U.S. History Key Events and Concepts

This set of flashcards covers major political, social, and economic milestones in U.S. history from colonial settlement to the modern era of globalization.

Jamestown, $1607$

The first permanent English settlement in North America under the Virginia Colony, which experienced an economic boom after harvesting tobacco but was later burned during Bacon’s Rebellion.

Mayflower Compact, $1620$

A written agreement created by the Pilgrims upon arrival in Plymouth that served as the first written constitution adopted in North America.

Boston Tea Party, $1773$

A protest against British tax policy on $December 16, 1773$, involving approximately $fifty$ men disguised as American Indians who dumped $forty-five \text{ tons}$ of tea from the British East India Company into Boston Harbor.

Common Sense, $1776$

A book published by Thomas Paine that shifted conflicts with Britain from a quest for compromise to a quest for independence, acting as a catalyst for the American Revolution.

Bill of Rights, $1791$

The first $ten$ amendments to the Constitution that explicitly guarantee basic rights to all Americans, which helped reassure Anti-Federalists.

Alien and Sedition Acts, $1798$

Security acts passed by a Federalist-controlled Congress; the Alien Act allowed President John Adams to imprison or deport noncitizens, while the Sedition Act outlawed certain public criticisms of the federal government.

Marbury v. Madison, $1803$

A Supreme Court decision penned by Chief Justice John Marshall that established the authority of the Court to rule on the constitutionality of federal laws through judicial review.

Louisiana Purchase, $1803$

The purchase from France of territory stretching from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and New Orleans to present-day Montana, which doubled the size of the nation.

Jefferson's embargo, $1807$

An act prohibiting American ships from leaving ports until Britain and France repealed trade restrictions and ceased the impressment of American sailors; it resulted in a devastating impact on American commerce.

The American System, $1815$

A national economic plan proposed by Henry Clay using federally funded internal improvements and high tariffs on imported goods to help farmers and protect manufacturers.

Missouri Compromise, $1820$

An act that maintained the balance of power between slave and free states by establishing the southern border of Missouri as the boundary for future states admitted from the Louisiana Territory.

Monroe Doctrine, $1823$

The assertion by President James Monroe that the Western Hemisphere was part of the U.S. sphere of influence and off limits to future European colonization.

Trail of Tears, $1838$

The forced march of approximately $15,000$ Cherokees from Georgia to designated Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River following the Indian Removal Act.

Manifest destiny

A term coined by John L. O’Sullivan in $1845$ to describe the belief in a God-given right for the U.S. to expand its borders across the North American continent.

Mexican-American War, $1846$

An $1846-1848$ conflict resulting in the transfer of approximately $one \text{ million square miles}$ of land to the U.S., including present-day California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Texas.

Seneca Falls convention, $1848$

The first convention focused explicitly on women’s rights, organized by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, which produced the Declaration of Sentiments.

Uncle Tom's Cabin, $1852$

A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that publicized the evils of slavery, expanding abolitionist calls in the North while being banned in the South.

Republican Party, $1854$

A political party committed to stopping the expansion of slavery and advocating for economic development and internal improvements.

Dred Scott v. Sandford, $1857$

A Supreme Court ruling that denied Black men any rights, declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, and blocked Congress from excluding slavery from territories.

Southern secession, $1860-61$

The separation of Southern states from the Union to form the Confederacy, driven by fears of losing the institution of slavery.

Homestead Act, $1862$

An incentive for western migration that granted free $160 \text{-acre}$ lots to settlers who lived on and farmed the land for at least $five$ years.

Emancipation Proclamation, $1863$

A proclamation by President Lincoln on $January 1, 1863$, declaring all enslaved people in areas still in rebellion to be ‘forever free.’

Freedman's Bureau, $1865$

A federal agency created to provide freedpeople with economic, educational, and legal resources during the postwar period.

Fourteenth Amendment, $1868$

A constitutional amendment granting citizenship, due process, and equal protection under the law to all persons born in the United States, effectively overturning the Dred Scott ruling.

Transcontinental railroad, $1869$

A railroad linking the East and West Coasts of North America, facilitating migration and economic connections.

Haymarket Square Riot, $1886$

A labor rally in Chicago that resulted in violence and the deaths of police officers, contributing to the demise of the Knights of Labor.

How the Other Half Lives, $1890$

A work by Jacob Riis that used photojournalism to highlight dangerous tenement conditions in New York’s Lower East Side.

Plessy v. Ferguson, $1896$

A Supreme Court ruling that upheld Jim Crow legislation under the principle of ‘separate but equal’ facilities.

NAACP, $1909$

An organization founded by W. E. B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, Jane Addams, and others to fight racial discrimination through the courts.

19th Amendment, $1920$

The constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote, passed in $1919$ and ratified in $1920$.

Bonus march, $1932$

A protest by World War I veterans in Washington, D.C., demanding immediate payment of service bonuses, which was suppressed by the U.S. army.

