APUSH

By kcsmurf
  • Period: May 6, 1492 to

    Discovery of America to Revolutionary War

  • Oct 12, 1492

    Columbus Discovers America

  • May 8, 1497

    Cabot Expedition

    John Caobt led an Englsih expedition through North America looking for a Northwest Passage. Was the first european since vikings to reach the mainland of North America.
  • Aug 13, 1521

    Spain Conquers Mexico

    Spain Conquers the Aztec Indians and takes over Mexico.
  • May 8, 1524

    Verrazzano Expedition

    French expedition led by Giovanni de Verraazzano. Followed the American coast line from North Carolina to Maine.
  • May 8, 1528

    Narvez Expedition

    Spanish Expedition through the gulf Coast region. Led by Panfilio de Narvez. Only 4 of the original 400 men returned.
  • May 8, 1534

    Cartier Expedition

    French Expedition led by Jasques Cartier. Searched for a Northwest Passage along the St. Lawerence River. Only went as far as Montrel.
  • Jun 24, 1534

    France Colonizes Canada

    French explorer Jacques Cartier planted a cross on the Gaspé Peninsula and took possession of the territory in the name of King Francis I of France. It was called New France and later Quebec when it was given o the English.
  • May 8, 1539

    Soto Expedition

    Spanish Expedition from 1539 to 1541. Led by Hernando de Soto. Explored southereastern U.S. and went as far west as Oklahoma. Discovered Mississippi River.
  • May 8, 1540

    Coronado Expedition

    Spanish expedition led by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado from 1540 to 1542. Crossed Rio Grande and went to New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. First to see grand canyon.
  • Sep 8, 1565

    Spain establishes St. Augustine

    First colony in North America
  • May 8, 1576

    Gilbert Expedition

    English Expedition led by Gilbert. Explored Canada in search of a Northwest Passage. Was granted a charter to create a colony in Newfoundland. The colony failed.

  • England establishes Roanoke Colony

    First English Colony. However, the colony only lasted for a year. The colonists disappeared in 1590.

  • England Establishes Jamestown

    First permanent English Colony. Established by the Virginia Company of London. The colony's economy finally stabilized when tobacco was successfully cultivated. In 1676 Jamestown was burned to the ground during Bacon's Rebellion. Rebuilt a number of years later, it was again destroyed by a fire in 1698. Was a roayl colony, the economy was based on agriculture, governor was appointed y the king, and representative self-government began here.

  • Hudson Expedition

    Dutch Expedition led by Henry Hudson. Discovered the Hudson River.

  • Anglo-Powhatan War

    War errupted between the English and Powhatan Indians. The war lasted for four years with the marriage of Pocohantas and John Ralfe. However, two different wars broke out between the two groups in 1622 and 1644.

  • House of Burgesses

    The House of Burgesses was the first assembly of elected representatives of English colonists in North America.[1] The House was established by the Virginia Company, who created the body as part of an effort to encourage English craftsmen to settle in North America and to make conditions in the colony more agreeable for its current inhabitants.

  • Plymouth Colony is etablished

    Established by religious separaists seeking autonomy from the Church of England. The Plymouth Colony later became part of the colony of Massachusetts.

  • Mayflower Compact

    was the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony. It established the first set of rules for the colony. It was written by the Pilgrims who had traveled on the Mayflower to America. The Compact was signed on November 11, 1620 by forty-one of the one hundred one passengers.

  • New Netherland

    Dutch found New Netherland (present day New York)

  • Massachusetts Bay Colony

    Was home to many puritans who left England because of the persecution they faced from the crown and the Anglican Church. Under calvinist religious leaders, the colony almost immediately developed into a theocracy in which the church was paramount in all dicisions, political as well as religious. It became the 1st English colony to establish the basis of a representative government when residents demanded representation if they were to be taxed.

  • Maryland Colony

    Founded by Lord Baltimore for financial profits and refuge for catholics. Was a proprietary colony so the proprietor selected the governor. Had religious tolerance but gave the death penalty to any jews or atheists. Used the head-right system. The economy was based on agriculture and the exporting of crops such as tobacco.

  • Conneticut Colony

    Was established for its fertile land and for less government control. Was established by the dutch and Reverend Thomas hooker and his followers. Created the fundamental orders, was a democracy, and substantial citizens were in charge. The economy was based on exporting abundant rsources such as lumber and fish. Was a self-governing colony.

  • Rhode Island Colony

    Established for freedom of rilgion and was established by roger williams, anne hutchinson, and their followers. They believed in achieveing freedom opportunities. Their economy was based on exporting abundant resources such as lumber and fish. They were a self-governing colony and elected their own government officials.

