-
Battles of Lexington and Concord
These were the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. At the Battle of Lexington, the fighting was started by an anonymous shot fired. It resulted in 8 minutemen dead and 9 wounded. One British soldier died. At the battle of Concord the British discovered some of the weapons of the minutemen and burned them. Then the minutemen pushed the British army out of Concord towards Lexington with gunfire. Ultimately, 250 redcoats were killed/wounded and 90 colonists were killed or wounded. -
Battle of Saratoga
There were actually 2 battle of the Revolutionary War fought at Saratoga. The first was fought 09/19/77 and the second 10/07/77. The British technically won the first battle but it left them short on supplies and distressed. The colonial win at the second battle is what convinced the French to enter the war as an American ally. The continental army defeated a prominent British general in these battles and caused him to surrender only days later. These battles were a huge turning point. -
Battle of Yorktown
Aka the Siege of Yorktown. General George Washington led 17,000 troops into Yorktown, VA and had 9,000 already stationed there. Washington received word that General Cornwallis of the British army was trying to leave Yorktown and ordered 5,000 troops to block his route by land. He then ordered the French naval fleet to block his other escape route. They had the British trapped and surrounded. The continental army waited him out for 3 weeks. Then Cornwallis surrendered and they won the war. -
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance set a precedent for how to annex new territories into the union. After it was passed by Congress, Virginia ceded some of its territory to the federal government and inspired other states to do the same. It said that each new territory in the northwest would be appointed a governor and council. After their population exceeded 5,000 they could choose gov't officials of their own. After 60,000 they could write a constitution and gain statehood. It did not allow for slavery. -
Marbury v Madison
This was a Supreme Court case under the John Marshall Court. It affirmed the concept of judicial review for the judicial branch and strengthened the power of the federal government. The ruling said Madison was wrong for not allowing Marbury his seat appointed by prior president -
Alien and Sedition Acts
These were a series of 4 laws passed by congress pertaining to immigration and freedom of speech. They were the results of the feuding Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties. The Naturalization and Alien Enemies Acts placed unfair restrictions that legalized discrimination and made it harder to acquire citizenship. The Sedition Acts imposed on freedom of speech, especially political speech. These were important to US history because they violated the Bill of Rights and were nullified. -
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
These were laws passed by the state legislatures of Virginia and Kentucky to oppose the Alien and Sedition Acts. They were written anonymously by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. They felt the states had the right to overpower the Acts. However, under the Constitution the states did not have that right. They had to nullify the acts on a federal level. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States. It was 828,000,000 sq. miles of territory purchased from France by former president Thomas Jefferson. From this territory the US acquired 15 new states. Jefferson bought the territory for only 15 million which was considered a very good bargain price. Jefferson ordered Lewis and Clark to explore the Louisiana Territory. -
Missouri Compromise
This was set in place as a way to resolve tensions about whether Missouri should be admitted as a slave or a free state. The compromise said that Missouri could be admitted as a slave state, but Maine had to be admitted as a free state and other states admitted north of a certain latitude (part of the Louisiana Purchase) had to be admitted as free states. It set the precedent that Congress could make laws regarding slavery. It was repealed later by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe doctrine was put into effect by Pres. James Monroe. It said that old world (europe) had a different way than the new world (US) and they had no right to involve themselves in western affairs. It also prohibited any further European colonization in the western hemisphere. This set the precedent for US foreign policy for the presidents to come. -
Nullification Crisis
Nullifying is when a state decides to suspend federal law within it's own borders. The crisis was started by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison when they attempted to nullify the Alien and Sedition acts. They passed the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions in response. This prompted South Carolina to agree with the concept and attempt nullifying federal tariff laws as well. The state then threatened to secede if their nullification was not respected by the federal government. -
Texas Annexation
Texas was admitted during the Mexican-American War as the 28th state. The annexation of Texas caused great conflict and tension between the United States and Mexico because Texas had once been a territory of Mexico. Texas declared it's independence but Mexico did not respect it. Initially, formal action for annexing Texas was delayed because of the debate over slavery and free states. When Texas was finally admitted it was admitted as a slave state. -
Oregon Treaty
The Oregon Territory was mapped out during the Lewis and Clark expedition in search of a Northwest Passage. After the territory was explored citizens of the US began migrating there in search of better life. They traveled the famous 'Oregon Trail'. The territory added the states of Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Montana and some parts of modern day Canada. It was initially settled by both British and Americans but a border was officially established at the 49th parallel. -
Mexican Cession (Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo)