First New Deal, $1933$

Franklin Roosevelt’s initial policies for relief, recovery, and reform (the $3 \text{ Rs}$) to combat the Great Depression.

Dust Bowl, $1935$

Devastating dust storms on the southern plains caused by soil erosion and drought, leading many ‘Okies’ to migrate to California.

Social Security Act, $1935$

A landmark act creating retirement pensions for Americans funded by payroll taxes, establishing a new social compact with the federal government.

Pearl Harbor, $1941$

A Japanese surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii on $December 7, 1941$, prompting U.S. entry into World War II.

Japanese-American internment, $1942$

The imprisonment of thousands of Japanese-American citizens during WWII due to fears of espionage.

Iron Curtain speech, $1946$

A speech by Winston Churchill describing the political divide between the communist Soviet Union and the non-communist West.

Truman Doctrine, $1947$

The U.S. pledge to provide aid to democratic nations threatened by communism, serving as a cornerstone of Cold War foreign policy.

Brown v. the Board of Education, $1954$

A landmark Supreme Court case that led to the desegregation of schools and overturned the ‘separate but equal’ principle.

Interstate Highway Act, $1956$

An act authorizing a $41,000 \text{ mile}$ highway system, the largest public works project in American history.

Greensboro sit-ins, $1960$

Nonviolent protests beginning at a whites-only lunch counter in North Carolina, leading to the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Cuban Missile Crisis, $1962$

A $13 \text{-day}$ confrontation regarding nuclear missile deployments in Cuba and Turkey that brought the world close to nuclear war.

March on Washington, $1963$

A civil rights rally on $August 28, 1963$, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech.

Voting Rights Act, $1965$

An act that eliminated literacy tests and other measures used to prevent Black Americans from voting.

Tet Offensive, $1968$

A large-scale North Vietnamese offensive that, despite being turned back, increased American public opposition to the Vietnam War.

Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination, $1968$

The killing of MLK on $April 4$ in Memphis by James Earl Ray, which sparked nationwide riots and the passing of the Fair Housing Act.

Neil Armstrong on the moon, $1969$

The first human to walk on the moon during the Apollo $11$ mission, effectively ending the Space Race.

Vietnamization, $1969$

President Nixon’s strategy to transfer fighting responsibilities to the South Vietnamese army as part of a U.S. exit plan.

Pentagon Papers, $1971$

A leaked classified report confirming that the Kennedy and Johnson administrations had misled the public regarding the Vietnam War.

Roe v. Wade, $1973$

A Supreme Court decision protected by the $Fourteenth$ Amendment stating that women have a constitutional right to an abortion based on privacy.

Iranian hostage crisis, $1979-81$

A $444 \text{-day}$ standoff in which $66$ Americans were held at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by radical students.

Iran-Contra scandal, $1887$

A scandal involving the secret funneling of funds from illegal arms-for-hostages deals with Iran to the Nicaraguan Contras.

Berlin Wall torn down, $1889$

An event caused by public unrest and a weakening Soviet Union, marking the end of the Cold War and the ‘iron curtain.’

Internet, $1990s$

A worldwide computer communication network that originated as a U.S. military system in the $1970s$.

Persian Gulf War, $1991$

An armed conflict between Iraq and a $42 \text{-country}$ coalition led by the United States that showcased modern military technology.

Y2K Scare, $2000$

A widespread fear of technological failure at the turn of the millennium that highlighted the vulnerability of global infrastructure.

September 11th terrorist attacks, $2001$

The hijacking of planes by Al-Qaeda to destroy the Twin Towers and other targets, resulting in nearly $3,000$ deaths and the start of the War on Terror.

Hurricane Katrina, $2005$

A storm that caused major flooding in New Orleans and approximately $1,800$ deaths after levees failed.

Election of President Obama, $2008$

The election of the $44th$ president of the United States, who became the first Black president.

United States v. Windsor, $2013$

A Supreme Court case that ruled Section $3$ of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional, allowing federal benefits for same-sex couples.

Supply-side economics

An economic theory practiced by the Reagan administration suggesting tax cuts and deregulation promote economic growth.

Economic Recovery Act of 1981

A law that slashed income and estate taxes, contributing to significant budget deficits and a tripling of the national debt by $1989$.

Sandra Day O’Connor

An attorney and jurist who became the first woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice.

G8

A group of nations consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

NAFTA

An agreement created in $1993$ between the United States, Canada, and Mexico to eliminate trade and investment barriers.

World Wide Web, $1991$

The debut that transformed the internet from an obscure text network into an interconnected space accessible to everyone.

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

A law based on family reunification, skilled labor, and the abolition of discriminatory national-origins quotas.

USA Patriot Act of 2001

Legislation passed by Congress to strengthen national security following the $9/11$ terrorist attacks.