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Period: 1300 BCE to
Beginnings to Exploration
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100 BCE
Pueblo/Anasazi
This culture was built on dry lands of the American southwest through agriculture and believed in multiple gods. Pueblos They lived in groups of houses that the Spanish called pueblos. Pueblos were made of adobe bricks which is a mixture of sand and straw. This is important to the timeline as the Anasazi had no protection through their windows and doors, so if they were to be attacked they would run away. -
400
Dark Ages
During the Dark Ages the Catholic Church was for true Catholics as there was more focus on one true god, Christ. The weaponry was also consisted of a helmet, body armor, bladed weapons and small artillery, the armor covered all of the body to protect it from blunt forces. The feudal system was moreover the social and economic exploitation of peasants by lords, creating poverty in the economy, famine, and a large difference between rich and poor -
1300
Aztecs
Human sacrifices were believed as a repayment for the sacrifices the gods had made by the creation of the world. One of these human sacrificial practices was bloodletting as blood is one of the carries of this spark. They also had a caste system involving the Nobles (government or military leaders, high level priests, or lords), then the commoners (lords, landowners, judges, and members of military), and lastly slaves/serfs (punished people). -
1300
The Renaissance
This was a time of innovation and improvement, especially with the invention of the printing press. The printing press cut the price of books, allowing libraries to obtain more information at a lower cost. One of the men who had the biggest impact during this time was Leonardo Da Vinci as he was known as a natural genius. He believed that science and nature were connected and filled multiple notebooks with inventions, observations, and theories about anatomy to aeronautics. -
1346
The Black Death
The merchants of the black death had developed and communicated the disease through busy shipping lanes to the Nordic countries and had merchants dying by the thousands. Economically, the effects had experience an inflation.The amount of workers became scarce, so much so that the peasants also felt the new rise in wages. With 25 million people dying from this disease, lords would instantly hire anyone. The fleas and rats carried the plague through exposure of body fluids from dead animals. -
1492
The Colombian Exchange
This was a trade that was among America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. They traded goods like cacao beans, pineapples, corn, potatoes, squash, etc. as well as livestock. With the trading of goods, there was also a spread of diseases like smallpox, measles, malaria, yellow fever, etc. which wiped out populations of people. -
1521
New Spain
New Spain was the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire as they explored for land. Gold being the Spanish settlers main goal, they accomplished their goal by enslaving the Aztecs and later imported African slaves to mine for these precious metals. One of these expeditions were led by the Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando de Soto. Him and his men were known to become the first Europeans to encounter the great Mississippi River and crossed it. -
Nathaniel Bacon
Nathaniel Bacon held one of the first American Rebellions which was known as the Bacon's Rebellion of 1676. He lived in Jamestown, Virginia, and had Susquehanna Indians attacking them. The governor refused to do anything, causing Bacon to become a leader to defeat the Indians. The governor wasn't happy about this, planning revenge against him. Instead of the governor finding Bacon at his home, he instead found Bacon's friends in a mob, killing the governor and his friends. -
Charter Colonies
The Charter Colonies included Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. They were called charter colonies as they were self-governed and had charters that were granted to the colonists through a joint-stock. Many charter colonies changed to royal or proprietary colonies, while Connecticut and Rhode Island maintained their charters. -
Period: to
English Colonial Societies
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The Caribbean Colonies
The British acquired the land of the Caribbeans and established settlements in St. Kitts, Barbados, and Antigua. While being there, the British realized that the most profitable produce is sugar. This made more slaves import to the Caribbeans and created slave labor in gangs. -
Sir Issac Newton
He was a physichist and mathematician who developed the principles of modern physics, this also includes the laws of motion. Newton also designed a reflecting telescope, showing his notes on light, optics, and color. -
The Atlantic Slave Trade
Transatlantic slave trade that transported between 10 million and 12 million enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. They almost had 36000 slaving voyages through this trade and were part of the triangular trade as they shipped slaves. -
Navigation Acts
