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Homestead Act is enacted
The Homestead Act was enacted to encourage further settlement to the west. It was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln, and allowed settlers to claim a plot of 160 acres under the agreement that they will occupy it and improve it for 5 years. This legislation led to the development of the western United States by American settlers. -
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 occurred resulting from the poor selection of loans from banks. These loans collapsed and spiraled into a run on the banks. From these bank collapses, many businesses ended up having to close and many Americans lost savings or their jobs. Nearing the end of the depression in 1897, the state of the economy led to a change in political views for Americans that would pave the way from President McKinley’s election. -
Pullman Strike occurs
The Pullman strike was a nationwide railroad strike that involved the Pullman Company. It began when the wages of railroad workers were cut by the company in Chicago, but rent prices were not reduced. Railway traffic was stagnated due to the strike. Ultimately, federal troops went to suppress the strike, resulting in multiple fatalities and its ultimate failure. -
Booker T. Washington delivers “Atlanta Compromise”
Booker T. Washington delivered his speech “Atlanta Compromise”. This speech outlined many of the issues that black Americans were faced with during the time period. Washington stated that blacks needed to accept the conditions and wait later to expand their civil rights movements. This speech would foreshadow the later Civil Rights Movement. -
Spanish American War begins
The Spanish-American War begins after the explosion of the U.S.S. Maine. This explosion was attributed to the Spanish attacks following national tensions escalating with the Spanish. The main issue of the war was Cuban independence, which the United States backed. The United States naval forces were much stronger than those of Spain, however the Spanish in Cuba were able to cause significant damage. -
Treaty of Paris signed
The Treaty of Paris was signed to mark the end of the Spanish-American War. It is not to be confused with the other Treaties of Paris. This treaty was in the favor of the United States as it was clear that the Spanish could not win the war. Spain gave up control of Cuba, along with other islands such as Guam and the Philippines. -
Theodore Roosevelt is elected president
Theodore Roosevelt won the 1900 presidential election with William McKinley. He won by a landslide, and would create a new set of policies that would largely change the United States. He created the Square Deal which was a set of domestic policies that broke bad trusts, regulated shipping and commerce, and ensured pure food and drugs. He also focused significantly on strengthening the USA's international strength, such as building up the Navy and demonstrating United States power. -
Lincoln Steffans writes “The Shame of the Cities”
Lincoln Steffans wrote his book “The Shame of the Cities” for McClure’s Magazine. It discussed the political corruption that took place in many major cities, such as Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall. It was a major piece of muckraking writing- and shocked the whole nation when the conditions of cities were described. -
Panama Canal is constructed
With the pressure of Theodore Roosevelt, the Panama Canal was constructed. The United States contributed $500 million at the time for its construction. With these contributions, the U.S. purchased a large strip of land for the construction of the Panama Canal and assisted Panama in its fight for independence from Colombia. -
Upton Sinclair writes “The Jungle”
Upton Sinclair wrote “The Jungle” to describe the horrific conditions of the meatpacking industry. The novel describes the chaos of factory life, including at fertilizer factories and meat packing facilities. The book was based on various Chicago factories, and describe a combination of all of the issues that Sinclair saw. Ultimately the book resulted in the public pushing for higher standards of food production. -
Meat Inspection Act is enacted
Theodore Roosevelt created the Meat Inspection Act in response to the extremely poor conditions in meat packing factories. The Meat Inspection Act required that the meatpacking industry properly label and not modify the meats to take advantage of buyers in any way. It also required that the meat is processed in strict compliance with new regulations that set high standards of cleanliness and safety. -
Roosevelt signs the Antiquities Act
Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law on June 8th 1906. The act provided legal protections for historic or precious lands on a federal level. The Antiquities Act allowed the president to proclaim national monuments on federal lands- allowing the creation of national parks. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo in Austro-Hungary. The killing was considered a politically motivated crime, and resulted in Austria-Hungary declaring War on Serbia. This marked the beginning of a series of military mobilizations that would result in World War I beginning. -
The Lusitania is sunk by German forces
The British ship The Lusitania was sunk by German U-Boats. This came as a result of the unrestricted submarine warfare against UK ships that Germany had declared months prior. The attacks came without warning, and turned public opinion against the Germans. Ultimately, 123 American citizens died resulting from this attack. -
Zimmerman Telegram intercepted
The Zimmerman Telegram was a secret diplomatic communication between the Germans and Mexico in January 1917. This communication proposed an alliance between Germany and Mexico against the United States, where Mexico could recover Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. This communication was revealed to the American public, resulting in greater hatred for Germany. -
U.S. enters World War I
On April 4, 1917 the U.S. The Senate voted to declare war on Germany. This came from Woodrow Wilson’s request to declare war, which he attributed to Germany’s violence in the prior years. In early 1917, Germany continued to sink American ships resulting in hundreds of American casualties. In the months later, the American public was ready and war was declared. -
Espionage Act of 1917 is signed
The Espionage Act of 1917 was signed into law after the United States entered World War I. It was intended to prevent interference with American wartime goals or allies turning against them. It was argued against in regards to violating the First Amendment, however in the end it remained and was deemed constitutional. -
Treaty of Versailles is signed
