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Period: 1450 BCE to 1600 BCE
Beginnings to Exploration
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1100 BCE
The Aztecs
The Aztec empire was a powerful and very large native tribe. Their large population ties into their caste system that included nobles, commoners and slaves. They were mostly ruled by warriors nobles or priest, who also played part in performing their very important human sacrifice rituals for their Gods -
1000 BCE
Arctic Tribes
Eskimos and Inuits adapted to the harsh cold weather and depended on sea life for survival. They lived in natural housing (igloos) that were made out of ice. -
500 BCE
The Dark Ages
Feudalism in the dark ages became a big deal after the fall of the roman empire. Higher classes such as kings or knights would give lower class people land in exchange for labor or military services -
1346
The Black Death
The plague killed of over 50% of the European population. The disease originated from fleas who then transferred them to rats. The rats would then transfer them to humans causing the disease to spread rapidly across the country. -
1492
The Columbian Exchange
The Columbian Exchange was the trade route between the new world and the old world. Animals, plants, vegetables/fruits, and disease were all exchanged between Europeans and Native Americans. -
Aug 13, 1521
Conquest of the Aztecs
Lead by Hernan Cortez, the Spanish took over the Aztec Empire. they had many advantages against the Aztecs like the fact that they had horses, easily transmissible diseases, and weapons (guns) -
1534
the church of england
The Church of England was established by King Henry VII after he left the catholic church because he could not divorce from his wife Catherine of Aragon. -
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English Colonial Societies
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Jamestown, Virginia
the first permanent English colony was Jamestown. At first, only 102 settles populated it and only 2 survived the first winter. To get people to populate Jamestown, the head-right system was established which stated 50 acres of land would be granted to anyone who settled there. -
Mayflower Compact
"Social Contract" type of document made to make laws to benefit everyone in the settlement -
Sugar in the Caribbean colonies
Sugar was the main source of income in the Caribbean colonies. Europeans loved it which is why it was so popular. Because of it popularity, this made the Caribbean colonies the most valuable -
Roger Williams
After verbally attacking Massachusetts over their way of linking religion with government, Roger Williams was banished from the colony, bought land, and obtained a charter for a new colony: Rhode Island -
Navigation Acts
These were a series of laws implemented on the colonies by England that restricted them from trading with European countries except England -
Pennsylvania Colony
The Pennsylvania colony was founded by William Penn as a religious refuge for the Quakers. It was republic but that right was limited for women. -
Salem Witch Trials
The trials took place in Massachusetts when over 200 women were accused of practicing witchcraft and resulted in the execution of 20 of them. -
The Enlightenment
The enlightenment was a period when all pre-conceived notions were questioned, so science and reasoning became important to people to figure out why things were the way they were. Religion and superstition were not used to base everything on. -
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Colonial America
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Triangular Trade
The triangular trade was a trade route that traded slaves, cash crops, and manufactured goods between Europe, Africa, and America. manufactured good went from Europe to Africa, slaves were then taken to America from Africa, and raw goods were taken from America to Europe -
The Great Awakening
During the great awakening, religion revival took place after the enlightenment. it focused more on one personals belief with religion instead of it being so strict and standard like it was before. -
Benjamin Franklin
He was a politician, scientist, author, founding father, etc. He was a symbol of American enlightenment for all he brought during that time period and was known as a man with many talents -
Seven Year War
also known as the french and Indian war, was a war fought mainly between France and Britain. Britain wanted to expand west for more trading benefits but the land they wanted to expand to belonged to France, thus causing conflict. -
Slavery in the North
Unlike slavery in the south, slavery in the north was not as vital and, it wasn't really liked by northerners anyway. Slaves worked as field hands on small farms, servants, metal workers, etc. -
Britain After The War
After the French and Indian war, Britain was in serious debt. To try and get their economy stable again, taxes on almost everything where established on the colonist -
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The Revolutionary War
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Treaty of Paris 1763
The treaty of Paris 1763 officially ended the French and Indian war and also ended French rule in North America and gave Britain control of Canada -
Townshend Act
The townshed act imposed taxes on paper, glass, paint, and tea in the colonies -
Boston Massacre
After colonist were upset about the taxes, they decided to harass British soldiers. After they would not stop, the British soldiers fired at them, killing 5 colonist. -
Boston Tea Party
To protest against the taxes on tea, colonist dressed up as Mohawk Indians and dumped 324 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor -
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was a member on the sons a liberty and played and important role during the Boston massacre by over exaggerating the event and also warned that the British were coming during the battle of Lexington and Concord -
Common Sense
