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Period: 20,000 BCE to
Beginning to Exploration
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1096
The Crusades
The Crusades were a series of holy wars between Muslims and Christians. These battles were started in an attempt to preserve the holy land of Jerusalem. Although in reality there were a total of nine crusades the first four were referenced more than the last five. For the Europeans, the crusades were seen as religious expeditions and participation meant a redemption for sins. A sudden lack of papal authority, and the introduction of the Protestant Reformation caused the Crusades to decline. -
Jun 20, 1325
Tenochtitlan
Tenochtitlan was built on the current Valley of Mexico, much of the city was built on large artificial islands called "chinampas". This city was the capital of the Aztec empire. Tenochtitlan was a very structured city, from marketplaces to a social hierarchy it was anything but disorganized. It was home to Templo Mayor, where many ritual sacrifices took place. The empire was ruled through subject people who paid regular tribute, eventually it was taken over by the Spaniards in the 15th century. -
1347
The Black Death
The Black Death, also known as the Bubonic Plague, was one of the most devastating diseases of all time. The disease was caused by rats, fleas from these rats bit people, leaving them infected. The infected often experienced symptoms such as coughing up blood, fevers, chills, and headaches. This disease killed over 50 million people and approximately one-third of the European population. This plague has created religious, social and economic upheavals which profoundly affected European History. -
1492
Colombian Exchange
The term was first coined by Alfred W. Crosby in his book "The Columbian exchange", The Columbian Exchange was a series of exchanges between the Americas, West Africa, and the Old World. These exchanges often included things such as crops (squash, potatoes, maize), animals (pigs, cattle, horses), disease (syphilis, chicken pox, malaria), culture, technology, and ideas. These exchanges have impacted our daily lives in fact without the Columbian Exchange we wouldn;t have every-day household items. -
Jun 7, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
A dispute between Spain and Portugal, which came from Christopher Columbus's newly discovered land led to a compromise that is known as the "Treaty of Tordesillas". This treaty which was drawn up by Pope Alexander VI drafted a line of demarcation that split the new world in two, he stated that everything west of this line was Portugal's territory and everything east was Spain's territory. This line was about halfway between Cape Verdes Islands. This treaty explains modern-day settlements. -
Aug 31, 1517
Ninety-Five Theses
The Ninety-five Theses was a document that instituted change. It created a schism in the Catholic church, that officially started the Reformation. This document which was written by Martin Luther, he listed things that he felt were wrong in Catholic churches. Such things included the hierarchy system in the church and the idea of indulgences. These indulgences were something the common man could pay for, and in return, he would be pardoned of his sins and would be sent to heaven upon his death. -
Roanoke Colony
The Roanoke colony was the first English settlement in the new world. This colony was founded by Walter Raleigh. The Roanoke colony was built in hopes of finding gold and silver, Christianizing the Indians, and finding a passage to the Pacific Ocean. This was a failed colony, its settlers got harassed by Indians, and had little to no food supply, they left back to England in 1586. Later in 1587 Raleigh sent 100 men back to the colony only to find that when he returned everyone disappeared. -
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English Colonial Colonies
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Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was a document that served as the first agreement for self-government in America. This document governed the Plymouth Colony. It was written by Puritans, and other men such as trademens, and adventurers. This document also served as the first democratic form of government it the colonies. The colonists elected their leaders and voted on important issues. The significance of this document showed that the colonists started to think for themselves in the term of government. -
Massachusetts Bay Colony
This colony was founded by John Winthrop and Thomas Dudley. It was founded by Puritans, the Puritans believed that the Church of England became to hierarchal, and, therefore, they came to Massachusettes to have religious freedom. Although this is true, the Massachusettes Bay colony was founded under the royal charter. In this colony, the religion of Puritanism was established as the colony religion and was strictly enforced. Anyone who wasn't was forced out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. -
John Locke
John Locke was an English philosopher, he was well known throughout the Enlightenment era. He had ideas that all men were created equal and free. He also had a strong belief that people have the right to life, liberty, and property. He strongly believed that it was the government's job to protect the people. He also strongly supports the principle of the segregation of powers between the executive and legislative branches. John Locke was perhaps the most influential political philosopher. -
Rhode Island Colony
This colony was founded by Roger Williams he guaranteed its settlers political and religious freedom. Roger William was banished from the Massachusetts Bay colony due to his differing religious views. This caused him to settle a new land which he first called the "Providence Plantations". Later similar people such as Anne Hutchinson did the same and created the settlement of Portsmouth. Later four settlements came together under the Royal Charter of 1663 to become one colony, Rhode Island. -
Connecticut
