World War 1

 

World War 1 is one of the bloodiest and most historical battles to ever be fought. It caused massive loss in Europe, and affected Germany Russia, Austria, and France greatly. Several soldiers died in the war to end all wars.

The first battle that was fought in WW1 was the Battle of Liege in 1914. In this first battle, Germany suddenly attacked the neutral country of Belgium, and now had control of Liege. At first, Britain decided to remain neutral throughout this war, but since Germany attacked the neutral country of Belgium, Britain was worried of a surprise attack from the Germans, so they declared war. The Battle of Tannenberg was fought in August 1914, and resulted in a great defeat for the Russians by the Germans. The French Army and some British reinforcements were able to hold back the German’s advance on Paris in the Battle of Marne in 1914. The Battle of Gallipoli was an attempt to fight and finally destroy the Ottoman Empire. Britain called for reinforcements from Australia and New Zealand to fight the Ottoman Empire, but they were defeated. The Battle of Jutland was fought in 1916, and was the only navy battle in WW1. The Battle of Verdun in 1916 was the bloodiest battle in the war with 700,000 deaths and injuries. The Battles of Jutland and Verdun both had no actual victories. The Battle of Somme consisted of the British and the French fighting the Germans. This battle was fought in 1916 for over 5 months and only changed the war line by 8 miles. Britain’s campaign in Palestine was a success and the British still had control of the area even after WW1. The Third Battle of Ypres was fought in 1917 and was unsuccessful for the allies. The Battle of Caporetto resulted in Austria and Germany destroying the Italian Army in 1917. The final battle in WW1 was the Battle of Amiens where the Allied forces defeated the Germans forcing them to retreat ending the war. The Germans called for peace on November 11, 1918 and this day is celebrated around the world.

There were several new weapons introduced in WW1. The machine gun did not have to be reloaded after every shot and had a high chance to kill. Flamethrowers allowed soldiers to flush out and burn enemies in trenches. Tracer bullets were used so soldiers could see where they were shooting at night. Although most of these weapons were powerful, the deadliest weapons were artillery weapons. In 1915, the British invented the tank. This vehicle was designed to cross trenches and repel enemy fire. The tank was a tremendous offensive engager, and would be important for WW2. Planes were used to scout enemy territory, but once Anthony Fokker found out how to attach a machine gun to the cockpit safely, the war was fought differently using planes. The Germans are remembered for using aircraft such as the zeppelin. These large balloon like planes were used for bombing and recon, but could easily be countered be tracer bullets and planes. Air-ground radio communication was finally introduced, and was very useful for instructing planes where to bomb. Submarines were used several times during this war, but depth charges were invented to destroy them. One of the greatest inventions during this war was poison gas. Poison gas was first invented by the Germans, but was used often on both sides. Later, gas masks were invented to help prevent any deaths from gas. Poison gas caused many deaths and disabilities throughout the war.

After the surrender of the Germans, a peace treaty was created in the palace of Versailles in 1919. The Paris Peace Conference was held to go over the details of a peace treaty, and it lasted 6 months. The “Big Four” were America, France, Italy, and Britain, and they made most of the decisions. As a result of the Paris Peace Conference, the government organization known as The League of Nations was founded on January 10, 1920. This was the first organization whose mission was to stabilize world peace. The League of Nations’ main goals were to prevent another war like WW1, and settle disputes through negotiation. Woodrow Wilson strongly promoted the League of Nations, but the U.S. never joined it leading to the end of this idea in 1946. The Treaty of Versailles brought peace between Britain, France, and Germany. The Articles in this treaty put the blame of the war on Germany; explained requirements needed from Germany, and all out humiliated the Germans. The U.S. was not a part of this treaty, but was a part of another peace treaty with Germany. After the war, Germany was required to have an army below 100,000 men, and could not build an air force with tanks and submarines. Germany had to pay 132 billion marks towards war damage. As a part of these peace agreements, the Ottoman Empire was broken up, and their land was divided between Britain and France. These two were successful in bringing peace and stability to the region until WW2.

World War 1 brought some of the greatest inventions used in battle, some are still used today. This war is remembered for its bloody battles and its several peace treaties. Although it is nicknamed the war to end all wars, World War 2 would soon strike these same countries.

The Industrial Revolution

 

The Industrial Revolution was a time period where several famous inventors improved and invented things to help improve America’s development. This time provided citizens access to health, education, and new materials such as steel that were unavailable. These new inventions helped lead America down the right path and gave birth to several successful businessmen.