"Common Sense", written by Thomas Paine, was a pamphlet that challenged British government and their monarchy. It argued for independence of the colonies and caused American colonial views of monarchy to change -
Battle of Saratoga
This was was considered the turning point of the war and a major American victory. This war showed foreign countries that the Americans could win the war, which caused France to come and send help by committing troops and navies. -
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The Constitution
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Articles of Confederation
The colonies first constitution was the Articles of Confederation. The articles was weak, since there was no figure of authority, didn't allow the government to force taxation and congress was unable to regulate interstate and foreign commerce -
Currency
Currency within the colonies was slowly losing its value, since they were printing too much of ti which led to inflation -
Anti-Federalist
Anti-Federalist supported a loose government and more state power. They went against the ratification of the new constitution -
Shays Rebellion
Led by Daniel Shay, was a rebellion caused by the seizing of farms by the government to pay off their debt from the war -
Northwest Ordinance
This was an Act that allowed the admission of 5 new states and outlawed slavery to happen in those 5 new states. The ordinance was later used to admit new future states -
Connecticut Plan
Also known as the Great Compromise, was the agreement that the constitutional convention came to. The plan appealed to both small and large states and set up a bicameral system that consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate and is still the congress set up that we have today -
Constitutional Convention
To address the problems with the Articles of Confederation, delegates met in Philadelphia to see how they could strengthen the government, which led t the Virginia and New Jersey plan -
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A New Republic
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The First President
The first president of the United States was George Washington. Everyone liked George Washington, which made him everyone's choice for president, causing him to easily win the election -
Washington, D.C.
Before washington DC was our capital city, the original capital site was New York. After New York was too corrupt, the District of Columbia was appointed the new nations capital -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was a founding father who belonged to the Democratic-Republican party. He also believed that farmers were the future of the nation. -
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a founding father who belonged in the federalist party. Hamilton believed that wealthy people would keep the nation going. As a federalist, he believed that the nation should have a strong central government. -
Whiskey Rebellion
After getting taxed on the whiskey they made, Pennsylvania and Kentucky farmers revolted against the government. This rebellion was the first test that the constitution faced and It showed that the constitution was effective against problems like these -
Jays Treaty
Jays Treaty, created by John Jay, was an agreement between Britain and the U.S. to remain neutral during the French Revolution. The treaty stated that the British had to remove their soldiers from their western territory and pay for all the damages that occurred during the impressment while the US had to pay them debts that owed from the revolutionary war. The treaty angered many republicans, as this made the federalist seem as they were pro-British. -
Marbury v. Madison
The Marbury v. Madison case is considered the most important case in history. this supreme court case established the principle of Judicial review -
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The age of Jefferson
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The Louisiana Purchase
Jefferson bought land from Napoleon for $15 million dollars because he wanted control over the Mississippi river that allowed us to ship products . This land also doubled the size of the U.S. -
The Embargo Act
During the war between Britain and France, American sailors were getting impressed by Britain, so Jefferson passed the Embargo Act, which prohibited trade between the U.S. and all foreign countries -
Hartford Convention
The Hartford Conventions were a series of meetings between federalist. The federalist discussed all the problems caused by the war of 1812. They proposed amendments to better the government and avoid future similar problems. Ultimately though, it led to the ending the of the Federalist party. -
Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key was the poet who wrote the lyrics to our national anthem, "The Star Spangled Banner". He got inspired to write the poem by seeing that the Americans weren't brought down by the British at the Battle of Baltimore. -
Cotton Gin
The cotton gin was a huge factor in cotton production. before the cotton gin, slavery was on a decline, but with the demand for cotton being so high, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which picked the seeds out of the cotton easily and led to slavery going up again -
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was led by Andrew Jackson. The bi-racial "rag tag" team defeated the British Army under Jacksons leadership, which made him a household name. This battle was technically fought after the war was over, and it was considered pointless -
Temperance Movement
Alcohol was very big at the time, making it common for people to drink almost all day. The temperance movement was an important social movement during the 1820's that dramatically reduced the consumption of alcohol by abstaining from it. It got to the point where some states completely banned alcohol in their territories. -
The Missouri Compromise
To set up a temporary solution between slave and free states, congress passed the Missouri Compromise. The compromise set up an imaginary line at the coordinates 36 30 and established that the states above the line were free states and the states below the line were slave states. -
