Key Events in American History from Colonization to 2009

King Philip's War

Conflict between New England colonists and Native Americans led by Metacom (King Philip) in 1675.

Bacon's Rebellion

Virginia settlers rebelled against Governor Berkeley, partly due to conflicts with Native Americans in 1676.

Stono Rebellion

Largest slave uprising in British colonies, occurring in South Carolina in 1739.

Indian Trade and Intercourse Act

Federal government declares only it can trade with Native tribes, enacted in 1790.

Indian Removal Act

Law that forced relocation of Native Americans to west of Mississippi, passed in 1830.

Sand Creek Massacre

Colorado militia killed Cheyenne and Arapaho people in 1864.

Wounded Knee Massacre

Last major conflict between U.S. Army and Native Americans, occurring in 1890.

Carlisle Indian Industrial School

Native American boarding school to assimilate children into white culture, established in 1879.

Dawes Act

Law that broke up tribal lands into individual plots for Native Americans, enacted in 1887.

Nat Turner's Rebellion

Slave uprising in Virginia that took place in 1831.

Compromise of 1850

California admitted as free state, with popular sovereignty in new territories in 1850.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Repealed Missouri Compromise and allowed popular sovereignty, passed in 1854.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Court ruled African Americans were not citizens, legalizing slavery everywhere in 1857.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

Law that granted citizenship and equal rights to African Americans, enacted in 1866.

Civil Rights Act of 1875

Law that banned racial discrimination in public accommodations, passed in 1875.

Enforcement Acts (Force Acts)

Allowed federal intervention against KKK violence in the South, enacted in 1870.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Legalized 'separate but equal' segregation, decided in 1896.

Booker T. Washington

Black leader who supported vocational training and gradual change, active in 1881.

Washington (Tuskegee Institute)

Civil rights activist who advocated immediate change and higher education

W.E.B. Du Bois (Niagara Movement)

1905

Anaconda Plan

Union strategy to blockade South and take Mississippi

Battle of Antietam

Bloodiest day of Civil War; allowed Lincoln to issue Emancipation Proclamation

Battle of Gettysburg

Turning point of Civil War; Confederate defeat and Lincoln's famous address

Siege of Vicksburg

Union victory gave control of Mississippi River, Grant gained prominence

End of Civil War (Surrender at Appomattox)

Confederate army surrendered at Appomattox Court House

14th Amendment

Amendment granting birthright citizenship and equal protection

15th Amendment

Amendment granting right to vote regardless of race

Reconstruction Acts

Law dividing South into military districts during Reconstruction

Granger Laws

Farmers' movement to regulate railroads and grain storage rates

Bessemer Process

Cheap method for mass steel production

Vertical Integration

Business model where a company controls all stages of production

Horizontal Integration

Business model where a company buys out competitors to form monopoly

Taylorism (Scientific Management)

System of improving factory efficiency and reducing skilled labor

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

Nationwide strike in railroad industry due to wage cuts

Pullman Strike

Strike over wage cuts and layoffs, federal troops intervened

Knights of Labor

Inclusive labor union that declined after Haymarket Riot

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Skilled worker union, focused on wages and working conditions

Yellow-Dog Contracts

Contracts forbidding workers from joining unions

Gospel of Wealth (Andrew Carnegie)

Philosophy that wealthy should use fortunes to improve society

Social Gospel Movement

Christian-based movement to combat poverty and injustice

Socialism

Economic theory advocating public ownership in response to inequality

Interstate Commerce Act

Law that regulated railroads and ensured fair rates

Sherman Antitrust Act

Law that banned monopolies and anti-competitive practices

Pendleton Act

Law requiring Civil Service Exam to get government jobs

Hull House (Jane Addams)

Settlement house that helped immigrants adjust to life in the U.S.

Tammany Hall

Political machine that helped immigrants in exchange for votes

Chinese Exclusion Act

Law banning Chinese immigration to the U.S.

U.S. v.

Court ruled that birthright citizenship applies to all born in U.S.

