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Treaty of Paris (7 years war)
The Treaty of Paris of 1763 ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War between Great Britain and France, as well as their respective allies. In the terms of the treaty, France gave up all its territories in mainland North America, effectively ending any foreign military threat to the British colonies there. It allowed for "westward" expansion up until the Mississippi River on paper, but the British gov refused to have the colonists expand with the Proclamation of 1763 creating tension. -
Coercive Acts
Also known as the intolerable acts were a result of GB tightening its grip on the colonies and punishing them, specifically Massachusetts, by enforcing old laws and passing new ones, ending benign neglect. These acts closed ports of Boston (many lost their main source of income,) outlawed assemblies, took control of the colonial gov, and officials accused of a crime were tried in England locking the accuser out of testifying.They also enforced the Quartering Act further maddening the colonists. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
Spies told GB that colonial weapons were being stored in Concord. GB marched to Concord in an attempt to seize the weapons. This was a chance to strike a major blow to colonial leaders and set out under the cover of darkness, but were seen by colonial spies who raised alarms. When the GB arrived in Lexington, 70 militia men stood on the town green. A shot was fired, "The shot heard around the world", causing the GB to open fire on the colonists. This was the beginning of the Revolutionary War. -
Thomas Paine publishes "Common Sense"
Common Sense was a brilliant piece of propaganda in support of the American Revolution. It laid out the case as to why the US needed independence while speaking in the vernacular-allowing a more widespread audience. Paine's pamphlet not only attracted public support for the Revolution but also put the rebellion's leaders under pressure to declare independence. Independence would be declared one year later and the revolution would begin. -
Battle of Yorktown
After a grueling campaign through the southern colonies, General Cornwallis retreated to the coast of Yorktown, Virginia for the winter. Cornwallis was trying to lore Washington to Yorktown through the fall so that the American army would end up as Valley Forge again. When Cornwallis married at Yorktown, he found the French navy as his back and the American army before him. Cornwallis surrendered bringing an end to the American Revolution. -
3/5 compromise is passed
When deciding the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the South wanted their slave population to count so that they would have greater representation. It determined that three out of every five slaves were counted when determining a state's total population for legislative representation and taxation. Before the Civil War, the Three-Fifths Compromise gave a disproportionate representation of slave states in the House of Representatives. -
Northwest Ordinance
This law recognized that the northwest territory was the next most likely place to apply for statehood. (Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana) It also stated that people who lived in these territories must abide by US law even if they weren't an official state. They must appoint a government and after the population passes 60,000, they can apply for statehood. Most importantly, the law banned slavery in the territories as slavery was on the decline around the nation. -
Whiskey Rebellion
Pennsylvania farmers refusing to pay the tax on whiskey production forced the federal army to enforce the tax within a state border. Like Shay's rebellion, the Whiskey Rebellion was the 1st major test of the Constitution. This rebellion enforced the idea that the new government had the right to levy a tax that would impact citizens in all states. -
Hamilton's Financial Plan
Hamilton wanted to make the federal gov. stronger and achieved this by his plan's 3 main points.1) pay off war debts to develop the trust of other nations for trade. This was created by the plan of assumption-created federal debt by assuming the states'.2) raise the federal government's revenues through tariffs and taxes. This would cause money to stay national so that businesses here have a chance to grow and compete on a global level.3) Create a national bank as a safe place to keep money. -
The Cotton Gin receives a patent
This invention was created by Eli Whitney who also created interchangeable parts. This machine removed the seeds from the cotton fibers while also making cotton a more profitable crop and changed the course of history in the South. 1 guy can now clean 50x more cotton in 8 hours than before. Slavery was on the decrease before this invention but due to an unintended side effect, slavery began to rise again. -
Pinckney's Treaty
The treaty was an important diplomatic success for the United States. It resolved territorial disputes between the two countries over the Mississippi River. Spain gave the US the right to freely travel on the River and use the port of New Orleans for 20 years. We needed the river to trade as local selling was advantageous, and could float items down the river instead of loading a wagon. It also settled the boundary lines of Spanish Florida from the southern US. -
XYZ Affair
The XYZ Affair was a diplomatic incident between French and United States diplomats that resulted in an undeclared war known as the Quasi-War. The US believed in freedom of the seas but French naval ships were harassing US trading ships. John Adams sent 3 diplomats with the code names x, y, and z respectively. The French demanded a bribe of $250,000 before they would negotiate. XYZ refused to pay and came back. The failure got leaked to the press and the public wanted to declare war. -
Election of 1800
Also called the "revolution of 1800", Jefferson beat Burr and Adams bringing an end to federalist power ad rushing into the Jeffersonian era. It also marked the first peaceful transition in power from one political party to another. There was a tie between candidates. The election was a catalyst for the adoption of the Twelfth Amendment (1804), under which electors would cast separate ballots for president and vice president. -
Dorothea Dix and the Asylum Movement
