Tantasqua Regional High School - Tantasquan Yearbook (Sturbridge, MA)

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i Frontiersmen cleared the wilderness, built set tlements and drove back the Indians. The Pony Express and the telegraph became primar means Gf communication, While “ ‘gold. iat ak ee aoed the country, “states were increasingly more divided on the slavery issue. Civil war broke out in the East. This ‘ ‘Brothers War” was bitterly fought and, though the scars remain “even ae ey, slavery was abolished. Rue Oo eee, The Stamp Act of 1765 was an attempt by Eng- land to tax items that were wholly. American. The colonists reacted in seething resentment which erupted into angry protestations. The first blood of the American Revolution was spilled during one such incident at Boston in 1770, Several Americans lost their lives over a” snowball thrown at a British sentry. Cities grew at an alarming pace; often without — regard to the limits of safety. The great Chicago” fire of 1871 burned the bustling cattle market. empire beyond recognition. But the pioneer spirit was not broken. Chicagoans began re- building and preparations were underway to celebrate the 100th birthday of the country. Agriculture was the wealth of the country. American inventions of the time were often re- lated to working the soil) The McCormick Reaper, mowing machines, textile looms and the cotton gin were instrumental in the neue of new frontiers. sole ¢ In the fight to achieve commerce equality, the United States found itself in a naval war overt shipping lanes. Fort McHenry was heriocally held during a British naval bombardment, and — the stars and stripes still flew after a night of hard fighting. The next morning Francis Scott Key penned the immortal words of what would become the national anthem. pppoe seen nip seenmapir tec The ‘Iron Horse,” catrying homesteaders, greatly helped settlement of the new country. | ‘The first transcontinental Dare ge In 1848, James Marshall found gold in the race of a sawmill he was building for John Sutter at Coloma, California. The lust to ‘get rich quick’’ was the force behind this biggest and gaudiest gold rush ever. Settlers had to have permanent access to the new lands, so canals and bridges were built to carry stages and wagon trains loaded with machinery destined for settlements in the West. The pioneers foresaw great wealth in the cheap acreage that was available.

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: oy Vite ey WAT ea f na- « ing voice 0 the weep In, is right or reasonable pleads for sepa- “Ev rything that ration, The blood of the sla

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RAT! ON} Nearly 100 years of struggling for civil liberties were realized when President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. The Act outlawed segregation in any form. | The steel industry geared up for the revival while rumors were whispered in the Roosevelt administration of another impending war. The nation’s leaders scoffed: until December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor! es ae decuie Eolleye automo- | we and gee all the rage The seventies shed light on a new trouble for | the nation as it approached its 200th birthday i The world’s energy sources and natural re- sources were being used up faster than they could be replenished. Americans once again waded into a new frontier. The ‘energy crisis and ‘ecology were prominent words in the language. Ways to save nature from the neglect of mankind and ways of preserving precious fuel without damaging that balance of nature were the objectives of Americans across the country. industrial ee ducuee ee a peak during the war yeats. Upon their return from four years of battle, the veterans forged ahead with an eye on a ‘better life for everyone.’ Several mod- | erate recessions in the 50's and 60s. reminded cautious citizens of past decades. nee aes aa oe : A carefree ae ae . Tish bulbs, ue eee er tape machines, phono- th of inventions from the fer- Huge strides were being taken in the scientific field. Television became a part of every family s 'Tife. National events were household topics — while they happened — thanks to the new medi- | um. Individuals and groups were seen ‘on the tube’ as they advocated new social reform, or justice, or special causes of their own. TV gave individuals and political systems power greater than ever before. Audio- visual journalism had } made its impact. Faiths § crises spurred Americans into further pioneering. This time... outer space. Ameri- can astronauts were the first on the surface of the moon and the U.S. was first to build a “sky- lab’ for more scientific study. Black faa. Oc ber 24, 929, saw He American stock m rash to the lowest level in history. Panic set in as the unemployment level skyrocketed. The country was in its worst | economic crisis. Slowly, but surely, the wounds | of the ‘crash,’ the “dust bowl,’ and poverty | — healed. ie American is still learning and growing after a mere 200-year infancy. The original determina- tion of our forefathers was told again in the words of Neil Armstrong as he made the first step on the moon -.. ‘a small step for man, but a giant step for mankind.