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US History simple timeline: Difference between revisions
→Revolution Period: major wars & events timeline w/ details
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'''Timeline of major events and periods''' | '''Timeline of major events and periods''' | ||
== Major periods of US History == | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|+ | |||
!Dates | |||
!Period | |||
!BIG IDEAS | |||
|- | |||
|1609-1763 | |||
|Early colonial period | |||
| | |||
* earliest colonization = | |||
** Jamestown, Virginia | |||
** Plymouth, Massachusetts | |||
* 13 colonies are established under British rule | |||
|- | |||
|1763-1775 | |||
|colonial revolutionary period | |||
| | |||
* British government cracks down on colonies with | |||
** taxes & regulations | |||
** British army & British-appointed judges and governors | |||
* American colonists protest and agitate for rights and self-government | |||
|- | |||
|1775-1783 | |||
|Revolutionary War period | |||
| | |||
* in the 1776 Declaration of Independence, the 13 colonies declare themselves independent of British rule | |||
* 13 colonies organize loose "confederation" to fight British | |||
* Americans win the war and become fully independent of Britain | |||
* each colony now becomes an independent state | |||
|- | |||
|1783-1789 | |||
|Articles of Confederation period | |||
| | |||
* the 13 states form the United States of America under the "Articles of Confederation" | |||
** "confederation = a loose union of independent states | |||
* start to organize the new territories & lands taken from the British | |||
** between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River | |||
* each state largely governs itself and as a consequence, there are | |||
** conflicting laws | |||
** conflicting currencies | |||
** no organization or war debts | |||
** generally ineffective national government | |||
* in 1787 representatives of the 13 states gather in Philadelphia to create a new government | |||
** called the "Constitutional Convention | |||
** it is sent to the states for "adoption" (agreement of each state to join) | |||
|- | |||
|1789-1820 | |||
|Early Republic period | |||
| | |||
* 1789 the new government is established under the U.S. Constitution | |||
* the Constitution establishes many powers for the new "federal" government | |||
* George Washington becomes the 1st President | |||
** he establishes its legitimacy (accepted by the people) and authority (power) | |||
* political parties (political affiliations) arise as different states and "factions" (like-minded people) arise | |||
* there is great animosity (hatred) and division between the parties | |||
* 1800 election is contentious (disputed) and divisive | |||
** still, the outcome is accepted and Thomas Jefferson becomes President | |||
** the election is called the "Revolution of 1800" because | |||
*** despite bitterness and division, power was peacefully transferred from presidents Adams to Jefferson | |||
* subsequently. the American people develop a sense of national unity and pride | |||
|- | |||
|1820s-1861 | |||
|mid-century "Antebellum" period | |||
("before the war") | |||
| | |||
* the early- to mid- 1800s mark periods of economic, population & territorial growth | |||
* it is also a period of extensive expansion of slavery across the South ("cotton economy") | |||
* the U.S. expands its territory across the entire continent following the 1846 Mexican-American War | |||
** the U.S. seizes from Mexico western territories (modern New Mexico, Arizona, California and parts of other states) | |||
* the expansion of the U.S. leads to division and political conflict over the spread of slavery | |||
* deals in Congress to manage the issues of slavery and other economic and tax issues | |||
** leads to "sectional" division between "the North" and "the South" | |||
|- | |||
|1861-1877 | |||
|Civil War & Reconstruction period | |||
| | |||
* with election of the northerner, Abe Lincoln, southern states "secede" (separate themselves from) the Union of states | |||
** "Union" = the joining of states under the United States Constitution | |||
** southern states create a new government, "The Confederate States of America" | |||
* 1861-65, "Civil War" between "the Union" (North) and "the Confederacy" (South) | |||
* the Union wins and commences a program of "Reconstruction" of the Union = | |||
** re-uniting the southern states with the Union | |||
** abolishing slavery and protecting the rights of the freed slaves | |||
* "Reconstruction" in the South required occupation of southern states by northern "Union" armies | |||
