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Jamestown (1607)
Jamestown was the first colony to be established in America by immigrants from England. The came to America for religious freedom and to start a new life. They created The Mayflower Compact in order to establish a political group and make laws. It was known as their first self-government. It was also useful so that later they could form a representative government. -
The 13 Colonies
The 13 colonies are the colonies that were established by the people who came from England. The 13 colonies were separated into 3 regions: New England, Middle, and Southern. The New England Colonies were Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The Middle Colonies were New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The Southern Colonies were Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and George. -
Causes of the American Revolution
There were many laws and acts that the Americans believed to be unfair, and therefore went to war. A few of theses acts/laws and the Proclamation of 1763, The Stamp Act of 1765, The Quartering Act of 1765, The Townshend Act of 1767, Boston Massacre in 1770, The Tea Act in 1773, The Boston Tea Party in 1773, and The Intolerable Act in 1774. All these acts led to ¨No Taxation Without Representation¨ The colonists said that they should be taxed by the British Parliament, but they were anyway. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was created after the battle of Lexington and Concord. Itś purpose was to declare independence from Britain and it also listed grievances the Americans had. It was written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. -
American Revolution
The American Revolution was fought in order for the Americans to get independence from Britain. The list of battles in order are the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Saratoga, the Winter at Valley Forge, and the Battle of Yorktown. The treaty that ended the war was called the Treaty of Paris of 1783. -
The Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance was a result of the American Revolution. The war left the U.S. government with significant war debts. Large states were given the chance to pay off these debts when the Articles of Confederation was passed. The Northwest Ordinance included a list of rights that gave settlers the privileges as other citizens and allowed them a new procedure to accept new states into America. -
The Constitution
The Constitution was created in 1787. It includes Articles one through seven. Articles one, two, and three make up the three branches of government. One is the legislative branch, two is the executive branch, and three is the judicial branch. The Constitution also includes 7 principles: popular sovereignty, republicanism, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, limited government, and individual rights. It also include the Bill of Rights, which includes the ten amendments. -
The First President
The first president of America was President George Washington. He was elected unanimously. However, George Washington did not wish to be president. He wanted to retire to Mount Vernon after serving as the Commander of the Continental Army, but his desire for a strong country and his civic virtue led him to accept the presidency. He was elected into presidency twice, but once he was done, he created a farewell address. He said don't make political parties, remain neutral, and avoid sectionalism. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was made in 1803 and was bought by Thomas Jefferson, who was the president at the time. The land was bought from the French for about 15 million dollars. The Louisiana Purchase doubled the original size of America. This gave us full control of the Mississippi River and it allowed more land for agriculture and settlements. Two men named Lewis and Clark went on an expedition along the Mississippi River to explore this new land. -
War of 1812
The War of 1812 began when James Madison was president. The war started because the British were interfering with our trade with other countries, impressment of American sailors (British), the British asked for help from the Native Americans against the Americans, and Warhawks supported having a war. Some effects of the war was that U.S. manufacturing increased, the U.S. gained worldwide respect, increased American patriotism, and it improved professionalism of the U.S. Army. -
Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis was a time when tariffs were a big thing in the U.S. They were passed in order to increase U.S manufacturing, however, since the South was relying on trade, southerners were not okay with these tariffs because they increased the price on foreign goods. And so, the South threatened to us military actions and secede from the U.S. This created a lot of tension between the North and South and will eventually lead to a major event later on. -
Westward Expansion
Westward Expansion was a time when Andrew Jackson was still president and when people believe strongly in Manifest Destiny, the belief that Americans were destined to expand west. The longest journey throughout Manifest Destiny was the Oregon Trail. Americans found gold in Sutterś Mill, California, one of the main reasons for immigration. This was a time were more mines and railroads were being built. A law was also passed in order to encourage it, the Homestead Act. -
The Age of Jackson
The Age of Jackson is pretty important in American history because it leads to many laws that we have today. For example, men do not have to own property to vote. This was also a time for many other important events. Some examples are the Indian Removal Act, the Nullification Crisis, and the Trail of Tears. These events mostly led to more tension in the U.S. and to the Native Americans. And while the Native Americans tried to sue, they failed, leading to Trail of Tears. (Worcester v. Georgia) -
U.S.-Mexican War
The U.S.-Mexican War began because Americans and Mexicans were debating on where to draw the line for the border. James K. Polk, the president at the time, sent troops over to the Rio Grande River, however Mexico saw this as an invasion and declared war on the U.S. In the end, the U.S. won and not only made the Rio Grande the border, but they also bought land from Mexico for about 15 mil. dollars. They also gained land from the British and gained control over Texas and California. -
Slavery in the 1800s
Throughout the 1800s, slavery was always a big debate between the North and South. The North fought for the abolishment of slavery while the South believed in spreading it and making it more popular in other places. This is because the South's economy relied on slavery. Many movements and laws were made in response to this argument: Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, Fugitive Slave Law, Wilmot Proviso, Kansas-Nebraska Act. -
Sectionalism
Sectionalism was one of the main reasons for the Civil War starting. One big thing in Sectionalism was slavery, like I said before, but there were other things too. One of those things being tariffs. The South was completely against tariffs while the North enjoyed them. However, the MAJOR thing that separated the Nation was the Election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. THe South tried to prevent this by not allowing his name to shown on voting ballots. BUt he still won, leading to the South seceding. -
Civil War
The Civil War is one of the most major events in U.S. history. This is because it could have led to our nation being split apart. In the War, there were 2 sides: The Union and the Confederate States. Abraham Lincoln was president of the Union and Jefferson Davis was president of the Confederate States. There were many battle fought throughout this war. Some the Union won, some the Confederate States won. But it all ends when the South surrenders to the Union, and the Unions takes victory in war. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863 during the Civil War. Its purpose was to set all the slaves in the South free and to encourage them to join the Union Army. This upset the Confederate States because their economic system would change and because they saw slaves as their property. However, the Union was very happy with this because it not only let the slaves free, but it also meant that they would have more soldiers, which means a better chance to win. -
Slaves Now Free
Now that slaves are free because of the Emancipation Proclamation, they had nowhere to go because they had been slaves that don't make money. And so, the Freedmen's Bureau was signed. The Freedmen's Bureau provided food, clothing, shelter, and more to the now free African Americans. However, the South was still upset that slaves were freed, so they established the black codes, and organizations like the KKK were formed. These things didn't allow blacks to have certain rights whites had. -
Reconstruction
Reconstruction was a very important time because it was a time where the North and South picked themselves back up after the war. Abraham Lincoln thought it unjust to punish the South after the war because he believed that both sides have suffered enough, and therefore did not punish them, even when everyone else thought that they should be. During this time, the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were signed. They were rights for former slaves, saying they could vote, be citizens, and be free.