Second Great awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a period of religious revival in the 1820's. This movement caused a lot of church memberships to rise and women played a huge part during the Second Great Awakening. -
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Cultural Changes
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Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith was the founder and leader of the Mormons. According to him, Smith found a sacred golden tablet written in an ancient language. Once translated, he saw the writings as faith and formed the Mormons. Joseph Smith would then later be killed by an aggressive group of Mormons on June 27,1844. -
Election of 1824
The candidates for the election of 1824 were John Q. Adams, Andrew Jackson, William Crawford, and Henry Clay. Andrew Jackson won the popular vote, but not the electoral college. The decision was handed to the house of representatives (which Henry Clay was a part of) and the winner of the election was John Q. Adams, which made Jackson very angry. -
Corrupt Bargain
This was the alleged deal between candidates and house of representative members John Q. Adams and Henry Clay to get the house of representatives to vote for Adams to win the presidency -
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Jacksonian America
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Sing Sing Prison
Sing Sing prison is a maximum security prison in Ossining, New York. In the prisons, prisoners had a system where they would work at day and be housed at night. -
Campaigning
Campaigning during the election between Jackson and Adams was very different. A lot of advertising was used to get Jackson's name out to get people to vote for him. Both Jackson and Adams used personal attacks on each other like attacking Jackson's wife or accusing Adams of selling girls to a Russian czar -
Democratic Mascot
During the election, people that went against Jackson called him a "Jack-Ass", which then Jackson made that the symbol for the democratic party -
Spoil System
The spoil system was a method used by Jackson during his presidency. The system would appoint government officials with own supporters rather than actual political skill. -
Lowell Mills
The Lowell Mills was a factory that contributed to the textile industry. The employers consisted of mostly women and little girls. Although it allowed women to work and earn money, the hours were long and conditions were bad. -
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The American Industrial Revolution
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The Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears refers to the removal and relocation of Cherokee natives from their homeland to Oklahoma. Thousands of natives died relocating to their new territory. -
Nat Turner's Slave Rebellion
The largest slave uprising in history was led by Nat Turner. Him and about 80 other slaves revolted and killed about 55 white people. Although the rebellion was not successful, it made impacted the south by adding more laws against slaves. -
Bank Veto Speech
In the Bank Veto Speech, Jackson addresses why he decided to veto the 2nd bank of the U.S. in his speech, he laid out a vision for american democracy, which got many to support him. His speech also appealed to the common man. In the end, the speech completely destroyed Henry Clay in the election. -
American Anti- Slavery Society
The AASS was an abolitionist group that supported the immediate abolition of slavery. This society was founded by William Loyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan. By 1833, the group had over 250,000 supporters to end slavery -
Iron Plow
in 1837, John Deere invented the iron plow. The plow was important for farmers because it allowed them to break through tough soil easily. -
Free Black Communities
Free black communities were mostly found in the North and Midwest. Although they weren't enslaved, they still faced problems like racism, prejudice, discrimination, and always had a hard time with jobs -
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny refers to the expansion that Americans believed they were meant to do to the west. Manifest Destiny did help with expansion but also caused the removal and death of many Native Americans -
European Migration
During the industrial revolution, many European people decided to come to American for better opportunities. Irish people were facing a terrible potato famine, Germans were dealing with poor harvest and political turmoil, and British people just wanted better economic opportunities -
Planters
Planters surprisingly were the ruling class in the south. Surprisingly, most planters didn't own slaves. most owned about 1-9 slaves and very few had more than that -
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Westward Expansion
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Asylums
Before mental asylums were introduced, mentally ill that were imprisoned were confined with the general public. Thankfully, more asylums were introduced in the 1800's -
James K. Polk
James K. Polk was a democrat who served as the 11th president of the U.S. and winner of the 1844 election. Polk only ran for one term stating that if he reached his 3 goals he didn't need to run again and if he didn't, he deserve to run another term. His goals were
1. To Annex Texas
2. Settle the Oregon Border
3. Settle the Mexican Border -
Election of 1844
Candidates for this election were James K. Polk who was part of the democratic party and Henry Clay who was a whig. James K. Polk ended up winning the election of 1844 -
The First Police Force
Due to crime going up, the first police forces were formed in the 1830's and 1840's. New York police force formed in 1845 and Bostons formed in 1838. -
Bear Flag Revolt
In July of 1846, a group of settlers revolted against the Mexican government to declare California independent and California was soon part of the Union in 1850. -
Battle of Palo Alto
