westward Expansion
-
Period: to
War of 1812 🟥
The War of 1812 was a conflict between the United States and Great Britain. It was caused by British interference with American trade and the British supporting the Native Americans attack on American settlers. The war ended with the Treaty of Ghent in 1814 which re-stored the pre-war borders but didn’t resolve any of the original issues. Source:
https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/major-events/war-of-1812-overview/ -
Period: to
Era of Good Feelings
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James Monroe
Years in office: 1817 - 1825
Party: Democratic-Republican -
Temperance Movement 🟦
The Temperance Movement was a social reform effort used to try and reduce or eliminate the consumption of alcohol in American society. Supporters of the movement believed that alcohol caused problems such as crime, workplace accidents, domestic violence and poverty. It was led by religious groups, women and some organizations. The movement influenced some alcohol bans and it spread rapidly across the U.S. Source:
https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/religious/the-temperance-movement/ -
John Quincy Adams
Years in office: 1825 - 1829
Party: Whig -
Andrew Jackson
Years in office: 1829 - 1837
Party: Democratic -
Period: to
Jacksonian
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Indian Removal Act 🟪
The Indian Removal Act harmed native Americans by uprooting them from their homelands, which caused them suffering. The act cleared land for White settlement and the expansion of slavery. Source:
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/indian-removal-act/ -
Jackson Vetoes the Second National Bank 🟧
President Jackson vetoed the recharter of the Second Bank of the United States. Jackson believed that the Bank was unconstitutional. He also thought the Bank had too much power over the economy and politics. Him vetoing the Bank was popular among Americans and helped him win the re-election. This led to the “Bank War” that ended with the Bank’s closure in 1836. Source:
https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/historic-document-library/detail/andrew-jackson-bank-veto-message-1832 -
Martin Van Buren
Years in office: 1837 - 1841
Party: Democratic -
William Henry Harrison
Years in office: 1841
Party: Whig -
John Tyler
Years in office: 1841 - 1845
Party: Whig -
James K. Polk
Years in office: 1845 - 1849
Party: Democratic -
The Great Famine and Irish Immigration 🟪
Also known as the Irish Potato Famine, it was a catastrophic event where a plant disease destroyed the main food source for millions of people. This led to mass starvation and disease, causing over a million people to die. Due to this famine, a huge number of Irish fled to the U.S. starting in 1945. This was one of the largest waves of immigration in U.S. history. Source:
https://teachdemocracy.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=805 -
Period: to
Mexican American War 🟥
The Mexican-American War was a conflict between the United States and Mexico. The war started because of the annexation of Texas. The war resulted in the U.S. get more than 500,000 square miles of Mexican territory. Source:
https://www.britannica.com/event/Mexican-American-War -
Millard Fillmore
Years in office: 1850 - 1853
Party: Whig -
Seneca Falls Convention 🟦
The convention was a two-day event held in Seneca Falls, New York. It was the first women’s rights convention and was held to discuss the conditions and rights of Women. The convention sparked the fight for women’s suffrage and eventually led to the 19th Amendment being passed. Source:
https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-19/ -
Zachary Taylor
Years in office: 1849 - 1850
Party: Whig -
Franklin Pierce
Years in office: 1853 - 1857
Party: Democratic -
Kansas-Nebraska Act 🟧
The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, which outlawed slavery in certain territories. The act also created two new territories and allowed for popular sovereignty. As a result of the act, a violent uprising occurred, which is known as the “Bleeding Kansas”. Source:
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/kansas-nebraska-act -
James Buchanan
Years in office: 1857 - 1861
Party: Democratic -
Abraham Lincoln
Years in office: 1861 - 1865
Party: Whig / Republican -
Period: to
Civil War
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Period: to
Civil War 🟥
A four-year war in the US between the Union and the Confederacy. It was the most destructive and largest war, but it resolved the issues of slaveholding continuing to exist and if the United States should be one nation or many sovereign states. Source:
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/brief-overview-american-civil-war -
Period: to
Progressive Era
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Andrew Johnson
Years in office: 1865 - 1869
Party: Democratic -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln 🟥
On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln attended a comedy performance at Ford’s Theatre. He and his wife were in the Presidential box watching the performance when John Wilkes Booth came into the box and shot President Lincoln. A doctor who was at the theater tried to help Lincoln, but the doctor could not save him, and the next day, he ended up dying. Source:
https://www.loc.gov/collections/abraham-lincoln-papers/articles-and-essays/assassination-of-president-abraham-lincoln/ -
13th Amendment 🟧
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in all states and territories of the U.S. Source:
https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-13/ -
Period: to
Reconstruction Acts 🟧
The Reconstruction Acts were four laws passed that stated the conditions for the former Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union. Source:
https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/civil-war-and-reconstruction-1861-1877/reconstruction-and-rights/ -
Period: to
Jim Crow 🟥
Jim Crow laws were enforced to create a system of discrimination and racial segregation in the U.S. These laws were mainly implemented in the South and created a system of “separate but equal”. Jim Crow laws ended with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Source:
https://jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu/origins.htm -
14th Amendment 🟧
Anyone born or naturalized in the U.S. shouldn’t be denied equal protection under the law. No one shall be deprived of their life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Source:
https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-14/ -
Ulysses S. Grant
Years in office: 1869 - 1877
Party: Republican -
Period: to
Gilded Age
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15th Amendment 🟧
No citizen U.S. should be denied or abridged the right to vote by the United States based on race, color, or previous for being a free slave. Source: https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-15/ -
Rutherford B Hayes
Years in office: 1877 - 1881
Party: Republican -
James A. Garfield
Years in office: 1881
Party: Republican -
Chester A. Arthur
Years in office: 1881 - 1885
Party: Republican -
Chinese Exclusion Act 🟧
The Chinese Exclusion Act put a 10-year ban on Chinese laborers immigrating to the U.S. The act caused new requirements for the Chinese who were already in the U.S., not allowing them to become citizens. After the ban expired in 1892, it was extended for 10 more years, and then in 1902 it was made permanent. -
Grover Cleveland
Years in office: 1885 - 1889
Party: National Democratic -
Settlement House Movement 🟦
The Settlement House Movement is one of the most influential organizations in American history. The goal was to bring the rich and poor parts of society together, both physically and socially connected. The establishment of the settlement houses in poor areas allowed the middle class to share knowledge and culture with the low-income people. Source: https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/settlement-houses/settlement-houses/ -
Benjamin Harrison
Years in office: 1889 - 1893
Party: Republican -
Grover Cleveland
Years in office: 1893 - 1897
Party: National Democratic -
Pullman Strike 🟦
The Pullman Strike was a major railroad strike in the United States. It began when Pullman workers protested wage cuts and high living cost. The strike showed the tension between the labor force and the government. The Pullman Strike led to the creation of Labor Day. Source:
https://digital.lib.niu.edu/illinois/gildedage/pullman -
William McKinley
Years in office: 1897 - 1901
Party: Republican -
Period: to
Spanish American War 🟥
The Spanish-American War was the end of Spain’s colonial empire and secured the U.S. as a Pacific power. The United States victory in the war allowed them to obtain Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. The U.S. was also able to annex Hawaii. Source:
https://www.history.com/articles/spanish-american-war -
Theodore Roosevelt
Years in office: 1901 - 1909
Party: Republican -
William Howard Taft
Years in office: 1909 - 1913
Party: Republican -
Period: to
Harlem Renaissance 🟦
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement centered in Harlem, New York. It challenged racism and promoted civil rights. The Harlem Renaissance transformed American Culture and laid the way for future political movements. Source:
https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/new-african-american-identity-harlem-renaissance -