This colony was founded by Thomas Hooker. It was organized as a settlement for Puritan worship. Originally the colony was under the Dutch, but after Dutch struggles, the English gained permanent control of the colony in 1637. The colony went through a series of battles between the Indians and the colonists. Connecticut also played a role in establishing a self-government in the New World. The economy started with subsistence farming and later increased focus on production in the Caribbean. -
Carolinas
The Carolinas was named for King Charles. There were two reasons the Carolinas was founded, first, it was founded as a buffer colony from its neighboring Spanish colony of Florida. Second, it was created to make a profit from, founded for money or wealth gain purposes. It was closely tied to the Caribbean, in fact, most settlers came from the West Indies in the Caribbean. The colony aslod acted as a storage colony. In 1712 proprietors divided the Carolinas into two, South and North Carolina. -
New Jersey Colony
After 1609, exploration of coasts and bays by Sir Henery Hudson led to the European colonization of present-day New Jersey. Originally, half of the colony was colonized by the Dutch, where it was called "New Netherland", and the other by the Swedish, it was called "New Sweden". Later in 1664, the entire colony was surrendered to the English, Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, where it was named New Jersey. The treaty of Westminister in 1674 formally gave the English control of the colony. -
Pennsylvania Colony
Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn. Penn wanted religious freedom for Quakers. Quakers, which started out as "the society of friends", were named the Quakers, because they were to tremble at the word of the lord, these Quakers were religiously persecuted. The king owed a large debt to Penn and he paid back this debt in the form of land. Pennsylvania was a refuge for Quakers, it was called the "Peaceable Kingdom". It also had a form of government, a limited republic where only men voted. -
Period: to
Colonial America To 1763
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Deism in Europe
Deism was a type of religious philosophy that there was a supreme being, a creator, a god that created the universe. But this god did not often intervene with the universe. This philosophical religion was often very prominent among the founding fathers and the philosophers during the Enlightenment ear. It accepted the idea of a god on the basis of reason, ut rejected any supernatural deity that interacted with the world or humankind. This was highly popular in Europe in the 17th-18th century. -
Middle Passage To Americas
The Middle Passage was a part of the triangular trade it was a passage that included the transport of slaves to parts of the New Word, as part of the Atlantic Slave Trade. More than 10 percent of the slaves died on the voyage. There was less than 10 percent of saltwater slaves, this phrase refers to the African slaves who were taken from Africa and brought to America across this middle passage. The kidnapping of slaves was very common, sometimes slaves were taken onto departing European ships. -
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New Republic
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Fort William Henry
The Siege of Fort William Henry was ordered by French General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm against Fort William Henry, which was occupied by the British. After several days the British finally surrendered to the French and their Indian army set on the terms that the Indians would not harm the English. Although this was promised by the French, the Indians disobeyed, they took women and children and slaughtered the soldiers. This was the turning point of the war and was a bloody British defeat. -
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The Revolutionary War
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Treaty of Paris 1763
The Treaty of Paris of 1763 effectively ended the French and Indian war otherwise known as the Seven Years War between France and Great Britain. The treaty listed that the French retreat from their Northern American settlements and in return, Great Britan agreed to protect the religion of Roman Catholicism in the New World. In reality, Great Britain and France returned much of the territory that they had each captured during the war, but Britain gained much of the French's land in North America. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act much like the Sugar Act was enabled in order for Britain to pay for their massive war debt from the Seven Years War or the French and Indian War. The Stamp Act, although enacted for the same reason this tax was much harsher. It was required on all paper. People in Britain had a similar tax. Lawyers and printers were most affected by this act. Many protests occurred, this act provided so much of a controversy in the Americas, that people began to establish a Stamp Act Congress. -
Sugar/Revenue Act
After the French and Indian war or the 7 years war, the country of Britan found themselves in debt. In order to get rid of their debt, they began to tax the colonists. This tax was on sugar, and foreign goods such as wines, coffee, cambric, and printed calico The colonists were furious they often voiced their displeasure in the form of petitions. The colonists often resisted this tax. To make sure the colonists paid their taxes Britain began to do private property searches without warrants. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were a tax on paper, glass, paint, and tea. The reason this was a problem for the colonists was because these products were only created in Britain, not in the colonies. The acts included a non-importation movement, this meant that the colonists couldn't import goods from any other country except for Britain, therefore they had to import from Britain. These acts led to a boycott against British goods, women began to make their own clothes. There were also many tea boycotts. -
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The Constitution
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Coercive Acts