The Navigation Act forbade colonists from trading specific items such as sugar and cotton with any other country other than England. The imported good s from non-English America had to arrive in England and the colonies in English ships. Everything was shipped by English ships and the English government had close supervision of England's imports and exports. -
Pennsylvania
When Charles II owed William Penn a large debt, Penn was awarded an enormous amount of land. He took it as the Quakers were persecuted for their beliefs and decided to think about the religious freedom they would be able to have. They practiced pacifism and were early abolitionists. Many were also leaders of the women's suffrage movement in the United States. -
The Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch Trials is a case of eight women being accused by their neighbors for witchcraft. This could be caused by politics, religion, hallucinations, and fears of people. These accusations ended with one to two hundred people being imprisoned, twenty-four died, and fifty-five falsely admitted to witchcraft. -
Acts of Union
The Acts of Union led to the creation of the United Kingdom and Great Britain by uniting England and Scotland. The Scottish lost their Parliament but gained freedom the freedom of the British Empire. This was to have full freedom and intercourse of trade and navigation. -
Period: to
Colonial America
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Triangular Trade
This was a trading route that exchanged goods with Africans for slaves. The slaves were shipped to the Americas, were sold and brought goods from the Americas back to Europe.This journey made a triangular shape where the first leg was the journey from Europe to Africa then the second is the transportation of slaves to america. The second transportation was nicknamed as the "middle passage". The third being Europeans taking back goods to Europe -
George Whitefield
He is a preacher in the Great Awakening. He preached in a dramatic style where crowds loved his engagement, it was entertainment for them. Whitefield grew increasingly popular as he made a tour around the nation preaching. -
Fort Duquesne
As the French and Indian War escalated, George Washington went to Fort Duquesne to discuss the boundaries and to persuade the French to leave the area peacefully. However, the French refused to vacate the area and Washington went back to the Virginia troops. In attempt to take the fort by force, they attack the French soldiers. Soon after they fight multiple times for the fort, the French burns it down before retreating. -
Fort William Henry
The massacre of the British and the savagery of both the French and Indians has been debated of history but can be estimated to over 200 deaths and over 300 captives being taken. Families of the soldiers, women, and children were also murdered as the British troops were disarmed in condition of surrender. -
Moses Austin
Austin made a formal request for the land of Texas to the Spanish government as he was a businessman and pioneer.He improved transportation, trade links, mining methods, and brought national attention to their mineral wealth. -
Treaty of Paris-1763
The Treaty of Paris of 1763 ended the French and Indian War between Britain and France. France gave up their territories in mainland North America, which ended any foreign military threat to the British colonies that were established in the Americas. -
Period: to
The Revolutionary War
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Revenue Act
An act that placed taxes on glass, lead, painters colors, tea, and paper. This was especially hard for journalist as they needed the paper to write for their newsletters. Riots and protesting broke out, leading to an even further repression by Britain. -
Boston Massacre
A group of British soldiers were being heckled, snowballed, and drunk by Americans. This led to a shot being fired, making the British soldiers defensive, killing five people. This is a key event to the Patriot cause as it was shown through a painting by Paul Revere where the British were attacking innocent Americans. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Part was a protest against taxation against the Tea Act of 1773, where the East India Company lowered its tea tax, granting a monopoly on the American tea trade. This out-raged American, where Samuel Adams organized the "tea party" with 60 members to dump tea valued at $18000 -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was a letter to King George III as it is the last attempt by the moderate party in North America to avoid a war to gain independence from Britain. They wanted their rights but also wanted to maintain their loyalty to the British crown. -
Common Sense
Thomas Paine publishes a pamphlet named "Common Sense." This pamphlet speaks about his arguments in favor of the American Independence. This is currently known as one of the most influential pamphlets in American history. -
Massachusetts Constitution
It is the world's oldest functioning written constitution as it divided power among the three branches of government. -
Republicanism
The republicanism is a system that emphasizes on liberty and a rejection on corruption. -
Articles of Confederation
The first written constitution of the United States but was a failure as it was too weak to enforce their laws and had no power. As the Articles of Confederation was in Congress, many rebellions happened and made the Congress decide to scrap the Articles of Confederation to a new constitution. -
