American History 1920s Time Line

  • Start of Winsons Presidency Term

    Start of Winsons Presidency Term
    Woodrow Wilson was elected 28th president in 1913 and ended his presidency on March 4th, 1921.
  • Start of WW1

    A Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip, assassinated Franz Ferdinand, the archduke of Austria Hungary. One month later Austria Hungary, with its allies France and Russia, declares war on Serbia, who secretly allies with Germany.
  • Sinking of the Lusitania

    As the Lusitania neared the Irish coast a German submarine launched a torpedo into its size. After the Lusitania has been hit a second unknown explosion ripped it apart causing it to sink into the ocean. 1,119 people died including 114 Americans.
  • Start of the Great Migration

    Th Great Migration gapped between 1916 to 1970 and was a relocation of more tha 6 million African Americans from rual areas of the south to the north. The cause of the Great Migration was due to Unsatisfactory economic opportunities and harsh segregationist laws.
  • Women Rankin is elected to congress

    Jeannette Rankin became the first woman to hold a high government office in the United States when she was elected to the United States Congress from the state of Montana in 1917.
  • Creation of the Selective Service Act

    Creation of the Selective Service Act
    The Selective Service Act or The Selective Draft Act enabled the government to draft and enlist Americans into WW1.
  • Espionage Act

    Congress passed the Espionage Act in June 1917. The Espionage Act gave postal officials the authority to ban newspapers and magazines from the mail and threatened individuals convicted of obstructing the draft with $10,000 fines and 20 years in jail.
  • Lenin lead a Russian Revolution

    Vladimir Lenin Lenin became the virtual dictator of the first Marxist state in the world. His government made peace with Germany, nationalized industry and distributed land.
  • Wilsons 14 points

    Wilsons 14 points
    Woodrow Wilson addressed congress about War Aims and Peace Terms and proposes a 14 point program for world peace.
  • Start of Influenza Epidemic

    Start of Influenza Epidemic
    The influenza epidemic killed more people than the Great War at somewhere between 20 and 49 million people.
  • Creation of Sedition Act

    The Sedition Act of 1918 was basically an extension of the Espionahe Act and stated that people or countries cannot say negative things about the government or the war.
  • 18th Amendment

    Congress ratifies the Eighteenth Amendment and prohibits the sale of alcohol anywhere in the United States.
  • Schenk vs. US

    Schenk vs. US is a Supreme Court case involving the Espionage Act and the first amendment. Schenk handed out negative flyers involving the draft enacted by the government. The Supreme Court argued that arresting Schenk for his flyers was a violation of his freedom of speech. Although Schenk lost this case was a significant event which created balancing tests used in reviewing freedom of speech violations.
  • Woodrown Wilson suffers stroke

    Under heavy strain while on a speaking tour promoting the League of Nations, President Woodrow Wilson suffers a stroke, leaving him largely incapacitated for the final 18 months of his term.
  • US Senate rejects Treaty of Versailles

    On March 19, 1920, the United States Senate rejected for the second time the Treaty of Versailles, by a vote of 49-35, falling seven votes short of a two-thirds majority needed for approval.
  • US rejects League of Nations membership

    The League of Nations was an international organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, created after the First World War to provide a committee for solving world problems. Though first proposed by President Woodrow Wilson as part of his Fourteen Points plan for peace in Europe, the United States never became a member.
  • Steel Strike Ends

    The steel strike of 1919 ends with the steelworkers winning.
  • Creation of the 19th Amendment

    Creation of the 19th Amendment
    The 19th amendment to the US Constitution granted women the right to vote in all 50 states.
  • World Series

    Baseball's World Series is broadcast on radio for the first time; the New York Giants defeat the New York Yankees, five games to three.
  • Mikey Mouse

    Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie premieres, introducing the world to a new animated character—Mickey Mouse.