  • Pequot War

    The Pequot War was an armed conflict from 1634-1638 between the Pequot tribe and an alliance of the English colonists of the Massachusetts Bay. Before the war's inception, efforts to control fur trade access resulted in a series of escalating incidents and attacks that increased tensions on both sides. Soon war errupted. Hundreds were killed; hundreds of indian prisoners were sold into slavery to the West Indies

  • The Fundamental Orders

    The Fundamental Orders were adopted by the Connecticut Colony council on January 14, 1639. The orders describe the government set up by the Connecticut River towns, setting its structure and powers. It has the features of a written constitution, and is considered by some as the first written Constitution in the Western tradition.

  • New England Confederation

    was a short-lived military alliance of the English colonies of Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven. its primary purpose was to unite the Puritan colonies in support of the church, and for defense against the Native Americans and the Dutch colonies. It was established as a direct result of a war that started between the Mohegan and Narragansetts. The confederation dissolved after the revocation of the members charters in the early 1680s.

  • French & Indian War Begins

    Also known as the Seven years War in Europe. The focal point of the struggle was the Ohio Valley. The War was between France, Britain, and their Native American Allies.

  • The Naviagtion laws of 1660

    were a series of strict British trade policies designed to promote English shipping and control colonial trade in regard to important crops and reources, which had to be shipped exculsively in British ships. The Navigation Law of 1660 would have had a devastating effect on the American economy had the British enforced the law. The British added further requirements in subsequent Naviagation Laws of 1663, 1673, and in 1696

  • The Half-Way Covenant

    was a form of partial church membership created by New England. It was promoted by a Reverend who felt that the people of the English colonies were drifting away from their original religious purpose. The covenant provided a partial church membership for the children and grandchildren of church members. Many of the more religious members of Puritan society rejected this plan as they felt it did not fully adhere to the church’s guidelines.

  • The Carolina Colony

    Was granted by the King to eight lord proprietors so hey could supply food for barbados and export non English products. Was a royal colony and was controlled by the king. The economy was based on agriculture and the exporrting of crops such as rice, silk, wine, tobacco, indians, and tar. The Colony later split into North Carolina and South Carolina. North Carolina was more democratic than South Carolina.

  • New York Colony

    Founded first by the duttch and was later taken over by the british. Was founded because it was a good place to doock ships and that England wanted to get rid of the Dutch in America. Township ossessed all powers of the government. The culture division in the colony and indifferent governors led to resentment within the colony. The economy was bsed on the exporting of grain (Wheat), trade, and manufacturing. Was a roayl colony and the governor appointed by the king.

  • New Jersey Colony

    Was first apart of the New York Colony. Was founded by berkeley, carteret, and quakers. The economy was based on the exporting of grain such as wheat, oats, and rye. They had religious freedom. Was a royal colony and the goernor was appointed by landowners.

  • Marquette Expedition

    French expedition led by Jacques Marquette. Explored the Mississippi Valley.

  • King Phillip's War

    was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day New England and English colonists and their Native American allies. The war is named after the main leader of the Native American side, Metacomet, known to the English as "King Philip". The war was the single greatest calamity to occur in 17th century Puritan New England. They hunted down and killed King Philip on August 12, 1676. The war continued in northern New England until a treaty was signed @ Casco Bay in April 1678

  • Bacon's Rebellion

    Bacon's Rebellion was an armed rebellion by Virginia settlers led by young Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley. The colony's lightly organized frontier political culture combined with accumulating grievances, especially regarding Indian attacks, to motivate a popular uprising against Berkeley. It was the first rebellion in the American colonies in which discontented frontiersmen took part.

  • Pennsylvania Colony

    founded by William Penn for religious reason. Is a proprietary and the proprietor selects the governor. The economy was based on the exporting of grain (Corn, Wheat, Rye, Hemp, & Flat), trade, and manufacturing. Had freedom of religion (however catholics and Jews could not vote or hold office), were friendly toward Natives, and allowed forward-looking spirits and substantial citizens. They refused to pay taxes for the Church of England and the death penalty was only for treason and murder.

  • Salle Expedition

    French Expedition of the Mississippi River led by Sieur de la Salle. Followed the Mississippi River to the mouth.

  • Dominion of New England

    The Dominion of New England in America was an administrative union of English colonies in the New England region of North America. The dominion was a failure, because the colonies deeply resented being stripped of their traditional rights.King James II appointed Edmund Andros to run the Dominion with the help of a council. The Dominion did not allow colonists to represent themselves to parliament. After King James II was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution the Dominion was demolished.