Cornelius Vanderbilt always had great energy and determination in the shipping industry, so he started his own business. In 1807, the first steamboat travel was completed, and in 1825 the Erie Canal provided travel to New York, but Vanderbilt would help innovate steamboats to a greater extent.   Cornelius’s great success in his business helped provide him with several routes and steamboats. Thomas Gibbons worked with Vanderbilt and provided him with useful information about how to run a business.  Throughout his career, Vanderbilt found ways to beat each of his competitors usually by bringing lawsuits down on competing businesses, or just becoming partners with that business. In the 1850’s, he noticed that there was soon to be a new use of transportation that would be a strong competitor, travel by train.   Due to this new travel industry taking over, Vanderbilt made a risky move by selling his whole shipping business and used that money to invest in railroads. He gained control of the New York and Harlem Railroad by buying its stock, and he competed well against other railroad companies. In 1869, the First Continental Railroad was completed.  Cornelius created one of the first giant corporations in 1870, the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. He knew that it would be a good investment to connect all his New York railroads, so he built the Grand Central Depot in Manhattan. Cornelius was now king of the Northeast railroads.

John Rockefeller was king of the oil industry, and it started with him investing in an oil refinery in 1863.  In 1865 he was in control of his own oil refinery, and by 1870 he founded Standard Oil in Ohio, adding several more refineries to his company. Standard Oil had control of 90% of the American kerosene industry bringing lamp light to every American home. John decided to expand his business and cut costs, by building pipelines from Cleveland and Pittsburgh to several big cities in the East. Although this addition was expensive, it removed his need to pay for rail transportation.     A new threat had caught John’s eye, the Sherman Antitrust Act, which brought lawsuits to monopolistic businesses.  Although Rockefeller did nothing illegal in the building of Standard Oil, his business was sued by the government in 1909 and John was forced to end his company in 1911. Due to his shares of stock in each of the new companies, his wealth went up to $900 million, and at his death his money came out to $400 billion in today’s money.

Andrew Carnegie was the creator of the steel industry. Before his success, Andrew was trained by a railroad businessman named Tom Scott. In the starting of Carnegies’ Keystone Bridge Company, it introduced him to a new material, steel. Andrew then started a steel mill to help produce steel for his bridge company, but later realized steel would be important for other industries as well. This realization led to the Carnegie Steel Company in Pittsburgh. This helped in the finishing of the first structure to use a large mass of steel, the Eads Bridge, in 1874.  Andrew monopolized the steel industry, and J.P. Morgan offered to buy Carnegie Steel in 1901. Carnegie wanted to beat Rockefeller as the richest man, so he sold the company for $480 million, and gained $225 million. Andrew was now the richest man at that time.

J.P. Morgan is remembered for controlling several industries during his time. Morgan got involved in his father’s banking business, and in 1858 he decided to move to New York to join the main part of this banking industry. In 1895, Morgan was put on the front pages of newspapers throughout the country because of an astonishing deal he had made. The U.S. Treasury, during the Panic of 1893, was close to losing its gold reserves, but Morgan bailed out the government.   J.P. was now at the top of the banking industry. Morgan supported the electric lighting industry and he also bought Carnegie Steel for $480 million. Morgan decided to organize the United States Steel Company, which is known today as US Steel. J.P. had now controlled almost all the electric industry, 30% of the railroad industry, and 60% of the steel industry.   The newly elected president believed that Morgan’s power had grown enough, so the president had the attorney general sue Morgan’s railroad industries due to breaking antitrust laws. Although he was forced to break up his railroad industry, Morgan was still active in his other businesses. In 1907, the U.S. had another panic, so the president called for Morgan to bail out Wall Street. Morgan used $30 million from US Steel to halt the panic on Wall Street. Morgan was rewarded for his actions by having his US Steel immune from any antitrust laws. After his death in 1913, Morgan left behind some of America’s largest corporations, US Steel and General Electric.

Thomas Edison is known for starting several businesses throughout his life, and was always remembered for being good at tinkering with things and finding solid opportunities to make profit. He had over 1,000 patents signed in his name including: a commercially available fluoroscope, a commercially available electric lightbulb, the electric chair, a two way telegraph, and a kinetograph and kinetoscope to view and create motion pictures. He is mostly remembered for innovating the lightbulb. Edison innovated and invented several products that were useful to America during this time. Thomas Edison is often depicted as the most successful innovator and inventor in American history.

