United States History, STO-WHE
As with most nations, the history of the United States contains a number of twists and turns throughout the centuries, from the time of the English colonization of North America up to the modern-day America that we're familiar with. Learn more about the people, events, and movements that left an indelible mark in history and shaped the development of the United States as a nation.
United States History Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Stone v. Graham
Stone v. Graham, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on November 17, 1980, ruled (5–4) that a Kentucky statute......
Stone, Harlan Fiske
Harlan Fiske Stone was an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1925–41) and the 12th chief justice of the......
Stones River, Battle of
Battle of Stones River, (December 31, 1862–January 2, 1863), bloody but indecisive American Civil War clash in......
Story, Joseph
Joseph Story was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court (1811–45), who joined Chief Justice John......
Strong, William
William Strong was a U.S. Supreme Court justice (1870–80), one of the most respected justices of the 19th-century......
Stuart, Jeb
Jeb Stuart was a Confederate cavalry officer whose reports of enemy troop movements were of particular value to......
Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College
Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme......
Suffolk Resolves
Suffolk Resolves, (Sept. 9, 1774), in U.S. colonial history, most famous of many meetings vigorously protesting......
Suffren de Saint-Tropez, Pierre André de
Pierre André de Suffren de Saint-Tropez was a French admiral, noted for his daring tactics, who fought the British......
Sullivan, John
John Sullivan was an early U.S. political leader and officer in the American Revolution who won distinction for......
Sumter, Thomas
Thomas Sumter was a legislator and officer in the American Revolution, remembered for his leadership of troops......
Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States, final court of appeal and final expositor of the U.S. Constitution. Within......
Sutherland, George
George Sutherland was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court (1922–38). Sutherland’s family immigrated......
Swayne, Noah H.
Noah H. Swayne was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court (1862–81). Swayne chose the law after......
Taft, William Howard
William Howard Taft was the 27th president of the United States (1909–13) and 10th chief justice of the United......
Tallmadge, Benjamin
Benjamin Tallmadge was an American Continental Army officer who oversaw the Culper Spy Ring during the American......
Taney, Roger B.
Roger B. Taney was the fifth chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, remembered principally for......
Taylor, Zachary
Zachary Taylor was the 12th president of the United States (1849–50). Elected on the ticket of the Whig Party as......
Tendulkar on Gandhi
Dinanath Gopal Tendulkar first published his eight-volume biography of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Mahatma, in......
Tennessee, Army of
Army of Tennessee, primary Confederate army of the Western Theatre during the American Civil War (1861–65). Although......
Tenth Amendment
Tenth Amendment, amendment (1791) to the Constitution of the United States, part of the Bill of Rights, providing......
Terry v. Ohio
Terry v. Ohio, U.S. Supreme Court decision, issued on June 10, 1968, which held that police encounters known as......
Texas v. Johnson
Texas v. Johnson, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5–4) on June 21, 1989, that the burning of......
Texas v. White
Texas v. White, (1869), U.S. Supreme Court case in which it was held that the United States is “an indestructible......
Text of the Constitution of the United States
On September 17, 1787, the United States Constitution—the oldest written constitution still in effect today—was......
The Founding Fathers and Slavery
Although many of the Founding Fathers acknowledged that slavery violated the core American Revolutionary ideal......
The Founding Fathers, Deism, and Christianity
For some time the question of the religious faith of the Founding Fathers has generated a culture war in the United......
The Rise of Andrew Jackson
The Rise of Andrew Jackson, This detailed original account of the life of Andrew Jackson written for Encyclopædia......
The Vietnam War and the media
Vietnam became a subject of large-scale news coverage in the United States only after substantial numbers of U.S.......
Thomas, Clarence
Clarence Thomas is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1991, the second African......
Thomas, George H
George H. Thomas was a Union general in the American Civil War (1861–65), known as “the Rock of Chickamauga” after......
Thompson, Smith
Smith Thompson was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court (1823–43). Thompson studied law under......
Thurman, Howard
Howard Thurman was an American Baptist preacher and theologian, the first African American dean of chapel at a......
