-
1492
Columbus "Discovers America"
Credited with “discovering America.”
This first contact with North America and Native Americans led to the “Columbian Exchange” -
1519
Conquistadores “Conquerors” Hernando Cortez
Claimed new colonies for Spain.
Conquered the Aztec Empire
Most Aztecs died from smallpox and measles. -
1532
Conquistadores Francisco Pizarro
Claimed new colonies for Spain
Conquered the inca Empire in peru -
1539
Conquistadores Hernan de Soto
Assisted Pizarro with the conquest of the inca
First to discover and cross the mississippi river -
Period: 1565 to
Spanish Settlement in the Americas
Viceroy- governors who ruled in the name of the crown- initially cortez - no self government
1565 - 1608
Settlement:
Conquered the Native americans and established New Spain.
Significance/Results:
Land divided into states called encomienda
Harsh, forced labor system in which Native Americans Farmed, ranched, or mined
Spanish settlers and native americans into creating mixed race called -
Period: to
English Settlement in the Americas
Sir Walter Raleigh, John White, Virginia Dare
1585- 1587
Settlement:
Roanoke 1st attempt at English settlement “The lost colony”
Founded on Roanoke Island off the coast
Significance/ Results:
Captain John White sailed back to england for supplies
Virginia Dare -
Jamestown, Virginia
1st successful English settlement!!!
1607 - founded by the Virginia Company
Primarily settled to make money -
French Settlement
Samuel de Champlain
Settlement:
New France- along the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes.
Quebec, Montreal- Canada
Detroit (Michigan), New Orleans (Louisiana)
Significance/Results
Only catholics allowed in the new territory, except for french protestants
Became fur traders
All decisions made by the monarch of france-no self government -
Dutch Settlement
Peter Minuit- Dutch West India Company
1624
Settlement:
New Amsterdam - Hudson River
New York City, Albany, Long Island, New Jersey.
Significance/Results:
Offered huge land tracs called patroonships.
Obtained by bringing 50 tent -
Roger Williams
Roger Williams
Believed in religious freedom separation of church and state, and fair treatment of the Native Americans
Considered a “separatist”
Banished from Massachusetts in 1636
Left and established Providence, Rhode Island on land he bought from the Native Americans -
Anne Hutchinson
Held private prayer meetings and challenged authority of puritan ministers and leaders
Brought up on heresy charges in 1637
Banished from colony and moved to rhode island -
Pequot War
Pequot Indians in Connecticut resisted white settlement
In 1637, Pequot were virtually wiped out by the English -
Period: to
King Philip's War
Involved the Wampanoag Indians in the Plymouth Colony
They began to attack white settlement
Indians were defeated and marked the end to Indian resistance in New England -
The Proclamation
After French and Indian War, King George issues proclamation to organize new territory, cut off any expansion to the west.
Effect:
prevented colonists from moving West of Appalachian Mts.
Increased tensions between Britain and Colonists -
The Sugar Act
Previous tax on sugar and molasses was not being paid.
Colonists smuggled to avoid paying tax
George Grenville of Parliament reduced the tax but increased enforcement, hoping to be able to collect it.
Effect:
Came at a time of economic depression in colonies
Made smuggling more dangerous
Boston merchants protested with boycotts -
The Stamp Act Repealed
Printed materials must be printed on stamped paper
Effect:
Colonists cried “no taxation without representation”
Protested by Sons of Liberty (Ben Franklin, Sam Adams, Paul Revere) with violence and intimidation
Repealed in 1766 as ineffective -
Boston Massacre
A clash between British troops and townspeople in Boston in 1770
The British fired into a crowd that was threatening them, killing five civilians and wounding 6 others.
The soldiers had been sent to help the government maintain order and were represented by colonists
The killings increased the colonists desire to declare their independence from Great Britain -
US Culture- Art
On April 18,1775, British General Thomas Gage sent 700 soldiers to destroy guns and ammunition the colonists had stored in the town of concord, just outside of Boston. -
Lexington and Concord
Minutemen- need to be prepared to fight on a minutes notice.
First military engagements of the Revolutionary War
The first shots starting the revolution were fired at Lexington, Massachusetts.
On April 18,1775, British General Thomas Gage sent 700 soldiers to destroy guns and ammunition the colonists had stored in the town of concord, just outside of Boston.
