US History

Native American Culture

Inventive and creative. Cultivated plants, domesticated animals, established extensive trade patterns, built cities, produced architecture, developed religious beliefs, constructed social/political organization systems. Diverse cultures.

Jamestown

initial settlement of gentlemen adventurers that wanted to strike rich quickly

Early Virginia Servants and Slaves

tobacco success + abundance of land led people wanting to own estates rather than work —> initial solution of indentured servants, but many ran away —> African slaves in the 1670s benefitted white indentured servants

Plymouth, Massachusetts

Founded in 1620 by Separatists (English settlers) who fled England to practice religion (mainly Puritanism). Thrived as a center of rope making, fishing, and shipping.

Mayflower Compact

First legal document of democratic governance in New World

Stamp Act

Parliament required colonists to pay taxes on printed papers in 1765

Taxation without Representation

Due to the Stamp Act, the Stamp Act Congress (representatives from colonies) met and approved the Declaration of Rights and Grievances to protest taxes, but Britain ignored the petitions

Why America won the American Revolutionary War

Britain had a large, well trained army and many Loyalists. However, George Washington’s leadership, France’s aid, and British tactical errors culminating in the Battle of Yorktown led to America’s victory.

Sections of the Declaration of Independence

General statement of natural rights theory & purpose of government, list of grievances against British King, declaration of independence from England

Date of Signing of Declaration of Independence

July 4, 1776

Articles of Confederation

Framework of national government. Weak central government. Each state only had one vote and there was no right to tax, regulate commerce, or force states to send troops. No amendments were ratified because it required total approval.

Louisiana Purchase

1803 land deal between US and France where the US acquired 827,000 sq miles of land west of Mississippi River for $15 million. Blocked Spain and France from colonization of NA and doubled America’s size.

Creek War

Started on Aug 30,1813 when a faction of Creeks (Red Sticks) attacked American settlers (Fort Mims massacre). Creek War ended in 1814 resulting in Creek Indians surrendering 23 million acres of land. President Jackson signed Indian Removal Act in 1830, removing Southeastern tribes west of Mississippi River.

Election of 1824/Corrupt Bargain

Popular vote mattered for the first time, which Jackson won, but due to not getting enough electoral votes, representatives met and chose Adams instead who chose Jackson (who heavily influenced the vote) for the Secretary of State position. In the next election, Jackson won by a landslide.

Abraham Lincoln & the Mexican War

Polk declared war on Mexico for shedding American blood on American soil. Abraham Lincoln disagreed and opposed the Mexican War for being immoral, proslavery, and a threat to republicanism.

Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments

In 1848, 300 people met for 2 days in the first formal women’s rights convention. Asserted that women should have equality in all areas of life (including voting).

Fugitive Slave Acts

Congressional statues passed in 1793 and 1850 that permitted for the seizure and return of runaway slaves who escaped from one state and fled into another. Corrupt policies widely favoring slave owners.

Fort Sumter, SC

Attack on Fort Sumter marked the official beginning of the American Civil War. Ended in Confederate victory.

Battle of Gettysburg

One of the bloodiest and most decisive battles of the Civil War ending in Confederate defeat.

Emancipation Proclamation

Stated that on January 1, 1863, all slaves in states still in the rebellion were free.

Gettysburg Address

Lincoln asserted that the Declaration of Independence (rather than the Constitution) was the true expression of the founding father’s intentions. Defined the Civil War as a struggle for human equality.

Reconstruction Act of 1867

Outlined the terms for readmission to representation of rebel states. Required rebel states to draft new constitutions approved by the majority of constituents (including African Americans) and the Fourteenth Amendment (granted birthright citizenship).

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

Provided a 10 year ban on Chinese laborers immigrating to the United States. Is the first significant law restricting immigration into the United States. Was condemned in 2011-2012.

Homestead Strike of 1892

A defining event that revealed the respective strength of labor and management in America in the 1890s. Crushing defeat of workers. There was a battle and then attempted assassination of Frick (the company’s CEO). Overall the union could not organize the entire industry.

Galveston Hurricane of 1900

Deadliest storm in US history, killing 6000-8000 people.

San Francisco Earthquake of 1906

7.9 magnitude earthquake that started 3 days of fires. 3000 people died and many homes were burned + people left homeless.

Jim Crow

A derisive slang term for a black man. Any state law passed in the South established different rules for black and white people. Based on a theory of white supremacy as a reaction to Reconstruction.

Plessy v Ferguson

Said public facilities could be separate but equal for black and white people

The Jungle

Depicted corruption and working class poverty, harsh living and dangerous working conditions, and health issues with the meat packing industry.

Pure Food & Drug Act

Prevented manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated, misbranded, or poisonous foods, drugs, medicines, and liquor.

