Turning Points In US History

In the beginning, what is now the United States, started as colonies made up of people who came to this land in search of new opportunities and freedoms. Throughout the decades America has overcome many obstacles and expanded into a nation full of new ideas and opportunities. The rich history of the U.S has shaped this country into a country where Americans have developed a system of government with revolutionary ideas. These new ideas, and new political rights have lead to the unique sense of American identity that we now hold today. As this adopted idea of representative government grew, people began to claim their right to have a voice in the decisions about their government by utilizing their rights listed in the U.S Constitution. Throughout
The period after the Civil War is best known as the Reconstruction Era. The Reconstruction era took place from around 1865 to 1877, it is a period of time where the United States began to rebuild its government, economy, and the life of U.S citizens after the major destruction caused by the Civil War in 1865. After the Civil War was over, the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments were ratified to the U.S Constitution abolishing slavery everywhere, granting citizenship to all persons born in the United States, and giving equal protection of the laws and suffrage to all men (p511). The Fourteenth Amendment was passed during the Congressional Reconstruction, as an attempt from congress to remove all doubt about the legality of the CIvil Rights Act (519). Four million people gained their freedom, former slaves would no longer have to endure the pain and suffering they experienced before (Week 1 Class Notes). The nation would have to adapt to a word where slavery did not exist and slaves were now citizens of the United States of America. The Reconstruction Era can be
During this period of U.S history, the federal government embraced western settlement and economic development. Industrial development began with the rising of big business (Chapter 16, 552). As said the textbook, “Millions of young adults left farms and villages to work in factories, mines, and mills in the fast-growing cities. Women entered the workplace in growing numbers” (Chapter 16, 551), which means that due to rapid development of industries more jobs were available to people in factories. In hopes of better living and working conditions, people began to move into these industrialized areas and develop cities. Farmers were encouraged to leave the fields and move into the cities to work in factories. With the expansion of industries came the urbanization of people into cities, which caused the population in northern cities to increase. The expansion of railroads were also a great advancement made during the Industrial era. Railroads were built throughout the country and allowed for goods to be transported more easily, cheaper and more reliable (555). The vision of the “New South” was embraced by many Southerners after the Civil War (Chapter 17 589). Henry Grady was one of these people that embraced the idea of New South. Grady saw the New south “becoming a perfect democracy