The territory that the US acquired from Mexico after Texas, was ceded (besides territory from the Gadsen purchase). These were the terms of the peace treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona were added under the treaty. The Mexican Cession caused lasting tension between Mexico and the US and caused Mexicans to resent Americans. The slave-state and free-state balance was upheld in the acquisition of these territories. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 is accredited for resolving some of the slave-state to free-state ratio tensions that arose from the Mexican-American War. It was composed of 5 main points but of these, California was admitted into the Union as a free state and the slave trade agreement in Washington D.C was abolished. It also settled a boundary dispute between Texas and New Mexico. It determined that Utah and New Mexico would be admitted with the option of popular sovereignty over slavery dispute. -
Bleeding Kansas
The Kansas-Nebraska act was passed and conflicted with the latitude boundaries set by the Missouri Compromise. The Kansas-Nebraska Act mandated popular sovereignty for the admission of Kansas and Nebraska on the matter of slavery. Many people were angered by this and fighting and violence broke out in Kansas. People traveled to Kansas to defend their interests and influence how Kansas was annexed. The Raid on Harper's Ferry was one of many results of Bleeding Kansas. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a bill that required Kansas and Nebraska have popular sovereignty to decide whether they wanted to be slave or free states. The act fueled tensions between the slave and free states and caused an outbreak of violence called 'bleeding Kansas'. The Kansas-Nebraska act terms conflicted with the terms of the Missouri Compromise and this angered many citizens. Around the same time that Kansas was admitted into the union, southern states ceded. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
The first shots of the civil war were fired in Charleston, SC at Fort Sumter, an island. The fort was occupied by the union under Major Robert Anderson. The confederate forces attacked the fort. At this battle they were led by P.G.T. Beauregard. The union lost the battle of Fort Sumter and the Confederacy took control of the island. -
Battle of Bull Run
Aka 'battle of Manassa Junction'. 35,000 troops from the union army marched to the Bull Run river and ambushed confederate forces. The confederate army fought back and forced the union to retreat. This was the 2nd official battle of the Civil War and the confederate forces won. -
Battle of Antietam
aka Battle of Sharpsburg. The confederacy was led by General Robert E. Lee at this battle. The union was led by General George McClellan. The battle had about 23,000 casualties and about 3,650 died. This battle is recognized as one of the deadliest in American history. The union claimed victory. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect under President Abraham Lincoln during the civil war. Lincoln justified it as a tactic to preserve the union. The plan was to bring the slaves into war on the sided of the union. The proclamation stated that all slaves in rebel states were to be freed. However, the rebel states had already seceded and did not feel they had to obey. Even though the legality of the proclamation is questionable, it's known to have 'freed' about 3.1 million slaves. -
Battle of Vicksburg
The Battle of Vicksburg was important to the outcome of the civil war. The union forces gained control of Vicksburg which was on the banks of the Mississippi. The control of the river gave the union a great advantage. It was the point of division between confederate states. They won by building trenches around the perimeter of the confederate forces and entrapping them. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The strategy of the confederacy for this battle was offensive. They were confident after their last win and attempted invading northern union territory of Pennsylvania. Their advances were ineffective and the union forces drove them back towards the south. The confederacy lost 28,000 men which was about 1/3 of it's army. This battle was crucial to the outcome of the war. The union lost about 23,000 men which resulted in the recognition of Gettysburg being the bloodiest battle of the civil war. -
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is the speech President Lincoln gave at the dedication ceremony for the National Cemetery of
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The address was inspirational for union citizens. Lincoln highlighted some of the concepts of the Declaration of Independence and emphasized how important it was that the union be preserved. The address followed the deadliest battle of the war so it held sentimental value. -
13th Amendment Passed
The 13th amendment is the amendment that deemed slavery and involuntary servitude illegal on a federal level. It was ratified less than a year after the end of the civil war and there were still many Americans that did not support the end of slavery. Georgia was the last state to ratify the amendment. This amendment prompted Americans to find other means of oppressing black people such as Black Codes and later Jim Crow. -
14th Amendment Passed
This amendment was aimed mostly at the African American freedmen. It said that all people born or naturalized in the US, including slaves, were to be equally protected under the law. It was an attempt to establish some sort of civil rights for African Americans because the 13th amendment, just 3 years earlier, had freed them but with no other protections. This amendment came during the 'Reconstruction Era' of US history. The 14th amendment was followed by Black Codes under Andrew Jackson. -
15th Amendment Passed
This amendment stated that African Americans now had the right to vote in state and federal elections. More specifically, that race and previous servitude could not interfere with an individual's ability to participate in elections. It also stated that the federal government would enforce it legally. The 15th amendment prompted mostly southerners to pass laws like 'grandfather clause' or the 'literacy test' to prevent or discourage African Americans from voting. -
Plessy v Ferguson
Plessy v Ferguson was a supreme court decision. The ruling validated the constitutionality of segregation on a federal level.The argument of the court was that segregation was 'separate but equal' and that an implied legal distinction on the account of race under the law was not unconstitutional. The case resulted from Homer Plessy refusing to follow the rules of a segregated bus because it imposed on his constitutional rights. The ruling inspired the implementation of more severe segregation.