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Reconstruction Era
The Reconstruction Era (1865-1877) was significant in its role in repairing the once-again-unified United States of America after the American Civil War (1861-1865), in which the southern states attempted to create their independent nation, known as the Confederate States of America, to maintain slavery and their autonomy. -
Transcontinental Railroad Completion
The Transcontinental Railroad Completion (1869) was completed in the City of Promontory, the State of Utah, on 10 May 1869. Started by President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) (in office 1861-1865) in 1862, “[T]he Pacific Railroad Act, which launched perhaps the most audacious enterprise of 19th Century American civil engineering: the construction of a 1,776 mi long railroad from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean (Brown, “Uniting the States”)”. -
Later Indian Wars
The Later Indian Wars (1860s-1890s) were fought between several different Native American nations and the United States of America. The goal of these wars was to expand the territories of America into states by warring with Native tribes, pushing them back into exile, in order to move in more American citizens, and repeating the process over and over. By the 1890s, most of these wars were completed. -
Spanish-American War
The Spanish-American War (1898) was fought between the dying Empire of Spain and the thriving United States of America over four main places: Puerto Rico, Cuba, Philippines, and Guam. The war was initiated off the coast of Cuba after an American Naval Vessel, the USS Maine, was destroyed. -
Progressive Era
The Progressive Era (1890s-1920s) unveiled many new issues that arose in America: alcohol abuse, women’s suffrage, mass immigration, political corruption, and labor abuse. As a result of these issues, many politicians and citizens switched their aim to become more socially progressive and conduct many reforms to help clean up the nation. -
World War I
World War I (1914-1918) started when Gavrilo Princep (1894-1918), a young nationalist from the Kingdom of Serbia, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1863-1914), the heir to the imperial throne of the Empire of Austria-Hungary. As a result of Princep’s assassinations, many nations took sides as to who to defend. -
Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties (1920s) lasted throughout the entire decade of the 1920s. Whereas the European nations endowed in World War I were ravaged by the effects of the war, America was left largely unscathed. Reeping the rewards of victory, a culture of partying and introduction of jazz into popular music went rampant. Alcohol was banned in the 1920s via the 18th Amendment... However, that really did not stop most people from drinking. -
Great Depression
The Great Depression (1929-1939) disrupted the Roaring 20s, ending it short in 1929. Black Tuesday, which was 29 October 1929, occurred after the American Stock Market collapsed, coinciding with the Dust Bowl incident, triggering the depression. As a result of the Depression, it not only affected America, but nearly every country in the world, due to the relying of American industry and trade for most nations. -
New Deal
The New Deal (1930s) was brought about by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945) (in office 1933-1945). The deal was meant to be a productive response to the Great Depression. From the New Deal, economic relief was given to downtrodden companies, financial relief was given to those who were unemployed (welfare), as well as to those who were retired and disabled (social security), farmers were financially aided, and electricity was brought to rural areas. -
World War II
World War II (1939-1945) was started in September of 1939 after Chancellor Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) (in office 1933-1945) of the National Socialist Republic of Germany, invaded the Republic of Poland. Leading up to this event, many nations from the Great Depression’s reign started to delegate fascist leadership and restorationist/revisionist movements, with a stronger central government as a result. -
Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project (1940s) was a secret project conducted by the United States Government during World War II, which was mainly done in Los Alamos, New Mexico, directed by nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967), nicknamed the “Father of the Atomic Bomb”. Arguably the most significant invention in history, Oppenheimer and his team created the Nuclear Bomb. His invention would then be used by the United States to end World War II. -
Cold War
The Cold War (1947-1991) started after World War II between the earlier described Communist powers and Democratic/Monarchical powers. Due to Communism being an authoritative, centralized-governing authority which owned the means of production in a nation, and were enforcedly atheistic, and the West being more democratic, less-centralized, who practiced free market capitalism and were largely Christian, these two ideologies were diametrically opposed to their maximums. -
Korean War
The Korean War (1950-1953) was the first major armed conflict between the Communist and Capitalist Powers. During the close of World War II, Soviet troops captured the northern territory of Japanese-owned Korea, whereas America captured the southern territory. As a result, these two separate Koreas were founded, one Communist (the North) and the other democratic and Capitalist (the South). After much tension, North Korea, with the support of China and Russia, invaded South Korea. -
Civil Rights Movement
The Civil Rights Movement (1950s-1960s) occurred within a two-decade span in the United States of America. The goal of the Civil Rights movement was to abolish racial segregation, legal discrimination, and general social black disenfranchisement within the nation. Though the Civil Rights movement definitely started much earlier in the nation’s history, it took heed during this time. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) occurred after the newly Communist Republic of Cuba elected to have Russian nuclear weapons and deployment teams stationed in their own nation, pointed at all major east-coat cities in the United States of America. Done in retaliation for doing the same in Turkey, but instead pointed at major Soviet cities, this sent the general American public into a panicked spiral. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1955-1975) started around the time of Vietnam’s independence from France, of which two sides started to form over how an independent Vietnam should look: Communist, or Capitalist/Democratic. Similar to Korea, the North became Communist, and the South Democratic. America became involved in Vietnam moreso in 1963. Ramping up the draft, many American males were conscripted into going and fighting in Vietnam against Communism. -
Moon Landing
The Moon Landing (1969) was the triumph of America for being the first and only nation on the planet to having men step on the Moon. The Apollo 11 mission was the first successful mission to do so. -
Watergate Scandal
The Watergate Scandal (1972-1974) happened on 17 June 1972, when individuals were caught breaking into the Democrat National Committee headquarters building in the Watergate Office Complex in Washington, DC. As it turned out, US President Richard Nixon (1913-1994) (in office 1969-1974) had members of his re-election committee organize the break-in, in order to gather information and agendas of the Democratic Party. -
Energy Crisis
The Energy Crisis (1970s) occurred in two different phases: once in 1973 and once in 1979, in which the prices of gasoline and other oil products skyrocketed insanely. Due to the Yom Kippur War (1973), in which Arab nations launched an attempted conquest against Israel, OPEC (an entire Middle Eastern league of major oil-producing nations), launched a total embargo against any nation who sided or sympathized with Israel. -
Iranian Hostage Crisis
The Iranian Hostage Crisis (1979-1981) occurred after the Islamic Revolutionaries took over Iran, and the last King of Iran, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (1919-1980) (reigned 1941-1979), was granted asylum into America. As a result of this, several Iranian college students who were apart of the revolution, took over the US Embassy in Tehran, the capital of Iran.