With the end of World War I, the Treaty of Versailles was signed into law. This was a peace treaty that marked the end of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. The treaty was very punishing of Germany, and forced them to take the blame for the war. It resulted in the disarming of Germany and a large payment that would be paid back for the war. -
19th Amendment Ratified
Following the organization of many American women’s suffrage movements, the 19th amendment was finally passed by Congress in June 1919. The work of associations such as the NWSA were finally paying off. One year later it was ratified, and granted women the right to vote. -
Scopes Monkey Trial
The Scopes Trial, The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, was a case between John T. Scopes who was accused of violating Tennessee’s Butler Act. This act prevented the teaching of evolution in respect to Christian ideology. The trial was watched by the whole country, and was viewed as a battle between fundamentalist ideologies and more modern sciences clashing. -
Black Tuesday Stock Market Crash
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 represented the beginning of the Great Depression. It was a major stock market crash that began in September and ended in November, resulting in large personal losses. With the stock market crash, there were many other weaknesses in the American economy that foreshadowed the great depression, such as the large amounts of personal debt and the slowing of many crucial industries. -
Dust Bowl strikes western states
During the 1930s the Dust Bowl developed and struck many of the Great Plains states. The Dust Bowl resulted from poor farming practices that required the plowing of the deep roots that held down the sod. The Dust Bowl was triggered by a lengthy drought and took place for much of the 1930s, resulting in blinding conditions that were very dangerous to live in. -
FDR is elected president
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, following in the steps of Theodore Roosevelt, campaigned for the presidency. When he was elected, he was extremely quick and effective in his first 100 days. He created new federal legislation which forever changed the role of the United States government. His legacy also created the notion that a president’s effectiveness can be judged within their first 100 days, because he made such significant changes in this time. -
The New Deal is made
The New Deal was created by FDR, including many programs that were intended to stimulate the economy and end the Great Depression. This program focused on the 3 Rs, which were relief for the unemployed, recovery of the economy, and reform of the economic system to prevent another depression. -
Civilian Conservation Corps employs Americans
The Emergency Conservation Work Act of 1933 made the Civilian Conservation Corps recruit unemployed young men. The Civilian Conservation Corps was able to employ over 300,000 young men, and worked to build up, protect, and conserve forests or national parks. By employing all of these men, unemployment slightly decreased however national debt was rising. -
The Social Security Administration is created
The Social Security Act was signed into law by FDR on August 14, 1935. The Social Security Program provided pensions in a social insurance program designed to pay retired workers 65 and older. It was intended to get older workers to retire so that young men could move up the chain of command, however many of these old workers did not retire and only collected the payments in addition to their salary. -
Court Packing Scandal
Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the Court-Packing Scandal as a result of his dissatisfaction with judicial decisions made on his legislation. The Supreme Court deemed some of his bills to be unconstitutional, and for that reason Roosevelt suggested that new justices be appointed to support his party unanimously. Ultimately this move was very unpopular and seen as a large overstep of his presidential powers. -
Pearl Harbor Bombing takes place
The attack on Pearl Harbor took place on December 7th, 1941. It was a surprise attack by the Japanese on the Pacific Ocean base for the United States. The attack was intended to prevent the United States’ interference in Japan’s conquest, and resulted in the death of 2,403 Americans. Significant damage was also done to American ships, meaning that the United States navy was weakened for the following months. -
The U.S. Enters World War II
Following the Pearl Harbor Bombing, the United States entered World War II. The situation that the United States joined in was complicated as it was actually intended to be a fight against the Japanese, however by declaring war on Japan, Japan’s allies Italy and Germany both declared war on the United States. For this reason, the United States’ focus was directed towards the European front. -
Executive Order 8802 signed into law
Executive Order 8802 was signed into law by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This executive order prevented federal funds from being dispersed to companies that discriminated on race or sex. This executive order served two very important purposes during the war. Due to the amount of men fighting in the war, it was important that blacks and women work in the workforce to support the military. However, this would also set a standard for workplace equality that could continue to rise in years later. -
Executive Order 9906 is signed into law
Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed executive order 9906 into law. This executive order was based on American fear of Japanese citizens that had no real basis. The order allowed the internment of all people who are considered a threat to national security, being made very vague intentionally. -
Japanese Americans are interned
Between 1942 and 1945, Japanese Americans were interned. The first internment camps began in Manzanar which was located in California. Nearly all of the internment camps were on the west coast of the United States, and resulted in the internment of nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans. The conditions of the internment camps were very poor, and resulted in the loss of homes and the work of many people. -
G.I Bill of Rights enacted
Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law the G.I. Bill on June 22, 1944. This act would compensate American soldiers for their service- providing reduced rates on housing loans, funds for college educations, and assistance with unemployment. The G.I. Bill spurred the economy, and greatly increased the availability of college education to Americans. -
Truman Doctrine is created
President Truman created the Truman Doctrine in 1947 regarding the situation with communism in Europe. The Truman Doctrine was a document of foreign policy that outlined the ideals which the United States would apply internationally. The United States would no longer stand by and allow Soviet totalitarianism to expand into various countries. From this doctrine, the Cold War had officially begun. -