Wong Kim Ark

Law that imposed literacy tests for immigration

1917 - Immigration Act of 1917

Set quotas to limit immigration based on nationality

1921 - Emergency Quota Act

Law that severely restricted immigration based on 1890 census

1924 - Immigration Act of 1924

Law reorganizing U.S. immigration policy during Cold War

1952 - Immigration and Nationality Act (McCarran-Walter Act)

War triggered by USS Maine explosion, resulted in U.S. imperialism

1898 - Spanish-American War

U.S. takes over Pacific islands, sugar plantations

1898 - Annexation of Hawaii

Policy promoting equal trade rights in China

1899 - Open Door Policy

Roosevelt's foreign policy based on military strength

1901 - Big Stick Diplomacy

Policy justifying U.S. intervention in Latin America

1904 - Roosevelt Corollary

Law criminalizing interference with military or draft

1917 - Espionage Act

Law banning anti-government or anti-war speech

1918 - Sedition Act

Migration of African Americans from South to North

1916 - Great Migration

Palmer Raids against suspected communists and anarchists

1919 - First Red Scare

Cultural movement celebrating Black art, music, literature

1920s - Harlem Renaissance

Amendment banning alcohol (start of Prohibition)

1919 - 18th Amendment

Amendment repealing Prohibition

1933 - 21st Amendment

Stock market crash beginning the Great Depression

1929 - Black Tuesday

FDR's programs for relief, recovery, and reform

1933 - New Deal

Programs created during New Deal (e.g., Social Security, FDIC)

1933 - First New Deal

Laws limiting U.S. arms sales during wars

1935 - Neutrality Acts

Attack that caused U.S. entry into WWII

1941 - Pearl Harbor

Order desegregating the U.S. military

1948 - Executive Order 9981

Conferences discussing postwar Germany and Europe

1945 - Yalta and Potsdam Conferences

Policy to stop spread of communism worldwide

1947 - Truman Doctrine

Aid program to rebuild European economies after WWII

1948 - Marshall Plan

U.S. pledge to protect Middle East from communism

1957 - Eisenhower Doctrine

War between North and South Korea

1950 - Korean War

Order requiring loyalty oaths for federal workers

1947 - Executive Order 9835 (Loyalty Program)

Senator-led anti-communist witch hunts

1950 - McCarthyism

Law offering free college to WWII veterans

1944 - GI Bill (Servicemen's Readjustment Act)

Mass-produced suburban housing developments

1947 - Levittown

Population shift to southern and western U.S.

1950s - Sunbelt Migration

Mainstream media shift from radio to national TV

1950s - Rise of Television

Invention boosting postwar consumer spending

1950s - Credit Cards

Massive federal infrastructure project

1956 - Federal-Aid Highway Act

Court ruling that school segregation is unconstitutional

1954 - Brown v. Board of Education

Civil disobedience campaign sparked by Rosa Parks

1955 - Montgomery Bus Boycott

Civil rights event where MLK gave his most famous speech

1963 - March on Washington

Law banning segregation in public places

1964 - Civil Rights Act of 1964

Law that ended literacy tests and voter suppression

1965 - Voting Rights Act of 1965

Court ruling banning laws against interracial marriage

1967 - Loving v. Virginia

Law giving Johnson authority to escalate Vietnam War

1964 - Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Johnson's program for ending poverty and racial injustice

1965 - Great Society

Scandal leading to Nixon's resignation

1974 - Watergate Scandal

Economic crisis of high inflation and stagnation

1970s - Stagflation

Agency created to regulate pollution and environment

1970 - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Cabinet agency managing U.S. energy policy

1977 - Department of Energy

Reagan's economic policy of tax cuts and deregulation

1981 - Reaganomics

Law cutting taxes for wealthy to encourage investment

1981 - Economic Recovery Tax Act

Terrorist attacks on U.S. prompting War on Terror

2001 - 9/11 Attacks

Global financial crisis caused by housing market collapse

2007 - Great Recession

Law bailing out failing banks and stabilizing economy