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1521
Sixteenth incursions
Hernan Cortes led the first major conquest in Mexico in 1519 and toppled the Aztec Empire there in 1521. More Spaniards arrived in the Americas, hoping to emulate Cortes's success. Francisco Pizarro overthrew the Inca Empire shortly in 1532. The other conquistadores fell far short of Cortes and Pizarro but the total impact of these ambitious adventurers was to reshape the Americas and new territory. The encomienda system was to be required to pay tribute to the Spanish monarchy. -
Plantation colonies
The fate of Roanoke aka the "lost colony" remains a compelling puzzle for modern historians. With the founding of Jamestown in 1607, England gained its first permanent settlement in North America. Merchants then took charge of English expansion. This all became the joint-stock corporation that scooped many investors, spreading the financial risk widely. Tobacco became the first crop of the Americas that fetched a high price in England and spurred the migration of thousands of immigrants. -
Indian War
In 1622, Opechacanough made a surprise attack from 12 Indian chiefdoms that killed 437 english settlers one third of the population. Shocked by the Indian uprising, James I revoked the Virginia's company charter and, in 1624, made Virginia a royal colony. The king also decreed the legal establishment of the Church of England in the colony, which that residents had to pay taxes to support its clergy after the House of Bergesses gets elected for the King's Privy council. -
New England and puritans
By 1640, more than 20,000 migrants had attracted the region. Compared to the arrivals in Virginia and Barbados, families came in smaller numbers than the Chesapeake and the Caribbean. The Puritan exodus began in 1630 with 900 migrants led by John Winthrop while the pilgrims were led by William Bradford. Like the Virginia Company, the Massachusetts Bay company was changed by the puritans into a representative political system with a governor, council, and assembly. -
Bacon's Rebellion
By the 1670s, economic and political power in Virginia was in the hands of a small circle of men who amassed land, slaves, and political offices. At the top of Virginia's narrow social pyramid was William Berkeley, governor between 1642 and 1652 and after 1660. Gaining support of the Burgesses, Berkeley bought off legislatures with land grants along with voting rights for all adult white men and the price of tobacco falling which enraged Virginian settlers in protesting against this decision. -
Enlightenment in America
In the early 1680s, the age of enlightenment grew throughout West Europe now through North America. In 1689, John Locke published two treaties of government advocating a separation of church and state and other religious premises including life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. However this did not end on Locke's influence, because the enlightenment also saw a future development of capitalism with private property, free markets, and competition with other nations. -
African labor
African Americans outnumbered whites from 3 to 1 and slave owners developed a code force enough for the slaves to keep sugar plantation going and the population of blacks. by 1670, the percent of blacks reached about 5 and became an advantage to serve English masters for life. Social mobility ended in the 1660s with the collapse of the tobacco boom and the increasing political power of the gentry. As they imported more blacks, the English political elite group grew more race conscious. -
Steam Engine
James Watts invents the steam engine which was built in France by Cugnot as early as 1769. This invention became the early adaptation to build railroads for transportation in the East and steamboats for travel and shipping goods. This invention made it easier to make commodities in large amounts and faster. This helped change laws in regulating factories, work adaptations, and more. This also gave time and a lot of steam for steam propulsion to warships in the North and enhance strategic forces. -
French and Indian War
After war the Atlantic trade became a disadvantage to the British ministry and facing against native Americans and New English settlers. In order to be Parliament, they'd have to reverse the property and liberty rights and greater representation of the colonies and raise taxes. years after, royal governors extended their share of power to others nations with colonial assemblies and passed the Revenue Act of 1762 which also led to seize all American vessels from exporting to West Indies. -
Sugar Act
The earlier act impacted on French molasses which was a tax rate of 6 pence per gallon. The 1764 act was intended to make the trade in foreign molasses legal for the first time and collect a duty of 3 pence per gallon. New England merchants had smuggled more of their fortunes on French molasses. In 1754, Boston merchants paid customs duties on a mere 400 hogsheads of molasses, yet they imported hugsheads for 63 Massachusetts run distilleries. Publicly, this act would ruin the industry for them. -
Stamp Act
Another tax came by but it's much more expensive than the Sugar act around 60,000 per year. The act would require a tax stamp on all printed items, from college diplomas, court documents, land titles, etc. Benjamin Franklin proposes a different solution: American representation in Parliament. But the British politicians rejected his idea as they already had representations in merchants and sugar planters. The quartering act also took place for all British troops in private homes. -
