-
1420
Age of Discovery
This is a time period of exploration and colonization of new land in search of the 3 G's, God Gold and Glory. The Portuguese were the earliest people in the Age of Discovery. This included the discovering and colonization of the New World . -
1484
Treaty of Guadalupe- Hidalgo
This was a peace treaty between the US and Mexico. This brought along the end of the Mexican-American War and grant the US the Mexican Cession. -
1492
The Columbian Exchange
This was the exchange of animals, plants, goods, and diseases between Europe, Africa and The Americas(New World). This caused many things, such as the expansion of Maize and the destruction of the Native American population. Also, it provided natives with new animals, which made hunting on the plains easier. -
1492
Columbus "discovers" The New World
Christopher Columbus sought out a direct route from Europe to Asia but instead stumbled upon the Americas. His four journeys to the Americas helped spark the centuries of transatlantic colonization, known as the Age of Discovery. -
1550
Population decline
As Europeans expanded into the western hemisphere they controlled land owned by the Native Americans. While in the Americas, they caused a lot of the Native American population to die from their European ways. -
1570
Population increase in England
Due to the Columbian Exchange, New England's population increased and got out of control. New England couldn't economically sustain the increase in population , so half of the population was under the poverty line. -
Slavery
The number of indentured servants in America declined. This led to the use of trade to get slaves from Africa via the Columbian Exchange. Slaves were required to maintain the cash crops, which brought the income to the colonies. -
House of Burgesses
This is the legislative body created by the Virginia Company.This was the first self government in the New World. -
Pueblo Revolt
The Spaniards oppressed Pueblos, destroyed their religious artifacts, and tried to force then to convert. This led to a Pueblo uprising (Pueblo Revolt) which caused the Spanish to abandon Santa Fe. -
Establishment of Pennsylvania
William Penn founded Pennsylvania as a safe haven for Quakers. Pennsylvania made money by means of agriculture and trade. -
King Phillips' War
This was a Native rebellion led by the Indian Chief King Phillip (Metacom). They lost and the Natives were forced out of New England. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Governor Berkely refused to exterminate all natives, so Nathaniel Bacon took matters into his own hands to take the land back. Bacon marched into Jamestown and drove the governor out. -
Salem Witch Trails
People were accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts. 20 were executed and this caused damage to the prestige of puritan ministers. -
Stono Rebellion
Slaves attempted to go to St. Augustine because they promised freedom of slaves. This led to 200 slaves dying and stricter slave law code. -
The French and Indian War
British and French fight for imperial control of eastern North America.British won and the French lost all the land they owned. -
Treaty of Paris (1763)
This ended the fighting of the French and Indian War, which resulted in a British victory. The French lost a vast majority of their claims to North American land. Now the British dominate Eastern North America. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 stated that British wouldn't settle land west of the Appalachian mountains.Also, it was the compromise between the British and Native Americans over the issue of land. This was the 1st example of colonial resentment to British law. -
Invention of the Steam Engine
James Watt invented the Steam engine which used coal rather than water. This powered machines like the cotton mills and it led to the factory system. Now factories could be built anywhere and not just by a water source. This also helped with transportation, for example the steamboat. -
Boston Tea Party
As a result of the British continuing to tax tea, the Sons of Liberty dressed as Native Americans and threw gallons of tea into the Boston Harbor. This was known as the Boston Tea Party, which led to the British punishing the American colonies. -
Common Sense
This was a piece published by Thomas Paine in 1776. This was powerful evidence supporting independence. He published this anonymously in order to prevent death for committing treason. -
Treaty of Paris (1783)
This formally ended the American Revolution. Due to this, the United States gained Independence and the land stretching to the west of the Mississippi River. -
Land Ordinance of 1785
Stated that disputed land, the Old Northwest, was to be equally divided into townships and sold for federal income. This set up guidelines for funding education and ended legal disagreements over land. -
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
This created the Northwest territory and set up guidelines for territory to apply for statehood. Also, this new territory had prohibited slavery and helped establish precedents in new states in the Northwest. -
Invention of the Cotton Gin
The cotton gin is a machine that separates the seeds from cotton. This led to the increase of slave labor and expanded slavery. -
Louisiana Purchase
In 1803, conflicting his strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory. This doubled the size of the U.S. without war. -
War of 1812
The War of 1812, sometimes referred to as the "Second War for Independence", was mainly due to the impressment of U.S. sailors and the seizure of their ships by the British Navy. The war helped increased nationalism. For example, the war inspired a lawyer on a ship to write the "Star Spangled Banner". -
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent in 1814 ended the War of 1812. There was no concessions, restitutions, or apologies. This led to industrial war industries, which made New England more independent. -
Indian Removal Act
President Andrew Jackson was hostile towards Natives and signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830. This sent Natives west of Mississippi to live on reservations. This led to the Trail of Tears. -
Trail of Tears
President Jackson defied the Supreme Court ruling in the Worcester v. Georgia case which nullified Georgia State laws in Cherokee territory. This led to the force removal of all Cherokees from Georgia. 4,000 Cherokee died on the way to Oklahoma, and this was known as the Trail of Tears. -
Webster- Ashburton Treaty
1844 treaty between the US and Britain that set the Oregon boundary line at the 49'. This allowed the U.S. to acquire the Oregon Territory from Britain. -
