Turning Points
Ideas from the National Archives for NHD 2013
Ideas from the National Archives for NHD 2013
Facilities of the National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA) across the country contain a wealth of primary source
documents related to the 2013 NHD theme. This page provides links to descriptions
of resources available from 5 of our Regional Records Services Facilities and 5
of our Presidential Libraries. These ideas are provided to encourage research
in archival documents. For more information about these records, contact the
Presidential Library or Regional Records Services Facility directly.
Resources from:
·
The Herbert
Hoover Library in West Branch, IA
·
The Franklin D.
Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, NY
·
The Harry S.
Truman Library in Independence, MO
·
The John F.
Kennedy Library in Boston, MA
·
The Gerald R.
Ford Library in Ann Arbor, MI
·
NARA's Central
Plains Region (Kansas City)
·
NARA's Northeast
Region (New York City)
·
NARA's Pacific
Region (Riverside)
·
NARA's Pacific
Region (San Francisco)
·
NARA's Southeast
Region (Atlanta)
Resources Related to:
Air and Space
Atomic Energy
Business and
Industry
Civil Rights
Early U.S. History
Environment and
Land
Foreign Affairs
Immigration
The Kennedy
Assassination
New Deal
Programs
Politics and
Presidential Elections
Society and
Social Reform
World Wars I
and II
More thoughts
on Turning Points in History and possible topics:
Turning points
in history can feature one or more of the following themes
·
groundbreaking political and
philosophical concepts,
·
dramatic military victories and
defeats,
·
nationwide social and religious
movements, or
·
technological and scientific
innovations,
They have
promoted changes in the character of America politically, socially, culturally,
and economically. Sometimes the changes brought about by these events were
obvious; sometimes they were more subtle. Sometimes the effects of these
turning points were immediate; other times, their aftershocks reverberated for
decades. They signal times when American society made a break with its past and
entered a new phase of development.
Turning points
in history mark decisive 'before and after' moments in history that help to
shape the world we live in today.
"Before Shays's Rebellion, for example, Americans lived under the
Articles of Confederation. After Shays's Rebellion and the constitutional
convention it inspired, Americans lived under a new federal government and enjoyed
the protections articulated in the Bill of Rights.
Turning
Points in History,generally follow one of the
following themes:
·
Surprises: Few people in any
historical era are prepared for what's coming, whether it's a war, an epidemic,
a revolution, or an invention. Who, 20 years ago, could have expected the
astonishing impact of the personal computer on everyday life in America?
·
Agency: History is often made by
towering figures like George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr. But it's
also made by many nameless and faceless people—slaves, workers, farmers,
suffragists—who take matters into their own hands and achieve historical
change.
·
Crisis: Historical crises are, more
often than not, opportunities for great change. American history is filled with
moments when a terrible crisis—such as the Civil War or the Great
Depression—led to a sudden and radical change for the better.
Your topic will
include an examination of a single turning point, explanation of the conditions that led up to it, a full description
of the event itself, and an analysis of
its immediate and long-term ramifications. Here are some possible topics:
1.
The Trial of John Peter Zenger
(1735): A free press has played a central role in American history, and it
wouldn't be possible without the arrest and prosecution of a little-known New
York printer. While the trial did not establish any new legal precedent, it did
popularize the ideas that freedom of the press is essential to liberty, that
true statements cannot be libelous, and that a jury should decide both the
facts and the law in libel trials.
2.
The Election of 1800: Many Americans
in the months between the election in November 1800 and inauguration day in
March 1801 feared that violence might engulf the new republic. Would the
Federalists cede power to the winners of the election, the Republicans? In the
end, a peaceful transfer of power between the two rival political parties took
place, marking a precedent-setting moment in the history of the still-young
republic.
3.
The Battle of Antietam (1862): This
bloody Civil War battle stands out among others such as Bull Run and Gettysburg
as a critical turning point for several reasons, including the fact that it
allowed for President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation and it
eliminated the possibility of England and France intervening on behalf of the
Confederacy.
4.
The Picketing of the White House by
Suffragists (1917): Thanks to the increasingly radical tactics of suffragists
led by Alice Paul and the National Women's Party beginning in 1917, Congress
and President Woodrow Wilson eventually cast their support behind the 19th
Amendment to the Constitution that, when ratified in 1920, granted women voting
rights and dramatically expanded American democracy.
5.
The Watergate Scandal (1974): The
most significant crisis of the 1970s, this turning point signaled a heightened
level of public distrust toward elected officials—but it also illustrated the
power of the news media and proved that the Constitution's system of checks and
balances truly worked to stop the abuse of executive power.
6.
