1. The American Revolution:

• “The shot heard ‘round the world” was fired on April 19, 1775, in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, marking the beginning of the conflict known as the Revolutionary War. The war raged on for 6 years until, as depicted on this sign, the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781.
• American Casualties – approx. 4435 dead, 6188 wounded.

2. The Founding Documents:

• The Declaration of Independence – “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness--”
  
• The Constitution – “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
  

3. Territorial Expansion:

• Thomas Jefferson - 1803 - Louisiana Purchase - 827,987 square miles
• James Monroe - 1819 - Florida - approx. 72,000 square miles
• John Tyler - 1845 - Texas – approx. 385,000 square miles
• James K. Polk - 1846 - Oregon Territory - approx. 285,000 square miles, 1848 - Mexican Cession - more than 500,000 square miles
• Franklin Pierce - 1853 - Gadsden Purchase - approx. 29,000 square miles
  Andrew Johnson - 1867 - Alaska - 586,412 square miles
  William McKinley - 1898 - Hawaiian Islands - 6,450 square miles.
  

4. Civil War:

• In his second inaugural address, President Abraham Lincoln spoke these words,
• “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
• Union casualties – approx. 364,00
• Confederate casualties – approx. 133,800.
  

5. Labor Movement:

• 1790 – First factory, a textile mill, was established at Pawtucket, RI
• 1792 – First labor union formed in Philadelphia, PA
• 1840 – President Martin Van Buren signed an order limiting the workday to 10 hours
• 1881 – Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions was formed in Pittsburgh, PA
• 1886 – The Federation became the American Federation of Labor
• 1905 – The Industrial Workers of the World was formed in Chicago, IL
• 1913 - President Woodrow Wilson formed the new Department of Labor
  

6. Protecting our Natural Resources:

• Early efforts by Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Benjamin Harrison to preserve nature for the benefit of all led to the creation of 13 national forest preserves. President Theodore Roosevelt added 150 million acres to the national forest program.
  

7. World War I:

• Woodrow Wilson said, “The Americans who went to Europe to die are a unique breed. Never before have men crossed the seas to a foreign land to fight for a cause which they did not pretend was peculiarly their own, which they knew was the cause of humanity and mankind. These Americans gave the greatest of all gifts, the gift of life and the gift of spirit.”
• American casualties – approx. 116,000

8. Great Depression:

• In his first inaugural address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “This great Nation will endure as is has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself…”

9. World War II:

• In his Order of the Day on the eve of the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you…Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened…”
• American casualties – approx. 406,000.
  

10. Landing on the Moon:

• On July 20, 1969, as Apollo 11 landed on the moon, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin spoke these words, “Tranquility Base, here. The Eagle has landed.” As his colleague, Neil Armstrong, put his left foot down on the moon’s surface he said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
  

11. Civil Rights Movement:

• On April 16, 1963, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote the following from a Birmingham Alabama jail cell. “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
• “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
• And Thomas Jefferson: `We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal..' 'So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists will we be.”

12. Korea, Cold War & Superpower:

• On March 23, 1983, President Ronald Reagan delivered his “Star Wars” speech announcing a new defense program to further protect the United States against aggression. He concluded the speech with “My fellow Americans, tonight we’re launching an effort which holds the promise of changing the course of human history. There will be risks, and results take time. But I believe we can do it. As we cross this threshold, I ask for your prayers and your support. Thank you, good night and God bless you.”
• Korean War casualties – approx. 55,000
• Vietnam War casualties – approx. 109,000
• Gulf War casualties – approx. 290

13. September 11, 2001:

• “America was targeted for attack because we’re the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep the light from shining.” -President George W. Bush
• Casualties: World Trade Center – 2,749
• Pentagon – 189
• Field in Pennsylvania – 45.

14. The Newburgh Conspiracy:

• March 1782 to March 1783, George Washington refused to participate in the campaign to overthrow the present government under the Articles of Confederation and to become King George Washington.
• 1787 – A new government was formed under the Constitution of the United States.
• 1789 – George Washington was elected unanimously as the first president.