The Coercive Acts, were laws passed by the British Parliament after the Boston Tea party. The Coercive acts were meant to punish Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in the Tea Party. This act removed self-government from occurring in Massachusetts, it restricted political parties in Massachusetts, closed the port of Boston, revoked the colonial charter, led to quartering for troops and held trails for British troops out of the colonies. This act led to the First Continental Congress. -
Battle of Bukner Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place in Charlestown, Massachusettes. This was a very costly battle. Although the British won, the colonists showed the British that they were not an easy defeat. Colonial forces heard that British were planning to send troops out from the city to surround the city. This led to 1,200 colonial forces to come together. The colonial forces were ordered under William Prescott. The casualties of the Brtish were way higher than the casualties that the American faced. -
Battle of Saratoga
The battle of Saratoga was seen as the turning point of the war. This battle was a major victory for the Americans against the British. During this battle the French, although the British denied the merging, the French supported the American effort and joined the war. The French even committed troops and their navy. This battle took place in Stillwater, Saratoga County, New York. This battle lasted roughly 18 days, the British's strategy was to divide New England from the southern colonies. -
Guerrilla Warfare in American Rev
Guerrilla warfare is a type of warfare that uses military tactics that includes hit and run, raids, and ambushes. This type of warfare is used for smaller armies with smaller forces or troops to fight larger armies with larger forces. This type of warfare was used in the south, it won them many victories and helped the smaller American colonists armies fight against Britain in the American Revolution. This type of warfare became very commonly used after this. -
Upper South Slavery
The Chesapeake colonies, specifically Maryland and Virginia produced massive amounts of tobacco. Tobacco was a very labor intensive crop and required high labor. Severy was said to be dated back to 1619 in Jamestown where African American men and women were brought by the Dutch. But around the late 16th-century slavery was the predominant way of organizing labor. In 1790 forty percent of the population in the British colonies were enslaved. The vast majority of tobacco was cultivated by slaves. -
Shay's Rebellion
After the new union was established, there was a heavy debt on the union from the American Revolution. This led to taxes upon the colonists. The farmers were taxed and if they didn't have money to pay taxes, their farms would be seized. A farmer from Massachusetts, Daniel Shay, was angry at this, he gathered the farmers and lead the revolts to the government. This had begun to spread and the Articles of Confederation was too weak to stop it. This led to a reform in the Articles of Confederation. -
Virginia Plan
There was a constitutional reform. The large states and small states seemed to argue for the plans. The Virginia plan was created by the large states, it was an idea of creating a two-house legislature, there was a lower house, where people vote for the representatives and an upper house. The upper house was elected by the lower house, it was a single executive, there was a separate judiciary and all branches had equal power. The plan also called that representation was based on population. -
Northwest Ordinance
In the formation of a new union, many people started to go West, from here the question of statehood was blurred. In order to admit states to the union, the Northwest Ordinance was created. The Northwest Ordinance was a new system for admission to the union it created the form of governors. There was legislature if 5000 people were in the territory. It also rejected slavery because most of them attached themselves to the North it was a cultural issue. This became the future admission for states. -
New Jersey Plan
Since the Articles of Confederation had become too weak, there was a constitutional reform. The large states and small states seemed to argue for the plans. The New Jersey was created by the small states. They argued that there was no need for a new constitution, that they should reform the A.O.C. They had a single legistalur where not one man voted, the legislature was the supreme law of the land. The excutive branch was elected by the congress, and the judical branch should be less powerful. -
The Connecticut Plan
The Articles of Confederation had become too weak, there was a constitutional reform. The large states and small states seemed to argue for the plans. The Connecticut Plan was the great compromise. It is today's modern day Congress. It has a bicameral legislature containing the House of Representatives, and the Senate. It also contained an executive branch with the power to veto laws and a modern-day judicial branch that interprets the Constitution and kees the checks and balances in order. -
Slavery issue in Constitution
The Articles of Confederation was too weak, a reform led to the creation of the Constitution. The formation of the constitution was highly debated upon one of the main issues was slaves. There were many slaves in the South and the south wanted slaves to be counted in the population for power purposes. While this was not the case in the North, the North wanted the slaves not to count, to dilute the power of the south, the compromise was that each slave would count as 3/5 a person. -
Anti-Fed in Great Debate
The Anti-federalists viewpoint in the Great Debate was that they supported less government, in fact, they originally only wanted to tweak the Articles of Confederation. They supported the idea of states rights, they wanted the states to have more power in the Constitution. They also felt that a stronger centralized government would interfere with their individual rights, therefore they wanted to have a bill of rights. They felt that republicanism should depend on the informed population. -
The Election of 1788
The election of 1788 was the first ever election held in the United States. The election followed the guidelines set forth by the newly ratified constitution. George Washington, a founding father and military general, was unanimously elected by the electoral college.
