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Oct 12, 1492
Christopher Columbus arrived in the Caribbean
He first landed in the Caribbean, and thought he had landed in India. The natives he met on the island were dubbed "indians". -
Jun 7, 1494
The Treaty of Tordesillas was created
This was a line drawn to divide discovered land between countries. -
Jun 24, 1494
John Cabot claims Newfoundland for England
He was the first English explorer, and eventually led to the rest of English colonization. -
Period: Jan 1, 1500 to Dec 31, 1500
Major explorers searched America
Explorers included Balboa, Magellan, Cortez and Pizarro. -
England defeats the Spanish Armada
This ended England's relationship with Spain. -
Virginia House of Burgesses is established
This was the America's first representative assembly. -
Mayflower left England
A group of 120 (half were Separatists, half were Puritans) left England and established the Plymouth Bay Colony. -
The Dutch West India Company founded New Amsterdam
The Dutch established this land, which would later be New York, primarily as a trading post. -
A charter was given to establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony
John Winthrop was the first governor, and said that "we shall be as a city on a hill." -
Maryland was established as a proprietary colony
The purpose was for money, religious freedom, and diversity. -
Period: to
New England Confederation
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Peter Minuit established Delaware as a Swedish colony
Delaware was very similar to Pennsylvania. -
Period: to
England's Navigation Acts
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King Charles II created the colony of Carolina
South Carolina became a royal colony in 1719. -
New Jersey was made a proprietary colony
The Duke of York gave a proprietary land grant to George Carteret and Lord Berkely. -
Period: to
King Philip's War
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A constitution for Pennsylvania was drafted
The land of Pennsylvania was given to William Penn, who established it as a "society of friends". -
King James II establishes New York as a royal colony
It was origionally a Dutch settlement, but the English took it over. -
North Carolina obtained a royal charter
North Carolina was first established in 1653 as a buffer colony, but it wasn't until 1729 that it recieved its charter. -
Period: to
Great Awakening
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Georgia was founded
Georgia was founded by James Oglethorpe as a buffer colony. -
Period: to
French and Indian War
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Proclamation Act of 1763
This prohibited settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains. -
Sugar Act
Britain wanted to raise money to pay off its debt. -
Boston Massacre
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Boston Tea Party
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Britain issues the Intolerable Acts
These were spurred as a response to the Boston Tea Party. -
Committees of Correspondance met
They met to discuss rebellion of the Intolerable Acts. -
Battle of Lexington
Samuel Adams called this "a glorious day for America". -
Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson wrote it, and America officially claimed its independence from England. -
Articles of Confederations Ratified
The Articles, first written in 1777, were finally ratified for all the states as a loose, ineffective form of government. -
Treaty of Paris signed
The Treaty of Paris, which formally ended the Revolutionary War after Britain surrendered. -
The Constitution goes into effect
After the ninth state of New Hampshire ratified the document, it officially replaced the Articles of Confederation. Many states refused to sign it until a Bill of Rights was added on. -
Washington elected as the first president
By unanimous vote, war general George Washington was inaugurated on a balcony overlooking Wall Street. -
Period: to
French Revolution
The French Revolution had an enormous impact onAmericans; they were happy that their revolution had sparked others to reform. -
Northwest Land Ordinance
The ordinance, which described dividing land west of the Appalachians into six-mile townships, was confimed by Congress. -
National Bank Created
The National Bank was suggested by Alexander Hamilton as a way to develop industry and promote the northern economy. -
Washington's Neutrality Proclamation
Washington decided the new, weak country needed to stay neutral and away from European affairs until they had strength of their own. -
Washington Ends the Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion, atarted by farmers in 1791, was overwhelmed by Washington's extravagant punishment of sending 13,000 troops to stop the rebellion, which was as many as were in the origional Confederate Army. -
Jay's Treaty
Jay's Treaty was signed on this day; it demanded that Britain clear out of American forts and pay for ship seizures. However, Britain demanded that Americans still pay off all pre-Revolution debts. -
Pickney's Treaty
Established bounderies between America and Spanish colonies. -
John Adams elected 2nd US president
After a fierce run against Thomas Jefferson, the irratable, stubborn John Adams won the election of 1796. -
The XYZ Affair
France did not accept any negotions with America, which eventually led to an undeclared war between the two countries. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts, proposed under John Adams, severely cut back freedoms of speech, press, and the right of a fair trial of Americans. These turned many Federalists into Democratic-Republicans. -
Leif Ericson first landed in North America
Ericson was from the Norse tribe, and the Vikings were a nomadic group who roamed North America.