-
Jamestown Settlement
Jamestown was the first successful English settlement on the mainland of North America. It was named for King James I of England. Jamestown was founded in the Colony of Virginia. Jamestown was founded for the purposes of a quick profit from gold mining for its investors while also establishing a permanent foothold in North America for England. -
Virginia House of Burgesses
It is the first legislative assembly in English North America. The changes of 1619 also created a legislative body to be elected by the colonists called the House of Burgesses, similar to the British Parliament, that would meet once annually at Jamestown. The first meeting of the Houses occurred on July 30, 1619, at Jamestown. It was the first such assembly in the Americas. This first session accomplished little, however; it was cut short by an outbreak of malaria. -
Rhode Island Founded
After being expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony, Roger Williams founded Rhode Island, which became the first English colony to grant complete religious tolerance. Roger Williams was banished to England by the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his beliefs in separation of church and state and freedom of religion. He fled and lived with the Narragansett Indians and formed Providence in 1636. -
Salem Witch Trials
It was a series of hearings before local magistrates followed by county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693. The best-known trials were conducted in Salem Town. Over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned. All twenty-six who went to trial were convicted. -
First Great Awakening
It was a religious revival in American religious history. The Great Awakening begins in New England,in 1734, ignited by Jonathan Edwards, who sermons in Northampton, Mass., emphasize human depravity and divine omnipotence. It incresed the interest for religion, church membership, and the formation of new religious movements and denominations. -
Declaration of Independence
It announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire. It was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. -
Articles of Confederation
It was ratified until March 1, 1781. It was the first constitution of the United States. The Articles were created by the representatives of the states in the Second Continental Congress out of a perceived need to have "a plan of confederacy for securing the freedom, sovereignty, and independence of the United States." Nationalists felt that the Articles lacked the necessary requirements for an effective government. It was later replaced in 1788 by the U.S. Constitution. -
Treaty of Paris
It was ratified by the Congress of Confederation on January 14th, 1784, and by the King of Great Britian on April 9th, 1784. This treaty ended the American Revolutionary War. The document was signed at the Hotel d'York by Adams, Franklin, Jay, and Hartley. It ceded all land west of the Mississippi River. -
Bill of Rights
It was ratified on December 15th, 1791. This is the name of the first 10 amendments of the U.S constitution. It was introduced by James Madison in 1789. It is a series of limitations on the power of the U.S federal government, protecting peoples rights. -
U.S Constitution
It was created on September 17, 1787 and ratified in 1788. It is the supreme law of the United States. It is the framework of the government and the relationship of the federal government and the states, citizens, and people within the U.S. It replaced the Articles of Confederation. -
George Washington Elected
He was in office from April 30th, 1789 to March 4th, 1797. His vice president was John Adams. The electoral college elected Washington unanimously as the first president. He remains the only president to have recieved 100% of all the electoral votes. -
Marbury v. Madison
Marbury v. Madison was the first time the Supreme Court declared something "unconstitutional", and established the concept of judicial review in the U.S. The landmark decision helped define the "checks and balances" of the American form of government. It was argued on February 11, 1803, and decided on February 24, 1803. -
Lousiana Purchase
It nearly doubled the size of the United States. The U.S paid 15 million dollars for it. They purchased this territoy from france. This purchase was a vital moment in the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. -
Indian Removal Act
It was signed into law by President Jackson. While the removal was supposed to be voluntary, great pressure was put onto Native American leaders to sign removal treaties. This act was strongly supported in the South where states were eager to gain access to new lands. -
Civil War
It ended in April 9th, 1865. Battle sites include Antietam and Gettysburg. The Union (North) was victorious over the Confederacy (South). As a result, slavery was abolished and the United States was preserved as one narion. -
Lincoln's Assasination
Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C. The assasination was planned out by John Wilkes Booth as part of a larger conspiracy in effort to rally the remaning confederate troops to continue fighting. Lincoln was the first American president to be assasinated. Boothe shot him in the back of the head by the left ear. -
End of Reconstruction
President Hayes kept his campaign promise to remove federal troops from the South, ending the period known as Reconstruction. President Hayes promised to withdraw federal troops from the South if he became President. He kept his promise, thus ending the Era of Reconstruction in the South.
The end of Reconstruction returned control of the government in the South to the white southerners who promptly disenfranchised African-Americans. -
19th Amendment to the Unites States Constitution
The 19th amendment guarantees all American women the right to vote. On May 21, 1919, the House of Representatives passed the amendment, and 2 weeks later, the Senate followed. It appeared that the amendment might fail by one vote in the Tennessee house, but twenty-four-year-old Harry Burns surprised observers by casting the deciding vote for ratification. -
U.S involved in World War II
Japan pushed the United States into the struggle by attacking the American Naval base at Pearl Harbor. Four days later, Hitler declared war against the U.S.. Roosevelt called on Congress for immediate and massive expansion of the armed forces. The Americans were part of the Allies and had to support them. In the end, the Allies defeated the Axis. -
Kennedy's Assasination
He was killed in Dallas, Texas at 12:30 pm. He was fatally shot while riding with his wife in a presidential motocade. He was assasinated by Lee Harvey Oswald.Kennedy was shot by Sniper Rifle. Kennedy's assasinator was never put to trial, because he was murdered by Jack Ruby. -
U.S Moon Landing
The U.S's Apollo 11 was the first man mission to land on the moon. It was the first time a United States man walked on the moon. 35 years ago Neil Armstrong did something that no one had ever done, set foot on the moon. While on the moon, he said these well known words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. " -
The NAFTA
The North American free trade agreement is an agreement signed by the government of Canada, Mexico, and the United States. This created a trade bloc in North America. As of 2007, this bloc is the largest in the world. The NAFTA has two supplements, the NAAEC and NAALC. -
September 11th Attacks
This was a series of coordinated suicide attaacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States. On this morning, 19 terrorists hijacked 4 commercial passanger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed 2 of the airlines into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. They killed everyone on board, and many others were killed in the buildings. Both buildings collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. -
First African American President Elected
The first African American president to be elected was Barack Obama. Obama easily won the 270 electoral votes that he needed for victory. When he was elected, he became the fifth youngest president ever, at age 47. He is the 44th president of the United States. -
U.S. Combat Mission ends in Iraq
This war was officiially ended on August 31st. During this, the U.S. suffered 4,421 deaths in Iraq, of which, 2,492 were killed in action. it is estimated that the United States spend over $1 trillion on the war. The US surge that took place in the last year of the Bush Administration was clearly successful in nearly ended the sectarian violence and bringing a sense of order to the country. The surge corresponded with what is known as the Sunni Awakening in which the Sunni minority stopped fight