His notable feat allowed him to become the nation's first ever president. John Adams became the first ever vice president. Both Adams and Washington disagreed with parties and factions because they believed it divided the people. -
Lower South Slavery
The lower south consisted of colonies such as Carolina and Georgia. The climate and soil of these lower south colonies allowed the colonists to plant very highly intensive labor crops such as rice, and eventually cotton and indigo. These very highly intensive labor crops allowed slavery to be seen as a reliable profitable labor system. This practice of slavery spread very fast until there were a vast majority of slaves in the lower south. In fact, slaves made up to 30-55% of the population. -
District of Columbia
Many leading cities served as the temporary capitals of the United States like New York City and Philadelphia but the permanent location decided was the District of Columbia.The District of Columbia was chosen as the capital of the United States by Congress and George Washington in 1790. The District of Columbia known better as Washington, D.C, is located next to the Potomac River. The Federal District is not part of any state because it was created by land donated from Maryland and Virginia. -
Federalists
The Federalists party was lead by Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton believed in a strong central government and since he was the founding father of the Federalist party the ideals of the party were heavily influenced by these thoughts. The basis of the federalist party believed in a centralized national government with strong fiscal roots. They also held the belief that the Constitution should be allowed to be interpreted which was why they held a loose interpretation of the Constitution. -
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments in the US constitution. The bill of rights was written by James Madison and were written with the purpose of protecting individual liberties and restricting the abuse of government authority. The bill of rights allowed citizens to have a wide array of liberties such as freedom of speech all the way to due process of law that cannot be taken away. The bill of rights were ratified on December 15, 1791 with the final state of Virginia's approval. -
Cotton Gin
The Cotton Gin was created by Eli Whitney in 1793 in hopes of promoting agriculture production. With the development of the cotton gin, cotton production increased drastically. Although the cotton gin reduced the labor required to develop cotton, the cotton business became so profitable that the demand for slaves increased with it. The fault of the cotton gin was that it promoted the practice of slavery and made it harder to abolish because ending slavery would effect the economy negatively. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion was one of the first national tests for the United States federal authority. The rebellion was a protest against the unjust tax against whiskey. The tax which was put forth by Alexander Hamilton was an attempt to collect money for the national debt and was hoped to relieve the country's financial troubles. Washington believed the government needed to remain strong to prevent the state from gaining power. The way he handled it proved to be very beneficial to his presidency. -
Jay's Treaty
The Jay's treaty averted the threat of war between the United States and Britain when it was signed in November 19th, 1794. The treaty established that Britain was no longer in control of the western posts and allowed the United States trading rights in England. Britain also claimed responsibility that it was responsible for America's damages by British ship seizures. Furthermore, the treaty settled issues that remained after the American Independence between the United States and Britain. -
Washington’s Farewell Address
The Farewell Address was George Washington's final address to his beloved people. Washington warned the nation about the dangers of foreign relations and advised the nation to stay away from permanent alliances between foreign nations and the United States. His address also warned his people to stay away from forming political parties because those tend to divide the people and cause parties to want more power than other groups. His address was given on September 19th, 1796 in Philadelphia. -
Manifest Destiny
Ever since the colonists had gained land West of the Appalachian mountains after the French and Indian war, they set out to see the land in the west, although it wasn't permitted by the royal proclamation of 1763 at the time. Setting out west was a very dangerous thing to do many died, in Indian raids and other environmental factors. But Manifest Destiny was the belief of the colonists by God that they were sent out to settle and expand the Land from the Pacific Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. -
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The Age of Jefferson
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Period: to
Cultural Changes
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Hartford Convention
After the war of 1812, the Federalists were angry. The Hartford Convention was meetings in Hartford, Connecticut, where the Federalists met and talked about their issues about the war of 1812. They began to threaten the break up of the union. They wanted to strengthen the North East's political positions, in order to do this, they wanted to repeal the 3/5 compromise. Their problems included government issues too. Later on, the Federalists were seen as traitors and end as a political party. -
Era of Good Feelings
The Era of Good feeling was a time where Republicans were the only political party, the Federalists did not exist. There were not bitter personal politics, President Monroe appointed people with different views. This was also a time where the Monroe had the President's mansion ( it was formally called the President's mansion) painted white to hide the burn marks after this the mansion was now the called the modern name the White House. This era, although it was short-lived, was quite peaceful. -
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The American Industrial Revolution
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Fredrick Douglass
Fredrick Douglass was a man of many talents. Fredrick Douglass was an American social reformer, an abolitionist , orator, writer, and sales man. Fredrick Douglass is known as the father of the civil rights movement. He was born into slavery and later became an abolitionist leader. Fredrick Douglass spent time advising presidents on how they can improve the role of justice and freedom in the United States of America. An important novel he wrote was an autobiography explaining life as a slave. -
Panic of 1819
