Massacre at Mystic - The first time the English settlers engaged in the slaughter of Native Americans after years of relative peaceful coexistence. Known as the Pequot War, this massacre in Mystic, Connecticut set the pattern of the taking of Indian land throughout the country.
Shays' Rebellion: America 's First Civil War - A violent protest against debt collection and taxation practices motivated George Washington to come out of retirement to help strengthen the fragile new nation. This was the spark that led to the writing of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Gold Rush - The explosive effects of gold being discovered spurred tremendous financial and physical growth throughout the West. For the first time in history, individuals - not kings or sultans - could have gold for the taking, spurring tens of thousands of immigrants to make the arduous journey West.
Antietam - The bloodiest day in American history, both sides paid a terrible price during this Civil War battle that resulted in 23,000 casualties. President Abraham Lincoln needed this victory to insure that no foreign country would support the Confederates, and issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
The Homestead Strike - Harsh working conditions and long hours In Carnegie's Homestead steel mill led to a union strike. The battle fought between management and labor signaled an end to workers believing they had an ownership stake in their jobs, and widen the divide between management and labor.
Murder at the Fair: The Assassination of William McKinley -- Set against the backdrop of the 1901 World's Fair and the dawning of the new century, the assassination of President William McKinley ushered in a new Progressive Era under the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt.
Scopes: The Battle Over America 's Soul -- The sensational courtroom battle between two giants - three-time presidential candidate and populist William Jennings Bryan and big city criminal defense lawyer Clarence Darrow - over the teaching of evolution in a small Tennessee town. The trial underscored a deep schism within the American psyche -- religion versus science, church and state, elitism versus populism.
Einstein's Letter - Albert Einstein's letter to FDR that launched the development of the atomic bomb. The result, known as the Manhattan Project, brought government and science together in a project to build the bomb and change the world forever.
When America Was Rocked -- Elvis Presley's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 9, 1956 , signified a whole new culture that involved teenage independence, sexuality, race relations and a new form of music.
Freedom Summer -- There was a time when trying to register to vote in Mississippi could get one killed. When two white and one black Civil Rights workers went missing, national attention turned to the violence in Mississippi , which eventually led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
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