Pre-Columbian Era - 1791
This man established the first permanent European colony in the New World in 1492, though it's not really accurate to say he "discovered" America.
Christopher Columbus
This man voluntarily stepped down from the presidency, setting an important example of a peaceful transition of power.
George Washington
While it didn't completely end slavery, this document was a hugely important first step in that direction and showed that the Union war effort was now explicitly about ending slavery.
Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
America engaged in imperialism in the Pacific when, in 1898, it annexed this territory and removed its royal family from power.
Hawai'i
This fictional character, most famously seen on WWII propaganda posters, symbolized the hard work of women in manufacturing industries during the war effort.
Rosie the Riveter
This Enlightenment theory states that people give up certain freedoms so that government will protect their fundamental natural rights. If government fails to do this, the people have a right to a new government.
Social Contract
The federal government ignored the orders of the Supreme Court when they forcibly removed Native Americans from the Southeast and marched them on foot to "Indian Territory" in present-day Oklahoma. This journey is now known as...
The Trail of Tears (1831-1850)
This amendment to the Constitution promised equal protection under the law and guaranteed citizenship to anyone born on American soil.
14th Amendment (1868)
This law was a direct result of nativism and economic fears around jobs. It was the first immigration law in American history.
Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)
The New Deal greatly expanded America's system of _______________, which means that government will provide assistance to people who need it.
Social welfare
Anti-Federalists refused to ratify the Constitution unless it included these protections against tyranny. After this was included, the Constitution was officially ratified.
Bill of Rights (1791)
California (and many other areas) became part of the United States after victory in this military conflict.
Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
This man's 1859 Raid at Harper's Ferry shocked the nation and led to very different reactions across the country. It helped set the stage for the Civil War.
John Brown
This event, carried out in response to the Ghost Dance Movement, ended the Native American Wars. It is seen as a low point in the relationship between the American government and Native American groups.
Massacre at Wounded Knee (1890)
This practice denied mortgages to people of color, and while illegal today, has left a legacy that still segregates American cities even today.
Redlining
Inspired by Enlightenment ideas, this phrase became the Patriot rallying cry during the Revolutionary War.
"No Taxation Without Representation!"
The Declaration of Sentiments was published at this event in 1848, often considered the birth of the Women's Rights Movement in the United States.
Seneca Falls Convention (1848)
Former slaves were promised "______________" after the Civil War. But after that never happened, most were forced to become sharecropper for many more generations.
"40 Acres and a Mule"
This man's poem "Let America be America Again" advocated for America to live up to its founding ideals of freedom and equality. It echoed earlier works like Frederick Douglass' "What to the Slave is the 4th of July?" and Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address."
Langston Hughes
This president made the controversial decision to use two atomic weapons against in Japan in 1945, ending World War II and displaying America's military might to the world.
Harry S. Truman
This Native American group created a democratic form of government that served as inspiration for the eventual American government.
Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy
Tecumsah and the Prophet gathered Native American supporters from many different tribes to fight back against American settlement. This is an example of what phenomenon?
Pan-Indianism
Republican Rutherford B. Hayes became president, but the military ended it's Southern occupation after this event. It effectively ended Reconstruction and brought on the "Nadir of American Race Relations."
Compromise of 1877
Labor unions were established during this period so that workers could engage in this practice, which gave them more power when negotiating with exploitative employers.
Collective bargaining
Millions of African Americans left the South between roughly 1915-1970, shaping current demographics and setting the stage for cultural contributions like the Harlem Renaissance.
Great Migration