  • Act of Toleration

    was an act of the Parliament in England. It allowed freedom of worship to Individualists who pledged oaths of allegiance and supremacy and rejected transubstantiation. They were allowed their own places of worship and their own teachers if they accepted certain oaths of allegiance. It did not however apply to Catholics.

  • Leisler's Rebellion

    Leisler's Rebellion was an uprising in late 17th century colonial New York, in which German American merchant and militia captain Jacob Leisler seized control of the colony's south and ruled it from 1689 to 1691.Royal authority was not restored until 1691, when English troops and a new governor were sent to New York. Leisler was arrested by these forces, who tried and convicted him of treason. Leisler was executed, but the revolt left the colony polarized, bitterly split into two rival factions.

  • New Hampshire Colony

    Was established for political and religious reasons. Was financed by John Mason and others. Only white ales who were member of the church could vote. The economy was based on exporting abudant resources such as molasses and fish. Was a royal colony. Was controlled by the Massachussetts Bay Colony prior to having its royal charter enachted.

  • Wool Act

    Was intended to subordinate American capital to British capital by preventing American businessmen from turning raw materials into finished commodities.

  • Delaware Colony

    was once apart of maryland and pennsylvania. Was at first founded by the Swedish and Dutch until conquored by England. Had religgious freedom. The economy was based on the exporting of grain (wheat) and trade (fur). Were friendly toward natives and allowed forward looking spirits and substantial citizens. Was a prorprietary and the proprietor selected the governor.

  • Tuscarora War

    War between North Carolina and the Tuscarora Indians. It was caused by the English raiding the Indians and kidnapping them and selling them to slavery. The War lasted for tthree years and resulted in the selling of some indians and the relocation of others to New York.

  • New York City Slave Revolt

    was an uprising of 23 enslaved Africans who killed nine whites and injured another six. More than three times that number of blacks, 70, were arrested and jailed. Of these, 27 were put on trial, and 21 convicted and executed. Conditions in New York were ripe for rebellion. Enslaved Africans lived within proximity of each other, making communication easy. After the revolt, laws governing the lives of blacks in New York were made more restrictive.

  • Carolinas Split

    The Carolina Colony splits into South Carolina and North Carolina

  • Yamasee War

    It was a war between South Carolina and various Native American groups, although the Yamasee were the major group. It was one of the American Indians' most serious challenges to European dominance. Peace was never found but war stopped in 1717. Conflict between the Yamasee and South Carolina continued for decades.

  • Hat Act

    Prevented americans from turning the beaver pelts into hats and selling them on the open market. instead, the pelts were to be sold to English manufacturers, who then used them to make hats, which in turn were sold on the international market, including to the Americans.

  • Georgia Colony

    Founded by James Oglethorpe as a place to put people from debtor's prison and to be a buffer between the rich carolinas and the spanish colony oo Florida. Was a royal colony and was controlled by the king. The government tried to ban slavery, but it did not last. The economy was based on agriculture and the exporting of crops such as Indigo, Tobacco, and slave labor.

  • Molasses Act

    Was an attempt to control the lucrative sale of sugar can to the colonies. The british government established regulations and restirictions, but they were not well enforced.

  • Great Awakening

    was a Christian revitalization movement that swept the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. It resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of deep personal revelation of their need of salvation by Jesus Christ. Pulling away from ritual and ceremony, it made Christianity intensely personal to the average person by fostering a deep sense of spiritual conviction and redemption, and by encouraging introspection and a commitment to a new standard of personal morality.

  • Stono slave rebellion

    It was the largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies prior to the American Revolution.Their leader Jeremy was a literate slave who led 20 other enslaved Kongolese, who may have been former soldiers, in an armed march south from the Stono River. In response to the rebellion, the South Carolina legislature passed the Negro Act of 1740 restricting slave assembly, education, and movement.

  • War of Jenkin's Ear

    was a conflict between Great Britain and Spain that lasted from 1739 to 1748, with major operations largely ended by 1742. The tale of the ear's separation from Jenkins, following the boarding of his vessel by Spanish coast guards in 1731, provided the impetus to war against the Spanish Empire.

  • Iron Act

    was intedented to subordinate American capital to British capital by preventing American businessmen from turning raw materials into finished commodities.

  • Albany Congress

    was a meeting of representatives from the northern seven of the thirteen British North American colonies to discuss better relations with the Indian tribes and common defensive measures against the French, given tensions that led to the French and Indian War.Delegates did not have the goal of creating an American nation; rather, they were colonists with the more limited mission of pursuing a treaty with the Mohawk and other major Iroquois tribes.

