Turning Points in US History

The Americas were populated by millions of Native Americans ---The king and queen of Spain agreed to fund Christopher Columbus in his expedition to the New World. This critical year marked the beginning of a global transformation of the Atlantic World

The first permanent English settlement was established at Jamestown marking the beginning of the rise of English dominance in North America

The French and Indian War (Seven Years' War) marks the beginning of the breakdown in the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain

The first peaceful transfer of power from one political party to another when Jefferson was elected president. The young nation entered a period of rapid population growth and early industrialization

James K Polk was elected president in a contest that focused on the controversial issue of the expansion of slavery into the western territories and the annexation of Texas. Polk was an avid expansionist.

The end of Mexican American War and the discovery of gold in California led to the migration of millions of Americans to the West. The issue of slavery in the territories divided the nation leading to Civil War.

The Civil War ended, slavery was abolished and the Union had been preserved. Lincoln's assassination, the first presidential assassination in US history, shocked Americans as they faced the challenge of reuniting a divided nation.

The end of Reconstruction gave rise to segregation as the issue of race continued to divide the nation. Westward expansion continued and the industrial revolution transformed the national economy.

The "closing of American Frontier" took place as westward settlement claimed western land and led to the decline of Native Americans. Industrialization, immigration, new technology, the rise of monopolies, and the formation of labor unions transformed the nation.

Spanish Am War marks a turning point in US foreign policy as the nation became an imperial power and actively promoted US international trade. The Progressive movement began as a reaction to the rapid changes brought on by industrialization, urbanization, and immigration.

At the end of WWII the US stood at the pinnacle of global power. The nation was the dominant political, economic, and military power in the world and remained actively engaged in the international affairs and the promotion of democracy and capitalism around the world.