When people invest in the economy if the price goes down everything goes down. There was an economic boom after the war. It occurred in the second bank of the United States of America. Many of the agricultural prices collapsed in 1819, and therefore, many banks failed. The economy went into a tailspin. This Panic of 1819 was known as one of the worst depressions in the history of the United States of America's history. People were being forced out of their homes, mortgages were foreclosed. -
Adams-Onis Treaty (1819)
The Adams-Onis Treaty was a treaty that gave the United States Flordia and redefined the border between Spain and the United States. Originally the United States wanted Florida, Andrew Jackson had defended it from Indians by starting raiding borders and sets up forts. The Spanish cede Florida to the United States because of the amount of Spanish countries that are becoming independent, Spain has their own issues so they decided to sell them off. This treaty recognizes the U.S claim to Lousiana. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
The McCulloch versus Maryland was a SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) case. This case ruled that Congress had implied powers under the constitution to create the second bank of the United States, it also ruled that Maryland had no actual power to tax the bank. It stated that states can't impede federal power that states cannot take the place of the federal government especially when it comes to commerce. This case itself led to more radical views of states rights in the South. -
Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a monumental part of history because it led the establishment of many reform movements that advocated for many injustices that were present such as Slavery, Women's Rights, and Temperance Movements. The injustices were challenged primarily on the basis of religious and moral grounds because many people wanted to reconcile their relationship with god because they believed they were straying to far from their religion. It was mainly a religious revival period. -
Abolitionist
Abolitionist were people who believed in the abolishing of slavery, hence the name abolitionists. For abolitionists they had gradualism, they were gradually freeing slaves to Africa, specifically, Liberia. The strongly believed in immediatism which was an immediate end to slavery. Although the civil war up until the abolishing of slavery abolitionists played an important part they made many conventions and often created their own parties. Abolitionists became a prominent part in American history -
Missouri Compromise
Missouri applying for a state was an issue. It disrupted the balance of free and slaves states. The issue was that Missouri had applied to be a slave state the South was for it, for it gave them power, the North was against it. The Missouri compromise declared that there should be a balance between free and slave states, therefore, the line at 36 degrees 30 latitude was created above the line were free states and below slave states, this was a temporary solution that guaranteed future conflict. -
The Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine stated that the New World and the New World are two different countries that should not interfere anymore, that the United States would not interfere in European affairs. Stated by the President he said that the United States would not mess with already existing settlements in the Western Hemisphere. As well as that the Western hemisphere was no longer allowed to be coloniezed and to those who did try to colonize it would be seen as hostile to the United States of America. -
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Age of Jackson
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Election of 1824
The United States presidential election of 1824 was an unusual one. The election split the Republican Party into four separate candidates and no candidate won the majority of the votes. In fact, many believed the election was corrupt because Henry Clay, Speaker of the House, allegedly convinced Congress to elect Adams. The outcome was decided by the House of Representatives, because Jackson won the most electoral votes but did not manage to win the majority. John Q Adams was named the President. -
Temperance
Temperance was a common practice among people during the industrial era. The idea was to voluntarily sustain one's self from alcohol. With advancing of all technology and traditional ideals, people feared they were straying away from god so they enforced movements to persuade individuals to give up the act of drinking and rather focus on building their relationship with god. The temperance movement strengthened in the coming years and eventually prohibited all manufacturing and sale of alcohol. -
Indian Removal Act of 1830
The Indian Removal Act was signed by Andrew Jackson. This act let the president which is Andrew Jackson, negotiate with Native Americans for their cooperation in removing to the west in exchange for their lands. The Indian removal act of 1830 was strongly supported in the South. Many northerners such as the Whig party, and other in the north, especially New Englanders resisted. Many Native American Tribes Resisted as well. The Cherokee attempted in many ways to keep their lands but they failed. -
Cherokee Nations V. Georgia
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, was a United States Supreme Court case. The Cherokees wanted the Supreme Court to remove the laws set by the state of Georgia that took away their rights within their reservations. The laws also demanded Cherokees share their land with civilians and took away liberties even though they compromised enough. The case was never heard by the Supreme Court because they ruled that they had no original jurisdiction since the Cherokee people were part of a dependent nation. -
Railroads
During the industrial revolution, the advancement of technology was at an all time high. With these advances in technology came the creation of easier transporting systems known as railroads. Railroads supplied towns with foods, products, and material needed across the country in such a short time that it allowed the economy to flourish drastically. Railroads decreased the cost of production and allowed food to be sold at a low cost causing the standard of living cost to decrease also. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
This rebellion was a slave rebellion that occurred in Virginia. This rebellion was led by Nat Turner, about 55 to 65 people were killed at least 51 being white. The Southerners became paranoid. Results of the rebellion often included the outlawing of slave preaching, limitations on slaves access to firearms. Southerners even strengthen their militias in case of another attack. The assaults on white were considered a capital offense meaning a slave could be executed for the murder of a white. -
Worcester v. Georgia
