What are five main historic events that took place in 8th Grade US History that helped shape the United States up to 1877?
Columbus Finding America
The United States would probably not be what it is today without the discovery of the Americas in 1492. The discovery forced the relocation and deaths of many Native Americans throughout the western hemisphere in the following centuries though.
Revolutionary War
Fought between the British Empire and the yet to be formed United States. The US declared their independence on July 4, 1776 and the war lasted until September 3, 1783.It Allowed the country to gain their independence, and make us a leading power in the world. There wouldn't be a United States of America with out the Revolutionary War.
US Constitution
The US constitution is the ultimate law in America. It created the government and outlines our rights. After the Revolutionary War congress met and replaced the Articles of Confederation in the US. Without it we would probably not have the type of government or the rights that we do today.
Civil War
The American Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865 primarily in the Southern United States. It was a battle over the issue of slavery between the Confederates(south) and the Union(north). The north eventually won, but at a cost, the bloodiest conflict in American history.
Reconstruction
Lincoln made a plan that would have limited the former Confederate states and would have punished them. But he was assassinated before the plan could be carried out. The next President, Andrew Johnson, was very lenient toward the former Confederacy.
How did the US change during the late 1800's and early 1900's?
During the late 1800s and early 1900s the government implemented new laws for settlers and Native Americans. Two examples are the Dawes Act and the Homestead Act, giving 160 acres of land as long as you farm it. The industrial revolution also had a big impact around this time; railroads also spanned the entire country. The late 1800s also saw the rise of monopolies in the United States, led by Andrew Carnegie and John Rockefeller in steel and oil respectively.
What impact did the Progressives have on the United States?
The progressives were in the White House in the early 1900s with the Presidencies of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Some of the major things they did were create laws restricting child labor, broke up trusts, better pay, gave more rights for women, lowered hours, 18th amendment (prohibition), improving factory conditions, improving the quality of food, and conservation. They started to regulate the big businesses of the country, breaking up the monopolies.
Describe US Foreign Policy in the late 1800's and early 1900's and be able to give examples.
The United States gained many new territories during this time including the purchase of Alaska, the forced takeover of Hawaii and the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Cuba from the Spanish-American War. Big Stick Diplomacy was implemented by Theodore Roosevelt and it built up our military as a showing of strength to other countries. Dollar Diplomacy was created under the Taft Presidency and it loaned money to Latin American businesses and countries, today it is known as Economic Imperialism. Wilson’s Missionary Diplomacy tried to get other countries to switch to a democracy like the US, mainly Latin American countries.
What impact did World War I have on the United States?
The United States was brought into the war by many different things. The main things that did were the sinking of the passenger ship Lusitania, unrestricted submarine warfare declared by the Germans, and the Zimmerman Telegram. During the first few years of the war the United States declared itself neutral, and tried to keep themselves isolated from the rest of the world. But when they finally joined the war they were the driving force behind the allied victory, although they did not like the Treaty of Versailles that officially ended the War. The United States was now seen as a world power and a force to be reckoned with. When Warren Harding became the president the country moved "back to normalcy".
What positive and negative impact did the 1920's have on the United States?
The 1920s were known in the US as the “Roaring Twenties”. It was called this because the United States saw a period of great gains in the economy of the country. Prohibition, the outlaw of alcohol, was in full swing which helped lead to gangs forming in major cities, leading to more violence. Women gained many new rights during this time too. Planes and Cars gained popularity and became more advanced in that decade than all the time they were around prior to that. The United States went through a Red Scare, the fear of becoming a communist country, and most citizens gained trust issues with everyone. The “Roaring Twenties” culminated into the Stock Market Crash of 1929, most of the population lost many of their possessions.
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