Woodrow Wilson
Years in office: 1913 - 1921
Party: Democratic -
Period: to
WWl
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Period: to
World War 1 🟥
World War 1 started when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. The U.S. didn’t come into the war until Germany started sinking U.S. ships so on April 2nd, Woodrow Wilson declared war on Germany and the U.S. had joined WWI. Source:
https://www.history.com/articles/world-war-i-history -
Period: to
Roaring 20s
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Warren G. Harding
Years in office: 1921 - 1923
Party: Republican -
Period: to
Tulsa Race Massacre 🟥
The Tulsa Race Massacre was the deadliest incident of racial violence. It was when a white mob attacked the Black community of Greenwood after a false accusation against a Black man. Over 1,00 businesses and homes were destroyed and about 300 people were killed during the incident. Source:
https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=TU013 -
Calvin Coolidge
Years in office: 1923 - 1929
Party: Republican -
Introduction of the ERA 🟧
The Equal Rights Amendment was proposed to Congress in 1923 to try to secure full equality for women. The main goal was to eliminate the distinctions when it came to divorce, property, employment, education, and other matters. Although the amendment failed ratification, women gradually got more rights due to continued efforts to expand rights. Source:
https://www.archives.gov/women/era -
Herbert Hoover
Years in office: 1929 - 1933
Party: Republican -
Period: to
Great Depression
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Period: to
Great Depression 🟩
The Great Depression was the worst economic crisis in modern history, that began with the stock market crash of 1929. It lasted until the beginning of WWII. It caused massive unemployment, widespread poverty, bank failures, and a drop in agricultural and industrial outputs. President Roosevelt responded with the New Deal. The New Deal was a set of programs aimed for relief, recovery and reform. Source:
https://www.history.com/articles/great-depression-history#The-New-Deal:-A-Road-to-Recovery -
The Dust Bowl 🟩
The Dust Bowl was a serve drought and dust storm in the 1930s. From the Texas to Nebraska region high winds swept up dust, killing livestock and people and causing crops to fail. The Dust Bowl caused many families to have to migrate and intensified the impacts of the Great Depression. Source:
https://www.history.com/articles/dust-bowl -
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Years in office: 1933 - 1945
Party: Democratic -
Period: to
The New Deal 🟧
The New Deal was a series of programs and reforms. It was launched by President Rosevelt to combat the Great Depression. It was aim to provide relief, recovery and reform. The New Deal helped stabilize the economy and expand the role of the federal government. Source:
https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/great-depression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945/franklin-delano-roosevelt-and-the-new-deal/ -
Period: to
Zoot Suit Riots 🟥
These were multiple conflicts that happened between U.S. servicemen and Mexican-American youths. The news portrayed the people who wore zoot suits as dangerous gang members capable of murder. People in the U.S. began to believe that Mexican-American youths were inclined to commit crimes. On June 3rd, the conflicts between the servicemen and zoot-suiters began. Many of the zoot-suiters were stripped of their zoot suits and beaten. Source:
https://www.history.com/articles/zoot-suit-riots -
Period: to
World War 2 🟥
World War one was the largest and deadliest conflict in history. It plot the world’s nation into opposing sides. The Allies were Britain, the U.S., the Soviet Union and France. The Axis Powers were Germany, Italy and Japan. It started due to Germany going against the Treat of Versallies. The war ended when Japan and Germany surrendered to the Allied forces. Source:
https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/second-world-war -
Period: to
Chicano Movement 🟦
The Chicano Movement was a civil right and cultural movement driven by Mexican Americans who wanted to reclaim their identity and receive equal rights. The movement contributed to people later appreciating and understanding Chicano culture. Source:
https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2021/09/23/el-movimiento-the-chicano-movement-and-hispanic-identity-in-the-united-states/ -
Period: to
WWll
-
Period: to
Japanese Internment 🟪