Worcester v. Georgia was a case put in front of the United States Supreme Court challenging the state of Georgia's arrest and entrance in Native American lands. Worcester appealed his arrest and charges. The United States Supreme Court decided that the Cherokee Nation was a separate nation and entity that did not fall under the state of Georgia's jurisdiction. Therefore, Georgia's laws regarding the territory of the Cherokee were unconstitutional. Worcester conviction was also overturned. -
Election of 1832
The United States presidential election of 1832 was the first one where major political parties held national conventions for their candidates nominations. Furthermore, the election was also one of the first ones too present a third party candidate for the America's presidency. The election was against President Andrew Jackson, the national Democratic Party candidate, Henry Clay, the national Republican Party candidate, and William Wirt, the Anti-Masons party candidate. Andrew Jackson won. -
New York Female Reform Society
The New York Female Reform Society was established in 1834, it was organized under Lydia A. Finney. The goals of the movement were to promote equality for women. These kinds of things were to bring women into the society of working as well as through the end of prostitution. Women felt the need to speak their mind, they needed to vote and express their opinions. This Society was created to help promote change promote reform for women of the United States of America. -
Election of 1836
The United States of America's presidential election of 1836 was a strategized one. Andrew Jackson's personal choice, Martin Van Buren, faced no opponent for the Democratic nomination. The Whigs strategized to have three different candidates so the decision would be moved to the House of Representatives which the Whigs dominated. This idea proved to be a bad one because Martin Van Buren won a majority of the electoral vote and became president defeating all three of the whig party candidates. -
Battle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo is a very prominent battle in Texan History, the Alamo was a battle between Mexicans and Texans during the Texan war for Independence. Antonio de Lopez de Santa Anna was an army general for the Mexicans. His Spanish force greatly outnumbered the Texans forces. The Spanish had conducted a siege around the Texans depriving the Texans of food and supplies, the Texans faced the Mexicans in the battle it only lasted about 15 minutes. The Mexicans slaughtered the Texans. -
Trail of Tears
When Andrew Jackson was president he enacted an Indian removal policy under this policy the Cherokee nation was forced to leave their land behind. They are to relocate to the new land declared the "Indian territory" which is present-days Oaklahoma. Along the Trail of tears, 1,000 Native Americans will die relocating to the Indian territory present-day Oklahoma. This relocation was first called "the trail of tears" by the Cherokee themselves, for it had many devastating memories attached to it. -
Yeoman Farmers
The Yeoman farmers were the second class of the people in the South they were below the Planters and above the Tenant farmers. In the Yeoman farm, there was a lot of a communal effort, seventy-five percent of the Yeoman farmers did not own slaves. Although some relied on planters, others resented platers. The Yeoman farmers farmed southern militias they caught runaway slaves, and some Yeoman Farmers even guarded against slave rebellions. They were often independent honest and hardworking. -
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Westward Expansion
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Telegraph
Another key advancement in the industrial era was the creation of telegraphs, which allowed communications to become significantly easier. The telegraph was invented in the 1830's to 1840's by Samuel Morse. With the development of the telegraph, the long-distance was no longer an issue because communication was possible with the simple transmission of electrical signals in a wire between two stations. The time it took to communicate was shortened from weeks to just minutes with the telegraph. -
Bear Flag Revolt
The Bear Flag Revolt started when a small group of Settlers in California rebelled against the Mexican Government. They proclaimed that California was an independent Republic. All of this lead to the United States of America trying to take over the Republic of California. The bear flag was used in part of the rebellion against the Mexican government and the bear flag is now the modern day flag of California. Mexico had pushed for the annexation of California to the United States themselves. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was a banning of slavery in the territory the United Staes of America acquired by Mexico after the Mexican-American war. The Wilmot Proviso document was written up by a Democratic member of the United States House of Representative His name was David Wilmot. This document led to many political issues. The document was also defended in Congress. The Wilmot Proviso also led to the splitting of political parties of Democrats and Whigs into pro-slavery and free-soil factions. -
Popular Sovereignty
Popular Sovereignty is the basic principle that lets the people rule, meaning that the authority of the government and created through the consent of the people. Popular sovereignty was used as a time where there was a choice for states to become a free state or a slave state, popular sovereignty allowed the people to choose their path for their state. If the majority of people wanted the sate to be free then it would be free and if the majority wanted it to be a slave then it would be a slave. -
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Sectionalism
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California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush was the discovery of gold while constructing along the American River. The gold was discovered by James Wilson Marshall while he was helping constructing a saw mill. As news spread of the discovery of gold, immigrants from all over began pouring in near present-day Sacramento. The Gold Rush brought about 80,000 gold-seekers who were known as
"forty-niners". Chinese immigrants were the highest amount of immigrants to come in to California for the gold rush. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was drafted after the Mexican-American war. The treaty is a peace treaty signed in the Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo. The peace treaty settled the border dispute between the United States of America and Mexico. This peace treaty, although it was a peace treaty was disadvantageous for Mexico, it led to the seizing in over half of Mexico's territory, where problems were to arise over slavery from the document of Wilmot Proviso, written by David Wilmot in 1846. -
Seneca Falls Convention