Ticonderoga, Battle of
Battle of Ticonderoga, engagement in the American Revolution. Held by the British since 1759, Fort Ticonderoga......
Timeline of the American Revolution
In 1775, 13 British colonies in North America began an eight-year insurrection that changed the course of history.......
Timothy W. v. Rochester, New Hampshire, School District
Timothy W. v. Rochester, New Hampshire, School District, case in which the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals......
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, case in which on February 24, 1969, the U.S. Supreme......
Todd, Thomas
Thomas Todd was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court (1807–26). Todd was admitted to the bar......
Toledo War
Toledo War, conflict that took place in 1835 between the U.S. state of Ohio and the territory of Michigan over......
Toombs, Robert A
Robert A. Toombs was an American Southern antebellum politician who turned ardently secessionist, served briefly......
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears, in U.S. history, the forced relocation during the 1830s of Eastern Woodlands Indians of the Southeast......
Transcontinental Treaty
Transcontinental Treaty, (1819) accord between the United States and Spain that divided their North American claims......
Trent Affair
Trent Affair, (1861), incident during the American Civil War involving the doctrine of freedom of the seas, which......
Trenton and Princeton, Battles of
Battles of Trenton and Princeton, (1776–77), in the American Revolution, a series of engagements won by the Continental......
Trimble, Robert
Robert Trimble was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court (1826–28). Trimble grew up on the Kentucky......
Truman, Harry S.
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd president of the United States (1945–53), who led his country through the final stages......
Trump v. Anderson
Trump v. Anderson, a legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on March 4, 2024, unanimously overturned a December......
Tubman, Harriet
Harriet Tubman was an American bondwoman who escaped from slavery in the South to become a leading abolitionist......
Turtle
Turtle, one-man submarine, the first to be put to military use, built and designed by the American inventor David......
Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam, popular symbol for the United States, usually associated with a cartoon figure having long white hair......
Union League
Union League, in U.S. history, any of the associations originally organized in the North to inspire loyalty to......
United States presidential election of 1800
United States presidential election of 1800, American presidential election held in 1800, in which Democratic-Republican......
United States presidential election of 1860
A deeply divided nation went to the polls on November 6, 1860, to choose a new president at a time of profound......
United States presidential election of 1864
United States presidential election of 1864, American presidential election held on November 8, 1864, in which......
United States presidential election of 1868
United States presidential election of 1868, American presidential election held on November 3, 1868, in which......
United States presidential election of 1872
United States presidential election of 1872, American presidential election held November 5, 1872, in which Republican......
United States presidential election of 1876
United States presidential election of 1876, disputed American presidential election held on November 7, 1876,......
United States v. American Library Association
United States v. American Library Association, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on June 23, 2003, ruled (6–3)......
United States v. E.C. Knight Company
United States v. E.C. Knight Company, (1895), legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court first interpreted the......
United States v. Lopez
United States v. Lopez, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on April 26, 1995, ruled (5–4) that the federal......
United States v. Stevens
United States v. Stevens, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on April 20, 2010, ruled (8–1) that a federal law......
United States v. Windsor
United States v. Windsor, legal case, decided on June 26, 2013, in which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Section......
United States v. Wong Kim Ark
United States v. Wong Kim Ark, legal case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled (6–2) on March......
United States, Great Seal of the
Great Seal of the United States, official seal of the United States of America. The design of the obverse is the......
Vallandigham, Clement L.
Clement L. Vallandigham was a politician during the American Civil War (1861–65) whose Southern sympathies and......
Van Devanter, Willis
Willis Van Devanter was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court (1910–37). After graduating from......
Van Lew, Elizabeth
Elizabeth Van Lew was an American Civil War agent who, through clever planning and by feigning mental affliction,......
Vergennes, Charles Gravier, comte de
Charles Gravier, count de Vergennes was a French foreign minister who fashioned the alliance with the North American......
Vernonia School District 47J v. Acton
Vernonia School District 47J v. Acton, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on June 26, 1995, ruled (6–3)......