Nikola Tesla is remembered as Edison’s greatest rival. In 1882 he was hired by the Continental Edison Company in France. Nikola moved to New York 1884, and was hired by Edison and soon became Edison’s best engineer. After improving one of Edison’s designs, Tesla left the company to work on his own, but in 1888 he was hired by Westinghouse Electric. Westinghouse was all about promoting AC and thought that Tesla would be a great addition. After Westinghouse won the War of Currents, Tesla decided to give his patents to Westinghouse, and went on to develop several unsuccessful projects.

Henry Ford was the creator of the best known automobiles during his time. Ford served as a machinist for several companies from 1879-1891, but he later began to work for the Edison Illuminating Company in 1891. By 1893, he was Chief Engineer and tinkered with several automobile inventions. He gained approval by Thomas Edison to continue his work on automobiles, in 1896. On June 4, 1896 Ford completed a test drive for his Ford Quadricycle, and started the Detroit Automobile Company in 1899. After this business was unsuccessful, he looked into race cars. He is remembered for setting a record of 91.3 mph with one of his cars. In 1908, his greatest success was the Model T. This automobile had the steering wheel on the left, had the engine enclosed, and was $825. Ford was all about cutting cost, which made him unlike most automobile companies. Ford’s employees are remembered for inventing the first assembly line, which was implemented by Ford. Ford sold 15 million Model T’s by 1927, which was a huge success for him and his employees. Ford, unlike most businessmen, desired to improve the life of his employees, so Ford raised the lowest wage in his factories to double the national minimum. This act helped reduce employee turnover, and Ford won over much respect from his employees.

These businessmen were great role models and still are today, showing that hard work and determination will end with great success. The Industrial Revolution helped make America what it is today, and inspired several innovators to help improve fascinating inventions. The Industrial Revolution will always be remembered as the turning point for America.

 

Presidents Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, and Harrison

 

There were four presidents who served in the 1800’s who did not do much to benefit the country, but were still important presidents in America’s history. They worked hard during their early lives, and did the best they could trying to make the U.S. a better place.

James A. Garfield was born in Ohio in 1831, and spent his childhood on his family’s modest farm. He worked hard throughout college, and graduated from Williams College in 1856. After college, Garfield dedicated his life to politics as a Republican. During the Civil War, he served as a major general, and in 1862 he was elected to Congress. He served in the Chairman of the Military Affairs, Appropriations, and the Ways and Means committees. In 1880 Garfield was elected to the Senate, and ran as a compromise presidential candidate during this time as well. Garfield was elected as president, and was inaugurated in 1881. In June in 1881, the newly elected president was scheduled to provide a speech at Williams College, but was shot on the way. The shooter, Charles Guiteau, claimed that he heard God commanding him to shoot Garfield. Charles was later put in a mental hospital. An early metal detector was used to find the bullet that struck Garfield, but the search was unsuccessful. Two months after being shot, Garfield died from an infection from the wound in September 1881. Garfield only served 200 days as president, which is the second shortest presidency to date.

Chester A. Arthur was born in Vermont in 1829, but grew up in New York. During the Civil War, Arthur became a lawyer and was a quartermaster general in the Civil War. After several years of serving as Collector of the Port of New York, he was elected as Garfield’s vice president. Arthur became president after Garfield’s assassination, causing the cabinet to resign. The new president decided not to replace the cabinet with his own political supporters; he wanted to find the best men for the job. He is best remembered for banishing the spoils system and any other systems like it. Those who believed that Arthur would be a terrible president were proven wrong by his mass support. Several other presidents have not had such an excellent presidency as Chester Arthur’s.

Stephen Grover Cleveland was born in New Jersey in 1837, and was the son of a Presbyterian minister. Cleveland was forced to leave school in his teen years and take a 2-year apprenticeship to support his family. After returning to school, Cleveland’s father died, so he spent several years trying to find jobs to earn a living. He traveled to Buffalo, New York, and accepted a job as a clerk at a law firm. In 1859, after studying hard, Cleveland was admitted to the bar in New York. During the Civil War, Cleveland paid a Polish immigrant to take his place in the war. Cleveland is remembered for his hard work and dedication in the law office. He disagreed with Republican beliefs, leading to him siding with the Democrats in his early life. He served as Sheriff of Erie County, New York, Mayor of Buffalo, and Governor of New York before his election to president. He was the Democratic nominee for president in 1884, and during his campaign, a scandal broke out. This scandal was that a woman, who Cleveland was fond of, gave birth to a baby with the same last name Cleveland. The woman was taken to a mental hospital while the child was adopted by a new family. Rather than covering it up, Cleveland took full responsibility for this scandal and opened up to the public. This showed everyone how much of a truthful man he was, leading to more voters supporting him. Cleveland almost lost the popular votes, but won the electoral votes: 219-182. He strongly believed in free market policies, and won much praise for his honesty. Although he was a Democrat, several Republicans voted Democrat because they strongly respected Cleveland and wanted him as their president.

