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Massacre at Sand Creek
Sand Creek village was home to about 800 Cheyenne Indians. The village chief, Black Kettle, asked a U.S. Fort for protection for his people. He was reassured that his people would not be harmed, but this was not the case. The next day, a group called the Colorado Volunteers surrounded the village. The group brutally murdered the entire village, killing and scalping them. This event was important as it caused agreement amongst the Indian communities that the 'whites' must be fought with force. -
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Timeline
This timeline is for an online VHS History Course spanning from 1877-2011. The course and timeline are specifically about US history during that time. -
The Great Upheaval
After multiple pay cuts to the workers of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, the workers finally went on strike on July 16, 1877. This strike inspired people throughout America to begin striking to avoid reduction in pay. These strikes throughout the country were sometimes dispelled by force, and other times simply died down. The strikes don't appear to have directly caused any pay raises or better working conditions, but it may have prevented further pay cuts. -
The Harlem Renaissance
Around the late 1800s, white supremacy legally grew in the south part of the U.S. As a result, in 1890, African Americans began to migrate to the North in great numbers. This became known as The Great Migration. These events also allowed African American culture to rise higher than ever before. Most notably, Jazz music was born, a style of music that is still very popular today. Additionally, many great pieces of literature were written, including Their Eyes Were Watching God, and many othe -
Immigration
Between 1880-1920, Immigration to the U.S. was at its peak. People were immigrating from all over the world; Europe, Asia, etc. To some, this was a problem. Some people welcomed the cheap labor, whereas actual laborers disliked the competition. The number of non-protestant men suddenly reaching the country also surprised priests. Immigration became such a problem that eventually they had to pass the Chinese Exclusion Act, which forbid Chinese people from immigrating to the U.S. -
American Imperialism
U.S. Imperialism refers to the primarily economic and military influences the U.S. has had on other countries. For a time, the United States practically dominated a large part of the world. This included territories such as Honduras and The Philippines, or Puerto Rico. One of the primary goals of an empire is to expand. The Imperialism led to U.S. expansion into foreign territories. -
World War 1
World War 1 was devastating. The United States began without very much involvement. The nation was made up of people from all over, so picking sides would have been difficult. The U.S. continued trade with all nations, though Britain did their part to lessen the trade with Germany. This is why Germany conducted submarine warfare against the U.S. finally prompting them to enter the war. Their involvement was incredibly decisive, and won the war for the Allies. -
Creation of the League of Nations
Following the creation of the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations was formed. The League was made up of several countries, and had one simple purpose; prevent the outbreak of war ever again. The casualties of WW1 were to great to simply ignore. The members of the League tried to deal with political issues as they arose. The United States was actually one of the less involved countries as it was a nation that often had a feeling of isolationism away from Europe. -
The Great Depression
The great depression was essentially what it sounds like, a great depression. Following the stock market crash in 1929, things changed considerably. Rates of suicide rose, while birth rates went down. Additionally, many people became unemployed, which led to the rise of unemployment aid. The government also became a little more present in daily life, as it attempted to 'fix' banks and other businesses as well as provide this unemployment aid. The depression came very suddenly, as before the -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor wasn't unprovoked. Japan relied on US imports of Steel and Oil, which they eventually stopped providing. Additionally, the US began providing these resources to the Chinese, who resisted rule from the Japanese. The US kept the Japanese from a large empire in Asia. So the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The goal was to destroy a large piece of the US fleet. They succeeded in that, but honestly not much else. The harbor remained operational, and ships were rebuilt. -
The United Nations
The UN was formed to keep peace around the world. Member nations must gain approval from the UN before they can carry out economic actions or do things like moving peacekeeping troops. There are 15 main seats, 5 of which are permanently taken up by the great powers; The United States, China, Great Britain, France, and The Soviet Union, while the other 10 seats are elected for 2 year periods. The UN is important as it represents the power for the world to come together and get along. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Although Germany had already surrendered in WWII, war against Japan continued. The Allies demanded unconditional surrender, threatening prompt and utter destruction. However, Japan denied the request for surrender. This led to the only use of atomic devices in warfare to this day. The US bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs. The amount of death was unthinkable. Japan finally surrendered, ending the war, though many still wonder if the bombings were truly necessary to end the war -
The Vietnam War
The Vietnam war was the longest war the United States has faced. Billions and billions of dollars were put into the war, and about 60,000 American's died. Even so, the United States still lost the war. One of the main reasons for these problems was the lack of public support for the war. As more and more people died, the public simply wanted the war to end. The war started because the United States wanted to avoid a communist victory for fear that it might lead to further victories. -
Television
The television was incredibly important, and one of the strongest influencers of people during the 1950s. TV Guide ended up being the most-sold publication during those years. Furthermore, the TV was successful politically, allowing political figures to be televised for all to see. It also led to incredible advertising opportunities that we see to this day. Television also provided Americans with an ideal view of a family to strive for, and entertainment for children and adults. -
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
On December 1 1955, African American Rosa Parks was tired after a long day of work and decided to sit in the front most seat of the "colored" section of a public bus. However, when asked to move, by a white man, she refused. This led to her getting arrested, but more importantly she started somewhat of a movement. Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy organized the Montgomery bus boycott, which eventually went into effect and gave out bus seats on a first-come first-serve basis. -
I Have a Dream
Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong supporter of civil rights, who provided an amazing message of change through nonviolent means. He was involved in the Montgomery bus boycott, but didn't stop there. He formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which dedicated itself to advancing African American rights. In 1963 he gave the famous "I Have a Dream" speech that no doubt almost everyone has heard. He took part in marches for African American rights, and was eventually shot and killed. -
Creation of the Internet
In the 1970s, the Internet was developed by the Department of Defense. Its main use at the time was to allow one computer to be controlled from another in the case of an emergency or attack. At first, the connections were very slow, but over time increased in speed with the use of fiber optic cables. The Internet was finally 'released' for public use in 1984, and has evidently grown to allow for incredible things. It has also been a great catalyst in the spread of Americanization. -
Reaganomics
During his 1980 campaign Reagan detailed his plan to fix the nation's economic problems. Tax relief for the rich allowed them to spend and invest more money. The concept here was that this would create more jobs. Reagan also proposed a 30% tax cut during the first 3 years of his presidency. It was thought that these actions would cause inflation, which did happen for a while. By 1983 though, the economy appeared to have stabilized, and the last years of Reagan's presidency showed national growth -
Creation of the World Wide Web
In 1989 the World Wide Web was created. Tim Berners-Lee is credited with its creation, though he worked with Robert Cailliau. It was created for commercial reasons. Large companies could create web pages to help sell products. It was also used as a large source for information provided by universities for their students. Since then it's grown to include simple entertainment and communication like email or even live communication like Skype. This has been the greatest 'help' to Americanization. -
End of the Cold War
The Cold War was long, at 45 years. It ended in 1991. In 1987, the INF treaty was signed, limiting nuclear weapons. As the decade ended, nations started demanding independence. The Hungarian government started taking down the barbed wire on its borders, while the Soviet Union did nothing in return. In 1989, the Berlin Wall came down. By 1990, most Soviet countries were independent, and on the 8th of December 1991, Boris Yeltsin took control and formed the C.I.S. so the Cold War ceased to exist. -
American Culture Spreads
Following America's successes in just about every field, they began to influence the world. They had developed nuclear technology, gone to the moon, created computers, and more. This is why 'Americanization' began to take place. American culture became the dominant culture worldwide, as many people strived to be like American's. Americans dominated television and provided an example to all those who watched.
