Turning Points in American History

The North American continent is never the same after the Great Epidemic of 1617; it wipes out nearly 90 percent of Native Americans and allows British colonization to proceed virtually unchallenged; the defining characteristics of a turning point.

How and why does a democratic America become a slaveholding society; exploring this paradox from its origins in 1619; slaves arrive at Jamestown; the influence of Bacon's Rebellion in 1676; the expansion of slavery throughout the South in the 1800s.

Roger Williams's efforts to establish freedom of religion, a somewhat forgotten story from early colonial America; religious life in the early Massachusetts settlements; Williams's controversial ideas; his influence on religious freedom in America.

A symbolic expression of the idea that all are welcome in America takes place in 1654; the Dutch West India Company allows Jews from Brazil to settle in New Amsterdam; a gateway to understanding immigration as a central theme in American history.

In terms of per capita civilian losses, King Philip's War (1675–1676) is one of the deadliest; this war is critical in shattering the relationship between colonists and Native Americans, uniting the British colonies in a shared American identity.

The idea of a free press becomes a central principle of American democracy; the 1735 arrest and trial of New York printer John Peter Zenger radically changes the political culture of the colonies, shaping the language of the Bill of Rights.

Leaping forward in time to the 1770s; the turning points in the American Revolution; in the first of these lectures, Professor O'Donnell makes the powerful case that the Boston Tea Party of 1773 is the real spark that ignites the American Revolution.

The creation of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 is an important turning point in American history; why the colonies decide to separate from Great Britain; the Declaration evolves from little significance into a central American document.

The historic 1777 Battle of Saratoga between the American colonists and the British; a turning point in the American Revolution; it persuades France to join the colonial cause; it convinces the colonists that they can defeat the British Empire.

Knowing who Daniel Shays is; what political and economic dilemmas led to this famous farmer's rebellion of 1786; this event paves the way for a reconsideration of the Articles of Confederation; the creation of the U. S. Constitution.

Samuel Slater is remembered as an important figure in U. S. history; his introduction of the cotton mill technology in 1789 unleashes the Industrial Revolution, a turning point in the many ways it reshapes virtually every aspect of American society.

A murky presidential election in U.S. history; the election of 1800; a struggle between Republicans and Federalists; a tie vote between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr; the first peaceful transfer of power between political rivals in modern history.

Marbury v Madison establishes the principle of judicial review; a landmark case in constitutional history; the dispute that leads to this case; the Supreme Court's role; how John Marshall crafts his decision; this principle influences the nation.

Robert Fulton's steamboat trip up the Hudson River in 1807; a revolution in American transportation; three innovations in transportation; steamboats, canals and railroads; helping Americans overcome obstacles; changes in politics and society.

Early 19th-century Americans expand the definition of democracy by dropping most restrictions on voting for white men; this turning point leads to major changes; the rise of mass politics; the use of ballots; the potential for political corruption.

The Second Great Awakening; the powerful evangelical revival movement started in 1821 by the preacher Charles Grandison Finney; the democratization of religion; the rise of social reform movements (specifically, the temperance movement).

William Lloyd Garrison's entry into abolitionism; Nat Turner's violent slave rebellion; 1831 a pivotal year in the conflict over slavery; the abolitionist crusade makes slavery the key question in American politics from the 1830s until the Civil War.

The communication revolution; how widespread literacy and an expansive post office network aid advances in communication; three key technological breakthroughs at the heart of the revolution; its effects on politics, economics and society.

The year 1845; the birth of the quintessential American sport, baseball; its origins; how it evolves from a gentlemen's sport into a professional enterprise; what makes it the nation's ultimate game; how it both reflects and shapes American culture.

The underlying roots of the Mexican-American War; controversy surrounding newly acquired territories; how the discovery of gold in 1848 forces Congress to confront once again the contentious issue of slavery; answers these questions and more.

O'Donnell dispels myths about one of the federal government's most extraordinary programs; the Homestead Act of 1862; sparking the largest wave of migration in U. S. history; the birth of the American West as a central aspect of America's identity.

The Battle of Antietam in 1862; this Union victory underscores the need for capable military leadership; allowing Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, diminished chances of foreign support for the Confederacy; the arrival of modern war.

Many legal scholars argue that the 14th Amendment, which promises equal protection under the laws, is the most important addition to the Constitution after the Bill of Rights; how this amendment was ratified in 1868; its turbulent history.

In the 1870s, amid the wave of American industrialization, a movement to preserve large sections of wilderness as national parks; the political struggle to protect the nation's natural wonders in places such as Yosemite Valley and Yellowstone.