Benjamin Harrison was born in 1833 in Ohio, and spent a lot of time outdoors as a child. At the age of 9, his grandfather William Henry Harrison was the first president to die in office. In 1847 Benjamin went to college and met his future wife. He graduated in 1852, and became a member of a Presbyterian church. Benjamin married Caroline Lavinia Scott in 1853, and they had two children. Harrison began to study law, and later in 1858 he entered a law partnership. Harrison served as Reporter for the Indian Supreme Court, Colonel of a Union regiment during the Civil War and U.S. Senator before he became president. He ran against Cleveland in the 1888 election, and campaigned mostly from his hometown, unlike other candidates. Harrison lost the popular vote, but won the Electoral College 233-168. His major moves as president were promoting high tariffs, passing The Sherman Antitrust Act, and high federal spending levels. Harrison is remembered for adding Hawaii as a part of the United States. Benjamin ran again in the 1892 election, but lost to Cleveland.

These presidents hold an important place in American history. They were hard working honest men who stuck to their beliefs. There hard work in law helped them preform as excellent presidents.

Presidents Andrew Johnson, Grant, and Hayes

 

Presidents Andrew Johnson, Grant, and Hayes are remembered for serving during the Reconstruction period. This time was hard on these presidents because the South had trouble fitting in with the North due to the Union victory. These presidents did all they could to help reunite the North and South.

After the assassination of President Lincoln during his second term, vice president Andrew Jackson became the president of the United States. Johnson was born in North Carolina in 1808 to a poor family. At the age of 18, Andrew married Eliza McCardle who was only 16 at the time. She helped tutor him to improve his math and writing knowledge. Johnson worked as a tailor and mayor in Tennessee before he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1835. In 1843 Johnson was elected U.S. Representative and later he was elected as the U.S. Senate. Although he was a Southerner, he was strongly Unionist during the Civil War. Lincoln selected Democrat Johnson as his vice president so they could appeal to both the North and South. A couple months after his inauguration as vice president, Johnson became the 17^th president of the U.S. Johnson and Congress did not get along well throughout his presidency. In 1868 tensions with Congress and Johnson began. After Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act in 1867, to protect Cabinet members from being replaced by Johnson, the president replaced Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Due to this replacement, Congress put Johnson on trial for going against this act. The trail lasted 14 days and Johnson won. Throughout the rest of Johnson’s term, Johnson and Congress had several differences.

General Ulysses S. Grant became the 18^th president in 1869, and served two terms (1869-77). Grant was part of the Republican Party and he is remembered for leading the Union through the Civil War in several historic battles. During his first term, he maintained prosperity, but during his second term as president he had to lead the country through the Panic of 1873. Grant is remembered as a historical president, because of his fighting in the Civil War and being General of the U.S. Army (1864-69). Grant disagreed with Johnson’s policies, so he strongly supported civil rights through direct federal intervention.

Rutherford B. Hayes served one term (1877-81) as the 19^th president of the United States. Hayes was born in 1822, in Ohio. He served in Congress and the Army before becoming president. Hayes was allowed to have the votes from the Democrats during his election only if he would end Reconstruction and federal intervention in Southern politics. After the death of Lincoln, the executive branch lost much of its power, but Hayes’s policies helped expand its power. Hayes is best remembered for ending Reconstruction and restoring popular faith in the presidency.

These three hard working presidents helped lead the United States through this rough period with great strength. They fought for what they believed in and were not afraid to do what they believed was best for the country. These presidents helped shape the North and South into what they are today.

 

Abraham Lincoln

 

Abraham Lincoln was the 16 president, and is remembered as an American hero. He led the United Sates through the Civil War with great leadership. Lincoln is known as being one of the United States’ best presidents.

Lincoln was born in Kentucky in 1809 to Thomas and Nancy Lincoln, who were one of the richest families in their county. But in 1816, his family was forced to move to Indiana due to his father losing most of his land because of legal disputes over land titles. Abraham began growing up in the non-slave state of Indiana, but later moved to Illinois in 1830. Lincoln’s strength began to develop in Illinois due to his hard frontier life, and he is remembered for winning a very competitive wrestling match. Finally at age 21, Abe had moved out of his father’s house and he worked on a flatboat, but then became a partner in a small general store. Abraham taught himself throughout his life, and in his early 20’s he began teaching himself law. By 1834, Lincoln was given a seat as a state legislator, and in 1836 he completed the bar exam in Illinois. Lincoln was successful in cross-examination and became a great lawyer.