The founding of the Rhode Island
colony (1636), which established the principle of religious pluralism—an idea
that was eventually enshrined in the First Amendment;
7.
The Supreme Court case of Marbury
v. Madison (1803), which cemented the role of the Supreme Court as the
final arbiter in deciding a law's constitutionality;
8.
The establishment of the first
national park (1872), which was the first time that any nation in the world set
out to preserve acres of natural land for posterity.
9.
The start of the Manhattan Project
(1939), which led to the creation of atomic weaponry that ended World War
II—but also started the cold war with the Soviet Union.
10.
1617 The Great Epidemic Discover why the North American continent
was never the same after the Great Epidemic of 1617, which wiped out an
estimated 90% of Native Americans and allowed British colonization to proceed
virtually unchallenged.
11. 1636
Freedom of Worship—Roger William's
efforts to establish freedom of religion. Focus on religious life in the early
Massachusetts settlements (especially in the colony of Rhode Island),
Williams's life and controversial ideas, his long-term influence on religious
freedom in America.
12. 1773 Liberty!
The Boston Tea Party
13. 1776
We're Outta Here—Declaring Independence
14. Game Changer—The Battle of Saratoga
15.
1786 Toward a Constitution—Shays's Rebellion
16.
1803 Supreme Authority—Marbury v. Madison
19. Reborn—The
Second Great Awakening This
lecture focuses on the Second Great Awakening, the powerful evangelical revival
movement started in 1821 by the preacher Charles Grandison Finney. Two of the
important impacts of this turning point you consider are the democratization of
religion and the rise of social reform movements (specifically, the temperance
movement)
20. 1831
The Righteous Crusade—Abolition Both William Lloyd Garrison's entry
into abolitionism and Nat Turner's violent slave rebellion made 1831 a pivotal
year in the growing national conflict over the issue of slavery. Learn how the
abolitionist crusade made slavery the central question in American politics
from the 1830s until the Civil War.
21. 1844
What's New? The Communication Revolution
22. 1845
The Ultimate American Game—Baseball
24. Go
West, Young Man! The Homestead Act
25. 1862
Terrible Reality—The Battle of Antietam Go into the heat of one of the Civil
War's most important battles: the Battle of Antietam in 1862. Investigate how
this Union victory underscored the need for capable military leadership,
allowed Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, diminished chances of
foreign support for the Confederacy, and announced the arrival of modern war.
26. 1872 Open Spaces—The
National Parks
27. 1873 Bloody Sunday—The
Colfax Massacre of 1873, the bloodiest incident that brings to an end
Reconstruction in the south. Why is this particular period the turning point of
the "counter-revolutionary" period of Reconstruction? And how did it
pave the way for the rise of the Jim Crow South?
28. 1886 The First Red Scare—Haymarket This
lecture deals with the 1886 Haymarket bombing of a Chicago workers' rally. Look
at the state of Gilded Age America in the 1880s, examine how the American labor
movement emerged, experience the events of this tragic attack, and survey the
event's larger impact on the rapidly industrializing nation and its politics.
29. 1898 The End of Isolation—War with Spain
30.
1900 The Promised Land—The
Great Migration.
31.
1903
The Second Transportation Revolution Automobiles
and airplanes—two innovations that ushered in a new era in American
transportation. Place these revolutionary vehicles in the context of the year
1903, when the Ford Motor Company made automobiles affordable and accessible,
and when the Wright brothers performed their successful flights at Kitty Hawk,
North Carolina.
32.
1933
Bold Experimentation—The New Deal During his first 100 days, President
Franklin D. Roosevelt set out on a massive, whirlwind project of legislative
activity and policymaking—the New Deal—to save the nation from the worst
ravages of the Great Depression. Learn why this period was such a breakthrough
moment in the role of government in the American economy.
33.
1939 Einstein's Letter—The Manhattan Project The
origins of the atomic bomb go back to 1939, when scientists and military
leaders undertook an operation to create the world's first successful atomic
weapon before the Nazis could. Investigate how the Manhattan Project began, and
follow its legacy through the bombing of two Japanese cities that ended World
War II.
34.
1942
Surprise—The Battle of Midway What
is the most critical battle in World War II? The Battle of the Bulge?
D-Day? No it is the Battle of Midway
specifically because it ended major Japanese offensive operations in the
Pacific and allowed America to focus on defeating Nazi Germany.
35.
1945
The Land of Lawns—Suburbanization This
lecture covers an overlooked turning point in American history, post–World War
II suburbanization. Look at the origins of the "suburban ideal,"
examine early versions of suburbanization, learn about the five federal policy
initiatives that led to the extraordinary housing boom, meet the "Henry
Ford of middle-class housing," and more.