Townshend Act
Shortly after, the Townshend came into place and imposed duties on lead, glass, paper, and painter's colors. Though Townshend did allocate some of this revenue for American military expenses, he earmarked most of it to pay the salaries of royal governors, judges, and other imperial officials who had been previously paid always by the colonial assemblies. This created a board of customs commissioners around Hailfax, Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston. -
Boston massacre
On March 5, 1770 the Boston massacre became the deadliest riot on King Street in Boston. Tensions ran high in Boston in the early 1770. More than 2,000 British soldiers occupied the city of 16,000 colonists and enforcing British's tax laws. This also included the Sons of Liberty leaders both Hancock and Samuel Adams. This impacted the colonists to have a weary view of the British rule and unfair taxation which then created propaganda views and an increase of the colonial unity. -
Boston Tea Party
In December 16, 1773 American patriots responded to the Tea Act perceived monopoly of the East India Company by throwing 342 chests of tea to the Boston Harbor and disguising as Mohawk Indians. In retaliation, Parliament passed the series of punitive measures known in the colonies as the Intolerable Acts, including the Boston Port Bill, which shut off the city's sea trade pending payment for the destroyed tea. This now became a leading cause to unite the colonies and starting war with Britain. -
First Continental Congress
The Congress first met in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774, with delegates from each of the 13 colonies except Georgia. On October 20, The Congress adopted the Articles of Association, which stated that if the Intolerable Acts were not repealed by December 1, 1774, a boycott of British goods would begin in the colonies. By the time Congress met again, war was already underway, and thus the delegates to the Continental Army and dispatched George Washington as its commander. -
Paul Revere's ride
Paul Revere was tasked to spread the alarm about the red coats coming from Boston to Lexington at midnight. All minutemen got up and got ready for the war and Revere supplied them with gun powder and powder mill to supply colonial arms. Revere also took part of the Stamp Act in 1765 as a leader in the Sons of liberty who knew Hancock and Samuel Adams along with the Boston Massacre. His last stop was Concord, Massachusetts when the British had reached the location and Revere was captured. -
Battle at Long Island
Starting in August 1776, Prime Minister Lord North ordered General William Howe to capture New York city and the rest of New England. Howe defeated the American patriots nearly outflanking Washington's troops and nearly trapped them. Outgunned and outmaneuvered, the Continental Army retreated again crossing the Hudson River to New Jersey. This limited trade, the end of mercantilism, and manufacturing however it gave an increase in growth in government and politics for colonists. -
Battle of Saratoga
After attacking Philadelphia by General Burgoyne, Howe's troops easily outflanked the American positions along Brandywine Creek in Delaware til late September. In the end, Burgoyne's British 6,000 troops outnumbered the American militiamen by 2,000 but it wasn't until Burgoyne was forced to surrender by English sergeant and the American militiamen won and they won a military alliance with Paris. This received foreign support, hope for independence, and paper currency was passed out. -
Battle of Yorktown
Washington and Rochambeau arrived in Williamsburg, Virginia 13 miles away from Yorktown. Cornwallis's men had built 10 forts with connecting trenches and artillery batteries which 5,000 British troops would set sail from New York to Yorktown. With little force of 2,500 American soldiers and 4,000 French soldiers, up 800 yards away from their trenches on enemy assault in September 28. War ended on October 19 with Cornwallis surrendering and in March 1783, the war ended with the Treaty of Paris. -
Judiciary Act
After Washington gets elected, he signs the Judiciary Act and it creates an independent federal court system with the Supreme Court and lower level courts. He elects Henry Knox as secretary of war, Thomas Jefferson as secretary of state, Alexander Hamilton as secretary of treasury. Hamilton proposes his plan of finance which is that a national bank system is created and raises loans for the federal government through tariffs and pay off war debts. Jefferson is against the plan but in war debts. -
cotton gin
Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin for the South to produce more cotton. Shortly after in the mid 19th century cotton became the successful crop in the South along with support of abolition and expanding slavery. This helped with farmers and laborers to produce more crops and greater profits with more expansion in land and requiring more slaves. With more expansion to the plantations in the North and South, sectional crisis gets tensed due to early republic with spreading slavery and war. -
Election of 1800
