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Period: 1400 to
European Exploration
During these years, Europeans explored different parts of the world for many purposes. The main purposes included, searching for power, pursuing trade, and spreading their religion. Christoper Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, and Vasco de Gama are among some of the most famous European explorers. -
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Slavery
During this time, people were taken from their home continent of Africa and brought to the American Colonies where they were forced to become slaves. Slaves were considered to be the property of their slave owner and were not given any rights that free citizens had. The majority of slaves were bought to do domestic labor like working as field hands on a plantation. -
Triangular Trade
A triangular trade is when goods are exchanged between three different regions. During this time, the Colonies and Britain traded goods and people across the Atlantic Ocean. It is known as the Triangular Trade because the path of trade between America, Great Britain, and Africa created a triangular shape. -
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Revolutionary War
The Revolutionary War was between the British and the Colonists. During the war, the Colonists gained their independence from Great Britain. The war ended when the Treaty of Paris was signed which was when Great Britain agreed that the 13 Colonies were now there own country called the United States of America. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. It was written as a letter that explained why the colonists deserved independence over Great Britain. The document was accepted by twelve out of thirteen states on July 4, 1776. -
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Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation were written in 1777 and acted as the first written constitution of the United States after it declared its independence from Great Britain. The Articles of Confederation formed the United States government and included the powers that it would have. They were written by thirteen members of the Second Continental Congress. -
Constitution
The United States Constitution was written in 1787 and it established the three branches of government; legislative, executive, and judicial. It also told the powers that each branch held. The purpose was to limit the power that the government had in order to protect the rights of the citizens. -
Bill of Rights
James Madison wrote twelve amendments and only ten were passed by the states. Those ten became The Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights consist of the first ten amendments of the Constitution. These ten amendments include the rights and freedoms of all American citizens. -
Invention of the Cotton Gin
The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney and it was created to quickly separate seeds from the fibres in cotton. It helped make cotton more profitable for slave owners. Slavery spread further as a result of the cotton gin because cotton could now be grown in almost any area with the new invention. -
Invention of the Steamboat
The steamboat was invented by Robert Fulton. It benefited America because it helped increase the speed of the transportation of goods and also increased exploration. Steamboats were most commonly used to carry cotton and sugar. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was when the United States purchased 530,000,000 acres of territory from France for $15 million. This land stretched across North America west of the Mississippi River. President Thomas Jefferson wanted to purchase this land because it gave the country access to the Mississippi River and New Orleans which were great for trade. -
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Lewis and Clark
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark explored the land that was acquired during the Louisiana Purchase. During their journey, they discovered over 100 new plants and animals. They were also able to create over 100 maps of the new region. -
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War of 1812
The War of 1812 fought between Great Britain and the United States because of things like the trade restrictions and territorial issues. The war ended with the Treaty of Ghent which was when Great Britain agreed to give up their claims to the Northwest Territory. Both countries also agreed to work toward ending the slave trade. -
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Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the time when the the United States economy transitioned to new machinery and technology. These advances helped make industries more efficient. During this time, inventions like the sewing machine arrived and the first oil well was drilled. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was a speech to Congress that was given in 1823. It was
written by President James Monroe and John Quincy Adams. This document declared that the United States had control over the Western Hemisphere and Europe did not. -
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Trail of Tears
President Andrew Jackson had an Indian removal policy where tribes were forced out of their land east of the Mississippi. They journeyed all the way to their new territory, which is now Oklahoma. This was known as the Trail of Tears because the people faced awful consequences like hunger and disease. -
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny was the idea that the United States was given the right by God to take control over North America. The people that believed this felt like they had the right to expand the territory and spread their beliefs. Newspaper writer, John L. Sullivan, coined the term in the 1840s. -
Westward Movement