36.
1948
The Berlin Airlift and the Cold War The year 1948 signaled the dawn of the
cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Discover how this epic
geopolitical conflict spurred a dramatic militarization of the United States,
promoted a culture of fear over Communist spies and nuclear war, and reaffirmed
the nation's commitment to internationalism.
37.
1963
Showdown in Birmingham—Civil Rights Turn now to 1963, a critical year in
the civil rights movement. First, look at the status of African Americans in
the early 1950s and the early stages of this human rights struggle. Then,
examine the protests and violence that rocked Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963 and
led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
38. 1968 Losing Vietnam—The Tet Offensive Why
did America get involved in the affairs of Vietnam and eventually commit to
massive military escalation in the mid-1960s? Why, after a huge buildup, did
the United States suddenly pull out? Uncover the answers to these provocative
questions by looking at the 1968 Tet Offensive—the turning point of this
controversial war
39.
1969
Disaster—The Birth of Environmentalism Investigate how a disastrous oil spill
in Santa Barbara and a dramatic fire on Ohio's Cuyahoga River in 1969 led to
the modern environmental movement in America. The subsequent wave of
legislation would lead to two major accomplishments: a cleaner environment and
improved public efforts to combat pollution nationwide.
40.
1974
An Age of Crisis—Watergate The Watergate scandal of 1974 is one
of the most notorious examples of political corruption in modern American
politics. Experience the flurry of paranoia, political intrigue, and
investigative reporting from this momentous event, and witness it forever shake
the confidence of the American people in their political leaders.
41.
1975
The Digital Age—The Personal Computer The world's first personal computers
undoubtedly revolutionized America's social, political, and cultural landscape.
As you explore the three stages of this turning point in U. S. history—the
hobbyist phase, the mass production phase, and the user-friendly phase—you see
just how essential these machines are in 21st-century life.
42.
1892 Homestead Strike A turning point in American democracy concerning
the struggle between individual rights and the public good .
43. The Gold Rush Transforming the
American Dream setting America on a path that led to the Civil War.
44. The Scopes Trial: The Battle over
America’s Soul
World or
Global History
Domestication
of Animals
Beginnings of Agriculture Appearance of Cities
Development
of Monotheism
Development
of Democracy Battles of Marathon and/or Salamis Caesar Crosses the Rubicon
Constantine Establishes Christianity as the Religion of the Roman Empire
Battle of Adrianople
Mohammed's Hegira from Mecca to Medina
Gutenberg and the Invention of Printing with Movable Type
Fall of Constantinople
First Voyage of Columbus
Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses
Cortez and the Conquest of Mexico
England's Glorious Revolution
James Watt's Steam Engine
Europe's Industrial Revolution
The Tennis Court Oath
Fall of the Bastille
Battle of Waterloo
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
Louis Daguerre Develops Photography
Darwin Publishes On the Origin of Species
Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan
The Salon des Refuse's and the Birth of Impressionism
Marconi and Wireless Telegraphy
Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring
Assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Russia's October Revolution
March, 1933: Hitler and FDR
Battle of Britain
Battle of Stalingrad
Hiroshima and the Atomic Bomb
Mikhail Gorbachev and the End of the Cold War
American History The Mayflower Compact
Virginia, 1619: Women, Burgesses, and Slaves
Roger Williams and Religious Freedom
Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence
Battle of Saratoga and the French Alliance
Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin
Election of 1800
War of 1812
1831: Nat Turner's Uprising and William Lloyd Garrison's The Liberator
Samuel F.B. Morse and the Telegraph
Gold Is Discovered in California
Kansas Nebraska Act: Rekindling the Slavery Debate
Election of 1860
Grant's Vicksburg Campaign
Battle of Gettysburg
Pickets Charge: Turning the tide of the Civil War
Emancipation Proclamation
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
The Homestead Act
Morrill Land Grant Act
The Transcontinental Railroad
Susan B. Anthony and the Woman's Declaration of Rights, 1876
Kodak and the Democratization of Photography
The Populist Revolt
New York's Armory Show
The Assassination of William McKinley: The Making of Theodore Roosevelt’s America