The complexities of Reconstruction; the period's bloodiest incident, the Colfax Massacre of 1873; this period is the turning point of the counter-revolutionary period of Reconstruction; how it paves the way for the rise of the Jim Crow South.

The 1876's Battle of Little Big Horn, one of the most devastating defeats; despite a Sioux and Cheyenne warrior victory, it marks the beginning of the end of Native American military resistance and much of the traditional Native American way of life.

The 1886 Haymarket bombing of a Chicago workers' rally; the state of Gilded Age America in the 1880s; how the American labor movement emerges; the events of this attack; the event's impact on the rapidly industrializing nation and its politics.

American isolationist foreign policy ends with the Spanish-American War; this event is spurred by lurid journalism and political pressure; it changes a nation committed to isolationism into an imperial power; a more aggressive role in world affairs.

Around 7 million African Americans move into northern cities; a flourishing of African American culture that brings the Harlem Renaissance; activist organizations fighting for civil rights; the effects of the Great Migration of the early 1900s.

The presidency of Theodore Roosevelt leaves a powerful mark on the office, more importantly bringing the ideals of the emerging Progressive movement to the national stage; among the ones to explore are trust busting, labor rights and conservation.

Automobiles and airplanes usher in a new era in American transport; the context of the year 1903, when the Ford Motor Company makes automobiles affordable and accessible; the Wright brothers and their successful flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

The hookworm parasite causes a debilitating disease that affects millions of Americans; it is destroyed through the efforts of the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission and other public health initiatives, helping transform life in the American South.

After decades of struggle, a group of radical women decide to picket the White House to claim the right to vote; many protests later, American women finally win the right to vote; the origins of the suffrage movement; its impact on American politics.

Why 1919 is a chaotic year in American history; investigating three events that led to the Red Scare; a series of massive labor strikes; growing fears about the international spread of Russian Communism; a surge of anarchist bombings and race riots.

During his first 100 days, President Franklin Roosevelt sets out on a massive project of legislative activity and policymaking to save the nation from the worst ravages of the Great Depression; the role of government in the American economy.

The origins of the atomic bomb go back to 1939, when scientists and military leaders undertake an operation to create the world's first successful atomic weapon before the Nazis; how the Manhattan Project begins; the bombing of two Japanese cities.

The most critical battle in World War II; The Battle of the Bulge; D-Day; O'Donnell makes the case for the Battle of Midway; it ends major Japanese offensive operations in the Pacific; allowing America to focus on defeating Nazi Germany.

An overlooked turning point in American history, post-World War II; suburbanization; the origins of the idea; early versions of suburbanization; the initiatives that led to the extraordinary housing boom; the Henry Ford of middle-class housing.

The year 1948 signals the dawn of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union; spurring a dramatic militarization of the United States; a culture of fear over Communist spies and nuclear war; the nation's pledge to internationalism.

Television is thought to be just a fad; by the 1950s, it explodes into a pervasive cultural force; the power to help politicians win elections, support national sports franchises, bring war into people's living rooms, share national experiences.

The historical significance of the birth control pill in American society; the central role played by women in its development and subsequent FDA approval in 1960; the heated public debate that emerges over the ethics and morality of the pill.

The year 1963 is critical in the civil rights movement; the status of African Americans in the early 1950s; the early stages of this struggle; the protests that rock Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963; the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Why America gets involved in the affairs of Vietnam and eventually commits to military escalation in the mid-1960s; after a huge buildup, the United States suddenly pulls out; the 1968 Tet Offensive is the turning point of this controversial war.

A disastrous oil spill in Santa Barbara; a dramatic fire on Ohio's Cuyahoga River in 1969; the modern environmental movement in America; the subsequent wave of legislation; a cleaner environment; improved public efforts to curb pollution nationwide.

The Watergate scandal of 1974 is one of the most notorious examples of political corruption; paranoia, political intrigue and investigative reporting from this event forever shook the confidence of the American people in their political leaders.

The world's first personal computers revolutionize America's social, political and cultural landscape; the three stages of this turning point; the hobbyist phase, the mass production phase and the user-friendly phase; these machines in 21st century.

Going back to Nov. 9, 1989, when the whole world watches as the Berlin Wall falls, bringing the Cold War and later the Soviet Union itself to an end. This epic moment changes the landscape of Europe, with ripple effects on American life and politics.

The terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the dawn of the age of terror; the implications of this recent turning point may not be clear for years to come; Professor O'Donnell helps put this traumatic event in a larger national and even international context.