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Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock
Over a 100 travelers from England embarked on a voyage on the Mayflower in September 1620. Their reasons for leaving England were mostly for religious freedom but also for economic and political reasons.The Pilgrims were originally on their way to Virginia but their boat was lost at sea and they landed at what would later become Cape Cod. The Pilgrims set up camp not far from Plymouth Rock, which commemorates the land of the Mayflower. They ruled themselves and laid foundations for democracy. -
Revolutionary War
Colonists in America wanted independence from England. The British government attempted to pass laws, enforce taxes, and increase control over the colonies. The colonies objected and wanted England to have no control over them. There was much tension between them and a war began. George Washington became commander in cheif of the army and in 1783, the United States of America was born. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is the name ofa statement adopted by Congrss on July 4,1776 which announced the thirteen American colonies as independent and no longer part of the British Empire.They formed a new nation, the United States of America. The document also stated what the colonies believed would make a good government andd what rules they thought had been unfair. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was a land deal between the United States and France. The U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. It doubled the size of the United States. -
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution which took place during the 18th and 19th centuries, was a period of time in which rural areas in America became industrial and urban. While industrialization broght volume and variety of manufactured goods and improved standards of living for some it also caused hard work and bad living conditions for the poor, working classes. -
Civil War
The American Civil War resulted from tensions between the north nad South that had been building for decades. The main issues were slavery and state rights and these issues became even bigger when Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860. The South suceded and formed the Confederate States of America. This started the Civil War which continued until April 1865 when the North conquered the South and they were forced to surrender. -
WWI
Gavrilo Princip assassinated Franz Ferdinand, the Archduke of Austria. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. The war divided Europe. The Central Powers with Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy and the Allied Forces with France, Russia and Great Britain. Pther countries also began to join sides. Both sides signed an Armistice and agreed to stop fighting in 1918. -
19th Amendment
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution granted women the right to vote. This came after a long struggle for the rights of women called the women's suffrage movement. It was ratified on August 18,1920. -
Great Depression
The Great Depression was the deepest and most long-lasting economic downturn in the United States and began after the stock market crashed in October 1929. Soon after that, investment and consumer spending dropped and unemployment levels rose. 13 to 15 million people were unemployed and nearly half of the contry's banks failed. The economy did not fully turn around until WWII started. -
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was the name of the Great Plains region that was hit by drought in the 1930s. A 150,000 mile area, including Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico had little rainfall, light soil, and high winds. The soil lacked a strong root system to anchor it, so the winds picked up the loose topsoil and caused dust storms. It drove 60 percent of people from the region. -
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart was the first female pilot across the Atlantic Ocean. She disapeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 and she was never found. -
WWII
World War II was fought between the Axis Powers, Germany, Italy and Japnn, and the Allied Powers, Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union and France. It was the deadliest war in all human history. -
Cold War
The Cold War was a long period of tension between democracies and the communist countires of Eastern Europe. THe west was led by the United States and Eastern Europe was led by the Soviet Union. It began not long after WWII ended in 1945. -
Armstrong Walks on the Moon
On July 20, 1969 American astronaut Neil Armstrong 240,000 miles from Earth spoke the words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Armstrong was the first human to walk on the surface of the moon. -
September 11, 2001
On Semptember 11, 2001, 19 people associated with an Islamic extremist group carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two planes were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third hit the Pentagon just outside Wahington D.C, and a fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.