** the disputed presidential election of 1876 leads to a deal to decide the election in favor of a Republican | |||
** in exchange for removal of U.S. troops from the South | |||
** with removal of those troops, Reconstruction ends | |||
|- | |||
|1877-1917 | |||
|Industrialization, Segregation, | |||
Immigration, Imperialism | |||
& Progressive periods | |||
| | |||
* following the Civil War, northern states "industrialize" | |||
** railroads are built across the country, connecting trade and markets across the continent | |||
** steel and other factories grow in size and create huge demand for labor (workers) | |||
* after 1877, southern states enact "segregation" laws to limit the rights of blacks (former slaves) | |||
* millions of immigrants come to the US from Europe and Asia (Japan and China) | |||
** looking for jobs in the factories, railroads and for cheap land | |||
** with the immigration populations of major cities explode | |||
** which causes problems with sanitation, living & working conditions, health care, etc. | |||
* in 1898, the U.S. engages in its first truly "imperialistic" war | |||
** by attacking Spanish colonies of Cuba, Puerto Rico and Philippines | |||
** the U.S. for the first time goes to war outside of the continental United States | |||
** thus, it is called "imperialism" for trying to impose rule of one country on another country that is somewhere else | |||
* from the 1890s-1917, many "reform" (looking for change) movements arise, especially | |||
** to "clean" the cities and provide better living and working conditions for the poor | |||
** to "clean" politics from corruption and entrenched (deeply situated) powers | |||
** to regulate and control big companies and their economic power | |||
|- | |||
|1917-1945 | |||
|WWI, Great Depression & WWII periods | |||
| | |||
* in 1917, the US enters a major war in Europe, which is now calle "World War I" | |||
** it is the first American military involvement in Europe | |||
* into the 1920s, the US economy grew tremendously | |||
** called the "Roaring Twenties" | |||
** new consumer products (autos, telephones, radios) and business investments | |||
** in Oct, 1929, the New York stock exchange collapsed ("Crash of '29") | |||
** an economic depression followed | |||
* Great Depression, 1929-1941 | |||
** period of economic decline and disruption (bank failures, job loss, etc.) | |||
** the 1933-35 "New Deal" attempted to fix the Depression | |||
*** it provided "relief" (help) to people with jobs and pay | |||
*** but it did not resolve the economic decline | |||
* during the 1930s Japan and Germany invaded other countries | |||
* Dec 7, 1941, Japan bombed a U.S. Naval base, Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii (middle of Pacific Ocean) | |||
** subsequently the U.S. went to war against Japan in Asia and Germany in North Africa and Europe | |||
* the U.S. "mobilized" (put to common effort) the entire population, including | |||
** millions of soldiers sent to the War | |||
** women working in factories and other jobs in place of the men | |||
** Americans of all races joined the war effort | |||
* the U.S. and its allies defeated German and Japan in 1945 | |||
|- | |||
|1945-1991 | |||
|"American Century" & Cold War period | |||
| | |||
* following WWII, the United States dominated the world economically and politically | |||
** thus the 20th Century is called the "American Century" | |||
* however, the Soviet Union (communist Russia), which fought the Germans in conjunction with the Americans | |||
** occupied eastern Europe and placed those countries under communist rule | |||
* the US and its "Western" (non-communist) allies opposed Soviet expansion | |||
** politically, by helping non-communist countries and opposing communist ideas ("ideology") | |||
** militarily by supplying countries with arms, direct American military presence, and direct military wars | |||
*** 1950-1954: Korean War | |||
*** 1959-1975: Vietnam War | |||
*** the U.S. did not directly fight against the Soviets in these wars | |||
*** instead the U.S. fought the Soviet communist allies in those countries | |||
* the US and Soviets both built extensive nuclear weapons | |||
** so each side had the power to blow up the other | |||
** this kept peace between them because if one attacked the other it would get blown up by nuclear reprisal (fighting back) | |||
* in 1989, the Soviet Union broke apart due to its poor economy, political corruption | |||
** which were the result of the communist system | |||
|- | |||
|1991-today | |||
|post-Cold War "new world order" | |||
| | |||
|} | |||
== Major wars & events general timeline == | == Major wars & events general timeline == | ||