The election of 1800 was a rematch between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson and the recurrence of the 1796 election. Adams runs with Pinckney on the Federalist side, while on the anti-federalist Jefferson runs with Aaron Burr. But there was a tie arranged from one of the electors from Rhode Island, John Jay. This separated electoral votes for president and vice president according to the 12th amendment. The military under Adams increased by 5400 and ceased the Northeast while Jefferson is South. -
Louisiana Purchase
Though Jefferson is a strict constructionist who was authorized to acquire new territory around 828,000 square miles of land for $15 million. This land expanded the powers of the federal government along with expanding natural resources for their future economy. In context of war, it became a huge advantage for the North and South for the future civil war and more Union in the slave states and lack of representation. The Louisiana Purchase was the first major cession of the land spanning later. -
Embargo Act of 1807
There was intense conflict between Britain and France over foreign trade as Jefferson got a letter from John Page signaling that it was time for an embargo. Britain showed no signs of wanting improvement between the nations, so the embargo passed banning all foreign trade in relations with the US. The American economy was suffering and all public opinion turned against the act. but soon after in the war of 1812, all money will be paid for in factories which is industrialization in the US. -
War of 1812
Great conflicts arose between the US and Great Britain over maritime rights and from the French revolution. Trade with Spain and France was stopped due to wartime so the Royal Navy enforced the act from 1793 to 1794 in the Caribbean Sea. General Andrew Jackson led his troops through enemy territory to victory in several tide-turning clashes, namely the Battle of New Orleans until its defining day in 1815. Shortly the 1819 Adams-Onis Treaty led to the American purchase of Florida from Spain. -
American Colonization Society
Founded by Henry Clay and other prominent citizens argued for gradual Emancipation plans such as the ones adopted in the North after the Revolution. Most of the citizens believed that they should be deported from the US and Henry Clay also supported by saying that it would lead to civil war. It was primarily focused on the economy and suffrage to African Americans. Between 1820 and 1843, around 4500 slaves made it back to the voyage while others died due to plague. As well as others who stayed. -
Missouri Compromise
Pres. James Monroe signs the law admitted Missouri to the Union as a slave state while Maine as free. Slavery was slowly declined after the Louisiana Purchase. This force remained for 30 years until the Kansas Nebraska Act comes in 1857. The raise of bringing slavery to the North became a huge advantage to exporting and importing goods to the South which the North stopped buying when the Kansas Nebraska Act took over. The topic of bringing slavery to the North was very controversial to politics. -
Election of 1824 (corrupt bargain)
Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and William H. Crawford went against each other for the next election, no majority of electoral votes have won and rumors had said that there was an exchange between Clay and Adams in secret which led to Adams getting election. Some say that it was a corrupt bargain or there was no corrupt bargain since they had no idea what exactly happened. But it won't last long because Quincy Adams creates a national university for education and naval academy. -
Tariff of Abominations
John Quincy Adams creates the Tariff of 1828 which supplied most of the North and less of South. Since foreign trade was back into place, foreign goods were made expensive and now manufacturers start in place and people will buy US goods. However only the Northern industrial states will be profited from increased businesses. The South on the other hand, suffers from the ordeal that European countries will buy cotton from them as tariffs continue to get more and more expensive than the North. -
Election of 1828
Another election takes by with candidates Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams with the results of 178 to 83 electoral votes in total. After Jackson gets elected, he dismisses around 200 government employees and critics accused him of rewarding the Democrats instead of qualified men also known as the spoils system. Jackson felt that ordinary Americans could fill government jobs instead of the wealthy themselves but only led to almost war and the nullification crisis with the South. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act gets signed by Andrew Jackson which is that the lands are granted West of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands and within its existing state boarders. This forced at least 4,000 Cherokees to move West by the US and this event became known as the Trail of Tears. This gave the benefit to cultivate more cotton in the South and more agriculture to grow and expansion of slavery. However, the Seminole tribe resisted in Florida, both Second and Third Seminole war. -
The Reaper