Dorothea Dix played an instrumental role in the founding or expansion of more than 30 hospitals for the treatment of the mentally ill. She was a leading figure in those national and international movements that challenged the idea that people with mental disturbances could not be cured or helped. She changed the idea of a mental issue and testified in front of Congress to create the 1st generation of US mental asylums. -
Marbury v. Madison
After J. Adams' midnight judges, Adams filled all federal court positions with Federalist judges. J. Madison found the letter granting John Marbury's judgeship on the federal courts. T. Jefferson ordered Madison to not deliver the letter. J. Marbury sued in order to gain the position he believed to be his and the case was taken to the Supreme Court. The court: ruled that the law in which Marbury's judgeship rests is unconstitutional, sides with Madison, and claims the right to judicial review. -
Purchase of the Louisiana Purchase
Worried that the US could lose control of the Miss. River and use of the New Orleans, Jefferson sent Monroe to France in 1803 to discuss the purchase of New Orleans. Napoleon wasn't interested unless they took the whole of the Territory. The Louisiana Purchase eventually doubled the size of the United States, greatly strengthened the country materially and strategically, provided a powerful impetus to westward expansion, and confirmed the doctrine of implied powers of the federal Constitution. -
Embargo Act of 1807
BG and France were at war again and were mad that the US was trading with the other country and their allies. If we stopped trading with one of the countries at war, we had to stop trading with their allies. We currently had a decent trading relationship with both and wanted to remain neutral. Jefferson imposed an embargo on all foreign trade effectively destroying the economy, especially in port cities. The act was very unpopular but it encouraged the growth of domestic manufacturing. -
Robert Fulton's Steamboat is successful
Clermont traveled upstream from NYC to Albany, providing commercial possibilities. The steamboat was important because it made transportation and trade by the river more feasible. Before the steamboat, most trade/travel was done by wind-powered sailboats, whose speed depended on weather conditions and river currents. This new machine was important in the growth and consolidation of the U.S. economy before the Civil War. -
Burning of the US capital
The British Army invaded the US and marched on to Washington D.C. This was the 1st time that the US was invaded while being a nation. It also gave Dolly Madison the ability to become a national hero as she stayed behind during the evacuation to save portraits and other important documents from the fire. -
Panic of 1819
This was the first widespread and durable financial crisis in the US that slowed westward expansion in the Cotton Belt and was followed by a general collapse of the economy that lasted until 1821. Unemployment mounted, banks failed, and agricultural prices fell by half. Investment in western lands collapsed. One cause of the Panic of 1819 was bank's lending practices. Banks allowed too many banking notes and lines of credit to be released that were not backed by hard currency. -
Monroe Doctrine
J. Monroe was famous for his views on foreign affairs. The Monroe Doctrine (named after himself) made four basic points: (1) the United States would not interfere in European affairs; (2) the United States would not interfere with existing colonies in the Americas; (3) the Western Hemisphere was closed to future colonization; and (4) if any European power tried to interfere with any nation in the Americas, would be viewed as a hostile act against the United States and an act of war. -
Election of 1824
No one won this election due to no majority being given as there were 4 candidates. The vote went to the House of Representatives where Henry Clay (a candidate) was speaker of the house. He dropped out and W. Crawford died leaving J.Q.Adams and A. Jackson. Adams and Clay met in private. following, Clay publically supports Adams. Adams won and appointed Clay as Sec. of State. Jackson supporters claimed it was a "corrupt bargain". -
The American System
Henry Clay envisioned a strong national economy and recognized a government's role in creating a positive environment in which business could flourish. It had 3 main points: 1) a strong central bank to provide easy and abundant credit 2) protective tariffs to spur domestic manufacturing 3) revenue raised by tariffs to create a stronger transportation network of roads, railroads, and canals. This system was very similar to Hamilton's financial plan-just updated a little to be more current. -
Erie Canal
Canals were created to link towns to major rivers and lakes. The completion of the Erie Canal spurred the first great westward movement of American settlers, gave access to the rich land and resources west of the Appalachians, and made New York the preeminent commercial city in the United States. Farmers were able to sell their surplus of crops in the North and allowed northern manufacturers to ship finished goods to sell in the West. -
Tariff of Abominations
Also known as the Tariff Debate of 1828, has 2 perspectives based on where in the country you lived. In the north, foreign goods are made more expensive leading to more people buying US goods meaning northern industries started to profit from the increased business. The South saw it as a way that European countries would retaliate by buying less Southern cotton meaning the economy would suffer. To appease these nations, the South continued to buy goods even if they were more expensive. -
Election of 1828
In this election, property requirements were eliminated which meant that poor white men could vote. Andrew Jackson wanted to recreate the old Jeffersonian party and claimed a champion of the common man. He created a national committee that oversaw local and state party units. Politics became local with mass meetings. Mudsling was on both sides contributing to the 1st modern political campaigns. This was the 1st election with a political party: democrats. -
The Spoils System
After winning the election of 1828, Jackson fired many government officials and replaced them with loyal supporters. Critics accused him of rewarding Democrats instead of qualified men. Jackson responded by feeling that ordinary men could fill government jobs, instead of just the wealthy. Arguments in favor of the system defend it as a means of maintaining an active party organization by offering loyal workers rewards (jobs). It also guarantees the ruling party loyal and cooperative employees. -