Period: to
The Constitution
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Northwest Ordinance
It was a method for admitting new states to the Union from the territory and listed a bill of rights guaranteed in the territory. -
John C. Calhoun
Calhoun was James Monroe secretary of war and was elected to South Carolina's state legislature. He was also admitted into the United States House of Representatives and was elected vice president under John Quincy Adams and was reelected under Andrew Jackson. -
Shay's Rebellion
A series of protests by American farmers against state and local enforcement of tax collects. There were bad harvests, economic depression, and high taxes threatened farmers with the loss of their farms. The rebels tried to get the federal arsenal at Springfield and harassed merchants, lawyers, and supporters of the state government. -
The Great Debate
It was a convention to discuss the weakness of the Articles of Confederation. Both Federalist and Anti-Federalists were together to discuss the new constitution. The Anti-Federalist claimed the Constitution gave the central government too much power whereas the Federalist felt that the addition of the Bill of Rights wasn't necessary -
Three Branches of Government
Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches are the three parts our federal government has. The president and about 5000000 workers are in the executive branch. The senate and house of representatives is the legislative branch and finally the judicial is the supreme court and lower courts. -
Election of 1788
In the Election of 1788, George Washington was unanimously elected for the first of his two terms as president. John Adams being his opponent, became vice president. -
Period: to
New Republic
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Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments of the Constitution as it also protected the basic right of its citizens. -
Bank of United States
The bank was to serve as a repository for federal funds and helped the government with their taxes. Though it was organized and profitable, the bank was constraining economic development. This idea was proposed by Alexander Hamilton -
Whiskey Rebellion
This rebellion was a citizen revolt against the Whiskey tax of 1791. When they revolted to George Washington and militias of several states went against the rebellion to end the insurrection. -
Militias
Militias were essentially minutemen as they were civilian colonists. They started fighting in the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775. As they had two mandatory forces, Army National Guard and the Air National Guard, they won Yorktown through these two forces. -
Cotton Gin
The cotton gin is a machine that revolutionized the production of cotton by speeding up the process of removing the seeds from the cotton fiber. As cotton has become a leading export and the convenience of the cotton gin, slaves were needed more. Thus causing an increase in slaves -
Election of 1796
The presidential election where John Adams (Federalist) defeated Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican). Thomas Jefferson becomes vice president. -
XYZ Affair
Confrontation between the United States and Republican France that led to an undeclared war at sea. -
Iron Plow
Invented by Charles Newbold who patented it in 1797 but his invention failed due to superstitious farmers who believed the metal will spoil the ground. It was a plow to help farms turn over land and expose soil for the first stages in preparing a field for seeding crops. -
Period: to
The Age of Jefferson
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Period: to
Cultural Changes
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Louisiana Purchase
Thomas Jefferson purchases approximately 828,000,000 square miles of territory from the French, which ends up doubling the size of America then. -
Ralph Waldo Emerson
an American essayist, lecturer, and poet who led the Transcendentalist movement where he helped to start a group of ideas known as the Transcendental Club. It soon became a radical religious movement that opposed to the rationalist, conservative, institution that Unitarianism had become. -
Hamilton v.s Burr
Hamilton has a duel with Burr when Hamilton does everything in his power to make Burr lose his election. Hamilton decided the duel was morally wrong and deliberately fired into the air whereas Burr's second claimed that Hamilton fired at Burr and missed. But Burr shoots Hamilton in the stomach, killing him the next afternoon -
Embargo Act of 1807
An act that made all exports from the United States illegal to force Britain and France to respect American rights during the Napoleonic Wars. However, this did not stop the imports being shipped in. -
Edgar Allan Poe
An american writer known for his mystery stories and grim settings. He was also an American poet, short story writer, literary critic, editor, and an essayist. -
Abraham Lincoln
An American politician and lawyer who wrote the Emancipation Proclamation, abolishing slavery. Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 1865. He is known as one of the best presidents in U.S. history -
Henry Clay
