Talk:Timeline of United States history

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Native American History

The history of Native American should be included. Their heritage is as much United States history as the whites'. --Menchi 03:57 May 10, 2003 (UTC)

None of you Americans want to do it? I'll try to do some of it. But help me. I'm a Canadian and Taiwanese, I don't know that much about Native American. --Menchi 17:18 May 10, 2003 (UTC)
Since this is a timeline of the United States, I feel we should focus on contact between its citizens and other cultures, but not focus on those other cultures in and of themselves. They are relevant in this context only insofar as they relate to the activities of the European colonists and, later, the private citizens and state/federal governments of the US. I don't mean to dismiss Native cultures as undeserving of a full, balanced treatment. But that treatment should take place in another entry, such as Native American, or a Timeline of Native American History, or entries on specific tribes, or some such.

Quebec?

Why is "*1608-French establish colony at Quebec" here? --Menchi 17:38 May 10, 2003 (UTC)

I added it because Quebec's founding was a powerful symbol of France's competing claims in North America. And specifically, that city figured in the French and Indian Wars, in which the English colonists (who would soon become the founding citizens of the United States) were embroiled. There is a solid, if slightly veiled, link to the pre-Independence history of the United States.
tim

tobacco cultivation

What is the signifiance of tobacco cultivation? There are many other more important domesticatic plants used daily in the USA. Is this fatoid for the interest of smokers? --Menchi 19:28 May 10, 2003 (UTC)

It's because tobacco cultivation was crucial to the survival of Jamestown. By 1630, over a million and a half pounds of tobacco were being exported from Jamestown every year. And tobacco cultivation was labor intensive, which led directly to the slave trade.

this page is getting too big -- edits take a long time to commit, and the system gave me a warning that over 32K, some browsers can no longer edit the page... so i have break it up into chronological segments

tim

It looks very organized to break it down. However, for slow-modem users, it is very inconvenient to click on 11 links when they just want to get an overview of the history, not a detailed account. The same applies to those who, due to age, education or upbringing, cannot distinguish which of these seven-hundred events are truly crucial, consequential, and most importantly, worth memorizing. Instead, they'll be overwhelmed. On the other hand, if they need additional information, they can always click on those 11 subpages to their hearts' desire.
It wouldn't be too difficult to eliminate those events which are not instrumental as massacres, wars, treaties, creations of some of the acts (not every single one of them), founding of the significant settlements, desegregation, Civil Rights movement, and emancipation that occurred on the United States' political boundary.
Some of the miscellaneous examples that could be excluded are Salem witch trials, tobacco cultivation, Roger Williams banishment, the publication of books (Common Sense, Noah Webster's dictionary, A Century of Dishonor, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Moby Dick), cotton gin invention, sinking of warships, founding of academic or cultural institutions (Harvard Law School, US Naval Academy, Harvard College, Boy Scouts of America, Library of Congress), invention of typewriter, first graduate programs, founding of parks, invention of sports, creation of holidays (Mother's Day), opening of films (The Birth of a Nation), death of a robber (John Dillinger), completion of an architectures (Golden Gate Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge), etc, etc.
Events like the independence of the Philippines, Berlin Blockade, and the invasion of Manchuria, which the Americans may had played a role, but this role cannot be compared to the role of American soldiers in the USA.
While what the presidents are important, the exact year when they start and when they die, however emotional they may be, are probably not so, except for the major ones: Kennedy, Washington, etc. And if the reader needs that specific info, they can be easily found in the respective president pages.
We're not trying to deny or ignore the existence of these events or to imply that they have not impacted the American society. But it is impossible to include all that are relevant, even in the subpages created. But a concise overview would be really useful. --Menchi 01:10 May 12, 2003 (UTC)
I agree with many of your suggested omissions. I don't agree that for slow-modem users, it is "very inconvenient to click on 11 links". The point, actually, is to keep download times reasonable by having smaller pages. And all the pages have navigation links at the bottom, so users can just move back and forth at will. I also don't agree with your contention that foreign interventions by the US are not part of US history. To rebut a couple of your examples, US troops killed between 200,000 and 500,000 Filipinos in suppressing their insurrection -- you don't think this is a significant item of US history? And the Berlin Airlift was led and orchestrated by the US, led by a US Air Force general, using US transport planes. It demonstrated, firmly and obviously (over the course of 11 months), the US commitment to its policy of containment, and was a big symbol of the opening of the Cold War... you don't think this is a significant item of US history? You say that these events "cannot be compared to the role of American soldiers in the USA", but I don't understand what you mean. The main point of a nation-state having a military is -- along with quelling internal rebellion -- to use it against foreign powers. Why shouldn't America's foreign military adventures, major events of its foreign policy in general, be part of this timeline? Anyway, the upshot is -- I hear you. So, please just give me some time to shape this up, I just started on this. Being new, it'd be nice to hear some encouragement along with the criticism which, frankly, seems nitpicky at times, given that I am still at the initial stage of trying to quickly fill in huge holes here.
--Timmansfield 16:00 May 15, 2003 (UTC)

To do:

    • check that multiple entries for the same year are in their proper chronological order
    • make at least one explanatory link per entry, and create target pages when missing
    • review list for missing entries, using the lenses of: foreign policy, war, international events that impact US policy, legislation, supreme court cases, culture

tim


Proposition to make break up two sections: I'm thinking that 1860-1899 and could do with a further split into 1860-1878or1879 and 1878or1879-1899; and that 1970-present could do with a further split into 1970-1989 and 1989-present. Whaddya think? jengod 21:28, 12 Dec 2003 (UTC)

Wikipedia in Portuguese I found an article in Portuguese Wikipedia which it have all dates from days and months. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.0.81.76 (talk) 17:22, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Out of sync

American history has been cut into different eras for the purpose of both the timeline and history of the United States articles, but shouldn't they cover the same time periods? Snood199 (talk) 19:35, 5 May 2008 (UTC)