D-Day takes place
D-Day was a plan that would be executed in Normandy, France. It marked a very important point in World War II, because it marked the beginning of the liberation of France. The operation marked the beginning of the end of the war for Germany, as Allied forces were able to gain ground and push further inland from the beaches. The attack resulted in 10,000 allied casualties, with 4,000-9,000 casualties on the German side. -
Detroit Race Riots take place
The 1943 Detroit Race Riots were a very deadly set of riots between African Americans and White Southerners. It resulted from the Great Migration that occurred with the work openings resulting from the war. The riots escalated from false rumors, and ended with blacks and whites attacking and rioting that resulted in 34 people killed with $2 million in damages. -
World War II is won
Following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrenders to the Allied Forces. Prior to Japan’s surrender, Italy had surrendered in 1943 after loss of national support. In April of 1945, Germany was forced to surrender, meaning that with Japan’s surrender World War II was won for the allied forces. -
Atomic bombs dropped in Japan
The United States dropped and detonated 2 nuclear bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombings killed between 130,000-226,000 Japanese people, and led to the Japanese surrender of the war. Though the bombings are often viewed very negatively, they served as an effective way to destroy Japanese weapons and force an unconditional surrender. -
Yalta Conference gathers
The Yalta Conference took place in Crimea during World War II It involved the gathering of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin. At the conference the Allied leaders made decisions regarding the end of the war and strategizations about victory in Japan. The fate of eastern Europe was also decided at the time, and it was decided on how certain countries would be split in their governments. -
Cold War ramps up
Following World War II, only Russia and the United States remained as dominant global powers. The Cold War was a series of proxy-battles between the Russians and the United States due the Russian communist rebellions. It was considered to have begun with the Truman Doctrine’s creation in 1947, because it outlined the United States’ intentions to prevent countries from falling to communism. -
Marshall Plan
President Truman signed the Marshall Plan in 1948. The plan was proposed by Secretary of State George Marshall, who proposed that the United States provide economic aid to Europe to restore it following the war. The strategy would also prevent the European countries from falling to communism. It was known that many countries would easily fall to communism when economic conditions were extremely poor, so postwar Europe was extremely susceptible to communist ideas infiltrating the population. -
NATO is created
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1949 by the United States between various Western European nations to provide a strong alliance against the Soviet Union. In each of these countries, Soviet expansion was protected because NATO would ally to fight against any national threats to any country in the alliance. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected to office
Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected to office in the election of 1952. He served as the 34th president following his work as a commander in World War II for the allied forces. He was majorly supported for his work as a leader, and won by a landslide. During his presidency, he would work to strengthen the nation and prevent international conflicts. -
Interstate Highway Act is created
In 1954 the Interstate Highway Act was passed. The act authorized $175 million to be dedicated to the interstate highway system. The system was created to strengthen national highways and make easier and faster transportation. The interstate highway system was important at the time also due to the developments of the Cold War, making fear of nuclear attacks on the United States. -
U.S. enters the Space Race
The Space Race began between the United States and Russia resulting from the Soviet’s first artificial satellite being successfully launched called Sputnik-1. This caused fear that space could be used to effectively launch attacks on United States ground, so the U.S. fought to get into space too. The first U.S. movement into space was the launch of Explorer 1. -
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
In the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro led revolutionaries to overthrow the national government. Batista was forced out of office and instead a communist dictatorship was implemented. Fidel Castro would continue to be Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976. -
JFK vs. Nixon debate is televised
The United States presidential debates during the 1960s marked the beginning of television’s part in politics. John F. Kennedy was debating Richard Nixon in these debates, and Nixon was considered a much stronger candidate prior. However, resulting from Nixon’s poor appearance resulting from his lack of makeup and faded suit, public opinion swayed towards John F. Kennedy as president. These debates marked the beginning of televised appearances’ impact on the United States presidential elections. -
Cuban Missile Crisis develops
The Cuban Missile Crisis took place during October 1962, and was a dangerous confrontation between United States and Soviet forces. Following Cuba’s fall to communism, the United States failed to overthrow Fidel Castro. In the following months Cuba began to develop launching stations for Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles7, and when Soviet ships were intercepted traveling to Cuba with nuclear ICBMs, the conflict between the Soviets and Americans very nearly escalated to war. -
Cuban Missile Crisis develops
The Cuban Missile Crisis took place during October 1962, and was a dangerous confrontation between United States and Soviet forces. Following Cuba’s fall to communism, the United States failed to overthrow Fidel Castro. In the following months Cuba began to develop launching stations for Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles7, and when Soviet ships were intercepted traveling to Cuba with nuclear ICBMs, the conflict between the Soviets and Americans very nearly escalated to war. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965 is passed
Following the collaboration of the SNCC, CORE, and the NAACP in the March on Washington and Martin Luther King's speech "I Have a Dream", the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed. This piece of legislation put an end to voting rights discrimination of any form- so that African Americans would no longer be denied their constitutional rights.