is for Articles of Confederation

A written document between the 13 colonies to establish a national government after they declared independence from Great Britain. The AOC was weak because of it's lack in federal power like the power to tax. It gave a great amount of control to individual state's, which created conflicts that the government could not resolve. This eventually led to the writing of the Constitution.

is for Boston Tea Party

The Sugar Act placed on the colonists by Britain angered the colonists as they were very fond of their tea. One night, they decided to disguise themselves as Indians and dumped tea off the Boston Harbor. This in result frustrated the King of Great Britain who imposed the Intolerable Acts, which closed the Boston Harbor for trade.

is for Chesapeake Affair

The British through impressment attacked a U.S. ship called the Chesapeake off the coast of Virginia. Impressment is the act of taking men forcibly and placing them into the navy. This angered the United States as they placed the Embargo Act of 1807 to target Britain. This means that American ships were not allowed to trade with foreign nations. This incident started what we know as the War of 1812.

is for Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is a document written by Thomas Jefferson. It announces the colonies separation from Great Britain. It states the many reasons the King did wrong by the colonies and explains why the colonies are breaking free. The delegates of the Continental Congress wrote it and it was ratified on July 4, 1776.

is for Eli Whitney

Eli Whitney is known for the creation of the famous innovation, the cotton gin. It allowed cotton to be separated from the seeds in a faster way. There was a demand for more cotton pickers as the length of the cotton process was shortening. This was key in the Industrial Revolution and the Antebellum (pre-Civil War) South as it greatly increased the amount of slavery.

is for Florida Purchase Treaty

The Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819, also known as the Transcontinental Treaty, the Florida Purchase Treaty, or the Florida Treaty. This was a treaty between the United States and Spain that gave Florida to the U.S. and created the boundary between the U.S. and New Spain. The secretary of state John Quincy Adams and Spanish minister Luis de Onís agreed on these terms.

is for Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War with the most casualties. After the battle, the land that was fought on was dedicated to those that died that day. The famous Abraham Lincoln made a speech called the Gettysburg Address, where he announced how the war must be finished not for only the cause but they owed it to those who died during the war.

is for Higher wages

Throughout American History, there has many occurrences where workers have fought for their rights in labor unions. Some of these labor unions include the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Knights of Labor. They went on strikes and on multiple occasions, businesses used methods such as scabs, lockouts, yellow-dog contracts, and black lists to get workers back to their work.

is for Interstate Commerce Act

This Act was meant to help prevent monopolies like the railroad industry for example. It said the railroad prices needed to be reasonable for the public, but it did not set specific rates. This act also created the Interstate Commerce Commission, which is a long lasting commission that is anti-monopolistic. Grover Cleveland was the president that helped to pass this act in Congress.

is for John Marshall

John Marshall was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. From his years of holding this position, he concluded cases that resulted an increase in the power of the Supreme Court. One important case was Marbury v. Madison where judicial review was created.

After receiving the Kansas-Nebraska territory through this act, it was decided that the people of that area would choose whether they would allow or forbid slavery. This is known as popular sovereignty or the people's rule. This in result created much chaos leading to Bleeding Kansas.

is for Kansas-Nebraska Act

is for Lusitania

World War I was already taking place and America was taking the side of neutrality based on George Washington's policy. This all ended when German U-boats sunk an America ship, the Lusitania. This angered the Americans and played a major role in the United States entering the war on the side of Britain and France.

is for Migration

The Great Migration was the movement of southern blacks to big cities in the North like Chicago, New York, and St. Louis. The culture they established in these places became known as the Harlem Renaissance. It was a time of the spread of Jazz along with other social and artistic explosions.

is for New Deal

After the Great Depression, Hoover was president and he did not feel government hand outs would help the situation, but as FDR took presidency, he began to create multiple programs under his policy of the New Deal. These programs became known as the alphabet agencies (TVA, CCC, PWA). All of these were meant to create jobs for American citizens so they can make money, spend more, and in return the money put in could boost the economy.

is for Oil Crisis

In October of 1973, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries placed an oil embargo. The reason behind the embargo was because countries like the US were supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur War. This resulted in the downfall of the U.S economy as more cars were being used, citizens became more relied on oil for gas in their cars.

is for Pearl Harbor

Like during World War I, the United States wanted to not entangle themselves in World War II. This lasted until Japan decided to bomb Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This created much hate towards Japan during this time. This led to America entering World War II, again on the side of Britain and France.