The mechanical reaper was invented by Cyrus McCormick. Agriculture was one of the most vibrant economic fields during the early nineteenth century. As the Midwest was the most conductive region of the United States to widespread agricultural harvesting, this invention allowed farmers in that area to specialize in more crops than ever. This not only allowed us to produce more crops than labor but farmers made a lot more money. This replaced poor immigrants and laborers from their jobs. -
Nullification Crisis
South Carolina was not pleased with the new tariff as they believed that it was oppressive, so the state passed the Nullification Ordinance. Threatened to secede if the federal government used them to comply. So Jackson asked Congress to grant him the ability to use military force to compel South Carolina to accept and follow the law. Henry Clay proposes the Compromise tariff which would reduce the tariffs in a decade for the South. Both of these passed in 1833 while South Carolina repealed. -
Lowell System
Early in the 1820s, many business owners built textile Mills in New England where people use cotton and turn into clothing. All of the factories recruited young rural women who were unmarried or widows and they'd live far away from the textile Mills. In 1834 and 1836, mill owners reduced wages, increased the time at work, and raised the rent of boarding houses. This impacted the economy by getting better work conditions, increased wages, and hours. However others disagree as "slavery and hard. -
Panic of 1837
After withdrawing and depositing in different chartered banks, Biddle responded to Jackson by restricting money supply to inspire public outrage toward Jackson's policies and force the recharter. This caused Jackson to call over the Democrats to remove the Senate in order to gain control in 1834. Martin Van Buren proposed the establishment of a new treasury system from the gold and silver to many investors. This led to a major victory for the Democrats and many panics in the country in debt. -
Morse Code
Samuel Morse invented the first telegraphic message from Washington DC to Baltimore. The Morse code is an alphabet of electronic dashes and dots used to transmit telegraph messages through a network of telegraph stations. As the Civil war progressed, mobile telegraph stations are connected to scattered military units in case of emergencies or announcements. This affected the economy with transmitting locations such as buying or selling goods. This also gave away good impacts on politics. -
Mexican-American War
War between the US and Mexico over annexation of Texas in 1845 and controlling the Nueces River or the Rio Grande. Mexico severed relations with the US in March 1845, shortly after the annexation of Texas and in early September US pres. James K. Polk sent John Slidell a secret to settle US claims against Mexico and purchase New Mexico and California for $30 million. Mexican pres. Jose Joaquin Herrera refuses to receive him. Polk prepares for war with troops to occupy the land and Rio Grande. -
North Star
The earliest African American Abolitionist newspaper came on display with title, that no matter the sex or race color all men are equal. Douglass believed in the importance of the black press and in his leadership role within it, despite the struggles of earlier back newspaper entries. While focusing on abolition and promoting the advancement of quality life for African Americans, Douglass was also a very strong supporter in the women's rights movement and taking time when the slaves fled away. -
Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay saves the nation again where there was a majority of the states are free but few states want to remain slave states. In economics, immigrants who came over to the territory had to vote for Kansas to be free state by popular sovereignty and purchasing land. Slave trade gets outlawed by Washington DC. As slavery was abolished, this became a huge push for industrialization in the North while the agriculture in the South continued. But it'll eventually be to the point of war with Kansas. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The act gets passed by Congress which is that before coming to statehood, popular sovereignty would come first then the electoral votes of the North come in for free state but the majority of the South come in for slave state. Fraudulent votes were witnessed and this made it almost into a war with the North and South. This impacted the economy of enlarging the northwest territories for white male settlers for popular sovereignty. The name came known as Bleeding Kansas when violence started. -
Dred Scott case
Dred Scott was a runaway slave who just moved to a free state with his owner. In April 1846, Dred and his wife Harriet filed separate lawsuits for freedom in the St. Louis Circuit Court against Irene Emerson. One statute is that any person of any color can sue for wrongful enslavement while the other is they can be taken to free territory and become free and no longer enslaved. Judge Roger B. Taney said that if slavery is illegal in that state when he and his owner reside then no rights granted -
Election of 1860
Lincoln gets elected from the North as they see him as the rally point of the party's nomination. The South is really worried about what the Lincoln Presidency might do about slavery, the economic system, and the way of life. Lincoln promises to do what a president should always do if constitutional or not and wouldn't get involved about slavery. Before getting elected, Lincoln had always debated against Douglas though he was already in the lead. Before taking power SC secedes from the Union. -