In 1842, Lincoln married Mary Todd. The two planned to get married in 1841 but broke it off until re-meeting in 1842. The couple had 4 children, and although Lincoln was often absent, he was still a great father. Starting in 1846, Abe served one term in Congress, but returned to Illinois to practice law. By 1854, Lincoln returned to politics and began to develop the new Republican Party in his state. Lincoln is remembered for some of his famous speeches. “His Divided” speech, given in 1858, is one of Lincoln’s best known. Abraham was a strong supporter of the Union, and he knew that one side of slavery would come out on top. Due to his strong belief in spreading the new Republican Party, he thought that becoming senator of Illinois would be a great opportunity to do so. During this time Stephen Douglas was senator, and he would be Abraham’s opponent in the race. This led to the Lincoln-Douglas Debate, which was a series of seven debates that took place in 1858. The 7 debates discussed slavery, which was the main issue during this time. Newspapers began taking sides in the debate, and when the newspapers published the speeches, they made sure to make their favored candidate look better.  Although Lincoln lost the debate, he still earned lots of National recognition. In 1860, due to his book, Lincoln gained the Republican nomination for president, and won.

Before Abraham was officially elected president, 7 Southern states seceded because no compromises could be reached on issues of slavery. Lincoln turned his entire attention to reuniting the nation after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. President Lincoln suspended the rights of habes corpus, arresting many secessionist supporters along the border. He cleaned up the Trent Affair in late 1861, which helped avoid the British entering the Civil War. Lincoln gladly accepted the Civil War, and began studying many books on war strategy, which helped him become a better strategist over the country. Abraham’s first great decision to support abolition was the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862. In 1863, several freed slaves joined the war on the side of the Union. Lincoln’s most famous speech was his very short Gettysburg Address, which lasted only 3 minutes. Abraham Lincoln was re-elected as president in 1864, and he got to witness the end of the Civil War in 1865. A couple days after the news of the Confederacy’s surrender, Lincoln was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. After his death on April 15, he was buried in Springfield, Illinois.

Abraham Lincoln was one of the greatest presidents the United States ever witnessed. He helped lead the U.S. through the Civil War, and won several positive remarks from American citizens. He will always be remembered as one of the greatest speakers ever heard.

Union and Confederate Generals of the Civil War

 

There were several iconic generals that fought in the Civil War. They helped set examples for people and soldiers today, and are a large part of American history. Although the Union and Confederate generals were fighting each other, some had similarities and friendships with each other.

The most iconic Union general was Ulysses S. Grant. He was born in 1822 and was the 18^th President of the United States. Grant led the Union army to victory in several of the wars in which he fought. In 1843, Grant graduated from West Point and served in the Mexican-American War. At the beginning of the Civil War, Grant was general of the Western campaigns, but later his effectiveness in the west led to Lincoln promoting Grant to commander over the entire Union army in 1863. He was a great strategist and general throughout the entire Civil War. His popularity helped him become the 18^th president of the U.S., and he worked to end any remaining Confederate evidence. Grant helped push the United States through the Reconstruction period by rebuilding.

Like Grant, Confederate General Robert E. Lee was a strong iconic general. He was born in 1807, and was the son of a Revolutionary War officer. Lee served in the Mexican-American War before the Civil War. Though Lee believed in the states being united, he followed his home state of Virginia and denied the request of a senior position in the U.S. Army. He often took several risks throughout the Civil War and they frequently worked. Although Lee is known as one of the most skillful Generals in history, he could not turn the war’s tide leading to the defeat of the Confederate Army. When the war ended, Lee later became the president of what is now known as Washington and Lee University and supported the Reconstruction movement. Both Lee and Grant became great friends after the war, and they both often showed their Christian beliefs throughout the war. Lee became a popular figure throughout the world and even after his death.

Philip Henry Sheridan was an important cavalry officer for the Union Army. He was born in 1831 and dedicated his whole adult life in serving for the Union Army. Sheridan often employed a tactic called “scorched earth”, which means he would burn any easy collective resources in the cities they conquered. He is remembered for the burning of the Shenandoah Valley, and is remembered for chasing Lee and his men in Appomattox leading to the surrender of the Confederate Army. In 1888 he became General of the U.S. Army under President Grover Cleveland.