Indian Removal Act
This Act led to the relocation of nearly 50,000 eastern Indians to the Indian Territory—what later became eastern Oklahoma. It opened up 25 million acres of land to white settlement and the expansion of slavery. It also caused the infamous Trail of Tears active migration of 5 groups: Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Cherokee, and Seminole. It gave the president the power to negotiate removal treaties with Indian tribes living east of the Mississippi River. -
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
This case is important due to its implications for tribal sovereignty and how to legally define the relationship between federally recognized Native American tribes and the U.S. government. The Supreme Court sided with the Cherokee nation saying that the Native Americans are a domestic dependent nation and must follow IS law but are also a separate nation: similar to what a dual citizen would be like. -
Nullification Crisis
South Carolina was not pleased with the new tariff and said it was oppressive. They passed the Nullification Ordinance in 1832 that declared the tariff of 1828 and 1832 to be null and void. They even stated they would secede if the fed gov used force to make them comply. A. Jackson claimed that secession would be considered treason. He defended the fed gov's power to impose tariffs and chastened S.C. for violating fed law because a state had no right to declare any national law null and void. -
Battle of the Alamo
Davy Crockett, a senator, fought for Texan independence in this battle. Mexico's Santa Anna was fast approaching upon the Alamo. Crockett and his men swore to never surrender and fought until they were all killed. The US became angry that a senator had been killed prompting the Alamo to be used as a rallying technique. The revolutionaries who seceded from Mexican authority and held out against a vastly larger Mexican army at the Alamo inspired thousands of others to fight for independence. -
Brook Farm Utopian Society
Utopian Societies were areas of progressive ideas regarding women and men. They typically had more socialist and communist ideas. A main principle was the idea of separation from public society and modern technologies-all of them ended up failing. Brook Farm was to combine the thinker and the worker, to guarantee the greatest mental freedom, and to prepare a society of liberal, cultivated persons, whose relations with each other would permit a more wholesome and simpler life -
Gold is discovered in California
The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. The sudden influx of gold into the money supply reinvigorated the American economy; the sudden population increase allowed California to go rapidly to statehood in the Compromise of 1850. It also resulted in the expansion of manufacturing and service industries, as many entrepreneurial newcomers took advantage of the demand for mining materials, lumber, clothing, and transportation. -
Compromise of 1850
High tensions ran as the gov didn't know what to do with the new territories- would they be admitted as free or slave states? Clay realized that the Missouri Compromise wouldn't work and he revised it stating: that California would be admitted as a free state, the slave trade would be abolished in DC, strict fugitive slave laws would be enacted nationwide (all runaway slaves must be returned), and territories applying for statehood would now be governed by the concept of popular sovereignty. -
Dred Scott Case
Scott argued that his moving to a free state with his master would consider him free as slavery is illegal in the new state, This would mean that relocating to a free state would not dissolve the bands of slavery. The court ruled against him saying the Northwest Ordinance (made slavery illegal) was unconstitutional. Abolitionists argued that there was now no such thing as a free state under this ruling. -
John Brown and the Raid of Harper's Ferry
Brown and his comrades wanted to steal weapons and go to the biggest plantation, kill the owners, and arm the slaves. Although the raid failed, it inflamed sectional tensions and raised the stakes for the 1860 presidential election. Brown's raid helped make any reconciliation between North and South nearly impossible and thus became an important impetus of the Civil War. He was charged with treason, found guilty, and was hanged. However, in the north, church bells rang out in Brown's honor. -
Lincoln elected as president
Lincoln was a star in the Whig (now Republican) party. Lincoln proposed that he and his opponent, Stephen Douglas, have debates regarding the welfare of the nation. (presidential debates). The South was worried about what a Lincoln presidency would mean for slavery, the economy, and their way of life. Politically, Lincoln wouldn't dissolve slavery by an executive order as he didn't morally have that power. When Lincoln was elected, SC succeeded and the great of the South followed soon after. -
Battle on Fort Sumter
SC seized Fort Sumter and got a blockade forcing the Union troops inside to surrender. Lincoln sent in food supplies to help the troops. Jefferson Davis worried that weapons were hidden in the food supplies and they never allowed the group to reach the fort, starting an attack on those in the building. This attack marked the official beginning of the American Civil War—a war that lasted four years, cost the lives of more than 620,000 Americans, and freed 3.9 million enslaved people from bondage. -
Pacific Railway Act of 1862
Connecting the east and west coasts via railroad enabled coast-to-coast trade within the US and global trading. The Union Pacific Railway Co. began in Nebraska and worked east with workers comprised of mainly Irish Immigrants. The Central Pacific Railway Co. would begin in Sacramento and work east with Chinese immigrants. The companies received land grants on either side of the railroad to be purchased by the workers to build homes. The companies joined together at Promontory Point, Utah. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln proposed the proclamation after the "victory" at the Battle of Antietam. It stated that all southern slavers were free while also saying that the southern states could rejoin the Union and keep their slaves with reunification. No states took up the offer but it assured that no other European countries would take up alliances with the south. It sent a message that if nations joined with the South would be supporting slavery as well- most nations had previously outlawed this institution. -
