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Evolution of American Dream
My Honors Literature project -
The Founding of Jamestown
John Smith founded the Jamestown Colony, America's first permanent English colony, in modern-day Virginia. It soon became one of the biggest political and economic centers during colonial period. In 1609 to 1610, a shortage in food caused Starving Time, which led to the death of more than 400 colonists. -
The Horrible Salem Witch Trials
150 people were accused of witchcraft and 20 were executed due to the victims' unreliable accusations. At first, it was only two girls' suspicious feelings of being pitched, but then the whole situation had gone wild. It was the first mass hysteria involving witchcraft in America, which had a really big impact on American history. -
The Birth of America
The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson, and it officially announced that the 13 colonies declare independence from Great Britain. The independence of the colonies greatly inspired anti-colonialism and pursue of freedom in other countries especially those in Latin America. -
The Prohibition of Slave Trade
Almost two centuries after slavery appeared in the America, in 1808, the U.S congress, led by the President Thomas Jefferson, finally passed the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves. It was a milestone in the history of abolition of slavery, and it also indirectly fused the Civil War. -
The Election of Andrew Jackson
As a former Soldier, the victory against Britain in the war of 1812 made Andrew Jackson a national hero.As opposed to Henry Clay and John Quincy Adams, he was widely recognized as an advocate of democracy and common-man politics. He created the Era of Mass Democracy. -
The Publication of The Scarlet Letter
As written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and published in 1850, the masterwork is highly appreciated by its readers and has influenced generation by generation. The novel discussed about sin, guilt and redemption and challenged traditional religious principles(especially those for puritans). -
The Best Seller: Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin became the best seller among all the novels at that time. The book is about a running-away slave Tom who was kind-hearted and praiseworthy. The novel depicts the essence of slavery and laid the ground for the coming Civil War. -
The Session of South Carolina
As a direct result of the Election of Lincoln and the fight over slavery, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union, followed by ten other Southern states. The seceded states formed the Confederate, and it became the trigger of the Civil War. -
The End of the War and A Road to Reconstruction
With the surrender of General Lee, the union won the Civil War. The burden led by the war hurt so much to the whole country that everyone was expecting a reconstruction, in all means. The Freedmen migrated to the north and other parts of the nation, and they played a significant role in the Reconstruction. -
The One that Was Being Impeached
Due to Johnson's removal of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, a violation of the Tenure of Office Act, the House voted to impeach President Andrew Johnson. However, by winning one vote in the U.S Senate, the President avoided expulsion from office. -
The Splendid Little War
With the sinking of the U.S.S Maine, tension between the US and Spain increased. Soon after it, the Spanish-American War began. It symbolized the rise of domestic imperialism, which later dominated the Congress. -
The Beginning of A New Era---Theodore Roosevelt
After the assassination of William McKinley, the young Vice-president Roosevelt got out of his "vice" when he was 43. Being called as The Progressive President, he started the glorious era, in which the evilness was redressed. -
The Ratification of The 19th Amendment
After hundreds of years petitions, protests and champaign, for the first time women were granted the right to vote. It was a milestone for not only women suffragists but also all Civil Right movement leaders. The sunrise was right ahead of them. -
The Great F.Scott.Fitzgerald
In 1925, F.Scott.Fitzgerald published his masterpiece The Great Gatsby. As a book about the lost generation, it explores the decadence, idealism and social changes in the roaring 20s. The evaluation of American dream in the book was notably important. -
The 1929 Stock Market Crash
The extravagant consumerism paid off itself. The credit bubble swelled like an infinite black hole and finally exploded in 1929, a normal Tuesday, The crash in stock market led to the Great Depression, one of the darkest times. -
The New Deal and The Man behind it
To rescue the shaking country, President Franklin.D.Roosevelt introduced the New Deal. Aiming to "relief, recover and reform" the economy, the New Deal provided thousands of jobs to the unemployed. To some extent, it was one of the most successful government programs. -
An Infamy Day When It Was Attacked
On September 7th 1941, an intended attack against the U.S naval base at Pearl Harbor by Imperial Japan was launched to prevent the States from interfering South Asia affairs. The surprise attack shocked Americans and led to the declaration of war on Japan. -
The One With The Atomic Bombs
To end the war, the United States finally decided to drop the nuclear bombs on Japan. Japan surrendered soon after the action. On August 15th, a day which all human should remember, World War II ended. Peace has been restored. -
The McCarthy Witch Trial
Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that he had a list of names who had been helping or sympathizing Communism. By attracting the public's attention and gaining their support, he later started to making the whole thing like a nationwide prosecution against all minorities---homosexuals, civil-right leaders and others. -
Invisible Man Who Doesn't Want To Be Invisible
In 1952, Ralph Ellison published probably one of his best-selling novels-Invisible Man. Varying with Wells' sci-fi The Invisible Man, it is a book about racial tensions back to 1930s' Harlem Renaissance in New York. The author depicts a young man the Narrator, who has an American dream of fighting against Racism. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The U.S Supreme Court ruled that the school segregation is illegal and unconstitutional. It paved the road for desegregation in educational systems and was a major victory in Civil Rights Movement. However, in the"Deep South", the ruling was not really followed by many local political leaders. -
Harper Lee and To Kill a Mocking Bird
Published in 1960, it gained success immediately and later on won the Pulitzer Prize. As a classic of American Literature, it focused on serious topics like rape and racial inequality in 1930's Alabama. The whole story is based on the author's own observation. -
The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. A crazy Marxist but also a former U.S marine named Lee Oswald shot him with a rifle in an ambush and later he was killed by a nightclub operator Jack Ruby. Till now many people still believe the president was died from a conspiracy. -
The death of A Great Man: MLK
He was assassinated in Lorraine Motel in Tennessee, on April 4th, 1968. He was a prominent leader of Civil Rights Movement. He was famous for the use of nonviolence and civil disobedience in protesting. The murderer James E. Ray was arrested in Britain and sentenced for 99 years. -
The One Who Resigned
On August 9th, 1974, Mr.Nixon became the first American president who resigned in his term. As the investigation of Watergate scandal went on, Nixon's political support greatly decline for his involvement. Due to the pressure he had been applied on, he resigned and the Vice President Lyndon Johnson took over the oath.