The United States continued to add new land westward. In the 1850s, the Gadsden Purchase added an additional 30,000 square miles of territory to the United States. During the 1850s, California and Oregon became new states. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott was a slave that was first held in Missouri. He was taken to the free state of Illinois and later moved to Wisconsin, which was a free territory. When he was taken back to Missouri, he was no longer free. He sued for his freedom because he believed that because he spent time in free states, he should be free. The Supreme Court decision stated that Congress could not ban slavery in territories that were not states. -
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Civil War
The Civil War was fought between the northern (Union) and the southern (Confederacy) parts of the United States. The states in the north wanted to stay as one united country while the southern states wanted to become separate from the north. The southern states wanted to become their own country so the power would not be taken from them and so they would not lose their slaves. -
13th Amendment-Abolition of Slavery
The 13th Amendment in the United States Constitution completely abolished slavery unless it was punishment for a crime. This amendment also banned involuntary servitude, which was when a person worked for another to pay off a debt. This amendment was passed in April of 1864. -
14th Amendment-Equal Treatment Under the Law
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution granted citizenship to African Americans and slaves who had been granted freedom after the Civil War. This Amendment also gave them equal rights and protection under the law. It was passed in 1866 and was ratified in 1868. -
15th Amendment-Voting Rights for Black Men
The 15th Amendment of the United States Constitution granted the right to vote to African American men. The Amendment stated that no man could be denied the right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." This Amendment was ratified by the states in February of 1870 -
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World War I
In World War I, many countries fought. The main countries fighting were Germany, Austria-Hungry, Turkey, and Bulgaria fought against the U.S., Great Britain, France, Belgium, and Russia. It started when the Germans invaded Belgium in August of 1914. It ended in the year 1919 when the Treaty of Versailles was signed. -
19th Amendment-Voting Rights for Women
The 19th Amendment of the United States granted women the right to vote. This Amendment banned the denial of the right to vote based off of a person's sex. It was ratified in August of 1920. -
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Great Depression
The Great Depression began in October of 1929 after the stock market crashed. Many people had invested in stocks in the 1920s, so once the market crashed many people lost all of their money. During the early 1930s, several million people were jobless and those that did have jobs, only made about half of what they made before the crash. During this time, the weather was very dry, which made it harder for farmers to grow crops. -
New Deal
The New Deal included a group of programs created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. These programs were meant to help the country bounce back from the Great Depression. Some of the programs were designed to help unemployed citizens by helping them find jobs working in national forests, building roads, or creating art for buildings. -
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World War II
World War II was fought between this Allies and the Axis. The Allies included; Great Britain, France, Russia, China, and the U.S. The Axis included; Germany, Italy, and Japan. The war began when Great Britain and France declared war on Germany after Germany invaded Poland. Over 70 million people were killed in this war making it the deadliest war in American History. -
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Korean War
The Korean War was fought between North and South Korea. Russia supported North Korea and the U. S. along with many other centuries supported South Korea. The war began because Korea was divided into two with the North wanted Communism and the South did not. Today, Korea is still divided and North Korea is under communist control. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
The court case, Brown vs. Board of Education, dealt with the issue of segregation in public schools in the United States. In 1954, the Supreme Court decided that students of different races should not be forced to go to separate schools. This Supreme Court decision motivated African Americas to continue to fight for their rights during the Civil Rights Movement. -
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Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest that happened during the Civil Rights Movement. The protest began with Rosa Parks. She was an African American woman who was fined and arrested after not giving up her seat on the bus to a white man. African Americans protested this by not riding the city bus from December 5, 1955 to December 20, 1956. -
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Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam along with their allies, the United States. The main reason the war began was that communism had been spreading though Asia as a result of the Cold War. The war ended in 1975 after the country was unified once communists gained control over South Vietnam. -
"I Have a Dream" Speech
Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have A Dream" speech outside of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. In this speech, he described his hope for the future of the United States. He wished that people of all different races could live together peacefully in the United States. -
September 11
On September 11, 2001, there were four organized terrorist attacks by a violent Islamist group called al-Qaeda. During these attacks, four airplanes were highjacked. Two planes were flown into the World Trade Center's twin towers while another was flown into the Pentagon in Arlington, VA.