They also planned to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock, two of the key leaders of the patriot movement. -
Land Ordinance of 1785
Congress sold tracts of land to raise money
Divided land into 36-square-mile units with Unit 16 set aside for schools
Divided the Ohio Territory -
Treaty of greenville
NW Ordinance and Land Ordinance of 1785 established patterns for dividing and setting the NW Territory
Native Americans - resisting westward expansion - fighting ensued - both sides won battles, Native Americans eventually lost to white settlers
Treaty of Greenville - tribes lost the southern 2/3 of what is now Ohio and the Ohio River as a boundary between white settlers and Native American tribes -
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Created guidelines for admission as states in the US
At 5,000 settlers, territory could send a non-voting representative to congress
At 60,000 settlers, territory could apply for statehood
Outlawed slavery in the area -
Judiciary Act
No details for a court system in the constitution
Federal law remained the “Supreme Law of the land”
Washington wanted to set up a federal court system headed by a Supreme Court
Cheif Justice, Five associate justices
More Justices added over time -
Marbury v. Madison
Marbury sued to have the Supreme Court order that his papers be delivered in the now famous case Marbury v. Madison
The Supreme Court was required by a provision of the Judiciary Act of 1789 to order that the papers be delivered
Chief Justice John Marshall’s first case
Longest serving Supreme Court justice in US history
The Supreme Court ruled that the provision of the Judiciary Act was unconstitutional because it was not spelled out in the Constitution -
Textile Mills
First textile mills in America were opened by Samuel Slater in Pawtucket, Rhode Island in 1791 -
Eli Whitney - Cotton Gin
Cotton gin- 1793 - cleaned the seeds out of cotton
Sped up the cleaning of seeds
Revolutionized the cotton crop
Demand for cotton from Great Britain for textile manufacturing
South becomes “Cotton Kingdom” & financially dependent on cash crops & slavery
Increased the need for slavery -
Jay's Treaty- Great Britain
British began stopping US ships bound for France and impressing seamen (taking US sailors captive and forcing them to serve the British)
Intended to hurt the French, but hurt US trade
Jay’s Treaty
Chief Justice John Jay went to Britain and returned with a treaty
British agreed to stop impressing US sailors and to evacuate the NW Territory
Get the British out of the west
Western settlers were angry - the treaty allowed the British to continue in the fur trade on the American side of t -
Election of 1796
Thomas Jefferson (Democratic Republican) v. John Adams (Federalist)
John Adams elected as the 2nd president
Thomas Jefferson - his political rival, becomes Vice President
Federalist President
Democratic Republican Vice President
Constitution did not call for separate Electoral votes for president and vice president
Federalist Era -
Eli Whitney - Interchangeable Parts
Introduced with muskets in 1798
Henry Ford - Assembly Line
Parts of one musket could be used as parts for another musket
Basis for industrial development in the US -
Religious Reform
Second Great Awakening
Tent meetings
A large religious movement swept the nation
Supported reforms in America
Began around 1800
Revivals led by Charles G. Finney -
Embargo Act
British impressments of US sailors continued, in spite of Jay’s Treaty
British blockading US ships bound for France
US did not want to get involved with problems between Britain and France
President Jefferson declared an embargo(no trade) with Britain and France
Jefferson’s alternative to war
Believed it would hurt Britain and other European countries and force them to accept American Neutrality
Embargo actually hurt America more than Britain
Very unpopular, mistake for Jefferson -
Robert Fulton- Steam Boat
Launched the first successful steamboat service in 1807
Steamboats decreased travel time - made trips shorter -
Madison Elected President
4th President of the US
Democratic Republican
Formerly a Federalist
Led the nation into the
War of 1812 -
Election of 1812
James Madison reelected in 1812
James Monroe Elected President -
Period: to
War of 1812
Causes:
British military aid to Native Americans on the frontier
British impressments of American sailors - Jay’s Treaty
Embargo Act - Jefferson’s alternative to war
War Hawks - Pushed for war with Great Britain
War of 1812 - Battles
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Cherokee assisted Andrew Jackson in defeating the Creeks, who were allied with the British
Opened up the Southwest for settlement
Treaty of Ghent
Ended the War of 1812 - no gains for either side
Land boundaries returned to prewa -
James Monroe Elected President
1816- 5th president of the United States
“Era of good Feelings” -
Panic 1819
US faced widespread economic problems
Foreclosures
Bank failures
Unemployment
Slump in agriculture and manufacturing -
McCulloch v. Maryland
1819 - supreme curt (John Marshall) ruled that congress had the right to establish a national bank under the Necessary and Proper (Elastic) Clause of the Constitution
Power of federal government over state government -
Adams Onis Treaty
Secretary of State- John Quincy Adams
Negotiated a treaty with spain-1819
US acquired Florida and established a firm boundary between the Louisiana Territory (US territory through the Louisiana Purchase) and Spanish territory in the west -
