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Jan 1, 1541
Discovery of the Mississippi
Hernando de Soto of Spain discovers the Mississippi River. -
Jamestown, Virginia
The first permanent English settlement in the U.S. was Jamestown, Virginia. -
The House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses, the first representative assembly in America, meets for the first time in Virginia. -
The Mayflower
November 9, the Mayflower ship lands at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with 101 colonists. -
The Mayflower Compact
On November 11, the Mayflower Compact is signed, establishing a form of local government in which the colonists agree to abide by majority rule and to cooperate for the general good of the colony. The Compact sets the precedent for other colonies as they set up governments. -
The Navagation Act
The English Crown approves a Navigation Act requiring the exclusive use of English ships for trade in the English Colonies and limits exports of tobacco and sugar and other commodities to England or its colonies. -
First American Public Library
The first American public library is founded in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin. -
The French and Indian War
The French and Indian War erupts as a result of disputes over land in the Ohio River Valley. -
Boston Massacre
British troops fire into a mob, killing five men and leading to intense public protests. -
Boston Tea Party
Group of colonial patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians board three ships in Boston harbor and dump more than 300 crates of tea overboard as a protest against the British tea tax -
First Conteniental Congress
First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia, with 56 delegates representing every colony except Georgia. Delegates include Patrick Henry, George Washington, and Samuel Adams -
First Conteniental Congress
First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia, with 56 delegates representing every colony except Georgia. Delegates include Patrick Henry, George Washington, and Samuel Adams -
Declaration of Independence
Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia -
First Official Flag of U.S.
Continental Congress approves the first official flag of the United States -
Articles of Confederation
Continental Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation, the first U.S. constitution -
Shays's Rebellion
Shays's Rebellion erupts. Farmers from New Hampshire to South Carolina take up arms to protest high state taxes and stiff penalties for failure to pay. -
George Washington Selected as President
George Washington is unanimously elected president of the United States in a vote by state electors -
U,S, Supreme Court meets for first time
U.S. Supreme Court meets for the first time at the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City -
Bill of Rights Ratified
First ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, are ratified -
Washington re-elected
Washington's second inauguration is held in Philadelphia -
John Adams become President
John Adams is inaugurated as the second president in Philadelphia -
Thomas Jefferson becomes President
Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third president in Washington, DC -
Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark set out from St. Louis, Mo., on expedition to explore the West and find a route to the Pacific Ocean. -
Jeffersons Second Inauguration
Jefferson is inaugurated for a second time. -
War of 1812
U.S. declares war on Britain over British interference with American maritime shipping and westward expansion -
James Madison Re-elected
Madison's second inauguration. -
British Capture Washington D.C.
British capture Washington, DC, and set fire to White House and Capitol -
Missouri Compromise
In an effort to maintain the balance between free and slave states, Maine (formerly part of Massachusetts) is admitted as a free state so that Missouri can be admitted as a slave state; except for Missouri, slavery is prohibited in the Louisiana Purchase lands north of latitude 36°30' -
John Quincy Adams - President
John Quincy Adams is inaugurated as the sixth president -
Andrew Jackson - President
Andrew Jackson is inaugurated as seventh president -
Indian Removal Act
President Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, which authorizes the forced removal of Native Americans living in the eastern part of the country to lands west of the Mississippi River -
Texas becomes independent
Texas declares its independence from Mexico -
Trail of Tears
More than 15,000 Cherokee Indians are forced to march from Georgia to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Approximately 4,000 die from starvation and disease along the “Trail of Tears.” -
William Henry Harrison - President
William Henry Harrison is inaugurated as the ninth president. -
Texas Joins U.S.
U.S. annexes Texas by joint resolution of Congress -
James Polk - President
James Polk is inaugurated as the 11th president -
President Taylor Dies
President Taylor dies and is succeeded by his vice president, Millard Fillmore. -
Franklin Pierce - President
Franklin Pierce is inaugurated as the 14th president -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Congress passes the Kansas-Nebraska Act, establishing the territories of Kansas and Nebraska -
Abraham Lincoln - President
Abraham Lincoln is elected president. -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina secedes from the Union -
Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America is established -
Fifteen Amendment
Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, giving blacks the right to vote -
Chicago FIre
Chicago fire kills 300 and leaves 90,000 people homeless -
Ulysses S. Grant is re-elected
Grant's second inauguration. -
James A. Garfield - President
James A. Garfield is inaugurated as the 20th president. -
President Garfield is shot
James A. Garfield is shot. -
Statue Of Liberty
Statue of Liberty is dedicated. -
American Federation of Labor
The american federation of labor is organized -
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is opened to settlers. -
Ellis Island
Ellis island becomes chief immigration station of U.S. -
President William McKinley
William McKinley is inaugurated as the 25th president -
USS Maine
USS Maine is blown up in Havana harbor. Prompting the declartion of the Spanish-American war. -
U.S. annexes Hawiaii
U.S. annexes Hawaii by an act of Congress. -
Treaty of Paris (Spanish-American War)
Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Spanish-American War. -
Panama Canal Zone
U.S. acquires Panama Canal Zone -
Wright Brothers
Wright brothers make the first controlled, sustained flight in heavier-than-air aircraft at Kitty Hawk, N.C. -
San Francisco Earthquake
San Francisco earthquake leaves 500 dead or missing and destroys about 4 sq mi of the city. -
Bureau Of Investigation
Bureau of Investigation, forerunner of the FBI, is established. -
President Taft
William Howard Taft is inaugurated as the 27th president -
President Woodrow WIlson
Woodrow Wilson is inaugurated as the 28th president -
Jeannette Rankin
Jeannette Rankin of Montana is the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. -
World War I
U.S. enters World War I, declaring war on Germany -
World War I Ends
Armistice ending World War I is signed. -
Eighteenth Amendment
Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and transportation of liquor. -
President Harding Inaugurated
Warren G. Harding is inaugurated as the 29th president. -
President Harding Signs Resolution
He signs resolution declaring peace with Austria and Germany. -
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh makes the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in his plane The Spirit of St. Louis -
President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover is inaugurated as the 31st president -
Stock Market Crash
Stock market crash precipitates the Great Depression. -
The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner is adopted as the national anthem. -
Hattie Caraway
Hattie Wyatt Caraway of Arkansas is the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate, to fill a vacancy caused by the death of her husband -
President Franklin Roosevelt
Franklin Roosevelt is inaugurated as the 32nd president -
Social Security
Social Security Act is passed. -
Fair Labor Standards Act
Fair Labor Standards Act is passed, setting the first minimum wage in the U.S. at 25 cents per hour.