Vicksburg Campaign
Vicksburg Campaign, (1862–63), in the American Civil War, the campaign by Union forces to take the Confederate......
Victory
Victory, flagship of the victorious British fleet commanded by Admiral Horatio Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar......
Vietnam War
Vietnam War, (1954–75), a protracted conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies......
- Introduction
- French Rule, Division, Conflict
- Diem Regime, Viet Cong, Conflict
- Conflict, US Involvement, Outcome
- Conflict, US Involvement, Aftermath
- Gulf of Tonkin, US-Vietnam, Conflict
- US Involvement, Conflict, Outcome
- Guerilla Tactics, Air Power, Casualties
- Tet Offensive, Homefront Impact, US Defeat
- De-escalation, Negotiation, Vietnamization
- Negotiation, Withdrawal, Conflict
- Fall, Saigon, US Withdrawal
Vietnam War POWs and MIAs
On January 27, 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed, officially bringing to an end the American war in Vietnam.......
Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp.
Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp., case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on......
Vinson, Fred M.
Fred M. Vinson was an American lawyer and the 13th chief justice of the United States, who was a vigorous supporter......
Virginia Plan
Virginia Plan, along with the New Jersey Plan, one of two major proposals for the framework of the United States......
Voting Rights Act
Voting Rights Act, U.S. legislation (August 6, 1965) that aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local......
Wade-Davis Bill
Wade-Davis Bill, (1864), unsuccessful attempt by Radical Republicans and others in the U.S. Congress to set Reconstruction......
Waite, Morrison Remick
Morrison Remick Waite was the seventh chief justice of the United States (1874–88), who frequently spoke for the......
Walker, Mary Edwards
Mary Edwards Walker was an American physician and reformer who is thought to have been the first female surgeon......
Wallace v. Jaffree
Wallace v. Jaffree, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on June 4, 1985, ruled (6–3) that an Alabama statute that......
Wallace, Lewis
Lewis Wallace was an American soldier, lawyer, diplomat, and author who is principally remembered for his historical......
War Democrat
War Democrat, in the history of the United States, any of the Northern Democrats who supported the continued prosecution......
Warren Commission
Warren Commission, commission appointed by U.S. Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson on November 29, 1963, to investigate the......
Warren, Earl
Earl Warren was an American jurist, the 14th chief justice (1953–69) of the United States who presided over the......
Warren, Mercy Otis
Mercy Otis Warren was an American poet, dramatist, and historian whose proximity to political leaders and critical......
Washington, Booker T.
Booker T. Washington was an educator and reformer, the first president and principal developer of Tuskegee Normal......
Washington, Bushrod
Bushrod Washington was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1798 to 1829. A nephew of George......
Washington, George
George Washington was an American general and commander in chief of the colonial armies in the American Revolution......
Watie, Stand
Stand Watie was a Cherokee chief who signed the treaty forcing tribal removal of the Cherokees from Georgia and......
Waud, Alfred R.
Alfred R. Waud was a British-born American illustrator whose lively and detailed sketches of scenes from the Civil......
Wayne, Anthony
Anthony Wayne was a prominent American general during the Revolutionary War, who later destroyed the Northwest......
Wayne, James M.
James M. Wayne was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court (1835–67). Wayne was admitted to the......
We Damn Your Memory! The Confederate Statue Controversy
In choosing to remove monuments honoring figures now viewed as objectionable, contemporary Americans are in a world-historical......
Weaver, James B
James B. Weaver was an American politician who leaned toward agrarian radicalism; he twice ran unsuccessfully for......
Welles, Gideon
Gideon Welles was the U.S. secretary of the navy under presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. Born into......
West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette
West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 14, 1943,......
westward movement
westward movement, the populating by Europeans of the land within the continental boundaries of the mainland United......
Weyler y Nicolau, Valeriano, Marqués De Tenerife
Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau, marquis de Tenerife was a Spanish general who, as captain general of Cuba shortly before......
Wheeler, Joseph
Joseph Wheeler was a Confederate cavalry general during the American Civil War. Wheeler entered the U.S. cavalry......