Wade-Davis Bill
During reconstruction, ideas were circulating on what to do with the South. Most Republicans in Congress, many of them radicals, felt that Loncoln's 10% plan was too lenient on the rebels. In this plan, 50% of state voters had to swear an oath of loyalty to the union. Only non-confederates were allowed to vote and hold political office. This bill was proposed by Sen. Benjamin Wade (R-OH) and Congressman Henry W. Davis (R-MD). In the end, Andrew Johnson used parts of this plan and the 10% plan. -
Sherman march to the sea
Splitting his army to march parallel to each other created a wider path of destruction by a Union army faction. They destroyed anything and everything important to the war effort: they burned fields, looted houses, emancipated slaves, burned factories, and bent railroad tracks; all with very little resistance. Sherman marched toward Atlanta and burned the city to the ground. This campaign was marked by its objective, to cripple the Confederacy's ability to wage war. -
Boss Tweed in office
Tweed was a politician most notable for being the boss of Tammany Hall. He was a Democratic political machine that played a major role in the politics of New York City. Tweed was convicted of stealing an estimated $25 million from New York City taxpayers through political corruption. Tammany Hill became the main local political machine of the Democratic Party which played a major role in controlling New York City and New York State politics and helped immigrants rise in American politics. -
Andrew Johnson's Impeachment
Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act to protect some radicals in Johnson's cabinet saying that the president couldn't remove some military officials without Congress's approval. Johnson vetoed the bill but it was overridden due to the supermajority the bill still passed. Johnson didn't listen to the law and suspended his Sec. of War: Edwin Stanton. Thus violating violating federal law. The House impeached Johnson but the Senate fell 1 vote short and was the 1st president to be impeached. -
15th Amendment is Ratified
The 15th Amendment extended voting rights to all citizens regardless of race recognizing from the Election of 1868 that blacks needed the right to vote. It prohibited any state from denying any citizens the right to vote, regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. It was very unpopular with the public and cost radical Republicans the next elections. In order to pass the amendment, the republicans held onto their supermajority, forcing it through Congress. -
Women's christian temperance union
The initial purpose of the WCTU was to promote abstinence from alcohol, which they protested with pray-ins at local taverns. The group was instrumental in organizing women's suffrage leaders and in helping more women become involved in American politics. Local chapters, “unions”, were largely autonomous though linked to state and national headquarters. Their membership grew rapidly, and the WCTU remains one of the oldest non-sectarian women's groups in the United States of America. -
Sharecroppers
As freedmen needed jobs and an income while having no land/resources, Sharecropping arose as landowners needed labor but lacked $ to pay wages. Freedmen would farm the land, don't get paid but don't have $ to rent. When the crops are harvested the freedmen pay the owners a % of the crop. It seemed like a fair decision but was false. Landowners would keep track of the $ that sharecroppers owed. At harvest time, they would always owe more than they harvested leaving them in socioeconomic slavery. -
Civil Rights Act of 1875
Sometimes called the Enforcement Act or the Force Act, this act was a United States federal law enacted during the Reconstruction era in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The bill guaranteed all citizens, regardless of color, access to accommodations, theatres, public schools, churches, and cemeteries. It was the last of the major Reconstruction statutes. The U.S. Supreme Court declared the act unconstitutional in the Civil Rights Cases (1883). -
Telephone is Invented
Alexander Graham Bell successfully received a patent for the telephone and secured the rights to the discovery. Days later, he made the first-ever telephone call to his partner, Thomas Watson. The telephone is one invention that changed the world and opened a wide world of communication. Many businesses benefited from the additional communication options that became available after the invention of the telephone. The Graham telephoned also created a monopoly in the telephone industry. -
Long Lasting Light Bulb is invented
By passing electricity through a thin platinum filament in the glass vacuum bulb, the filament was delayed from melting allowing it to last longer/be used more often. The light bulb helped to establish social order after sundown, extended the workday well into the night, and allowed people to navigate and travel safely in the dark. Without the light bulb, there would be no nightlife. It gave power to the average man as opposed to being ruled by nature. -
Tuskegee Institution is created
Tuskegee Institute, founded by Booker T. Washington, was the first institution of higher learning for African Americans. The institute focused on providing practical skills that would enable them to secure employment and improve their economic status. Later in WWII the University was awarded by the Army Air Corps a contract to help train America's first Black military aviators as it had already invested in the development of an airfield, had a proven civilian pilot training program. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
It was the first significant law restricting immigration into the US. This act provided a 10-year ban on Chinese laborers immigrating to the United States. It also started a trend of nativism and race-based policies like those of African Americans and Native Americans. The Act kept many Chinese nationals from entering the US and fueled the mistreatment of Chinese people in the US. Soon, anti-Chinese violence in states left Chinese immigrants dead, wounded, and fleeing their homes in fear. -