Missouri Compromise
1820 - The extension of slavery into new
territories divides the North and South - conflict
over state’s rights
Northern economy based on manufacturing
Southern economy based on slavery - “cotton
kingdom”
Needed a balance of slave and free states to
maintain the sectional balance
Maine admitted as a free state
Missouri admitted as a slave state
Remaining Louisiana Territory split into - one part
for slaveholders, one part for free settlers - 36°30’
line
North of t -
Election of 1820
James Monroe reelected -
Monroe Doctrine
Doctrine issued by President Monroe
Stated the US would not tolerate European
intervention in the affairs of any independent
nation in the Americas
1823 - Stated American continents were no longer
open to colonization - US would view any attempt
as an act of aggression
Stated that the US would not interfere in the
affairs of other nations
Europe should stay out of western hemisphere -
Gibbons V. Ogden
Supreme Court (John Marshall) ruled that
only Congress had the power to regulate
interstate commerce and foreign trade -
Election of 1824
Evidence of sectional differences within the US
John Quincy Adams v. Andrew Jackson - both
were Democratic Republicans
Neither candidate received a majority of
electoral votes in the Electoral College
The House of Representatives decided the election
Henry Clay, Speaker of the House, threw his
support to John Quincy Adams, and Adams was
elected president
Adams named Henry Clay his Secretary of State -
Jackson called the election a “corrupt bargain” -
Erie Canal
Opened in 1825
Increase in trade, decrease in shipping rates and shipping time
Connected the Great Lakes with the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean -
Period: to
Utopian Communities
Wished for a “perfect society” both socially and politically
Perfectionism
New Harmony
1825 - share everything live in harmony
Oneida
1848- Every man married to every woman
“Free Love”
Brook Farm
1841- based on transcendentalism
Thoreau, Emerson -
Tariff of Abominations
Protective tariff designed to protect
northern manufacturing from competition
from cheaper British imports
Upset the south - detrimental to the
southern cotton economy
British threatened to seek cotton in other
markets due to the high cost of the tariff -
Election of 1828
Andrew Jackson elected president
Jackson defeated Adams in part as a result
of the Tariff of Abominations -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Virginia
Led by a slave - Nat Turner - rebellion was a
failure
1831 - Caused the south to strengthen slave
codes (laws restricting activities and conduct
of slaves) -
William Lloyd Garrison
Founded the liberator, an anti-slavery newspaper- 1831
Used the freedom of press to get his message out. -
Election of 1832
Pet banks a key issue of this election
Jackson won re-election
Portrayed the national banks as
institutions for the wealthy, rich, and
powerful - “pet banks” -
The Whig Party
Jackson enemies felt he acted like a king -
“King Andrew”
National Republicans changed their name to
the WhigSouth Carolina Nullification Crisis
South Carolina began protesting the Tariff of
Abominations - high tariffs on British imports
SC Senator John C. Calhoun - wrote a
pamphlet called SC Exposition and Protest
Called for state’s rights - states can nullify
laws they feel are unconstitutional
(Remember Virginia and Kentucky
Resolutions?)
1832 - SC threatened to secede if the tarif -
Cherokee
Occupied western N.C. and northern Georgia
- assisted Andrew Jackson at the Battle of
Horseshoe Bend
More accommodating to white settlement
than any other tribe
Party in 1833 -
Cyrus McCormick - Mechanical Reaper
Increased productivity
1834
Made harvesting wheat easier -
Election of 1836
Martin Van Buren Elected -
John Deere - Steel Plow
Allowed farmers to plow and grow crops in areas out west that’s land was too dry or hard -
Election of 1840
William Henry Harrison elected -
The National Road
Completed in 1841
Stretched 800 miles west
By 1840, a network of roads connected most of the cities and towns in the US
Promoted travel and trade—AND SETTLEMENT OF THE WEST! -
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
Signed in 1842 by Daniel Webster of US and Lord Ashburton of Great Britain
Established the United States’ northern border with Canada in Maine and Minnesota -
Samuel F.B. Morse- Telegraph
1844
Telegraph - device that sends messages using electricity through wires-Instant communication
Communication is revolutionized-whole different way of sending msgs -
Polk Elected
Won by Democrat James K. Polk - first “dark horse” winner in US history
Election of 1844
Won due to Whig opponent Henry Clay’s avoidance of the issue of annexation of Texas and Oregon
Called for the annexation of both Texas and Oregon -
Period: to
Oregon
US owned the Oregon territory jointly with Great Britain
Thousands of US settlers began moving to Oregon
President Polk approached Britain proclaiming “”54-40, or fight!” - claimed US had rightful claims to Oregon territory - 1844
British accepted, fearing loss of trade with US – 49th parallel used as official boundary
Oregon became a state in 1846 -
Sewing Machine
Elias Howe had the first patent on a sewing machine in the United States in 1846
Helped to increase speed of manufacturing of textiles -
Period: to
Mexican War
Mexico upset over US annexation of Texas
Polk sent troops to Texas border to settle US-Mexico border dispute and to negotiate the purchase of California and New Mexico