Zimmerman Telegram U.S. Entry in World War I
Paul Whiteman’s 1924 Aeolian Hall Concert
FDR's First Inaugural and the Hundred Days
The New Deal
The Lend Lease Act
Battle of Midway
Doolittle’s Raid: Turning the tide of the war in the Pacific
D-Day: Turning the tide of the war in Europe
The G.I. Bill
The Yalta Conference and the Start of the Cold War
Executive Order 9066: Japanese Internment
Executive Order 9981: Desegregation of Armed Forces
George Kennan's "X" Article and the Doctrine of Containment
The Truman Doctrine
Rosa Parks Keeps Her Seat
Freedom Summer: Setting the Stage for America’s “Second Reconstruction”
Cuban Missile Crisis
The March on Washington 1963
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Local History
Constantine Establishes Christianity as the Religion of the Roman Empire
Battle of Adrianople
Mohammed's Hegira from Mecca to Medina
Gutenberg and the Invention of Printing with Movable Type
Fall of Constantinople
First Voyage of Columbus
Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses
Cortez and the Conquest of Mexico
England's Glorious Revolution
James Watt's Steam Engine
Europe's Industrial Revolution
The Tennis Court Oath
Fall of the Bastille
Battle of Waterloo
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
Louis Daguerre Develops Photography
Darwin Publishes On the Origin of Species
Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan
The Salon des Refuse's and the Birth of Impressionism
Marconi and Wireless Telegraphy
Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring
Assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Russia's October Revolution
March, 1933: Hitler and FDR
Battle of Britain
Battle of Stalingrad
Hiroshima and the Atomic Bomb
Mikhail Gorbachev and the End of the Cold War
American History The Mayflower Compact
Virginia, 1619: Women, Burgesses, and Slaves
Roger Williams and Religious Freedom
Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence
Battle of Saratoga and the French Alliance
Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin
Election of 1800
War of 1812
1831: Nat Turner's Uprising and William Lloyd Garrison's The Liberator
Samuel F.B. Morse and the Telegraph
Gold Is Discovered in California
Kansas Nebraska Act: Rekindling the Slavery Debate
Election of 1860
Grant's Vicksburg Campaign
Battle of Gettysburg
Pickets Charge: Turning the tide of the Civil War
Emancipation Proclamation
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
The Homestead Act
Morrill Land Grant Act
The Transcontinental Railroad
Susan B. Anthony and the Woman's Declaration of Rights, 1876
Kodak and the Democratization of Photography
The Populist Revolt
New York's Armory Show
The Assassination of William McKinley: The Making of Theodore Roosevelt’s America
Zimmerman Telegram U.S. Entry in World War I
Paul Whiteman’s 1924 Aeolian Hall Concert
FDR's First Inaugural and the Hundred Days
The New Deal
The Lend Lease Act
Battle of Midway
Doolittle’s Raid: Turning the tide of the war in the Pacific
D-Day: Turning the tide of the war in Europe
The G.I. Bill
The Yalta Conference and the Start of the Cold War
Executive Order 9066: Japanese Internment
Executive Order 9981: Desegregation of Armed Forces
George Kennan's "X" Article and the Doctrine of Containment
The Truman Doctrine
Rosa Parks Keeps Her Seat
Freedom Summer: Setting the Stage for America’s “Second Reconstruction”
Cuban Missile Crisis
The March on Washington 1963
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Local History
Lorenzo Carter
Builds His Cabin
Battle of Lake Erie
Opening of the Ohio and Erie Canal
Oberlin College Opens Its Doors to Women and Blacks
Coming of the Railroads
Opening of the Soo Canal
John D. Rockefeller Enters the Oil Business
Charles Brush Lights Public Square
Mark Hanna and the Election of 1896
Election of Tom L. Johnson
Founding of the City Club
Frederick Goff and the Cleveland Foundation
Cleveland's Federation for Community Planning
The Vans Develop Shaker Heights
John 0. Holly and the Future Outlook League
The Cleveland Orchestra Hires George Szell
Bill Veeck Signs Larry Doby for the Cleveland Indians
The Hough Riots
The Election of Carl Stokes
The Glenville Shootout
The Kent State Shootings
Ray Shepardson and the Revival of Playhouse Square
Newton D Baker: Bringing "Civitism to Cleveland"
Battle of Lake Erie
Opening of the Ohio and Erie Canal
Oberlin College Opens Its Doors to Women and Blacks
Coming of the Railroads
Opening of the Soo Canal
John D. Rockefeller Enters the Oil Business
Charles Brush Lights Public Square
Mark Hanna and the Election of 1896
Election of Tom L. Johnson
Founding of the City Club
Frederick Goff and the Cleveland Foundation