Clay was the leader of the Whig party and five time unsuccessful presidential candidate. Played a national role for politics as he was secretary of state under John Quincy Adams. Known as the most influential member of the senate during its golden age and was also one of America's best-loved politicians. -
Battle of New Orleans
A war between Great Britain and the United States although Great Britain already signed the treaty of Ghent. Sadly the news wasn't spread quick enough, the United States assaulted the British force, leaving devastating casualties. -
Frederick Douglas
An American who was born as a slaved and left at the age of 20 to become an anti-slavery activists. He traveled widely and lecture on racial issues, national politics, and women's rights. -
McCulloch vs Maryland
A case where the state of Maryland had enacted a tax that would force the United States bank in Maryland to pay taxes to the state. McCulloch was sued for not complying with the Maryland state tax. -
Panic of 1819
First major financial crisis in the United States which was followed by a general collapse of the American economy. This had mortgages foreclosing, forcing people out of their homes and off their farms. This also led to falling prices on impaired agriculture and manufacturing when there is a widespread of employment. -
Second Great Awakening
A protestant revival movement where the Baptist and Methodist religions had preachers leading the movement. It was a religious transformation as people believed to speak to God directly instead of speaking to a priest and having him tell God what is occurring. -
Clara Barton
An American nurse who organized the American Red Cross and helped wounded soldiers during the Civil War. She brought her own supplies and traveled around the nation, helping and healing soldiers. She also helped located thousands of missing soldiers, continuing her humanitarian work through several foreign wars. -
Monroe Doctrine
A U.S. foreign policy which included European countries to state that if European nations tried to colonize land or interfere with states in North or South America, it will be viewed as acts of aggression, requiring U.S. intervention. -
Election of 1824
The election of John Quincy Adams vs Andrew Jackson. John Quincy Adams wins as a democratic-republican. Although Andrew Jackson won the most popular and electoral votes but failed to receive a majority whereas John Quincy Adams was elected by the House of Representatives. -
Period: to
Age of Jackson
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Temperance Movement
An organized effort to encourage moderation in the consumption of intoxicating liquors or press for complete abstinence. Mostly filled by women who have husbands who takes advantage of intoxicating liquors, leading to domestic abuse. -
Mormons
Was founded by Joseph Smith as he had the revelation from God through and angel and soon made a church of his own. This attracted members as well as prosecutors, making Mormons move to Illinois to build a city where they can worship in peace. -
Spoils System
Federal government jobs are appointed by the president by replacing a large number of government workers with his own supporters, relatives, and friends. This was especially practiced by Andrew Jackson. -
Battle of San Jancinto
The concluding military event of the Texas revolution. This is were the revolutionary army at Gonzales began to retreat eastward as Sam Houston launches a surprise attack against the forces of Mexican troops. -
Telegraph
After Joseph Henry discovered electric induction in 1831, Samuel Morse (the inventor of the telegraph) invented practical electric telegraph system. It helped revolutionize long-distance communication. -
Trail of Tears
Series of forced relocation of Native American nations in the United States following the Indian Removal Act . Many different tribes were moved from their ancestral homelands into the area west of the Mississippi River which has been designated as Indian Territory. -
Lowell Mills
A factory system where people and machines are all under one roof. This was invented by Lowell and Lawrence Mills which was relied on the labor of young women who lived in company boarding houses and were paid in cash for their labor. -
Election of 1840
William Henry Harrison won the 1840 presidential election and his party was the Whigs as they went against Martin Van Buren. -
Period: to
Westward Expansion
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Election of 1844
The candidates James K. Polk (democratic candidate) defeated Henry Clay (Whig candidate) with 170 electoral votes to Clay's 105 votes. -
Manifest Destiny
The term for American expansion to go from coast to coast and was achieved by James K. Polk wanting to achieve everything said in his inaugural address.This was promoted with the annexations of the Mexican territory acquired in the Mexican-American War. -
Annexation of Texas
Incorporation of the Republic of Texas into the United States of America, which was admitted into the Union as the 28th state after declaring their independence from the Republic of Mexico. -
Bear Flag Revolt
A short-lived independence rebellion precipitated by American settlers in California’s Sacramento Valley against Mexican authorities -
Period: to
Sectionalism
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California Gold Rush
