Write 3-5 sentences explaining the contest theme in the context of American history before 1900.

1777: The colonial victory over British troops at the Battle of Saratoga persuades France to provide financial and military support that will prove vital to the success of the American Revolution. 1862: The Homestead Act makes more than 600 million acres of land available to be settled, sparking the largest migration of Americans in the nation's history. 1933: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal launches a series of unprecedented laws and programs that will relieve the stress of the Great Depression and reshape American society. 2001: The 9/11 terrorist attacks spark a complex and controversial war against terrorism both domestically and internationally.