Fall of the Berlin Wall
1989 event symbolizing the end of the Cold War and division of East and West Germany.
Contract with America
1994 action plan by U.S. Republican candidates and Representatives.
Battle of Little Bighorn
1876 battle in which the Sioux defeated U.S. Army forces.
Camp David Accords
1978 peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, brokered by President Carter.
American System
Economic plan by Henry Clay promoting a strong banking system, protective tariffs, and federally funded transportation.
14 Points
President Woodrow Wilson's 1918 plan for peace after World War I.
Compromise of 1850
Series of laws balancing slave and free states; included Fugitive Slave Act.
Dred Scott v. Sandford
1857 Supreme Court case ruling that African Americans were not U.S. citizens.
Black Tuesday
October 29, 1929, the day the stock market crashed, leading to the Great Depression.
Cuban Missile Crisis
1962 confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over missiles in Cuba.
Americans with Disabilities Act
1990 law prohibiting discrimination based on disability.
Articles of Confederation
Original constitution of the U.S. in 1781, replaced by the U.S. Constitution in 1789.
Alien and Sedition Acts
1798 laws allowing deportation of persons deemed dangerous and criminalizing criticism of government.
Bay of Pigs Invasion
1961 failed invasion of Cuba by a CIA-sponsored paramilitary group.
Brown v. Board of Education
1954 Supreme Court decision declaring racial segregation in schools unconstitutional.
Black Lives Matter
Activist movement beginning in 2013, advocating against violence and systemic racism towards black people.
Affordable Care Act
2010 federal statute providing more Americans with access to affordable health insurance.
Battle of Gettysburg
1863 Civil War battle, a turning point with Union victory and high casualties.
Federalist Papers
Series of essays promoting the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Landmark legislation outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Credit Mobilier Scandal
1872 scandal involving Union Pacific Railroad and the Credit Mobilier construction company.
Emancipation Proclamation
1863 declaration by President Lincoln freeing slaves in Confederate states.
Battle of Antietam
1862 Civil War battle, the bloodiest single-day battle in U.S. history.
Containment
U.S. policy to stop the spread of communism during the Cold War.
9/11 Attacks
Terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, leading to the War on Terror.