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The Great Awakening.
The Great Awakening was a religious revival spearheaded by Jonathan Edwards. -
Zenger Trial
A newspaper printer, John Peter Zenger, was charged for printing libel toward the royal governor. He was acquitted and this helped pave the way for freedom of press. -
George Whitefield
George Whitefield, a gifted actor and speaker began preachign the ideas of Jonathan Edwards -
War of Jenkin's Ear
This war was between the British and the Spanish but confined to the Caribbean Sea. It was known as King George's war in America. -
Princeton
Princeton was founded as a Presbyterian college in New Jersey. -
The Academy
The academy is founded in Philadelphia as a Non sectarioan school. -
Columbia
Columbia was originally founded as King's COllege in New York as an Anglican school -
French and Indian War
This war was Between the British and the French and Native Americans. It was known as the Seven Years' War in Europe. -
Braddock's Defeat
General Braddock is defeated at Fort Duquesne, but his troops are saved by George Washington. -
Proclamation of 1763
The British created this to aid relations with Native Americans, but it caused several upsets amongst the colonists. -
Brown
Brown University was originally founded as Rhode Island College in Providence as a Baptist church. -
March of Paxton Boys
Scots- Irish frontiersmen march on Philaelphia in retaliation of Native Americans. -
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
The fIrst colonial medical school is opened in Pennsylvania. -
Rutgers
Rutgers University was orginally founded as Queen's College in New Brunswick, NJ as a Dutch Reformed school. -
Dartmouth
Dartmouth was founded in Hanover, NH as an Indian Missionary church. -
Canadian Invasion
Benedict Arnold and his troops, The Green Mountain Boys, invade Canada in the winter of 1775-1776 -
Common Sense
This pamphlet by Thomas Paine argued that the larger body should not be controlled by the smaller, while also arguing for a republic. -
Declaration of Independence
On this date, the colonists declared their independence from Great Britain. -
Battle of Trenton
Washington and his troops attacked Hessian soldiers at Trenton the day after Christmas. -
Battle of Princeton
George Washington and his troops attack this town shortly after defeating the Hessians at Trenton. -
Siege of Ticonderoga
General Burgoyne retakes Fort Ticonderoga from the Continental Army. -
British Siege of Philadelphia
The British attempt to take control of Philadelphia, the location of the Second Continental Congress. -
Battle of Brandywine
George Washington fought General Howe's troops at Brandywine Creek. -
Battle of Saratoga
British General Burgoyne surrender 5,700 troops to American General Horatio Gates. -
Valley Forge
Washington and his men spend a harsh winter at this small fort in Pennsylvania, where they are aided by Baron von Steuben. -
Valley Forge
Washington and his men spend a harsh winter at this small fort in Pennsylvania, where they are aided by Baron von Steuben. -
Valley Forge
George Washington and his men spend the harsh winter at Valley Forge where they were aided by Baron von Steuben. -
Valley Forge
Washington and his men spend the harsh winter at this small fort, where they are aided by Baron von Steuben. -
French Aid
France officially joins the Continental Army with the help of Ben Franklin and other delegates. -
Battle of Monmouth
At this battle, Nathaniel Greene's unorthodox fighting style forced the retreat of Cornwallis. -
Treason Against the Colonies
Benedict Arnold officially commits treason against the Continental Army. -
Articles of Confederation
The was the first written form of American government after declaring independence. -
Battle of Yorktown
The final major war in the revolution. Cornwallis Surrenders to George Washington and Rochambeau. -
Treaty of Paris
This treaty ended the Revolution with delegates from the American States and Great Britain. -
Land Ordinance of 1785
The Land Ordinance of 1785 set up the system of splitting western lands into territories. -
Shays's Rebellion
Shays's Rebelion was a series of protests against the collection of taxes. -
Constitutional Convention
This convention was originally set up to revise to Articles of Confederation, but they decided to right a completely new constitution. -
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
This provided the method for admitting new states to the union, and the rights that they would be provided. -
Ratification of the Constitution
Nine of the thirteen states ratifed the new constitution, and guaranteed a new government for the new nation. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion was an uprising over the excise tax on whiskey. Washington sent over 13,000 troops to put a stop to this, showing that the new government will do whatever they see necessary. -
Washington's Farewell Address
Washington's farewell address warned against several things such as political parties and long term allies. -
X Y Z Affair
This affair was a confrontation between France and America when John Adams sent delegates to speak with Talleyrand, but they were refused entry. -
Alien and Sediton Acts
These were four bills that resticted both the powers of the first ammendment and an immigrants ability to become a citizen. -
Convention of 1800
The Convention of 1800 was a peace agreement between France and America to end hostilities. -
Election of 1800
This was the first presidential election that had political parties. Thomas Jefferson defeated Joh Adams to become president. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana territory was purchased from France for $15 million as a counter offer when delegates were sent to purchase New Orleans. -
Marbury v. Madison