Like Sheridan, Jeb Stuart was also an important cavalry general. He was born in 1833, and he liked to have fun, leading to his cavalier image. Although Jeb liked to entertain, his good work caught Lee’s eye, and when joining the Confederates it boosted the army’s morale. Stuart graduated from West Point in 1854, and is remembered for trying to calm tensions during the Bleeding Kansas conflict. He was also part of the detachment that captured John Brown at Harpers Ferry. His absence from Gettysburg resulted in its outcome because on his way to Gettysburg, he was surprise attacked by Sheridan and his men. While fighting Sheridan’s men, Stuart was mortally injured; this led to his death in 1864.

These men are some of the most historical soldiers in American history. All of these men fought with great strength, and were highly educated. These men were remembered by both the Union and Confederate sides, and they will always be remembered by Americans today.

 

 

Favorite Parts of the Civil War

 

The Civil War is one of history’s greatest battles, especially in American history. This war had more deaths than any other American war, and it has a strong grip on Americans today. My favorite part of the Civil War is the beginning and the end.

The first major conflict in the Civil War was the Battle of Manassas or Battle of Bull Run, which was fought on July 21, 1861 near Manassas, Virginia. The Union were defeated in this battle due to both sides having 18,000 poorly trained troops. Union General McDowell led an ambitious attack on Confederate General Beauregard’s troops, and the Union was defeated because of Confederate reinforcements under Confederate General Johnston. This battle is where General Thomas Jackson and his men stood their ground, which earned him the nickname “Stonewall Jackson.” The Confederates reinforcements forced the Yankees and McDowell’s troops to retreat wildly, which led to President Lincoln replacing McDowell with General McClellan. The first major battle of the Western Frontier was the Battle of Fort Henry, which was fought in 1862 in Middle Tennessee. Union General Grant successfully assaulted Fort Henry, opening the Tennessee River to Union ships. The Union troops used the river and destroyed shipping and railroad bridges, and then marched to Fort Donelson. The Battle of Fort Donelson was yet another victory for Grant, and compromised the Confederate’s Cumberland River. These two wins improved General Grant’s reputation. Sometime after these battles, Lincoln replaced McClellan with General Henry Halleck. The Battle of Shiloh was fought in April of 1862 in southwestern Tennessee. Shiloh was a major battle that cost several lives. While General Grant was moving deep into Tennessee, he was surprised by an attack arranged by Confederate Generals Johnston and Beauregard. The first day of battle resulted in great success for the Confederates, but on the second day, the Confederates were defeated and General Johnston was killed in battle. The Second Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) was fought on August 28-30, 1862 in Tennessee and it concluded Confederate General Lee’s attack on Union General John Pope. This battle was fought in a similar location as the first battle. Like the first battle, the Confederates were victorious. The Battle of Antietam was fought in September 1862 near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and this battle is remembered as the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with up to 22,717 casualties. Union General McClellan was known for his cautious attacks, making this battle last longer than intended. Although this battle was inconclusive, it is claimed to be a Union victory because the Confederates were the first to retreat. After this battle McClellan was replaced by General Burnside. The final battle of the first 2 years of the Civil War was the Battle of Fredericksburg, which was fought in on December 11-15, 1862 around Fredericksburg, Virginia. This battle was fought between Confederate General Lee and Union General Burnside. The Union Army sent multiple attacks on Confederate entrenchments, but could not break through, leading to the Union having several more deaths than the Confederates. At the end of the year, Lincoln finally promoted Grant to top general.

Near the end of the war, there were two remaining battles, the Siege of Petersburg and the Appomattox Court House. The Siege of Petersburg was a series of small battles between June 1864 and March 1865. Confederate General Lee was able to strategically move around from time to time because of his excess of supplies, but after nine months of trench warfare, Grant and Lee’s army began to wear down. Finally, Lee abandoned both Petersburg and the nearby Confederate capital, Richmond, and the battle was marked as a Union victory even though the battle went back and forth. Lee’s retreat ended with the final battle on April 9, 1865 known as Appomattox Court House in Virginia. The battle was very short, and with Lee’s troops facing down the increasing Yankees, he surrendered. General Robert E. Lee and General Ulysses S. Grant met after the Appomattox Court House battle to discuss the surrender of the Confederate army. Grant made sure to provide as generous of terms as possible, and the two held great respect for each other. The two main results were the abolishment of slavery and the re-uniting of the states.

The beginning and the end are my favorite parts of the Civil War because the beginning showed the development of the two historical generals, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant and the end resulted in the two sides re-uniting. The Civil War resulted in 620,000 deaths, more than any other U.S. war. This war was the bloodiest war in American history, and will always have a strong impact on Americans.