Cleveland's Federation for Community Planning
The Vans Develop Shaker Heights
John 0. Holly and the Future Outlook League
The Cleveland Orchestra Hires George Szell
Bill Veeck Signs Larry Doby for the Cleveland Indians
The Hough Riots
The Election of Carl Stokes
The Glenville Shootout
The Kent State Shootings
Ray Shepardson and the Revival of Playhouse Square
Newton D Baker: Bringing "Civitism to Cleveland"
SOME TURNING POINTS IN HISTORY: PEOPLE,
IDEAS, EVENTS:
World or Global History
·
Reign of Terror: Radicalization of the French
Revolution
·
Battle of Sekigahara and the Rise of Tokugawas
·
The Treaty of Versailles in 1918 and its
Consequences
·
Eleanor of Aquitaine's Pivotal Role in the High
Middle Ages
·
The Effects of the Fall of Constantinople
·
William the Conqueror and the Course of English
History
·
Martin Luther's 95 Theses and the Coming of the
Protestant Reformation
·
Turning Points of the Korean War: China's Entry
·
The International Women's Day Strike in
Petrograd: Spark of the Russian Revolution
·
The Impact of Buddha's Teaching on India
·
Ptolemy's Conquest of Egypt and the Growth of
Kushite Civilization
·
Consequences of the Recapture of Jerusalem by
Salah ah Din
·
Genghis Khan and the Pax Mongolia
·
The Great Migration of African Americans to the
North and its Consequences
·
The Russo-Japanese War: Introduction of Japan as
a World Power
·
First Victory of the Women's Suffrage Movement:
Norwegian
·
The Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Decline of
the Soviet Empire
·
The Transformative Impact of the Printing Press
·
Effects of the Crusades on Medieval Europ
·
King Phillip's War and its Impact
·
1492:A New World for America and Europe
·
The Third Punic War and the End of Carthage
·
Revocation of the Edict of Nantes and the
Huguenot Migration
·
Publication of the Koran and the Expansion of
Islam
·
Prince Henry the Navigator and Portugal's
Exploration of Africa
·
Irish Potato Famine and the Irish Diaspora
·
Clovis and the Unification of France
·
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Coming
of the Civil War
·
Changing Middle East Politics; The Rise of OPEC
·
The Beatles and the British Invasion
·
The Ayatollah Khomeini and the Islamic
Revolution in Iran
·
Birth of a Sugar-Planting Colony: The Dutch
Occupation of Brazil
·
The Great Fire of London and its Aftermath
·
Ho Chi Minh: Revolutionary Leader
·
Gorbachev, Glasnost and Perestorika: The
Trifecta for the Soviet Union
·
Lech Walesa and the Gdanska Shipyard Strike: The
Rise of Solidarity
American History
·
Harvard: First College of the Colonies
·
Bacon's Rebellion and the Transformation of
Virginia
·
Mary Wollstonecraft and the Early Women's Rights
Movement
·
Roger Williams and the Separation of Church and
State
·
Valley Forge and the Development of the
Continental Army
·
The Continental Association and the Coming of
the American Revolution
·
Invention of the Spinning Jenny and the Rise of
the Textile Industry
·
The Impact of the Erie Canal
·
Brigham Young and the Mormon Migration to Utah
·
Samuel Gompers and the Founding of the American
Federation of Labor
·
The Homestead Act and the Settlement of the West
·
Federal Power and the Case of McCulloch v.
Maryland
·
Sears Roebuck Catalogue and the Rise of Mass
Consumerism
·
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 and the
American Labor Movement
·
Women Gain the Right to Vote
·
Walter Reed and the Conquest of Yellow Fever
·
The Sinking of the USS Maine and the Beginning
of the Spanish American War
·
The Keating-Owen Act and Child Labor
·
Rachael Carson's Silent Spring and the Growth of
the Environmental Movement 1900
·
The Impact of Sigmund Freud on Psychiatric
Practice
·
Plessy v Ferguson and the Growth of Jim Crow
·
Henry Ford: Changing the Production Model
·
The Civilian Conservation Corps: Savior of Young
Men
·
John Maynard Keynes and the influence of
Keynesian Economics
·
Midway: Turning the Tide in the Pacific War
·
Harry Truman: Changing the Way We Fight War and
the Dropping of the Bomb
·
The Marshall Plan and the Reconstruction of
Postwar Europe
·
Breaking the Barrier: Jackie Robinson
·
The Interstate Highway Act of 1956 and the
Growth of Suburban America
·
Television in the 19505 and the 1950
Transformation of American Entertainment
·
September 9, 1956 The Ed Sullivan Show The Day
America was Rocked
·
Ms. Magazine and the growth of the Feminist
Movement
·
Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse: A Cultural
Transformation
·
Watergate and the Weakening of the
Presidency
·
The Tet Offensive and American Public Opinion
·
Curt Flood and Free Agency Baseball
·
Brown v. Board of Education and the integration
of American Schools
·
Ronald Reagan and the Resurgence of Conservatism
in America