The Pendleton Act
Creator by Senator George Pendleton, the act provided that federal government jobs be awarded based on merit and that government employees be selected through competitive exams. The act also made it unlawful to fire or demote employees covered by the law for political reasons. This act also created the Civil Service Commission which would oversee the distribution of jobs. This act ended the age-old spoils system that former presidents had taken advantage of. -
Dawes Act of 1887
Native Americans could claim individual homesteads of 160 acres to own and farm. It was championed as an olive branch to the Native American tribes however, the homesteads were carved out of Indian reservations. The desired effect of the act was to get Native Americans to farm and ranch like white homesteaders. It would hopefully prompt acculturation for future generations. An explicit goal was to create divisions among Native Americans and eliminate the social cohesion of tribes. -
"Gospel of Wealth"
Andrew Carnegie wrote this book on how to deal with the issue of wealth inequality that was budding in the United States. He felt the wealthy needed to utilize their excess prosperity thoughtfully and responsibly. Carnegie argued that excess wealth should be used to benefit society. In other words, the richest Americans should actively engage in philanthropy and charity to close the widening gap between rich and poor. To support his claim, Carnegie donated 80% of his fortune to charities. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
The act prohibited any contract, trust, or conspiracy in restraint of interstate or foreign trade. The Clayton Antitrust Act is an amendment passed by the U.S. Congress in 1914 that provides further clarification and substance to the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. It outlawed monopolistic business practices and forced companies to break up if they violated this act as well as outlawed trusts and cartels. It encouraged market competition between businesses to spur quality products for customers. -
Pullman Market Strike
George Pullman refused to meet with workers to hear requests for higher wages, lower rents, and better working conditions. In protest, workers walked off the job due to previous reasons such as the absence of democracy in the town, the paternalistic control by the company, excessive water and gas rates, and a refusal by the company to allow workers to buy their houses. Pres. Clevland sent in an army to break up the strike marking the first time that an injecture was used to break a strike. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
In 1896, the US court ruled in a 7-1 vote, that "Sperate but equal" accommodations on railroad cars conformed to the 14th Amendment guarantee of equal protection. The decision was used to justify segregating all public facilities, including schools that most ignored Plessy's "equal" requirement as they neglected their black schools. This ruling was held until 184 when in Brown v. Board of education of Topeka, Kansas, the supreme court ruled that separate institutions were inherently unequal. -
Roosevelt and the "Rough Riders"
They deployed to Cuba to fight in the Spanish-American War. They participated in two important battles- the most important of which was the Battle of San Juan Hill. This was a key battle in culminating U.S. and Cuban rebels' efforts to expel the Spanish from Cuba. The first action they saw occurred at the Battle of Las Guasimas on June 24, when the Spanish were driven away. They assisted the American forces in forming a constricting ring around the city of Santiago de Cuba. -
The de Lome letter
Written by Enrique Dupuy de Lome a Spanish Minister to the U.S. This is significant because it criticized President McKinley by calling him weak and bidder. The letter referred to the President as "weak" and insulted him like the president was a clown. This insult upset the American public and created pro-war sentiment toward the Spanish-American war. The letter also admitted that Spain had no intentions of honoring a deal with the US aimed at humanitarian relief for the Cuban people. -
USS Maine explodes
The sinking of the boat incited the US' passions against Spain, eventually leading to a naval blockade of Cuba and a dec. of war. On a friendly visit, the ship had been sent to Cuba to protect the interests of Americans there after riots broke out in Havana in Jan. Cuba had a high number of citizens who lived and owned businesses and property, and a significant amount of US-controlled sugar trading went through Cuba. The US also sent an ultimatum to Spain to terminate its presence in Cuba. -
Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle"
The Jungle was an exposé of industrial labor, but the book had the unexpected result of moving Congress to regulate food production- with the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act. Sinclair wanted his novel to call attention to the atrocities committed against the working class in 1900s Chicago, especially European immigrants. Sinclair hoped the wealthy people reading his novel would advocate for social change in this direction. -
Antiquities Act
This act was the first U.S. law to provide general legal protection of cultural and natural resources of historic or scientific interest on federal lands and was a response to concerns over theft from and destruction of archaeological sites. The act set a precedent by asserting a broad public interest in the preservation of resources on Federal lands. As the act only applies to Federal lands, it places no restrictions on private property and doesn't affect existing privacy rights. -
Panama Canal is finished
The Canal symbolized U.S. technological prowess and economic power. Although U.S. control of the canal eventually became an irritant to U.S.-Panamanian relations, at the time it was heralded as a major foreign policy achievement. The Canal is a critical cornerstone of global maritime transportation. It serves as a vital link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, enabling ships to avoid the lengthy and hazardous voyage around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The sinking of the boat caused international outrage and helped turn public opinion against Germany, particularly in the then-neutral United States. It helped to prompt the US to begin talks about tolerance of unrestricted submarine warfare. This would be successful until 2 years later. Public opinion began to shift away from neutrality/isolationism following the sinking toward one supporting the allies. This mixed with the later Zimmerman telegram would push the US into entering WWI. -