The Seneca Falls Convention was a women's rights convention that took place in Wesleyan Chapel in New York City. The event gathered more than 200 women and was the first ever woman's right convention to ever be held in the United States of America. The convention was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, to discuss the rights and liberties of women. The event holds significance because it is believed to be a stepping stone towards solidifying women's rights movements in America. -
Election of 1848
The United States presidential election of 1848 was the sixteenth quadrennial election. The election was held in the aftermath of the Mexican-American war. The election was primarily focused on opposing the expansion of slavery further into the west territories. The election had many parties such as the Whigs and Democrats and former president Martin Buren, all in favor of eliminating the expansion of slavery. The outcome was a mutual one. The winner of the election was General Zachary Taylor. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a serious of resolutions introduced by Senator Henry Clay. The compromise was put into action as an attempt of averting crisis between the North and the South states over the topic of slavery. The South was Pro-slavery whereas the North was Anti-slavery which was why tensions were heated between the two in the first place. As part of the compromise, the fugitive slave act was altered to make the South happy and the slave trade was abolished to make the North happy. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was one of the resolutions decided by the United States of America Congress. The Fugitive Slave Act was part of the Compromise of 1850 that was between the Southern states that supported slavery against the Northern states that opposed slavery. The Fugitive Slave Act prohibited the abetting or assisting of slaves in running away. It set forth a reward for returning run-away slaves that escaped so the public would be motivated to help keep order between the two sides. -
Election of 1852
The United States presidential election of 1852 was held on Tuesday, November 2,1852. The candidates of the election were Franklin Pierce, Winfield Scott, and John Hale. Ultimately the winner of the election of 1852 was Franklin Pierce. Franklin Pierce represented the democratic party. The democratic party gained seventeen seats. The Whigs party lost twenty two seats. The political influence of the Whigs party was weakened after the death of Henry Clay and Daniel Webster. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Southerners were afraid of two new free states. The southerners wanted to abolish the Missouri compromise, they also wanted a transcontinental railroad to run through the south, not the north, they wanted this to gain power over the North. Stephen Douglas and Franklin Pierce were prominent people of this act. The Missouri compromise line of 36 30 was repealed and popular sovereignty was left, Kansas was admitted to the union as a slave state while Nebraska was admitted as a free state. -
Dred Scott vs. Sandford
The United States Supreme Court case was issued on March 6th, 1857. The Supreme Court case decided that slaves were not seen as citizens of the United States of America and therefore were not allowed to sue in federal courts. Dred Scott was a slave residing in a free state and territory where slavery was not allowed and sued for the freedom of himself and his family. His request was denied. The "Dred Scott" case was precedent for slaves and addressed the issue of slavery in Western Territories. -
Tenements
In the industrial era, the population of urban cities was at an all time high. With a steady flow of immigrants coming to cities like New York and Boston, in search of better job opportunities, came limiting housing. With regular housing being expensive, tenements came to be. Tenements were rundown spaces shared by multiple families. Most tenements were in slums and inhabited by immigrants and poor families. The living conditions in tenements were unhygienic, overcrowded, and uncomfortable. -
Election of 1860
The United States presidential election of 1860 took place November 6, 1860. The candidates in this election were John Breckenridge representing the southern democratic party, Abraham Lincoln representing the republican party, Stephen Douglas represented the democratic party, and John Bell represented constitutional union party. Ultimately Abraham Lincoln took the victory. The republican party received one hundred eighty electoral votes. Breckenridge was second with seventy two electoral votes. -
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Civil War
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Fort Sumter
The battle of Fort Sumter was the battle that started the American Civil War. The battle of Fort Sumter took place in Fort Sumter in Charleston ,South Carolina. The confederate army bombarded the Union army's artillery. The confederate general Beauregard demanded the Union general Garrison surrender. Garrison refused and the unfinished fort in Charleston has been preceded for months with siege like conditions. There were no causalities at the battle of Fort Sumter. -
Conscription Act
The Conscription Act was passed on April 16th, 1862. The Conscription Act was passed by the United States Congress. The act created the first ever draft of war for United States citizens in American history. The act extended to all white males in the age group between eighteen and thirty-five that were eligible to be placed into the United States of America military. The Conscription Act
also included immigrants that intended to become citizens of the United States of America by April 1st. -
Battle of Antietam
The battle of Antietam was a part of the series of battles that took place in the civil war. The battle of Antietam was the bloodiest single day battle in the history of the world. Twenty three thousand casualties were reported in one day. The end result of the battle of Antietam was a big deal. The Union soldiers gained victory, and the victory of the Union army resulted in the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation that all people held as slaves can be free. -
Battle of Vicksburg
The Battle of Vicksburg was a battle that was a part of the civil war. The Battle and/or Siege of Vicksburg took place in June of 1863. This battle took place in Warren County, Mississippi. Ulysses S Grants' army of Tennessee made it's way to Mississippi. This was a good strategy that allowed the union army to entrap the confederate army. The union army gained critical control over a strategic river. This gave the union army access to cut off the confederate armies supplies and food. -
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is a speech that the United States of America's President Abraham Lincoln gave, the Speech was very emotional. It was no longer than 2 minutes. This speech is one of the best-known speeches in American History. Abraham Lincoln addressed those lives that were lost in the Battle of Gettysburg as well as his plans for the futures. He explained how the soldier's efforts will not die in vain. That all man were created equal and therefore, should be treated equally. -