Annexation of Texas
Almost a decade after Texas declared itself the Republic of Texas, the US annexed it into statehood starting the Mexican-American War. -
Mexican Cession
Territories of New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and California were gained after the Mexican-American War and the defeat of Santa Anna. This was gained by the Treaty of Guadalupe- Hidalgo -
Underground Railroad
A secret route from "station to station" that led many slaves to the North and eventually to Canada. This was led by Harriet Tubman. -
Dred Scott V. Sanford decision
This set the precedent that African Americans were not citizens but were property and could not be taken away. This protected slavery in every state of the U.S. -
13th, 14th, and 15th admendments
(1865)the 13th amendment outlawed slavery and other forms of involuntary servitude.(1868)the 14th amendment granted citizenship to blacks with no interference in their civil and political rights. (1870) the 15th amendment granted the right to vote. -
Women's Christian Temperance Union
Women's organization that opposed alcoholic beverages. They worked for legislation to moderate the use of alcohol despite their inability to vote. They did this by linking drinking to poverty, adultery, social crime and domestic violence -
Chinese Exclusion
This denied any additional Chinese laborers to enter the country while allowing students and merchants to immigrate. This was due to American workers feeling threatened by the job competition. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
This was the first federal action against monopolies. This was signed into law by Harrison and was used by Theodore Roosevelt for trust-busting. -
Wounded Knee Massacre
This was a mass killing of Sioux Indians by American cavalry at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota. They were sent to suppress the Ghost Dance, soldiers caught up with Lakotas attempting to flee and killed as many as 300. -
Ghost Dance Movement
This was a religious movement and the last effort of Native Americans to resist US domination and drive whites from their land. In the government's attempt to suppress the movement Sitting Bull was killed during his arrest and this led to the Massacre at Wounded Knee. -
Homestead Strike
This was a steelworker strike near Pittsburgh against the Carnegie Steel Company. Ten workers were killed in a riot when "scab" labor was brought in to force an end to the strike. -
Pullman strike
This was a nonviolent strike which brought about a shut down of western railroads. This took place against the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago, due to the poor wages of the Pullman workers. It was ended by the president because of the interference with the mail system and the bad image brought upon unions. -
NAACP
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded to abolish segregation and discrimination, to oppose racism and to gain civil rights for African Americans. -
Great Migration
Many African Americans moved from the South to the North because of Jim Crow Laws and job scarcity in the South for Northern industrial jobs during World War I. This led to things like the Harlem renaissance. -
Harlem Renaissance
This was an uprising of African- American Literature and arts throughout the world. This originated in Harlem, New York and began spreading to urban centers. -
Red Scare
This was a major fear that Americans had of being labelled communist. This happened after two communist spy's where apprehended and killed. -
The Great Depression
This was a period where unemployment rates were at a all-time high and the worst economic decline in the history of the industrialized world. Many things were inputted in order to try and end the Great Depression, such as FDR'S New Deal program. -
Dust Bowl
This was a period of severe dust storms that destroyed the environment and, more specifically, the agriculture of the U.S. This was caused by over farming, drought, and windstorms. -
Jackie Robinson
He was the first African American to play in the MLB. This was a big deal because baseball was the nations sport and it had just become integrated. -
Brown V. Board of Education
This was a Supreme Court case that resulted in the integration of schools. It stated that separate schools for blacks and whites was not equal. -
Sputnik
This was the first satellite to be launched into space and it was launched by Moscow. This launch proved that the U.S. was behind and began fearing soviet dominance in technology, so they created NASA. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
This was a joint resolution that was a response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident. This gave President Johnson authority to lead military attacks without congress permission. -
The Credibility Gap
This is the gap in relation between the president and the rest of society. This was shown when all the secrets about bombings and attacks, such as the Tet Offensive, were exposed. -
SALT I
This was a treaty signed by the U.S. and the USSR. This treaty limited the amount of missiles each nation had and led to SALT II, as well as a slowdown of the arms race. -
Watergate Scandal
This was when Nixon's White House employees broke into the Democratic National Committee. This was in order to retain information about the democrats plan in the upcoming election. -
War powers Act
This restricted the of the President to send troops without congress permission. This countered the powers given to the president by the gulf of Tonkin resolution. -
HIV/AIDS
This is a fatal sexually transmitted disease. This epidemic took thousands of lives and does not have a cure. -
Glasnost
A policy of the Soviet government allowing freer discussion of social problems under the rule of Mikhail Gorbachev -
Tiananmen Square
This was the location of a demonstration for democratic rights. Citizens were protesting and it was brutally put down by Chinese government. -
Clinton Impeachment
President Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky and his attempt to cover it up lead to his impeachment. He was impeached because of perjury, lying under oath. -
9/11
This was a major terror attack on the Twin Towers, the pentagon and potentially the pentagon. Hundreds of people died. -
Hurricane Katrina
This was a brutal natural disaster that destroyed New Orleans. This destroyed the economy of New Orleans, which slowly received aid from other. -
2008 Election
This is the first time in history that an African American man won the Presidential election. President Barack Obama won and would go on to win the 2012 election as well.