The battle of Palo Alto was the first major battle fought in the Mexican- American war. the U.S. army was lead by Zachary Taylor and the battle resulted in an American victory -
Wilmot Proviso
When the U.S. acquired land from Mexico because of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the Wilmot Proviso was introduced to eliminate slavery in the territory acquired from Mexico but never passed -
Seneca Falls Convention
The Seneca Falls Convention was the first womens right's convention held in New York which 300 men and women attended.The leaders of this convention were Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. The convention resulted in the "Declaration of Sentiments" being created, which demanded equal social and economic rights like the right to vote. -
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Sectionalism
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California Gold Rush
When gold was found at Stutter Mills by James W. Marshall, thousands of people migrated to California to mine gold, which caused a huge population boost. Gold was easy to find at first but once a lot of people started going there, gold was harder and harder to find. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ended the Mexican-American war. The treaty demanded Mexico to give up about 1/3 of their land to the U.S. -
Fire Eaters
Fire- Eaters were southerners who were pro-slavery and wanted the south to secede from the union and were later known as the Confederate. -
The Underground Railroad
The underground railroad was a system of routes that was meant to help slaves escape from the south. People would hide in safe houses for as much time as they needed to until it was safe to go and continue the trip. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was introduced by Henry Clay. The compromise was a deal to try and satisfy the north and the south when it came to slavery in California and try to remain balance -
Fugitive Slave Act
The fugitive slave act was a law that required the forced people to return runaway slaves. The act didn't allow slaves a right to trial and it would fine or jail whites who would try and help the slaves escape to be free. -
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave who traveled back and forth through the underground railroad who helped free about 100,000 slaves. -
Kansas- Nebraska Act
The Kansas- Nebraska, introduced by Stephen Douglass, was passed to let Kansas and Nebraska decide for themselves if they wanted slavery to be allowed, which went against the Missouri Compromise. -
Railroads
Railroads were an important part of the north. They helped transport goods quickly since industrialization was high at this point. Over 22,000 miles of railroad tracks were built in the north -
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The Civil War
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Southern War Problems
The south was doing well until about 1863. They had a bad leader (Jefferson Davis) and always faced supply shortages(clothes, food, weapons, etc) because of the union blockade preventing them from getting anything. -
Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. This proclamation granted freedom to Slaves everywhere except in border states. The proclamation showed that the war was about slavery and stopped Britain from joining the war on the south's side. -
Battle of Vicksburg
Led by Ulysses S Grant, the battle of Vicksburg was a major Union victory. This victory gave the Union control of Mississippi river and cut the south into two. It was considered the "key to the west". -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg is considered the most important and bloodies battle of the Civil War. It lasted three days with the last day being the most influential which caused Robert E. Lee to retreat back to the south. About 1/3 of the confederate army was lost, making it a Union victory. -
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address was President Lincolns most famous speech. The speech remembered the soldiers who gave their life in the battle of Gettysburg. It is considered one of the best in American History. -
Wade- Davis Bill
Unlike Lincoln's bill, the Wade-Davis bill was meant to hurt the south. It's purpose was to destroy every trace of slavery left behind. The bill required to take an oath declaring that individuals never aided the confederacy, which caused a lot of officers to lose their citizenship. Confederate states were readmitted after a long time under the punishment and until they proved their commitment to the union. -
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Reconstruction
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Jobs for Former Slaves
Jobs were not easy to find in the south after the end of the civil war. With the economy being a mess, most former slaves fled to the north for jobs or went back to their plantations for paid labor -
Freedman's Bureau
The Freedman's Bureau was a relief agency in the south to help former slaves. Food, schools, confiscated lands, and emergency services were all offered to the them to help as much as possible -
The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
President Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed by actor John Wilkes Booth on April 14th, 1865 while attending a play at Fords Theater. He didn't immediately die when shot, but later passed away the next day. -
13th Amendment
The 13th amendment was passed on December 6th, 1865. This amendment was crucial because of it purpose of completely abolishing slavery in the United States. -
Black Codes
Black codes were civil rights and economic opportunities that were limited to African Americans. Things such as interracial marriage, serving on juries were outlawed and if they found out -
15th Amendment
The 15th amendment gave African Americans the right to vote. However, it was only for men, not women. -
Jim Crow Laws
Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws that segregated black and whites all the way until the 1960's. These laws were most common in the south.