Battles of Chattanooga
The Battles of Chattanooga was fought in Tennessee, during the American Civil war. There were a total of 3 Chattanooga battles. Union forces attacked the Confederate forces in Tennessee. These victories for the union cause the Confederate army back into Georgia, this ended the sieges of Chatanooga making way for a union march to Georgia. The union lost about 5,800 causalities during these battles, the confederates casualties were about 6,600, the union secured Chattanooga, Tennessee. -
Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan
Abraham Lincoln faced a hard task as president. He had to reconstruct the country after the civil war. One of the items on Abraham Lincoln's blueprint to reconstruction, was the ten percent plan. The ten percent plan allowed the southern states to be re admitted to the union, if ten percent of the voters pledged allegiance to the union. The voters are then able to revise state constitutions and create new state governments. Every southerner was pardoned except for government and army officials. -
Election of 1864
The United States of America's presidential election of 1864 was held on November 8th, 1864. The election was between Republican President, Abraham Lincoln and Democratic candidate, George B. McClellan. The election took place during the American Civil War. The participating states were ones that had not seceded to the Confederacy. The outcome was surprisingly that Abraham Lincoln was re-elected as President of the United States of America even though his promise to end war was not completed. -
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Reconstruction
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Freedman's Bureau
The Freedmen's Bureau also known as the Bureau of Refugees was a big help during the reconstruction period after the American Civil War. The Freedmen's Bureau was created in 1865. The Freedmen's Bureau act aided four million newly freed slaves. This aid included health care, food, education, housing, and many more different types of aid. The slaves needed this aid because they didn't know any thing about freedom. The transition from slavery to freedom was excruciatingly difficult. -
Thirteenth Amendment
The amendments are made to acknowledge the rights of the citizens of the United States Of America. The thirteenth amendment was passed by the the senate on April 8,1864. The amendment was then sent to be approved by the House of Representatives. The thirteenth amendment was officially ratified on December 6,1865. The thirteenth amendment was an amendment made to abolish slavery. It stated that the U.S constitution outlawed slavery and involuntary solitude, except as punishment for a crime. -
Election of 1866
The United States presidential election of 1866 was not as much as a presidential election as it was a campaign. The campaign focused majorly on the ideas of reconstruction. President Andrew Johnson opposed the Republicans over the harshness or leniency of reconstruction against the South. The Republicans were victorious, winning the majority in congress. The congressional election of 1866 was significant because it showed Johnson's loss of reconstruction support in the Republican Party. -
Fourteenth Amendment
The fourteenth amendment was part of what people call the civil war amendments. The fourteenth amendment was tied to the thirteenth amendment. The thirteenth amendment freed slaves and the fourteenth amendment gave the former slaves and any person born or naturalized in the United States the reward of citizenship. The fourteenth amendment also guaranteed all citizens equal protection of the laws. Despite many southern states denying the fourteenth amendment, it was still ratified on July 9,1868. -
Fifteenth Amendment
The fifteenth amendment was the final amendment out of the three civil war amendments. The fifteenth amendment was related to the thirteenth amendment and the fourteenth amendment. The thirteenth amendments freed slaves. The fourteenth amendment granted people born or naturalized in the United States citizenship (this included the slaves). The fifteenth amendment gave more rights to the freed citizens that were once slaves. The fifteenth amendment gave the African Americans the right to vote. -
Temperance Movement
The Temperance Movement was led by the influential group called the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). The WCTU had 120,000 members by 1879. With the advancing of traditional ideals, people feared they were straying away from god so they enforced movements to persuade individuals to give up the act of drinking and rather focus on building their relationship with god. The temperance movement strengthened in the coming years and eventually prohibited all manufacturing and sale of alcohol. -
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 was an economic crash. This set the economy back until 1877. People focused on their own economic affairs like their businesses and shops. Due to this Panic of 1873, the African Americans were not a big problem, at least not as much as this economic crash. The Democrats had a big win in 1874 during this panic of 1873, Grant reduced his efforts in policing south he was afraid of further political Losses. This Panic of 1873 affected many, it was a very devastating thing for many. -
Compromise of 1877
The Compromise of 1877 impacted the south quite significantly. The Compromise of 1877 was the resolution to the grand dispute over the 1876 United States Presidential election. The compromise allowed Republican Party candidate, Rutherford B. Hayes, to become the United States of America's President which would help Democrats win back political power in the South. The slaves were affected drastically because their rights were repealed and the promise to protect their liberties was also taken. -
Election of 1876
The United States presidential election of 1876 was known as one of the most controversial election in the United States of America's history. The election centered around Governor Tilden of New York and Ohio's Rutherford Hayes. Although it was agreed that Tilden outpolled Hayes in the popular vote the dispute centers around the electoral votes that came from four states. The election of 1876 was significant because it ended the Reconstruction movement. The declared winner was Rutherford Hayes. -
Women Suffrage
Suffrage is the right to vote in political elections. An important kind of suffrage was women's suffrage. The women wanted a voice. The women suffrage movement began in 1848. The first convention was held in Seneca Falls New York on July 18, 1848 .The main organizers of the convention were Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The women's suffrage movement is important because it influenced the passing of the nineteenth amendment which is in favor of women being allowed the rights to vote.