  • Braddock's Defeat

    was a failed British military expedition which attempted to capture the French Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War. It was defeated at the Battle of the Monongahela on July 9, and the survivors retreated.Braddock's defeat was a major setback for the British in the early stages of the war with France and has been described as one of the most disastrous defeats for the British in the 18th century.

  • Battle of Quebec

    was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War. The battle involved fewer than 10,000 troops between both sides, but proved to be a deciding moment in the conflict between France and Britain over the fate of New France, influencing the later creation of Canada. While the French forces continued to fight and prevailed in several battles after Quebec was captured, the British did not relinquish their hold on the fortress.

  • Peace of Paris

    The signing of the treaty formally ended the Seven Years' War, otherwise known as the French and Indian War in the North American theatre, which marked the beginning of an era of British dominance outside Europe. The treaty infolved the exchange of territories between England and France. It pretty much took away the majority of France's territories in the New World.

  • Pontiac's Uprising

    was a war that was launched by a loose confederation of elements of Native American tribes primarily from the Great Lakes region who were dissatisfied with British postwar policies after the British victory in the French and Indian War. The war is named after the most prominent of many native leaders in the conflict.. Native Americans were unable to drive away the British, but the uprising prompted the British government to modify the policies that had provoked the conflict.

  • Proclamation of 1763

    Prevented colonies from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. Was created to appease Native American allies. Was not heavily enforced and colonists continued to settle westward.

  • Paxton Boys march on Philadelphia

    Was a march with about 250 men to challenge the government for failing to protect them. Benjamin Franklin led a group of civic leaders to meet them in Germantown, then a separate settlement northwest of the city, and hear their grievances. After the leaders agreed to read the men's pamphlet of issues before the colonial legislature, the mob agreed to disperse.

  • Sugar (Revenue) Act of 1764

    replaced the ineffective molasses act of 1733. It actually reduced the duties on the imported sugar (possibly as an entivement to colonial importers to stay within the law), but the British made a concerted effort to enforce the act and punish smugglers.

  • The Currency Act of 1764

    Supersededed the Currency Act of 1751. This act forbade the colonists from printing their own currency and instead required them to use hard currency (gold or silver), which was in short supply in the colonies. All taxes had to be paid in hard currency as well.

  • The Quartering Act

    Required Americans to provide food and supplies to British troops stationed in the colonies

  • Stamp Act

    Few acts of Parliament angered the American colonists as much as this attempt to raise revenue by taxing virtually all printed material, from newspapers and wills to marriage livenses and even playing cards.

  • Stamp Act Congress

    was a meeting held in New York City, consisting of representatives from some of the British colonies in North America; it was the first gathering of elected representatives from several of the American colonies to devise a unified protest against new British taxation.

  • Declaration of Rights and Grievenaces

    The Declaration of Rights and Grievances was a document written by the First Continental Congress.It declared that taxes imposed on British colonists without their formal consent were unconstitutional.The Declaration of Rights stated-Colonists owe to the crown"the same allegiance"owed by"subjects born within the realm",owe to Parliament "all due subordination", possessed all the rights of Englishmen,Trial by jury is a right,no taxation w/out representation,only colonists could tax themselves

  • Declaratory Act

    Britain professed the right to tax the colonissts without cahllenge even as it repealed the Stampt Act. Britain's response to the cry of no taxation without representation was that in fact the Americans possessed virtual representation. That is, members of Parliament were representatives of all British subjects wherever they lived.

  • Townshend Acts

    items such as paper, glass, lead, paint, and tea would be taxed. But it was not a direct levy in that it did not immediately comje out of the individual consumer's pocket; it was to be paid at american ports.

  • Treaty of Stanwix

    was an important treaty between North American Indians and the British Empire.The purpose of the conference was to adjust the boundary line between Indian lands and British colonial settlements set forth in the Royal Proclamation of 1763. The British government hoped a new boundary line might bring an end to the rampant frontier violence which had become costly and troublesome. Indians hoped a new, permanent line might hold back British colonial expansion.

  • Boston Massascre

    A crowd of Bostonians attacked a squadron of British troops. The redcoats opened fire, killing and wounding about eleven of the provocateurs, including a black or mulatto mob leader, crispus attuckys. John Adams defended the British soldiers, winning an acquittal for most of the,. But American propagandists wasted little time in presenting the event as an unprovoked attack on Americans.