 

 

The Texas Revolution

The Texas Revolution

Texas is known for being the largest state in America, but it is also remembered for its fascinating history. Texans fought against Mexico to make Texas a part of the United States of America. Texas is recognized by both Mexico and the U.S. as a strong independent state.
In 1821, before Mexico earned its independence from Spain, Mexico and Texas were both colonized as territory of Spain. Texas had a low population of Indians, Mexicans, and Americans, but after the Mexican War for Independence, Texas became a part of the Mexico Empire in 1821. The Mexican Empire came to an agreement to let 300 Americans settle in the territory of Texas. The Mexican government encouraged settlers to populate Texas so that the Indian raids would lessen, but the Mexican government grew worried since they were outnumbered by the immigrating settlers. The President of Mexico realized this, and announced that no more immigration from America was allowed. The Empresarios, which were the names of the governors, held the Convention of 1832, which was the first step to the Texas Revolution. At this time there were 30,000 American Texans, and 7,800 Mexican Texans, and by 1834 the country was almost at war with itself.
In October of 1835 the first violence broke out. The Mexican president Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna sent his brother-in-law, General Cos, to make sure the thought of rebellion would come to an end. Before Cos could meet with Texans, one of the Mexican forts demanded a cannon to be returned that the Texans had borrowed, but the Texans rejected their request. Due to this rejection, the Battle of Gonzales began when a group of 100 dragoons came to reclaim the cannon. The group of dragoons could not cross the river to retrieve the cannon because the water level was too high, and while this was happening, other Texans heard of this battle brewing and wanted to join in. This battle resulted in 3 casualties, and inspired Texans to become a separate state.
The most recognized battle of the Texas Revolution was the Battle of the Alamo. There were no significant battles that took place until February 1836, and during this time the Texans had already declared their independence, but Santa Anna would not allow them to secede. The Alamo was an old Catholic church near San Antonio, and there the Texans cleared most of the Mexicans resistance. Santa Anna arrived there on February 23 with 1,500 men and camped outside the Alamo, to make sure no Texans could escape. The siege continued on for 13 days while the Texans sent a couple messengers and waited for reinforcements. Finally on March 6, the Mexicans advanced and fought the Texans in the Alamo. The Texans knew they did not have a chance, but they still fought with great strength and bravery. The battle ended with between 125 and 250 dead Texans and 400-600 dead Mexicans. Several popular brave heroes were remembered for their deaths in the Alamo: Davy Crockett, Sam Bowie, and William Travis. The Alamo can still be seen today.
The Alamo was hard on Santa Anna’s mission to conquer Texas. This battle inspired the Texan Army and provided it with new recruits. The popular saying “Remember the Alamo” became the army’s war cry. Santa Anna heard of Houston’s developing army and set out to face the Texans. They arrived at San Jacinto River on April 20, and waited for reinforcements. The Texans were about to attack, but they were interrupted by General Cos and his soldiers. The Texans decided to attack on April 21, catching the Mexicans off guard. The battle lasted 18 minutes overwhelming the Mexican defense, leading to the capture of Santa Anna. Santa Anna was forced to sign a treaty with Sam Houston, and the Battle of San Jacinto ended with two treaties. The First treaty was an agreement between both sides to return prisoners of war, and the second granted that Mexico would never again fight the Texans in exchange for the sparing of Santa Anna’s life. In 1845, Texas was accepted as a U.S. state.
The Texans were strong and brave individuals, who never gave up fighting for their independence. They are a large part of American history, and gave birth to several influential people. Texas is remembered by Americans today as a strong and independent state.