Zimmermann Telegram
This telegram was a secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office that proposed a military contract between Germany and Mexico if the US entered World War I against Germany. With Germany's aid, Mexico would recover Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. The telegram was intercepted by British intelligence. This was considered GB greatest intelligence coup of WWI and, coupled with US outrage over the resumption of unrestricted sub-warfare, was the main reason for US entry. -
Selective Service Act
The army was small and ill-prepared to enter WWI. To combat this Wilson signed that act to grow the military and compel service in WWI. The act authorized the fed gov to expand the military through conscription. The act eventually required all men between the ages of 21 to 45 to register for the draft. The act, aka the Selective Draft Act, provided the US with a system of guidelines that provided the most prompt, efficient, and equitable draft possible if the country should need it. -
Espionage Act of 1917
Fearing that anti-war speeches and street pamphlets would undermine the war effort, Pres Wilson and Congress passed this act and its sister act, The Sedition Act of 1918. America's freedom was restricted during WWI. This act prohibited speech, including any disloyal, profane, or abusive language about the US gov- over 2,000 people were imprisoned for speaking out. This was significant as it undermined the 1st amendment of the Constitution and put some distrust in the gov. and its decisions. -
Influenza Pandemic
The real killer of WWI, the disease was aided by unsanitary conditions in the trenches to spread faster and become more deadly. It killed more than 20 million people and was the most devastating epidemic in recorded history. The epidemic diverted urgently needed resources from combat support to transporting and caring for the sick and the dead. Influenza and pneumonia killed more American soldiers and sailors during the war than did enemy weapons. -
18th Amendment is ratified
This amendment declared the production, transport, and sale of liquor illegal. Shortly after the amendment was ratified, Congress passed the Volstead Act to provide for the fed enforcement of Prohibition. It was meant to cut down on social issues created by alcohol. Prohibition was enacted to protect individs and families from the evils of alcohol. However, it had unintended consequences of a rise in organized crime associated with alcohol, an increase in smuggling, and a decline in tax revenue -
Treaty of Versailles
The Allied powers conducted the treaty that ended WWI. Here Wilson created his 14 points that most notably established the League of Nations (US never joined). The Euro powers didn't like the 14 points and wanted to base the treaty on punishing Germany. The treaty limited Germany's armed forces and forced Germany to sign the "War Guilt Clause" accepting ownership of the war. In the end, the US didn't sign as Wilson believed it to be too harsh on Germany. This was the #1 cause of WWII -
Palmer Raids
The Palmer Raids were a series of raids conducted by the Department of Justice -Attorney General Mitchell Palmer- under the administration of President Woodrow Wilson to capture and arrest suspected socialists, especially anarchists and communists, and deport them from the United States. The fear of spreading communism, paired with the rise of stronger unions, immigrants from Eastern Europe, and bombings in large cities led the government to react. -
Emergence of Flappers
Flappers of the 1920s were young women known for their energetic freedom, embracing a lifestyle viewed by many at the time as outrageous, immoral or downright dangerous. These women often had short hair, more revealing dresses, and openly drank/smoked and seemed to reject traditional views of women's roles in society. Flappers pushed barriers to economic, political and sexual freedom for women. This trend was troubling for many and highlighted tensions and conflicts which defined the 20s. -
19th Amendment is ratified
The women's suffrage movement used rallies, marches, magazine articles, and debates to further their cause. While generally peaceful, some women were seen as more radical using civil disobedience, and hunger strikes, and some like Alice Paul were jailed. The 19th Amendment signified an improvement in the lives of women with the right to vote and closed part of the gap in equal rights between men and women. Further, it made it illegal to deny the right to vote to any citizen based on their sex. -
"Boom Cycle" consumer culture
The booming economy of the 1920s can be credited to this economic theory. As income increased for workers, people were able to purchase more goods for their homes. This caused companies to earn more profit from the influx of sales. The excess $ allows companies to expand and hire more people thus paying higher wages to its workers. This theory also explains how rural US can feel what's to come in the future in terms of economics, if they are struggling the urban will follow soon. -
Immigration Act of 1924
This act limited the number of immigrants allowed entry into the United States through a national origins quota. The quota provided immigration visas to 2% of the total number of people of each nationality in the United States as of the 1890 national census. By using old data, the 2% would be lower than the data collected in more recent years thus lowering the number of immigrants allowed into the US. However, the act never applied to GB and France- the US's biggest allies. -
March of KKK on Washington
The KKK was at the height of its popularity with 5 million members. This social group believed themselves to be the defenders of America. They were willing to use violence, intimidation, and political means to achieve white supremacy. Their tactics were aimed at blacks, Jews, Catholics, and immigrants. Many of the marchers showed their faces- a telling indication that the group could operate with impunity. This event showed the social significance and prominence that the group achieved. -