Marbury filed a lawsuit when his commissions were withheld, but justice marshall deemed the law that Marbury said was violated unconstitutional. This court case set up the practice of judicial review. -
Non-Intercourse Act
This act replaced the embargo act, changing the embargo to one against only Britain and France. -
War of 1812
America declared war against Britain in hopes of seizing Canada and stopping the harsh practices of Britain imposed on the Americans. -
Battle of the Thames
At the Battle of The Thames, General Harrison and his troops were able to take over and defeat the redcoats. This was also the battle where Tecumseh was killed. -
Hartford Convention
Several delegates met to discuss their concerns with the War of 1812 at this convention in Hartford, Connecticut. -
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was fought after the War of 1812 was ended by the Treaty of Ghent that was signed on Christmas day in 1814. -
elction of 1816
At the end of Madison's two-term presidency, the United States elected Monroe as their new president. -
Rush- Bagot Agreement
The United States and the United Kingdom limited naval armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, following the War of 1812 through this treaty. -
Panic of 1819
The Panic of 1819 was the first major peacetime financial crisis in the United States followed by a general collapse of the American economy persisting through 1821. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
MAryland tried to destroy a branch of the bank by taxing its notes. Marshall declared the bank constitutional by the ideals of Hamilton. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an effort by Congress to defuse the sectional and political rivalries triggered by the request of Missouri late in 1819 for admission as a state in which slavery would be permitted. At the time, the United States contained twenty-two states, evenly divided between slave and free -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine stated that further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with states in North or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression, requiring U.S. intervention. -
Erie Canal
On this date, they finished the Erie Canal that connected the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean through the Hudson. -
Indian Removal Act
Andrew Jackson passed this bill that forced the relocation of thousands of native Americans to west of the Mississippi. -
mechanical Reaper
Cyrus McCormick developed the worlds first mechanicl reaper. It was wheat's equivalent to the cotton gin and made harvesting much more efficient. -
The Alamo
General Santa Anna launched an attack on the Alamo killing all of the missionaries and defenders inside. -
Panic of 1837
The Panic of 1837 was followed by a five-year depression with failed banks and unprecedented unemployment levels -
Trail of Tears
Several thousand Cherokee Indians were removed and forced to relocate to Oklahoma on a journey will most died. -
Formation of the Republican Party
Former members of the Whig Party met to establish a new party to oppose the spread of slavery into the western territories. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
It allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery within their borders. -
Brooks Sumner incident
Representative Preston Brooks attacked Senator Charles Sumner with a walking cane in retaliation for a speech given by Sumner two days earlier. The beating nearly killed Sumner. -
Pottawatomie Massacre
John Brown and a band of abolitionist settlers killed and mutliated five settlers at Pottawatomie Creek. -
The Panic of 1857
The Panic of 1857 was a financial panic in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. -
The Tariff of 1857
The Tariff of 1857 was a major tax reduction in the United States, creating a lowpoint for tariffs. -
Dred Scott Decision
This monumental court case ruled that slaves were personal property no matter where they were located in the United States. It would be unconstitutional for one to sue in a federal court becasue, in the eyes of the law, they are not a human being or legal citizen. -
Lecompton Constitution
The Lecompton Constitution was a proposed, but rejected, constitution for the state of Kansas that allowed its citizens to vote for or against slavery. -
The Impending Crisis of the South
This novel, published by Hinton Helper, was against slavery, but said that those who suffered the most were the non-slaveholding southern whites. -
Lincoln–Douglas Debates
The Lincoln–Douglas Debates of 1858 were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate for the United States Senate from Illinois, and incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas, the Democratic Party candidate. -
Harper's Ferry
John Brown led an attack on the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry. He had originally planned for several slaves to join him, but was proved wrong. -
Death of John Brown
In Charles Town, Virginia, militant abolitionist John Brown is executed on charges of treason, murder, and insurrection. -
Lincoln's Election
Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the Northern faction of a heavily divided Democratic Party, as well as Breckinridge and Bell. This subsequently led to the secession of South Carolina and the other six confederate states. -
Crittenden Compromise
It aimed to resolve the secession crisis of 1860–1861 by addressing the fears and grievances about slavery that led many slave-holding states to contemplate secession from the United States. -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina becomes the first state to officially secede from the Union during the time between Lincoln's election and his Inauguration.