Mexican president refused to talk, and war soon followed
Congress declared war on May 12, 1846 - Mexico eventually surrendered
War was ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
Called for the Mexican Cession -
Mormons
Practiced polygamy ( having more than one wife)
Joseph Smith-
Leader of mormons killed by an angry mob
Brigham Young -
Led the mormons west to utah for settlement in 1847 -
Mexican Cession
Result of Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, ended Mexican War
1848 - Mexico gave up New Mexico and California territories to the United States in exchange for payment -
Election of 1848
Zachary Taylor (Whig) elected President over Lewis Cass (Democrat) and Martin Van Buren (Free-Soil) -
Women's Rights Movement
Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth
1848- Stanton called for women to be given the right to vote
Seneca Falls Convention
First women’s rights convention
Sojourner Truth was a former slave who became known for her charismatic speaking
Also had an impact on the abolitionist movement -
California Gold Rush
California enters the union as a free state due to the Compromise of 1850
Gold was discovered in California in 1848
People rushed to California to “get rich quick” - they became known as “49’ers”
Huge population increase -
Death of President Taylor
July 9, 1850 – President Zachary Taylor died of cholera
VP Millard Fillmore became President -
Compromise of 1850
With the acquisition of the Mexican territory, the extension of slavery once again becomes an issue
Henry Clay offers a compromise to maintain balance between the free and slave states
California admitted as a free state
Unorganized territories declared free
Utah and New Mexico territories were to decide the issue of slavery through popular sovereignty
People in these areas could decide on the issue of slavery for themselves -
Election of 1852
Franklin Pierce (Democrat) elected president over Winfield Scott (Whig) and John P. Hale (Free-Soil) -
Gadsden Purchase
Gave the United States parts of New Mexico and Arizona for $10 million from Mexico
1853 - Land purchased to run a transcontinental railroad
Manifest Destiny complete! -
Election of 1856
James Buchanan (Democrat) elected president over John C. Fremont (Republicans) and Millard Fillmore (Whig & American {Know-Nothings} -
Election of 1860
Douglas, Lincoln, Breckinridge run
Lincoln wins election with no southern electoral votes
Pledges to stop the spread of slavery but to not interfere in the south -
Period: to
Secession
As a result of Lincoln’s victory in the Election of 1860, southern states begin to secede from the union.
Secede = withdrawal
South Carolina was the first state to secede on December 20, 1860
By February 1861, six other states joined them: Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Texas -
Fort Sumter
Union soldiers had one month of supplies remaining at Ft. Sumter, SC
Lincoln sent food for the troops, but before it arrived, Confederate soldiers opened fire
Union troops surrendered the following day
Civil War -
First Battle of Bull Run
AKA – Manassas
First battle between the Union and Confederate army
Watched by citizens
CONFEDERATE VICTORY -
Morill Land Grant Act
Distributed millions of acres of western territory to state governments 1862 - States used money from sale of land to finance agricultural colleges -
Antietam
Antietam Creek, Maryland
Bloodiest single day of the war
23,000 killed in one day
UNION VICTORY for McClellan -
Vicksburg
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Union wanted control of the Mississippi River
UNION VICTORY -
Fredericksburg/ Chancellorsville
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Dec. 1862
Large number of Union casualties
CONFEDERATE VICTORY -
Homestead Act
Settlers moving west for land
Purpose: Encourage settlement of the Plains
1862 - Anyone who would agree to cultivate 160 acres of land for 5 years would receive title to that land from the federal government -
Emancipation Proclamation
Issued by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863
Freed the slaves in the confederate states while preserving slavery in the border states that were still loyal to the union
Encouraged free African Americans to serve in the army
Lincoln hoped to give the war a moral purpose – “preserve the Union”
Hoped to undermine the South’s reliance on slave labor
Ensure the support of England and France -
Election of 1864
Lincoln in danger of not being reelected
Some northerners upset over the war
Democrats nominated George McClellan – former Union general to run for president
Sherman’s capture of Atlanta showed non believers the war was close to being over
Lincoln elected to a second term -
Appomattox - End Of the War
Grant surrounds Lee outside of Richmond, Virginia
Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox Court House – Virginia
End of the Civil War!!! -
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Congress passed with the intention of giving citizenship rights to African Americans
Johnson vetoed it
Congress gave an override
Instead passed the 14th Amendment
Guaranteed no person, regardless of race, would be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law
Guaranteed citizenship for all people in the United States -
Oklahoma Land Rush
People given land in Oklahoma to encourage settlement
Settlers came rushing from all around to claim land
Native Americans forced off the land
1889