"Buying on Margin"
Installment credit soared during the 1920s. Banks offered the country's first home mortgages. Manufacturers of everything--from cars to irons--allowed consumers to pay "on time." About 60 percent of all furniture and 75 percent of all radios were purchased on installment plans. By buying stocks for a fraction of its worth, the idea was that you would pay the rest of the agreed upon price when you sell the stock to hopefully make a profit-cause of the Great Depression. -
Bank Runs
This is when people try to withdraw all of their funds for fear of a bank collapse. When this is done simultaneously by many depositors, the bank can run out of cash, causing it to become insolvent. The Great Depression contained several banking crises consisting of runs on multiple banks from 1929 to 1933; some of these were specific to regions of the U.S. Bank runs were most common in states whose laws allowed banks to operate only a single branch. -
The Bonus Army
WWI vets had been promised a bonus for their service to be received in 1945, due to the Great Depression many needed the funds now. In response, thousands marched to DC but their request was denied by Congress. Those who stayed congregated around the White House in a Hooverville. After months, Hoover called for the army to disperse them. The military evicted them from DC and burned the camp down. This event gave a bad rep for Hoover and put more pressure on him through the Great Depression. -
Roosevelt's Hundred Days
During these 1st 100 days, Roosevelt acted decisively to increase gov spending and created many new gov funded programs. 15 landmark pieces of legislation were passed during this time such as the Emergency Banking Act and the Federal Emergency Relief Act. The lasting legacy of this was now that each president is judged by how the rest of their term will look like. This also improved his reputation by being adored by the people as people were able to see the social change brought by the 100 days -
Social Security Act
The Act est. 2 types of provisions for old-age security: Federal aid to the States to provide cash pensions to their needy aged, and a system of Federal old-age benefits for retired workers. Apart of the 2nd new deal, it created a social insurance program designed to pay retired workers age 65 or older a continuing income after retirement. Before, people had been less inclined to retire because they would lose their income, this allowed for younger workers to get jobs as spots would be open -
Court Packing Scandel
While the New Deal was welcomed by many, some began to challenge the constitutionality of FDR's leg. The Supreme Court declared 22 different provisions of the New Deal unconstitutional. Enraged, FDR threatened to expand the Court to 15 justices meaning that he would nominate 6 new justices. With the new members, it would ensure the New Deal would stand. It created the idea that a president could never have the authority to change the Supreme Court without seeming as suspicious to the public. -
Pearl Harbor
The Imperial Japanese Navy conducted a surprise assault on the US naval base, caused by the US demanding Japan withdraw from China and Indochina to prevent the US from being locked out of those markets. This unprovoked attack forced the US into World War II, as it immediately declared war on Japan. This caused GB to also declare war on Japan and likewise, Italy and Germany to declare war on the US. This event also ended the Great Depression as the economy switched to wartime production. -
Double V Campaign
The Pittsburgh Courier, an African American newspaper, launched the Double V Campaign, which stood for “Victory Abroad and Victory at Home.” Victory Abroad championed military success against fascism overseas, and Victory at Home demanded equality for African Americans in the United States. African Americans were curious as to why they were fighting over someone else's freedoms when they weren't free/treated as equals to their white counterparts. They wanted victory over racism on the homefront -
"Operation Overlord" D-Day
Allies decide to open a 2nd front in Normandy. This invasion was the largest seaborne invasion in history and was the turning point in the war. D-Day had opened another major front, where the bulk of the US's army could be brought into Europe. It led to the liberation of France and allowed the Allies to push into Germany a year later and defeat Nazi Germany. Within 7 days, the Allies controlled 80mi of the coast. There was no escape plan meaning this attack had to work. -
G.I. Bill of Rights
Signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt provided World War II veterans with funds for college education, unemployment insurance, and housing. It put higher education within the reach of millions of veterans of WWII and later military conflicts. It allowed vets to get low-interest home and business loans which created jobs from start-up businesses and allowed for people to expand out of the city to create suburbs. The unintended side effect of this act was that it stimulated the econ. -
Potsdam Conference
Pre Truman replaced Roosevelt and had a more aggressive stance toward the Soviets. The question of Germany posed the biggest challenge as Stalin wanted to extract reparations from Germany in the form of industrial machines and goods. To prevent the Soviets from dismantling German industry, Truman convinced Stalin to take reparations only from the Soviet zone which was largely rural and held little wealth of industry to plunder. In exchange, the German-polish border was redrawn to favor Stalin. -
Truman Doctrine
GB informed the US it could no longer afford to support the anti-communists in the Greek Civil War. In response, Truman released this statement asserting that it was the American responsibility to support the free people who were resisting the outside pressures of communism. Truman proposed large-scale financial aid to Greece and Turkey (then involved in a dispute with the SU over access to the Med. sea). This became justification for US intervention in several countries during the Cold War. -
Joseph Levitt and Sons
