American History & Culture

• Columbus, Pocahontas, Promised Land, Founding Fathers, Melting Pot, American West, Self-Made Man are myths that made America.
• The Powhatan's mantle is a native North American garment from the early seventeenth century, made of white-tailed deer skin decorated with applied shells.
• The mantle is made of four tanned buckskin pieces sewn together with sinew thread.
• Trump is the first president to lose re-election since 1992.
• On Jan 6, pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed the Capitol.
• The light comes from East to West, symbolizing the spread of knowledge and civilization.
• After Election Day, Trump and numerous Republicans attempted to subvert the election and overturn the results, alleging widespread voter fraud and trying to influence the vote-counting process in swing states.
• The woman is an emblem of education and a testimonial of enlightenment.
• Manifest Destiny is the political doctrine or belief held by the United States, particularly during its expansion, that the nation had a special role and divine right to expand westward and gain control over the continent.
• Woman with a white dress, carrying a schoolbook and a telegraph is Columbia, the symbol of education and enlightenment.
• The Anasazi Pueblo, who lived in New Mexico between 1100 and 1300 AD, are one of the earliest cultures to emerge in what’s now the US.
• The Anasazi Pueblo are translated to mean “ancient people” or “ancient enemies”.
• The Anasazi Pueblo lived in an adobe-walled town, making it easy to defend.
• The Anasazi Pueblo were known for their artistic pottery and tightly woven baskets.
• The Anasazi Pueblo couldn’t support a large population due to arid conditions.
• The Anasazi Pueblo are a mystery as to why they died out so suddenly, with theories ranging from drought to marauding Indians from Mexico.
• The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 doubled the size of the U.S.
• The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the "Corps of Discovery", was the first overland journey to the West Coast (Pacific).
• Manifest Destiny is the belief that people should go west and explore.
• Thomas Jefferson was the Vice President in 1796 (when Federalist John Adams was 2nd President) and became the 3rd U.S President in 1800.
• The Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Quartering Act, Townshend Duties, Tea Act, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, Coercive/Intolerable Acts, Continental Congress, patriot, loyalist, Treaty of Paris, 1749
• Thomas Jefferson was the Secretary of State and Alexander Hamilton was the Secretary of Treasury when the first two parties emerged, the Federalists (Hamilton) and the Anti-Federalists (Jefferson) (Democratic-Republican Party).
• The Constitution would create a federal system, with power divided into central governments and regional governments.
• The painting "American Progress" by John Gast, 1872, depicts Manifest Destiny.
• The Continental Divide separates the watersheds of the Pacific Ocean from those of the Atlantic Ocean and runs from Alaska, through western Canada along the crest of the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico.
• Cahokia Mounds, also known as “Woodhenge”, was a Mississippian culture settlement in Illinois, peaking around 1100 AD with 30,000 people, comparable to London in 1100.
• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark civil rights and labor law that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
• In 1964, Malcolm X broke with the Nation of Islam because of the leader.
• The Black Panthers was founded: The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Black Power political organization inspired by Malcolm X.
• The Kennedy administration (1961-1963), under the New Frontier Program, aimed to desegregate society.
• The Civil Rights Movement and NAACP used pressure to secure the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• Malcolm X was killed in 1965.
• Black Muslims saw themselves as a nation separate from the mainstream and advocated self-defense.
• Lyndon B. Johnson, following John F. Kennedy, continued the War on Poverty with the Economic Opportunity Act (1964), which established many programs on creating jobs and fighting poverty.
• The Vietnam War (1955-1975) was a war between communist North and the government of South Vietnam, with the North supported by China and the Soviet Union, and the South being anti-communist countries, primarily the U.S.
• Malcolm X, after prison, joined the Nation of Islam (Black Muslims) and changed his name to Malcolm X.
• The Great Society, a vision of the perfect state, was promised during Johnson's campaign and aimed to build a better society with programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
• Cahokia Mounds was home to the Mound Builders, who erected large earthworks that served as tombs and foundations for temples.
• The Woodland Culture, centered in Ohio, is known for its mounds, which were more than seven stories in height and surrounded by earthwork walls as long as 500 yards.
• The largest mound builder settlement was Cahokia, 8 miles from what’s now St. Louis.