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Oct 2, 1492
Columbus reaches New World
Christopher Columbus set sail thinking he was going to the Indies. Instead he landed in the Bahamas and Hispanolia. He went back to Spain with gold and spices and "Indian" captives. His discovery of the New World led to extreme advancements which make up the Western Hemisphere today. -
Jamestwon
This was the first permanent English colony in America. The first settlers of Jamestwon faced many hardships mostly from their own mistakes. Their location was in swampy area along the James River that consisted of many mosquitos; therefore, causing epidemics of malaria. Starvation was a big issue for the settlers in Jamestown after trading with the American Indians had crumbled. Throughout time and the help of John Rolfe, the colony created a variety of tabacco that became popular in Europe. -
Mayflower/ Plymouth Rock
A group of Pilgrims from Europe set sail for Virginia on the Mayflower. They wanted to find another haven for their religion and better economic opportunities. They ended up landing on the coast of Massachusetts. Instead of going to Jamestown, they established a new colony at Plymouth. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Nathaniel Bacon and his supporters were opposed to the economic and political control practiced by some large planters in the Chesapeake area. Bacon then raised an army and performed raids and massacres against American Indian villages in Virginia. The rebellion brought disputes such as a sharp class difference between wealthy planters and landless people and colonial resistance to royal control. -
Albany Plan of Union
This plan developed by Benjamin Franklin provided for an intercolonial government as well as a system for recruiting troops and collecting taxes from colonies for their defense. Although this plan was never effective, it was significant because it set a precedent for future revolutionary congresses in the late 1700s. -
Seven Years' War
The war started by a series of conflicts in England over colonies. Britain and France both sent troops to North America after realizing the importance of the colonies. France had built forts in the Ohio River Valley to prevent British westward expansion. So, the British were trying to take control of the valley. The British won by the military strategy on conquering Canada. This war is significant because it established Britain as the dominant naval power in the world. -
Boston Massacre
The British sent troops into Boston and the majority of Bostonians were not pleased with it. A crowd of colonists harrassed the guards where they were and the guards fired into the crowd. They killed five people and were acquitted in court with their defender being John Adams. This was significant because it added on to the need of independence from Britain. -
First Continental Congress
The acts that Britain had established in the colonies enraged the colonists. The purpose of this convention was to respond the threats of the colonist's liberty. At this convention they came up with a series of resolution stating that the colonists did not have to abide by the Intolerable Acts. This was important because the King of England considered this to be rebellious which led to the first battle of the American Revolution. -
American Revolution
The Revolutionary War was the fight for independence from Britain. Although the colonies did not have a strong army at first they were able to change that around and defeat the British using guerilla warfare. George Washington was the commander-in-chief of the new colonial army. The victory over the British made way for the 13 colonies to become the United States of America. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress took place after fighting had begun in the American Revolution. The congress was divided into two groups. Delegates from New England believed the colnies should declare their independence. The other group from the middle colonies hoped it would be resolved by negotiating a better relationship with Britain. -
Declaration of Independence
The congress met together where Thomas Jefferson and other delegates started to make grievances against the government of George III to declare their colonies independence. The statements within the Declaration of Independence justified the reasoning of the resolution. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the first government set from being independent from Britain. However, it had many problems. The Articles established a central government that had just one body and each state was given one vote. One of the accomplishments of the Articles was the Northwest Ordinance. Problems with the Articles was Congress didn't have power to regulate commerce of collect taxes. They also did not have executive power to enforce laws. -
Constitution (affective)
After realizing that the Articles was ineffective, delegates met in Philadelphia to draft the Constitution. The meeting was meant to be a secret until they accomplished their work. They ended up completely making a new document. The Constitution consisted of three branches of government which consisted of checks and balances, Also, it had a strong central governemnt and had the Bill of Rights. The Constitution is greatly significant because it was foundation of America and still is today. -
Whiskey Rebellion
Hamilton decided to put an excise tax on whiskey which upset farmers. The farmers would not afford to pay the tax and therefore attacked the revenue collectors. This is significant because Geroge Washington went to end the rebellion which showed that the Constitution was a strong government and that the laws would be enforced. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
These Alien Acts authorized the president to throw out any aliens who were considered dangerous. The Sedition Act made it illegal for newspaper editors to criticize the president or Congress. This helped set the basis for freedom of press. Also, these acts are significant because the Federalists wanted to stop the growth of the Democratic-Republicans. -
Louisiana Purchse
The Louisiana Purchase was purchased from Naploeon Bonaparte because he needed the money for war in Europe and the loss of rule of Santo Domingo. It was significant because it nearly doubled the size of the United States and led to new discoveries and Jefferson hoped it would make the country an agrarian society. It also provided for the expedition of Lewis and Clark. -
Embargo Act
This act prohibited from American ships sailing to any foreign port. Hoping it would stop Britain from violating neutral rights, it brought economic hardships to the United States because Britain started to trade with other countries such as South America. Many shipbuilders and merchants lost their jobs. Jefferson then repealed it but the U.S. could not trade legally with Britain and France. -
War of 1812
The causes of the war were the continuous violations of U.S. neutral rights and the impressment of American sailors. The War of 1812 is significant because even though no one specifically won, United States victories showed that it had the right to be their own country and powerful. -
Panic of 1819
The Second Bank of the United States initially caused the Panic of 1819. It had tightened credit which caused many state banks to close and unemployment bankruptcies, and imprisonment for debt increased significantly. In the West, the crisis changed many voter's outlook on politics. They began to call for land reform and made it clear that they had a strong opposition to the national bank and debtor's prisons. -
Missouri Compromise
The votes of free or slave states remained evenly with 11 free and 11 slave states. Missouri wanted to become a slave, but it would favor the South. The resul of the Missouri Compromise was that it admitted Missouri to be a slave state and Maine a free state. This compromise maintained sectional balance for over 30 years and helped the nation mature. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine bascially stated that the American continents were not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by an European powers. The doctrine was important later on when it would be important of U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America. -
Indian Removal Act
Jackson thought it was reasonable to have the American Indians leave their homelands and resettle west of the Mississippi. The majority of politicians supported the policy of Indian removal. This was significant because it was able to make free land for the whites. -
Panic of 1837
The main cause of this panic was Jackson's veto to recharter the bank which resulted in economic depression. Many banks closed. Whigs blamed the Democrats which advocaed little federal involvement in the economy. -
Seneca Falls Convention
At this convention feminists created a document closely mimicking the Declaration of Independence called the "Declaration of Sentiments" which stated that "all men and women are created eqaul." They also stood for equal voting legal, and property rights for women. As slavery became a bigger issue women's rights became a lesser issue.
