American History - Major Conflicts

Civil War

100

This president issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

Abraham Lincoln 

200

The first shots of the Civil War were fired at this South Carolina fort.

Fort Sumter

300

This battle in 1863 was considered the turning point of the Civil War.

Battle of Gettysburg 

400

This Confederate general surrendered to Ulysses S Grant at Appomattox Court House in 1865.

Robert E. Lee

500

This Union general’s “March to the Sea” devastated Georgia in 1864.

William Tecumseh Sherman

World War I

100

The assassination of this archduke sparked World War I.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

200

The United States entered World War I in this year.

1917

300

This act of 1917 made it illegal to interfere with military operations or recruitment.

Espionage Act

400

This American general led the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in Europe.

John J. Pershing

500

This U.S. senator led the opposition to the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations

Henry Cabot Lodge

World War II

100

The U.S. entered World War II after the attack on this naval base on December 7, 1941

Pearl Harbor 

200

This battle in the Pacific was the turning point in favor of the Allies in 1942.

Battle of Midway

300

This program provided U.S. military aid to Allied nations before America formally entered the war.

Lend-Lease

400

This American general later became president and was the Supreme Commander of Allied forces in Europe.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

500

This conference in February 1945 saw Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin discuss postwar Europe.

Yalta Conference

Cold War

100

This barrier physically divided East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989.

Berlin Wall

200

This U.S. president delivered the famous “Tear down this wall!” speech in 1987.

Ronald Reagan 

300

This 1962 event brought the U.S. and Soviet Union closest to nuclear war.

Cuban Missile Crisis

400

his U.S. foreign policy aimed to stop the spread of communism after World War II.

Containment

500

This 1947 doctrine pledged American support to nations resisting communism, first applied in Greece and Turkey.

The Truman Doctrine

American Revolution

100

This document, adopted on July 4, 1776, declared independence from Britain.

Declaration of Independence 

200

This battle in April 1775 marked the start of the Revolutionary War.

Battle of Lexington and Concord

300

This foreign nation allied with the colonies after the Battle of Saratoga in 1777.

France

400

This pamphlet by Thomas Paine urged colonists to break away from Britain.

Common Sense

500

This last major battle of the Revolutionary War took place in 1781, forcing British surrender.

Battle of Yorktown