united State of America
The United States became the world's leading industrial power at the turn of the 20th century due to an outburst of entrepreneurship in the Northeast and Midwest and the arrival of millions of immigrant workers and farmers from Europe. The national railroad network was completed with the work of Chinese immigrants and large-scale mining and factories industrialized the Northeast and Midwest. Mass dissatisfaction with corruption, inefficiency and traditional politics stimulated the Progressive movement, from the 1890s to 1920s, which led to many social and political reforms. In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed women's suffrage (right to vote). This followed the 16th and 17th amendments in 1913, which established the first national income tax and direct election of US senators to Congress. Initially neutral during World War I, the US declared war on Germany in 1917 and later funded the Allied victory the following year.
The United States became the world's leading industrial power at the turn of the 20th century due to an outburst of entrepreneurship in the Northeast and Midwest and the arrival of millions of immigrant workers and farmers from Europe. The national railroad network was completed with the work of Chinese immigrants and large-scale mining and factories industrialized the Northeast and Midwest. Mass dissatisfaction with corruption, inefficiency and traditional politics stimulated the Progressive movement, from the 1890s to 1920s, which led to many social and political reforms. In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed women's suffrage (right to vote). This followed the 16th and 17th amendments in 1913, which established the first national income tax and direct election of US senators to Congress. Initially neutral during World War I, the US declared war on Germany in 1917 and later funded the Allied victory the following year.
1607: British colonists founded the Jamestown Settlement on
May 14, 1607. This colony was named for King James I of England.
1692: The Salem Witch Trials took place in 1692. Hundreds of
people were accused of practicing witchcraft. Nineteen of them were hanged
after being convicted of witchcraft.
1754: The French and Indian War took place between 1754 and
1763. This was a war between France and Great Britain. It started after a
dispute about the land around the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers.
1773: In 1773, the British colonists got mad about all the
new taxes imposed on them by Great Britain. A group of people threw three
shiploads of tea into Boston Harbor. This was one of the major events that led
to the Revolutionary War.
1775: The American Revolution started in 1775 as a response
to the Stamp Act of 1765. The colonists felt that the Stamp Act was
unconstitutional, but the British government said it had the right to tax the
colonists. Although the British military succeeded in the early stages of the
war, the colonists were victorious.
1776: In 1776, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas
Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston drafted the Declaration of
Independence. This document asserted the colonists’ independence from the
British monarchy.
1787: In 1787, the Constitution was written to establish the
United States government. This document established the executive, judicial,
and legislative branches of the government. The Constitution also contains the
Bill of Rights, which grants certain rights to U.S. citizens.
1803: In 1803, the United States acquired 828,000 square
miles of land in the Louisiana territory. This land was originally owned by
France, but Thomas Jefferson negotiated a deal to purchase it for just
$11,250,000. The United States also agreed to forgive $3,750,000 worth of
France’s debts.
1804: The northern states started making slavery illegal in
1776. In 1804, the last northern state finally abolished slavery.
1812: In 1812, the Americans declared war against the
British Empire. They were upset about trade restrictions and the British
support of American Indians. This war led to the fire that damaged the White
House and United States Capitol.
