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The Sand Creek Massacre
In the 1860s, tensions between Native Americans and White settlers rose as desire for the Native's land grew ever stronger. This resulted in bloody brutality. Chief Black Kettle, leader of 800 Cheyanne Natives living in the village of Sand Creek in Southeast Colorado, was assured that his people would remain unharmed in the conflict. However, the Colorado Volunteers surrounded the camp the next morning and murdered 400 Cheyanne men, women, and children.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/40a.asp -
Industrialization
Industrialization is the process of expanding a country's industries and economy on a large scale. America experienced an extreme period of industrialization from 1877 to the 1900s.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/36.asp -
Period: to
US History 1877 - 2011
This timeline identifies various events and ideas in American History from just after the Reconstruction period to the present day. By understanding why past events happened in their historical context, we can understand present and future situations. -
Imperialism
Imperialism is the policy of expanding a country's influence outside of its borders through military force or diplomacy. The United States displayed themes of imperialism during Westward Expansion, but the 1890s is when the government began to acquire domain outside of continental America.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/44.asp -
The Pullman Strike
The Pullman strike is considered one of the largest strikes in American history. It was a result of the Pullman Car company's decision to fire 5,000 employees who said they would not accept a pay cut. Eugene V. Debs, who was the face of this movement, called for American Railway Union members to refuse to operate any trains with Pullman cars. The strike failed when federal troops were sent to quiet and arrest strikers.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/37e.asp -
Exceptionalism
The belief that a certain society, country, institution, etc. is exceptional or different than the rest. American exceptionalism dates back as far as the birth of the nation, but it became especially apparent in society when the debate of whether or not the United States should join WWl began.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/45.asp -
The Treaty of Versailles
After World War l, the victorious Allied Powers gathered in Versailles to negotiate peace and retributions. President Woodrow Wilson proposed Fourteen Points of Peace, his vision for a more peaceful world, but the other leaders dismissed him. They were more focused on harsh punishment for Germany. They did end up approving Wilson's idea for a League of Nations, but America was not a part of it because the government failed to ratify the Treaty of Versailles.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/45d.asp -
The Stock Market Crash of 1929
In October 1929, the stock market suffered a crash. This was essentially the result of a massive amount of people selling their stocks over a short period of time. On October 29, the day of the crash, 16 million shares were exchanged, their values becoming smaller over the course of the day. In ten weeks the value of the stock market was reduced by 50 percent.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/48a.asp -
The Bonus March
After World War l, veterans were awarded certificates that they could exchange for $1,000 in the year 1945. During the Great Depression, many WWl veterans had lost their source of income and wanted to redeem their bonuses early. They held a march in Washington D.C. and formed a "Bonus Army" of 15,000 former demonstrators. The Senate did not allow them to redeem their certificates, and those who continued to protest were met with brutal military force.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/48c.asp -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbor
On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese forces launched a surprise bombing on Pearl Harbor and damaged six American battleships along with a number of other ships and ground planes. Nearly 3,000 Americans were killed in the attack. This inspired the United States government to fully enter WWll.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/50e.asp -
The Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On August 6, 1945, an American plane dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a city in Japan. This attack resulted in the immediate deaths of 70,000 people. On August 9, they released another atomic bomb in Nagasaki Japan, killing about 80,000 people. Radiation poisoning led to more casualties in the months and years after the attack. This was the first instance of A-Bombs being used in warfare. The weapons were developed in secret through the Manhattan Project.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/51g.asp -
The Establishment of the United Nations
The United Nations (the UN) was founded in 1945 in the aftermath of World War ll. Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin assembled the skeleton of the organization together. It was created to prevent international conflict and violence from happening and to find peaceful, diplomatic solutions to conflict. The UN currently has 193 member states.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/52b.asp -
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech
On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 people flocked to a rally in Washington D.C. to bring awareness to racial injustice. It was at this rally that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech that would inspire Americans for generations to come.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/54e.asp -
Liberalism
Liberalism is a philosophy that is based on equality before the law, liberty, and consent of the governed. It is both a political and moral ideology. The influence of liberalism flourished in America during President Johnson's term.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/56e.asp -
Feminism
Feminism is the belief that women and men should be equal and have the same rights. In 1963, Betty Friedan published a book called "The Feminine Mystique" that challenged gender and social roles. Within three years, feminism had gained momentum and new movement was formed.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/57a.asp -
The Tet Offensive
Vietcong troops launched a surprise attack on each major city in South Vietnam during the Buddhist holiday of Tet. Weeks of escalated violence ensued. The United States and Southern Vietnam armies emerged victorious in a military sense, but American morale suffered. After the offensive, a study found that only 28% of Americans were satisfied with how President Johnson was handling the war. The increased violence lasted from January 30th to September 23rd.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/55c.asp -
The Stonewall Riots
Early in the morning on June 6, 1969, New York City police officers raided the Stonewall Inn, an LGBTQ+ bar and safe space. Patrons of the Inn were fed up with years of police harassment, and decided to fight back. The rioting lasted until July 3rd. A year later, the first pride parade was held in NYC to honor Stonewall. This event was the catalyst for the LGBTQ+ Rights Movement.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/57f.asp -
Public Access to the Internet
Developed by the Department of Defense during the 1970s, the internet was originally under government control and was mainly used by scientists. It was opened to the public in 1984 and used for commercial purposes.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/60d.asp -
The Creation of the World Wide Web
Developed in the early 1990s, the World Wide Web was created for international commercial use. This enabled corporations to reach more customers. People were able to work from home, and Email became a popular way for people all over the world to communicate. The World Wide Web continues to be a very present part of society today, and it has brought people together as well as driven them apart.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/60d.asp -
The Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985 and immediately sought to make major reforms. He wanted to open up the Soviet Union to western ideas and influence and allow market incentives to citizens. These new freedoms led to the domino effect collapse of the Soviet Union in which each country within its grasp seceded, beginning with Poland and ending with Ukraine, Russia, and Byelorussia.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/59e.asp -
The Impeachment of Bill Clinton
During his second term in office, Bill Clinton became the second president to ever be impeached. He was impeached for obstruction of justice connecting to a sexual relationship he had with an intern at the White House. He was acquitted by the Senate and remained in office until the end of his term.
https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/bill-clinton#inaugural-address-bill-clinton
