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1607 Jamestown
The founding of Jamestown was Americas first permanent English colony in Virginia. They named their first colony after their King, James I. They picked this site for Jamestown because the site was surrounded by water on three sides. This meant it was easy to defend against possible Spanish attacks. The water was also deep enough that the English could tie their ships at the shoreline. -
1619 First African SLaves
Slavery in America started in 1619, when a Dutch ship brought 20 African slaves into Jamestown, Virginia. Throughout the 17th century, North America started to turned to African slaves as a cheaper, more plentiful source of labor -
1628 Massachusetts Bay Founded
Massachusetts Bay Colony is one of the original English settlements in present-day Massachusetts, founded in 1628 and settled in 1630 by a group of about 1,000 Puritan refugees from England. -
1651 Navigational act passed
The Navigation Acts were a series of laws designed to restrict England’s carrying trade to English ships in the 17th and 18th centuries. Their efforts were to put the theory of mercantilism (the economic theory that trade generates wealth and is stimulated by the accumulation of profitable balances) into actual practice. In 1651 the First Navigation Act was passed -
1676 Bacon's Rebellion
Bacon's Rebellion was an armed rebellion in 1676 by Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley. Bacon's Rebellion can be attributed to the declining of tobacco prices, an increasing and restricted English market, and the rising prices from English manufactured goods (mercantilism) that caused problems for the Virginians. -
1688 The Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution (“The Bloodless Revolution") involved the overthrow of King James II, who was replaced by his daughter Mary and her Dutch husband, William of Orange. Motives for the revolution were both political and religious. This Revolution took place in England from 1688-1689. -
1689 King William's War
King William’s War was between France and England for supremacy in North America. The main goal was the control of all the fur trade. King William's War was the first of the French and Indian Wars. It took place in North America in 1689 -
1692 Salem Witch trials
The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. Over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were killed. A "witchcraft craze" even rippled through Europe -
1701 Spanish War
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European conflict triggered by the death of Charles II of Spain in November 1701 -
1756 Seven Years War
Britain and Prussia defeat France, Spain, Austria, and Russia. France loses North American colonies, Spain gives Florida to Britain in exchange for Cuba -
1760 Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution began when agricultural societies became more industrialized and urban. The railroad, the cotton gin, electricity and other inventions permanently changed society. -
1766 James Watt Creates the Steam engine
James Watt was a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved the steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776. This made a huge impact to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both Great Britain and the rest of the world. -
1770 Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a riot that occurred on March 5, 1770. It took place on King Street in Boston. It began as a street brawl between American colonists and a British soldier. It quickly escalated to a bloody slaughter. The conflict energized anti-Britain sentiment and paved the way for the American Revolution -
1773 Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a protest that occurred on December 16, 1773, at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. The American colonists were very frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” therefore they dumped 342 chests of British tea into the harbor. This event was the first major act of opposition to British rule over the colonists. -
1776 Declaration of Independence
The Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence. It was written by Jefferson in Philadelphia on July 4, a date now celebrated as the birth of American independence -
1789
The French Revolution was a turning point in modern European history that began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with the ascent of Napoleon Bonaparte -
1800 Thomas Jefferson becomes president
Thomas Jefferson was the author of the declaration of independence and the third U.S. president. Jefferson ran against John Adams in 1796 and came in second place, making him vice president by law. Then he ran again in 1800, with the election ending in a tie between Jefferson and Aaron Burr. The vote then went to the House of Representatives where Jefferson was then declared the victor and, furthermore, the third president of the U.S -
1812 Congress declare war on England
The beginning of the War of 1812 was caused due to the British Royal Navy restricting trade routes to the U.S., impressing U.S. sailors, and the U.S.'s desire to expand its borders. -
1814 British burn down the Whitehouse
British forces storm into the Chesapeake Bay and burn multiple government buildings including the Capitol building, the White House. The British forces pulled their forces only because they had achieved their war goals and were moving down to New Orleans to capture it as well -
1819 Purchase Florida from Spain
Spanish minister Do Luis de Onis and U.S. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams came together to sign the document that would transfer control of Florida to the U.S. The Florida Peace Treaty was created to hand over the last Spanish American colony to the U.S. because of numerous boundary disputes. The U.S. gave Spain $5 million to cede Florida into the newly formed nation -
1823 Monroe Doctrine
President James Monroe gave his annual presidential speech warning European powers not to interfere in the western hemisphere or else the U.S. would step in and stop them. This speech stood against what George Washington wanted for the country. He wanted the country to stay out of foreign affairs and keep to themselves, however, the Monroe doctrine declared the U.S. as the policing force of the western hemisphere. -
1846 US- Mexican war
The U.S.-Mexican War lasted from 1846-1848 and was the first U.S. conflict fought on foreign soil. It was a war that was disputing the independence of Texas and the border of the Rio Grande. At the end of the war, Mexico lost about a third of its territory to the expansion-minded U.S., who claimed nearly all of present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. -
1860 Lincoln becomes president
Abraham Lincoln is elected as the 16th president of the U.S. When entering office Abraham Lincoln was tasked with dealing with an incredibly divided nation dealing with the issue of states' rights about slavery. Lincoln received only 40 percent of the popular vote, however, he still handily defeated the three other candidates. Lincoln was formally a Whig representative to Congress and gained his popularity after his series of public speeches that address many political issues of the time. -
1861 Civil War begins
The tension between the Northern and Southern states over states' rights and slavery finally got to the point where war broke out. The election of Abraham Lincoln caused 7 southern states to leave the Union and create the Confederate States of America. 4 more states soon joined these rebel states. -
1863 Gettysburg Address
Lincoln's Speech at Gettysburg was done in order to address the war that was occurring. He wanted to dedicate the field to the fallen soldiers on both sides, and he wanted the soldiers to know what they were fighting for. He claimed that they were fighting to see if the new nation, and nations that had declared their freedoms from the European countries, could in fact survive without the aid of their previous owners. -
1869 First Transcontinental Railroad is Completed
On the day of completion, the presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads meet in Promontory, Utah. The last spike of the railroad was ceremoniously placed to connect the two railroad lines together. This railroad made it possible to travel from the eastern side of the continent to the western side by utilizing nearly 2000 miles of railroad track. The work began in 1866 after many plans had been made and the Pacific Railroad Act(1862) was passed.