U.S. History from Reconstruction to the 1980s

Reconstruction Era (1865–1877)

• End of Civil War: Marked the beginning of Reconstruction, focusing on reunification and redefining African American status.
• Key Amendments:
  • 13th Amendment: Abolished slavery.
  • 14th Amendment: Granted citizenship.
  • 15th Amendment: Extended voting rights to Black men.
• Jim Crow Laws: Emerged post-Reconstruction, enforcing segregation in the South.

Gilded Age (1870s–1900s)

• Industrialization: Period of rapid growth.
  • Key figures: Andrew Carnegie (steel), John D. Rockefeller (oil).
• Challenges: Poor working conditions, child labor, income inequality.
• Response: Rise of labor unions and reform movements.

Progressive Era (1890s–1920s)

• Reform Focus: Government, business, and society.
• Key Figures: Theodore Roosevelt (anti-monopoly).
• Constitutional Changes:
  • 16th Amendment: Federal income tax.
  • 17th Amendment: Direct election of senators.
  • 18th Amendment: Prohibition.
  • 19th Amendment: Women's suffrage.
• Legacy: Laid groundwork for modern democracy.

World War I (1914–1918)

• U.S. Neutrality: Initially neutral, entered war in 1917.
• Reasons for Entry: German submarine attacks, Zimmermann Telegram.
• Outcome: Helped Allies; proposed League of Nations rejected.

Roaring Twenties (1920s)

• Economic Prosperity: Cultural changes and consumerism rise.
• Cultural Highlights: Jazz, flappers, Harlem Renaissance.
• End of Era: 1929 stock market crash led to Great Depression.

Great Depression (1930s)

• Economic Crisis: Widespread unemployment and poverty.
• New Deal: President Franklin D. Roosevelt's response.
  • Relief, recovery, reform.
  • Agencies: CCC, WPA, Social Security Administration.

World War II (1939–1945)

• U.S. Entry: Attack on Pearl Harbor (1941).
• Military Involvement: European and Pacific theaters, D-Day, atomic bombs.
• Societal Impact: Women's workforce participation, Japanese American internment.

Cold War (1947–1991)

• U.S.-Soviet Tensions: Democracy vs communism.
• Key Conflicts: Korean War, Vietnam War.
• Domestic Impact: Arms and Space Race, McCarthyism.

Civil Rights Movement (1950s–1960s)

• Goals: End racial segregation and discrimination.
• Key Events:
  • Brown v. Board of Education: 1954 Supreme Court case.
  • Montgomery Bus Boycott.
  • "I Have a Dream" Speech by Martin Luther King Jr.
• Legislation: Civil Rights Act (1964), Voting Rights Act (1965).
• Inspiration: Women's, Latino, and Native American rights movements.

1960s and 1970s: Protest and Upheaval

• Vietnam War Opposition.
• Feminist Movement.
• Environmentalism Rise.
• Title IX (1972): Gender equality in education.
• Roe v. Wade (1973): Legalized abortion.
• Watergate Scandal: Nixon's resignation (1974).

1980s: Political and Economic Shifts

• Ronald Reagan's Administration: Tax cuts, reduced spending, anti-communism.
• Technological Advancements: Rise of the computer age.
• Cold War: Beginning of the end.

Summary

• Transformation: From fractured post-Civil War to global superpower.
• Key Themes: Industrialization, war, social movements, ideological conflict.
• Ongoing Struggle: Defining freedom, equality, and justice in America.