People migrated from Central Asia. This dates back 13 to 16,000 years ago. At that time, the Bering Strait was a land

bridge connecting North America and Asia. It was called Beringia.

The Age of Explorers 1492 – 1630This was a time of exploration and discovery. Columbus,

Hudson, Magellan, Balboa and countless other explorers left their homelands in Europe to find shorter trade routes, at first.

There is evidence that Leif Erikson and other Vikings reached North America around 1000 A.D.

Henry Hudson sailing up the Hudson River, of all places

Balboa reaches the calm Pacific shores

Christopher Columbus

Jamestown, top left

Rhode Island,bottom left

William Penn with Native Americans,

bottom right

Mail service in the Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania,top right

Colonial Period 1630 – 1763Once the Europeans settled, villages began to appear from north to south. The villages became cities, cities grouped

together with towns and villages and became colonies. New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania were part of the original

13 colonies.

Revolutionary America and the Young Republic1763 – 1815

The colonists began this time period fighting with the British against the French. Soon, they would be fighting the British for their own independence in the Revolutionary

War. This was the time of the leadership of George Washington

Once independence was won after the Revolutionary War, the young nation faced challenges with the Monroe Doctrine. The Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark expedition and the War

of 1812 were fought with Great Britain.

1815 - 1876This was a timeOf Expansion,

Disagreement Over Slavery,Civil War

AndRebuilding

America

Harriet TubmanLed thousands of slaves to freedom

1815 –1876During this time period, America continued to explore and move west of the Mississippi River.

1815 –1876Expansion, Sectional Disagreement,

War and ReconstructionDuring this time period, America continued its expansion west of the Mississippi River. The issue of slavery was addressed by way of the Dred Scott Decision, Missouri Compromise, The Civil War and finally the Emancipation Proclamation. After the Civil War, America faced the challenge of

rebuilding the war-torn countryside, predominately in the south, but in the north as well.

Fighting to gain control of Texas from Mexico Gold Rush of 1848 in California

1815 –1876Expansion, Sectional Disagreement,

War and Reconstruction Reconstruction was the time of rebuilding America after the war.

To the right, slaves

escape via the underground

railroad.

Civil War artifacts are on display, to

the left.

To the left, President

Lincoln meets with his

generals. On the right is a

view of a free black voting

during Reconstruction

1871 - 1914Industrial Revolution, The Westward Movement,

and the Great Immigration MovementIt was during this time period, factories and mass production came into use. Steel was being processed quicker which meant larger buildings and bridges. The Indian Wars continued into the early 1890s and were placed on reservations. Cars, cameras, airplanes and radios first

came into use.

By way of the transcontinental railroad,

the short lived pony express and telegraph

lines, America expanded west.

As we continue with 1871 – 1914…Immigrants from Europe traveled across the Atlantic, past Ellis Island to a land of opportunity.

Note the promises in the cartoon, on the top right.

America’s Industrial

Revolution in the late 1800s had many pros and cons, not

the least of which were 10 -12 hour

days, and use of child labor.

1914 – 1930sWar, Prosperity and Depression

The United States entered World War I in 1917, which had been raging in Europe since 1914. The 1920s were known as the Roaring Twenties. The 20s were a time of excitement as the U.S.

enjoyed cars, movies, sports, and at the same time women gained the right to vote. However, it all came to a sudden stop when the stock market crashed, in 1929. This resulted in a decade

long depression.

Woody Guthrie, the dust bowl balladeer

World War I enlistment poster

Personalities of the 1920s

World War I, the war to end all wars, lasted from 1914 - 1918. Although it began in Europe, in 1914, the United States did not become involved until 1917.

The war was so cruel that leaders got

together after the war to make rules

to guide future wars

Machine guns

Poison gas

Airplane

The 1920s were a time of change and

carefree living on the surface, but it

ended with the crash of the stock market which hurt

the country for nearly a decade.

Alcohol free!

Women Vote!

Carefree living

Escape Artist

The Roaring Twenties

During the 1930s, America went through the great Depression, when 25 to 33% of the

country was unemployed

Radio

Hooverville

Skyscrapers

Dust Bowl

1930s - 1960The New Deal,World War II

and Post War Boom

Franklin Roosevelt was elected

president in 1932. His New Deal put

people back to work building dams,

bridges and roads.

World War II lasted from 1939 – 1945, with America entering

on December 07, 1941

Pearl Harbor

Iwo Jima

V E Day

Rosie the Riveter

Concentration Camps

Hiroshima

Once World War II ended, America

went through a period of change. On the surface it seemed pleasant enough.

The 50s!America’sPost War

Boom!

Modern Luxury

Drive In Restaurant

Elvis

Levitt TownThe suburbs come

to America

Rosa Parks

1960 – 1990sViet Nam Era, Equal Rights Movements, Space Race and the Cold War

From the 1960s on, television brought the world closer. Every night people watched Viet Nam War on the evening news, as well as the protests which accompanied it. Technology improved which allowed Americans

more free time to relax and do as they pleased. Although there was no major war, the angst between America and the USSR produced a cold war which lasted through 1991.

Dr. Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech

In Washington DC

The Cuban Missile Crisis Nearly starts a World War

The Cold War grows

colder as the Berlin Wall

is built

The Space Race Takes

Off with the first moon landing in

1969

1990s - 2011Terrorism and the Information Age

Television

Radio

Telephone

Texting Photography and video

Newspapers and magazines

Al Qaeda terrorists

attack