-
Formation of continental congress
Colonists form First Continental Congress as Britain closes down Boston harbor and deploys troops in Massachusetts. -
American revolution
George Washington leads the Continental Army to fight against British rule. -
July 4
Declaration of Independence endorsed by Congress; colonies declare independence. -
Loose Confederaion
Rebel states form loose confederation after defeating the British at the Battle of Yorktown. -
Treaty of Paris
Britain accepts loss of colonies by virtue of Treaty of Paris. -
Creation of the Constitution
Founding Fathers draw up a new constitution for the United States of America. Constitution comes into effect in 1788. -
George Washington becomes first president
George Washington elected the first president of the USA. -
Bill of Rights
Bill of Rights guarantees individual freedom. -
19th century
Residual resistance by indigenous people crushed as immigration from Europe assumes mass proportions, with settlers moving westwards and claiming "manifest destiny" to control North America; the number of states in the union rises from 17 to 45. -
Washington D.C
Washington D.C becomes the nation's official capital. -
Louisiana Purchase
France sells Louisiana territories to the USA. -
Atlantic Slave Trade Abolished
Atlantic slave trade abolished. -
War of 1812
War of 1812 between the US and Britain, partly over the effects of British restrictions on US trade during the Napoleonic Wars. -
Nat Turner Slave Insurrection
Nat Turner was a slave who became a preacher and made history as the leader of one of the bloodiest slave revolts in America on August 21, 1831. Following the insurrection, Turner hid for six weeks, but he was eventually caught and later hanged -
Annexation of Mexican territory
The US acquires vast tracts of Mexican territory in the wake of the Mexican War including California and New Mexico. -
Gold Rush
In 1848, gold is discovered in California causing a surge of people to rush to California for a chance to hit it rich. -
Republican Party Established
Opponents of slavery, or abolitionists, set up Republican Party -
Secession
Eleven pro-slavery southern states secede from Union and form the Confederate States of America, triggering civil war with abolitionist northern states. -
Lincoln Elected
Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln elected president. -
Emancipation proclamation
Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation, declaring slaves in Confederate states to be free. -
Union Victory
- Confederates defeated; slavery abolished under the Thirteenth Amendment. Lincoln is assassinated.
-
Beginning of Reconstruction
The Reconstruction era was the period in American history which lasted from 1863 to 1877. In this period, things that were destroyed were rebuilt. Also, it was a social reconstruction -
Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a 1,912-mile continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs, Iowa with the Pacific coast at the Oakland Long Wharf on San Francisco Bay. -
The Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-born scientist and inventor best known for inventing the first working telephone in 1876 and founding the Bell Telephone Company in 1877 -
Spanish American War
The US gains Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, and Cuba following the Spanish-American war. The US annexes Hawaii.