Began when gold was found by James W. Marshall when he found a small nugget. The news of gold brought some of 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. -
Whig Party
A political party here they were devoted to the interests of wealth and aristocracy, a charge they where never able to shake completely. It managed to win support from diverse economic groups in all sections. -
Compromise of 1850
Package of five separate bills passed by the United States Congress which defused a four-year political confrontation between slave and free states regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War. -
Underground Railroad
A network of secret routes and safe houses used by slaves trying to leave the south to go to the north. This escape was able to work due to the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. -
Popular Sovereignty
A political doctrine that let individual states decide if they would like to either be a slave state or a free state. -
Nativism
A political policy of promoting the interests of native inhabitants against those of immigrants. -
Crittenden Compromise
An unsuccessful proposal introduced by Kentucky Senator John J. Crittenden. It aimed to resolve the U.S. secession crisis by addressing the grievances that led the slave states of the United States to Contemplate secession from the United States. -
Yeoman Farmers
Small landowners (the majority of white families in the south) who farmed their own land and usually did not own slaves -
Military Leadership
The leadership was far more superior in the south than in the north as the south had General Robert E. Lee. Though they did have better leadership than the north did, that wasn't all that they needed in order to defeat the north. -
Neutral States
A sovereign state which declares itself to be un-biased. These states were Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland. -
Trent Affair
International diplomatic incident that occurred during the American Civil War between the United States and Great Britain. As the captain of the USS San Jacinto ordered the arrest of two confederate evoys sailing to Europe which outraged the British as they broke international law. -
Nurses
Nurses were merely volunteer s who showed up at military hospitals but later made the nursing profession at its infancy and a job that was normally dominated by men were now dominated by women. As there were massive amounts of soldiers getting sick or men being wounded, women took on the responsibilities. -
Freedman's Bureau
Congress to help former black slaves and poor whites in the the south in the aftermath of the U.S Civil War. Some 4 million slaves gained their freedom as a result of the union victory in the war which left many communities in ruins and destroyed the South's plantation based-economy. -
Tenant Farmers
The man who stays on the land owned by a landlord. It is normally an agricultural system in which landowners contribute their labor along with varying amounts of capital and management. -
Period: to
The American Industrial Revolution
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Period: to
The Civil War
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Carpetbaggers
A northerner who moved to the south after the American Civil War wanting to go to an area where they have no local connections. Many Southerners denounced them fearing they would loot and plunder the defeated South and be politically allied with the Radical Republicans. -
Gettysberg
Considered as the most important engagement of the American Civil War. Robert E. Lee had 3000 union soldiers prepare to face the onslaught of 60000 advancing Confederate soldiers. This costed thousands of casualties. -
Period: to
Reconstruction
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Appomattox Courthouse
The last war of the Civil War where Confederate army commander Robert E. Lee surrenders to Union commander Ulysses S. Grant. -
Election of 1868
The first election held after the american civil war. Johnson was elected as a president and won but was impeached by Congress after he had alienated many of his constituents. Although he still worked in Congress, his presidency was crippled. To replace him, the Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant took his spot. -
Sharecroppers
A tenant farmer who is provided with credit for seed, tools, living quarters, and food, who works the land, and who receives an agreed share of the value of the crop minus charges -
Freedom Amendments
The 13th amendment was mad to abolish slavery. The 14th amendment was the first to secure rights for former slave and lastly the 15th amendment was citizens not being denied to vote by their race of the color of their skin or because they were once a slave. -
Industrialization vs Agriculture
Tremendous expansion of industry and agriculture as well as the spread of settlement across the continent. Most of the economic growth was concentrated in the Northeast, Midwest, and plains states. The South remained largely agricultural. -
Compromise of 1877
a purported informal, unwritten deal that settled the intensely disputed 1876 U.S presidential election, pulled federal troops out of state politics in the South, and ended the Reconstruction Era -
Jim Crow
A series of state and local laws enforcing racial segregation the the Southern part of the United States. This was practiced in common areas such as restaurants and theaters.