The Trail of Tears

The Trail of Tears

The Native Americans were the first occupants of some of the land in the United States. They were forced to migrate off American land, and several people died during these migrations. Settlers tried to teach the Native Americans their culture, but there was a lot of confusion leading to the migration of the Natives.
During the time of John Smith and the founding of Jamestown in 1607, Native Americans were being pushed around. These English settlers believed that they had the right to this land, and they frequently mistreated the Native Americans. Due to this treatment, by 1776 there was a small amount of Native Americans along the Eastern Seaboard. After George Washington was elected president, he tried to stop these culture wars and suggested that the Native Americans should adopt the European culture. The Native Americans were often confused and did not understand concepts, like private property, due to their totally different culture. Settlers began to overrun the Native Americans in Ohio and Indiana, but the Indians held a large portion of land in the Deep South. Since the Native Americans had control of the Deep South, Georgia called for a new location for the Indians.
There were 5 tribes in the Deep South: the Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole, Muscogee, and the Chickasaw. These Indians stopped settlers who were invading their land, and adopted American customs as well. Although most of the presidents after Washington supported his idea for the Indians to adopt American customs, Andrew Jackson had other thoughts. In 1829, President Andrew Jackson made a speech saying that the Native Americans should be relocated, and a year later the Indian Removal Act was passed. This act reported that all Native Americans were to be moved to the west of the Mississippi River. This act was voluntary, but the tribes were pressured by the settlers, so most of them agreed to move.
It was a difficult process for the Indians, because thousands of them were traveling hundreds of miles. The first to agree to migrate were the Choctaw tribe, and in 1831 they moved from Mississippi to the Arkansas territory. One of the tribe’s chiefs was the first to call this migration “the trail of tears and death.” The Cherokee were the next tribe to relocate, and their migration showed an example of the abuse that took place. This tribe resisted their migration, but after 3 years they were forced to relocate in the west. Sixteen thousand Cherokee people migrated and there were several deaths. The Seminole tribe refused to leave their land leading to the Second Seminole War. The Seminoles were led by their chief, Osceola, who used guerilla like combat to defeat the settlers frequently. After 7 years of battle, many lives were lost on both sides, and the Seminoles were forced to relocate or hide in the Everglades. The Muscogee had lost most of their land even before the Indian Removal Act was passed, so they agreed to migrate westward in 1832. The Chickasaw tribe agreed to move westward, but negotiated to sell their land for $3,000,000, instead of just trading their land and being granted a new one. The Chickasaws were moved westward in 1837, and did not get their money until 30 years later. In 1842, about 75,000 Indians and slaves were forced to relocate west of the Mississippi, and the land they received was west of the Arkansas Territory. Their land was called the Indian Territory, and it was governed and controlled by the Indians, without any interference from Congress during that time. In 1907, the Oklahoma Enabling Act had the Indian Territory combined with the Oklahoma Territory, which is now known as Oklahoma.
Although the Native Americans had this land first, they were not strong enough to hold back the development of the United States. The Indians did help with the creation of the state of Oklahoma, and were cooperative with relocating. Although this is not the Native American’s land, their history can still be seen today.

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson served as an important leader and president. He was an influential leader in the War of 1812, and also played an important part in the Revolutionary War. He is remembered as a people’s man and a strong, stubborn president.
Jackson was born in 1776 to immigrated Scots-Irish farmers. Shortly after Jackson’s birth, his father died, and he was raised by his two uncles. As Jackson grew up, he did not attend school that often, but he did work at a saddle- maker’s shop. When Jackson was 13 he helped the local militia, where his brothers served, as a courier. During this time Jackson and his brother Robert were both captured and nearly starved to death. While captured Jackson received a sword wound which left a scar for the rest of his life. Their mother worked for their release, and finally they were set free, but Robert died shortly after they were freed. During that same year, Jackson’s mother also pasted away leaving him with no family.
As an independent man, he studied law in Salisbury, North Carolina and began practicing in Jonesborough. During 1788 through 1804, Jackson served as Congressman and Senator for the newly added state, Tennessee. He owned his own land outside the city of Nashville, and this land grew to be one of the most valuable plantations in this area. Jackson returned to active service in the War of 1812, where he would earn the nickname “Old Hickory” for his stubbornness, bravery, and success during the war. He was the lead commander in the last battle of the war, the Battle of New Orleans, and he successfully defeated the British.
After the War of 1812, Jackson was elected to the Senate in 1822, and was nominated for president as well. Jackson lost to John Quincy Adams when the election was decided by the House of Representatives. Jackson spent the next four years preparing to defeat Adams in the next presidential election, and when it finally arrived he won the election in 1829. Andrew Jackson held a party at the White House ball, which was an unusual act for a politician, but Jackson was not like most presidents. He was the first president to use the veto power a lot, and he used it to block all spending and special interest bills. Jackson made several poor decisions for the cabinet members, leading to all but the Postmaster General being replaced in the first two years of his presidency. Jackson firmly reduced the federal deficit and payed it all off in 1835, and 1836 was the last time the United States had no federal debt.
Jackson and his followers were part of the Jacksonian democracy, which was referred to as the Second Party System, a democratic spirit. The Jacksonian democracy expanded the power of the executive branch and developed public involvement in the government. The Jacksonians had a large part in geographic expansion, but did not provide more rights to all people. Jackson worked to make the presidency a tool for the people, and he expanded the power of the executive branch greatly. Andrew Jackson’s presidency ended in 1837 and he passed away on June 8, 1845.
Andrew Jackson was an influential general and president, and is an important part of American history. He fought for our nation’s freedom with great bravery and strength. He fought for his beliefs, and is respected for all the hard work he put into the development of the United States.