Lusitania

British cruise liner traveling from New York to Liverpool. Sunk by German submarine killing most passengers including 123 Americans, solidifying public opinion against Germany. Signaled start of total warfare.

Temperance and Prohibition

Temperance movement used religious language in calls for abstention. 18th Amendment prohibited drinking, but it was difficult to enforce. Came to the end with the 21st Amendment.

Nineteenth Amendment

Gave women the right to vote

Immigration Act of 1924

Limited the number of immigrants allowed to enter the US through a national origins quota. Limited to 2% of each nationality and excluded Asia.

Great Depression

Longest and deepest downtown in US history between 1929 - 1941 (WW2). Differences in opinion of how to help commercial banks led to a failure to stem the declining supply of money.

Pearl Harbor

Lack of communication led to lax alertness about bombings until bombs started falling. Led to American anger against Japan, leading congress to declare war against Japan and Germany. Led to forced internment of Japanese-Americans.

Battle of Midway

5 day battle with an American victory

Enola Gay

B-29 Bomber directed to Hiroshima dropping an atomic bomb killing over 100k due to long term radiation and cancer effects.

Atomic Bombing of Japan

Two days after the first bomb was dropped, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki killing 80k more people leading to Japanese surrenderment.

McCarthyism

Describes activities associated with Republican senator McCarthy during the second red scare when Americans were concerned about communism. Publicly accusing government employees of political disloyalty using unsavory investigatory methods to persecute them.

Brown v Board of Education

Ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race is unconstitutional.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

MLKs reply to an open letter calling for unity and protesting recent Civil Rights demonstrations in Birmingham. Explains the difference between just and unjust laws.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Signed into law by Lyndon B Johnson, prohibiting discrimination in public places, provided for integration of school and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal.

Tonkin Golf Resolution

Gave President Lyndon Johnson authority to increase US involvement in war between North and South Vietnam because US ships were falsely believed to have been unprovokedly attacked twice in Gulf of Tonkin by North Vietnam. Johnson and Nixon used this resolution as a legal basis for their military policies in Vietnam.

Apollo Program/Apollo 11

Program with the goal to land humans on the Moon and ensure their safe return to Earth to beat the Soviet Union. Apollo 11 was the culmination in which Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin Jr. became the first people to land on the Moon and walk it.

Watergate Scandal

Attempt to secretly record going-ons at Democratic National Committee headquarters that changed the public’s opinion on the government.

Title IX

Protects people from discrimination based on sex in educational programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.

OPEC Oil Embargo

US decision under Nixon to make $2.2 billion available as emergency aid for Israel let Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries to institute an oil embargo against the US, ceasing US oil imports and quadrupling gas prices.

Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979

Iranian students seized the embassy and detained 50+ Americans leading American to look weak and for the Soviet Union to gain strategic advantages. Nixon began favoring confrontation over negotiation.

AIDS Crisis

People initially reacted with fear and prejudice against gay men, but after public advocacy, Reagan increased federal funding for the HIV/AIDS Crisis.

Ronald Reagans “Tear Down This Wall” Speech

Asked Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall against criticism from the state and diplomats.

ARAPAnet/roots of the Internet

ARPAnet was a network of computers that could talk to each other with packet switching (breaking data into packets before sending it to its destination). Then, the Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol were created to allow all computers to communicate.

Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995

A truck with explosives was detonated outside of the Alfred P Murrah Federal building which included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives by two members of a right-wing survivalist group after Clinton’s successful presidency campaign with gun control.

Election of 2000

Race between George W. Bush and Al Gore, former vice president of Bill Clinton. Led to a close vote with Gore winning popular votes but Bush narrowly winning with the electoral college. Supreme Court case of Bush v. Gore ordered a stop to the recount of ballots although the decision was voted on based on partisan lines.

9/11/2001 Terrorist Attacks

Terrorists from Al Qaeda hijacked 4 commercial aircraft and crashed 2 of them into the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Bin Laden went into hiding for 10 years before finally being killed.

Great Recession of 2007-2009

Global economic downturn that devastated world financial markets as well as banking and real estate industries. Originated as a result of the subprime mortgage crisis. Dodd-Frank Act was enacted, enabling the government to assume control over banks on the verge of financial collapse.

“Occupy Wall Street” Movement

Condemned income inequality and influence of money in politics.

Black Lives Matter Movement

A movement that started on social media in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman who killed an unarmed black teen.

Election of 2016

Donald Trump won through electoral college by capitalizing on discontent from white working-class voters targeting the Washington establishment, undocumented immigrants, and political correctness.

#MeToo Movement

Exposed long-rumored accusations of sexual harassment and assault against Harvey Weinstein made by dozens of women.