US History Eras since 1877

Gilded Age/ Industrial Age (1877-1900)

Immigration, industrialization, urbanization, big business, railroads, organized labor, machine politics

Progressive era (1890-1920)

Reform- urban problems; temperance; government and business corruption; women's right to vote.

American Imperialism 1890-1920

America becomes a world power, gains overseas colonies

World War I (1914-1918)

European conflict challenges the US policy of neutrality; Allied victory intended to make the world safe for democracy.

Roaring Twenties / Jazz Age

Business booms, superficial prosperity, new lifestyles for women, growth of mass media, the first Red Scare.

The Great Depression (1929-1942)

World trade declines, banks fail, high unemployment, urban and rural poverty; New Deal expands role of Federal Government.

The Cold War Era (1945-1991)

Tension and competition between USA and communist USSR; threat of nuclear war; McCarthyism

End of the 20th Century 1970s-1990s

1970s- inflation, energy crisis, environmentalism; 1980s- political conservatism, federal deficit; 1990s- booming economy, digital revolution, economic globalization

World War II (1939-1945)

Dictators threaten world peace on 2 fronts-Europe and Pacific; mobilizes U.S. economy and industry; U.S. helps win war and becomes a world leader

Postwar Boom Era (1946-1959)

American dream-social conformity, suburban and automobile culture, baby boom, consumerism; TV

New Frontier and Great Society 1960-1968

New leadership, bold ideas, prosperity; space race Johnson's Great Society-social welfare, civil rights

Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968)

nonviolent protests-voting rights, desegregation, federal support vs states resistance; black power movement and urban riots.

Vietnam War Years 1954-1975

Domino theory-contain communism, War divides the country-campus protest, draft resistance

Era of Social Change 1960-1975

Women, Latinos, and Native Americans seek equality; Hippie counterculture; "do your own thing"