Created due to urban sprawl and the urban decay of the inner city, many wanted to escape the city and live further out in the suburbs. To deal with the influx of citizens in the suburbs, Levitt created the 1st subdivision. Each house consisted of the same layout and design and using an assembly-line type method, the houses were available at an affordable price and created quickly. This development put the American deal within the reach of so many-having home ownership. -
Marshall Plan
Created by Sec of State George Marshall in a speech, Marshall laid out a challenge to the nations of Europe: work out a recovery program, and US aid would finance it. Over the next 4 years, the US contributed $13 Billion to a successful recovery effort. Euro industrial production increased by 64%, and communist parties faded in West Euro politics. Markets for American goods grew stronger and fostered economic interdependence between Europe and the US. However, it intensified Cold War tensions -
Korean War
Tensions along the 38th parallel rose when the SU started supporting the North and democracy in the South. NK launched a surprise attack across the parallel. Truman ordered US troops into Korea after approval from the UN Security Council. UN troops crossed the 38th up to China. A massive Chinese counterattack ensued with the support of NK pushing the UN army down to the 38th. The stalemate ended in an armistice where NK firmly allied with the SU and SK signed a mutual defense treaty with the US -
Brown v. Board of Education
Linda Brown a young black student in Topeka, Kansas, had been forced to attend a black school far away rather than a closer white school. Thurgood Marshall- who was representing Brown-contended that such segregation was unconstitutional because it denied Linda Brown the "equal protection of the laws" guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. In a unanimous decision, the Court agreed, overturned the ruling from Plessy v. Ferguson at last, and claimed segregation in schools was unconstitutional -
Eisenhower Interstate Highway Act
This was the largest public works project in US history however it was expensive leaving some skeptical. Popularly known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956, the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 established an interstate highway system in the United States. It was able to play on Cold War fears by promoting the project as a need for evacuation if necessary. For every 10 mi of road, it was required that 1 mi be straight to be used as emergency runways for military planes. -
Ruby Bridges
She was the 1st black student to attend an all-white elementary school. She had to be escorted to and from school by armed federal marshals while community members parents and students shouted insults, protested, and threw food at her. She was threatened and even “greeted" by a woman displaying a black doll in a wooden coffin. At six years old, her bravery helped pave the way for Civil Rights action in the American South. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Kennedy revealed that spy planes had spotted Soviet-built bases for IBM's in Cuba which were easily capable of striking the continental US. Kennedy announced a quarantine on all offensive military equipment bound for Cuba. After intense negotiations, both sides made concessions: Kennedy pledged not to invade Cuba, and Khrushchev promised to dismantle the missiles. Kennedy also secretly ordered US missiles to be dismantled from Turkey. This was the closest the Cold War came to a nuclear exchange -
March On Washington
It was the largest gathering for civil rights of its time.
An estimated 250,000 people attended for Jobs and Freedom. They were there to demand an end to segregation, fair wages and economic justice, voting rights, education, and long overdue civil rights protections. The March was a historic event and a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement by showing mass interest in the progression of equality. Dr. King also gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech before the Lincoln Memorial. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Created in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident where a US ship gave word that it was fired upon by the N.V. This gave Pres Johnson the authority to increase U.S. involvement in the war between North and South Vietnam. By abdicating the power of declaring war in this case to the president, Congress wouldn't be able to be blamed for the failure of the war if that is what ensued. It became a turning point in American involvement in Southeast Asia. It would also lead to escalation of the war. -
SALT Treaty
This was a case of two rounds of conferences and corresponding treaties involving the US and the Soviet Union. The Cold War superpowers dealt with arms control in two rounds of talks and agreements: SALT I and SALT II. Standing for Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, Carter and Brezhnev signed the Treaty in Vienna, limiting the total of both nations' nuclear forces to 2,250 delivery vehicles and placing a variety of other restrictions on deployed strategic nuclear forces, including MIRVs. -
Title IX
It was a civil rights law that prohibited discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities and ensured that they were treated equally and fairly. It protects against discrimination based on sex (including sexual harassment). The act further gave women athletes the right to equal opportunity in sports in educational institutions that receive federal funds, from elementary schools to colleges and universities. This gave a push towards women's rights -
Camp David Accords
Signed by President Jimmy Carter, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin established a framework for a historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. It was the first such treaty between Israel and any of its Arab neighbors. The accords were in response to Egypt regaining the Sinai Peninsula that Israel had captured during the Six-Day War in 1967, while Israel received its first formal recognition from an Arab state. -
Reagan Doctrine
The Reagan Doctrine was the concept that believed in stopping Communism before it could attack and enslave a country. It was applied in Grenada when Reagan sent American troops to stop a full-out Communist invasion. Furthermore, the United States provided overt and covert aid to anti-communist guerrillas and resistance movements in an effort to "roll back" Soviet-backed pro-communist governments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.