American History: From Revolution to Progressive Era

American Revolution and Founding

• 1776: Declaration of Independence declared the 13 American colonies' independence from Great Britain
• 1781: Articles of Confederation, the first US constitution, was adopted
• 1787: The Constitution, which replaced the Articles of Confederation, was written
• 1787: The Great Compromise established a bicameral legislature with equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives
• 1787: The 3/5 Compromise counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation purposes

Bill of Rights and Amendments

• 1791: The Bill of Rights, comprising the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, was ratified
• Amendments to the Constitution have been made to expand individual rights and freedoms

Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion

• 1840s: Manifest Destiny, the belief that the US was destined to expand its territory, led to westward expansion
• Indian removal policies, including the Trail of Tears, forcibly relocated Native Americans from their lands
• The US government's Indian policy was often marked by violence and coercion

Slavery and Abolition

• Slavery was a central institution in the US, particularly in the South
• Abolitionist movements, including resistance to slavery, emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries

Causes of the Civil War

• The Civil War was fought between the Union (North) and the Confederacy (South) from 1861 to 1865
• The North had several advantages over the South, including industrial capacity, population, and transportation networks

Reconstruction and Civil Rights

• The Civil War Amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th) abolished slavery and granted citizenship and voting rights to African Americans
• Jim Crow Laws, enacted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, enforced racial segregation and disenfranchisement
• The Civil Rights Movement, led by figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X, fought for racial equality and justice

Industrialization and Reform

• The Market Revolution and Industrial Revolution transformed the US economy in the 19th and early 20th centuries
• The Progressive Era, led by figures such as John Muir, focused on reform and conservation
• Muckrakers and journalists exposed social and economic ills, leading to reforms

World War I and the Roaring Twenties

• The US entered World War I in 1917 and played a significant role in the Allied victory
• The 1920s saw significant cultural and social changes, including the rise of flappers and jazz music
• Technological advances, such as the automobile and radio, transformed American life
• Prohibition, enacted in 1920, banned the sale and manufacture of alcohol

Great Depression and World War II

• The Market Crash of 1929 led to the Great Depression, a global economic downturn
• The Dust Bowl, a severe drought and dust storm, affected the Great Plains region
• President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, launched in 1933, implemented a series of reforms and programs to address the Depression
• The US entered World War II in 1941 and played a significant role in the Allied victory
• The Japanese Internment, during which Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated, was a controversial policy

Cold War and Civil Rights

• The GI Bill, enacted in 1944, provided benefits to veterans
• The Iron Curtain, a phrase coined by Winston Churchill, described the division of Europe during the Cold War
• The Marshall Plan, launched in 1948, provided economic aid to war-torn Europe
• NATO, a military alliance established in 1949, aimed to counter Soviet power
• McCarthyism, a period of anti-communist suspicion and paranoia, lasted from the late 1940s to the late 1950s
• The Korean War, fought from 1950 to 1953, was a key conflict of the Cold War
• The Civil Rights Movement, led by figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X, continued to fight for racial equality and justice
• Landmark Supreme Court cases, such as Brown v. Board of Education, struck down segregation and discrimination
• Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court justice, was appointed in 1967

Test your knowledge of American history, covering significant events and movements from the American Revolution to the Progressive Era, including the Civil War, Industrial Revolution, and Women's Suffrage.