Battle of Antietam
Gen. McClellan and his Union army of the Potomac controlled Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Sharpsburg, Maryland. Gen. Hooker joined with McClellan and launched a powerful assault against Lee's left flank After back and forth on assaults, Gen. Burnside interferes with his army over Antietam Creek and counterattacks Lee. McClellan and his army fail to fully leverage with Lee's army which then lead to the election of Lincoln and McClellan and the Emancipation Proclamation after war. -
Battle of Vicksburg
General Grant of Tennessee converged on Vicksburg on the Mississippi River, investing and trapping a Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John Pemberton. Grant followed the anaconda plan by taking control of the Mississippi capital of Jackson in order to force Pemberton to fight the army himself and his troops. On May 25th, Grant and his army decided to besiege the city with no reinforcements of food, and supplies being nearly gone, and Pemberton finally surrendured after being outnumbered. -
Wade-Davis Bill
After seeing the 10% plan of Lincoln many of the republicans felt that it was too radical. Senator Wade from Maryland and Senator Henry W. Davis worked together to make a different plan which is that instead of just 10%, 50% was added. Any of the non-Confederates were allowed to swear oaths of loyalty to the Union after war. Lincoln thought that this was too harsh so he refused to sign it. This also impacted the taxes on property in the South with those who owned $20,000 or more on taxes. -
NAWSA National American Women's Suffrage Association
Formed in 1865 by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B Anthony, and Lucretia Mott. The event was led by Alice Paul despite its failure from 1860 to 1910, the event continued until 1920 passing the 19th amendment. This also led to the end of child labor and equal pay for women along with supporting Abolition and civil rights for African Americans. This also reinforced the idea that poor white women, immigrant women, and women of color had to work outside their homes to support their families. -
Sharecropping
After a while of Reconstruction in the North and South, the land in the South was still destroyed and wiped after war so they decided to get a new labor system aka the economic slavery. Former slaves and poorer whites had to start new jobs in the South in the wealthy former slave owner plantations. They get taken in by the owner and they had to work around 48 acres or more and they pay for their crops 1/4 and they get housing, food, clothing, and they have to sign contracts with staying. -
Reconstructions Act of 1867
Southern States were stripped of their political power and divided them into 5 military districts which were placed under the jurisdiction of the Union Army. They stated that, if a southern state wanted to rejoin the Union, it had to ratify the 14th amendment and create a state constitution that guaranteed all men the right to vote. And if a state ever denied people their voting rights, they would lose total representation in statehood. -
Election of 1868
The unpopularity of the 15th amendment which the radical republicans have control over but lost the majority. Andrew Johnson lost the election to Grant and by 1875 the Civil Rights Act gets signed and passed by Grant. The act bans the discrimination in public acomodations but it wasn't enforced by other presidents after Grant, and military occupation ended in the South. However, in response to the Civil Rights Act many of the southern whites quickly turned into violence in efforts to regain. -
WCTU Women's Christian Temperance Union
Founded in 1874 in Cleveland, Ohio. Initial purpose is to promote abstinence from alcohol, which they protested in pray-ins at local taverns. This led to all the closing of saloons, breweries, and distilleries and turning down thousands of jobs. And increasing smuggling and a decline in tax revenue. Frances Willard took over leadership in 1879, and the benefits of WCTU mainly about prohibition but also about the involvement of women in women's suffrage and politics in general. -
Election of 1876 and crisis
Democrats gained more power, but still lag behind the republicans when Grant leaves office after serving 2 terms and the other presidents don't have any reinforcement against the South. Samuel Tilden gets voted by the South about 100% not totally the Southern states and the North questioned the validity of the results given the known intimidation of republicans and freedom. Only South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida were recounted. Election gets a second chance when the Republicans won. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
In 1896, the US Supreme Court ruled in a 7-1 vote, that the "separate but equal" acomodations on railroad cars conformed to the 14th amendment's guarantee of equal protection. The decision was used to justify segregating all public facilities including schools, hospitals. While granted full citizenship for freed blacks, they were also charged for the pole tax every time they vote in Congress and segregations were still unequal in political and economic effects until 1954.