Japanese Internment was the relocation and imprisonment of over 120,00 Japanese-Americans during WWII. They were put in internment camps because the Americans thought they could be a threat after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Most of the Japanese-Americans were U.S. citizens and ended up losing their homes, jobs, and the freedoms they once had. Later in 1988, the U.S. apologized and paid compensation to survivors. Source:
https://www.history.com/articles/japanese-american-relocation -
Harry S. Truman
Years in office: 1945 - 1953
Party: Democratic -
Period: to
Cold War
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Period: to
Cold War 🟥
The Cold War got its name due to the war not having any fighting. The war was between the United States and the Soviet Union. The end of the Cold War was marked by the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union dissolving. Source:
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/cold-conflict -
Period: to
Korean War 🟥
The Korean War started due to the Cold War. This war resulted in over millions of deaths and casualties. The Korean War never actually ended, but is a stalemate. Source:
https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/korean-war -
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Years in office: 1953 - 1961
Party: Republican -
Period: to
Vietnam War 🟥
The Vietnam War started due to the long conflict between France and Vietnam. The War ended when the United States withdrew forces in 1973. Source:
https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war -
Period: to
Montgomery Bus Boycott 🟦
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest that was sparked by Rosa Parks getting arrested. The protests ended up in the U.S. Supreme Court and being ruled that segregation on public buses is unconstitutional. Source:
https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/montgomery-bus-boycott -
Period: to
Red Power Movement 🟦
A movement that developed because Native Americans were frustrated with the discriminatory policies and being treated unfairly. Through the fight for Native American struggles the Red Power Movement led the way for the Indian Self-Discrimination and Education Assistance Act of 1975. Source:
https://socialistworker.org/2018/08/08/1968-the-rise-of-the-red-power-movement -
Period: to
Women’s Liberation Movement 🟦
The Women’s Liberation movement was also known as Second Wave Feminism. It fought for women’s equality and freedom. The movement led to changes in laws, education, work and society. Source:
https://www.thoughtco.com/womens-liberation-movement-3528926 -
John F. Kennedy
Years in office: 1961 - 1963
Party: Democratic -
Lyndon B. Johnson
Years in office: 1963 - 1969
Party: Democratic -
Period: to
Anti-Vietnam War Movement 🟦
The Anti-Vietnam War movement was a social and political campaign in the United States. It pressured the government to withdraw troops and end the draft. The movement also reshaped American politics. Source:
https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/us-anti-vietnam-war-movement-1964-1973/ -
Richard M. Nixon
Years in office: 1969 - 1974
Party: Republican -
The Stonewall Riots 🟦
The Stonewall Riots were also known as the Stonewall Uprising and began when New York City police raided a gay club called the Stonewall Inn. The Riots were a series of protests by members of the LGBTQ community. It was common for police to raid gay bars and arrest people for being gay. One of the raids turned violent and lasted for several nights. This made way for more protests and movements. Source:
https://www.history.com/articles/the-stonewall-riots -
Gerald R. Ford
Years in office: 1974 - 1977
Party: Republican -
Jimmy Carter
Years in office: 1977 - 1981
Party: Democratic -
Ronald Reagan
Years in office: 1981 - 1989
Party: Republican -
Second National March on Washington 🟦
The Second National March on Washington was a massive political rally for Lesbian and Gay Rights. This march is important to LGBTQ history due to its around 750,000 participants. It’s first national coverage made headlines the next day at the United States Supreme Court Building. Source:
https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/gallery/exhibit-media/second-national-march-on-washington-1987/ -
George H. W. Bush
Years in office: 1989 - 1993
Party: Republican -
Period: to
Contemporary History
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William J. Clinton
Years in office: 1993 - 2001
Party: Democratic -
George W. Bush
Years in office: 2001 - 2009
Party: Republican -
Barack Obama
Years in office: 2009 - 2017
Party: Democratic -
Donald J. Trump
Years in office: 2017 - 2021
Party: Republican -
Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Years in office: 2021 - 2025
Party: Democrat -
Donald J. Trump
Years in office: 2025 - current
Party: Republican