  • Committees of Correspondence

    were shadow governments organized by the Patriot leaders of the 13 Colonies on the eve of the Revolution. They coordinated responses to Britain and shared their plans; They served an important role in the Revolution, by disseminating the colonial interpretation of British actions between the colonies. They rallied opposition on common causes and established plans for collective action, & so the group of committees was the beginning of what later became a formal political union among the colonies

  • Boston Tea Party

    In response to the Tea Act, Bostonians disguised to look like Native Americans boarded the tea ships and proceeded to throw the cargo into Boston Harbor as citizens of the city looked on silently and, more often than not, sypathetically.

  • Intolerable Acts

    Were passed after the boston tea party incident. Included The boston port bill, which closed the port of Boston; the adminstration of justice Act, which required that rials of royal officials accused of serous crimes in the colonies while carrying out their duties be held in Britain; and the Massachusetts Government Act, which greatly limited citizens' rights to organize freely. It also replaced the election of Massachusetts judiciary and council members with Crown appointees.

  • Quebec Act

    Quebec's boundary was extended to the Ohio River, Catholicism was recognized as Quebec's offficial religion, and a nonrepresentative government was established for its citizens. It was roundly condemned by the American colonists because they feared a precedent had been established in regard to the type of government that was created in Quebec, they resented the expansion of Quebec's colonial territory, and they were offended b the Crown's recognition of Catholicism.

  • Continental Association

    was a system created by the First Continental Congress for implementing a trade boycott with Great Britain. Congress hoped that by imposing economic sanctions, Great Britain would be pressured to redress the grievances of the colonies, and in particular repeal the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament. The Association aimed to alter Britain's policies towards the colonies without severing allegiance

  • Paul Revere Ride

    Paul Revere and William Dawes rode to Lexington and Concord in the dead of night to worn the minute men about the approach of British troops to the city. They were to hide the ammunition and prepare for battle.
  • Period: to

    Revolutionary War

    began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Thirteen Colonies, but gradually grew into a world war between Britain on one side and the newly formed United States, France, Netherlands and Spain on the other. The main result was an American victory and European recognition of the independence of the United States, with mixed results for the other powers.

  • Battles of Lexington and Concord

    British troops arrive at . They meet Minutemen. It is unclear who fired the first shot but shooting started. This marked the beginning of the Revolutionary War.

  • Second Continental Congress

    was a convention of delegates from the 13 colonies that started meeting in Philadelphia, PA, soon after warfare in the Revolutionary War had begun. Succeeded the 1st Continental Congress. The 2nd Congress managed the colonial war effort, and moved incrementally towards independence, adopting the Declaration of Independence. By raising armies, directing strategy, appointing diplomats, and making formal treaties, the Congress acted as the de facto national gvt of what became the U.S.

  • Invasion of Canada

    was the first major military initiative by the newly formed Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The objective of the campaign was to gain military control of the British Province of Quebec, and convince the French-speaking Canadiens to join the revolution on the side of the 13 Colonies. The invasion of Quebec ended as a disaster for the Americans.

  • Battle of Bunker Hill

    Battle for the higher ground of Bunker and Breed's Hill. Over 1,000 red coats died and 400 americans were killed. The redcoats drove the Americans, who were nearly out of supplies, from their position. importantly, the colonists had stood their ground against what was considered the best European fightring force at that time.

  • Olive Branch Petition

    was adopted by the Continental Congress in a fortified attempt to avoid a full-blown war between the Thirteen Colonies that the Congress represented, and Great Britain. The petition affirmed American loyalty to England and entreated the king to prevent further conflict. However, the Petition succeeded the July 6 Declaration of Taking up Arms which made its efficacy in London dubious. In August 1775 the colonies were formally declared to rebellion by the Proclamation of Rebellion.

  • The Prohibitory Act

    was passed as a measure of retaliation by Great Britain against the general rebellion then going on in her American colonies, which became known as the American Revolutionary War (or, to the British. It declared all of the colonies in open rebellion and suspending all trade between Britain and the American colonies.

  • Proclamation of Rebellion

    was the response of George III of England to the news of the Battle of Bunker Hill at the outset of the Revolutionary War. It declared elements of the American colonies in a state of "open and avowed rebellion". It ordered officials of the Empire "to use their utmost endeavours to withstand and suppress such rebellion". The Proclamation also encouraged subjects throughout the Empire, including those in England, to report anyone carrying on "traitorous correspondence" w the rebels to be punished.

  • New Jersey Constitution

    Among other provisions, it granted unmarried women and blacks who met property requirements the right to vote. It did not specify an amendment procedure and had to be replaced entirely in a constitutional convention. The succeeding constitution, adopted on June 29, 1844, restricted suffrage to white males. It separated the government's powers into judicial, legislative, and executive branches and granted the people (as opposed to the legislature) the ability to elect a governor.

  • Declaration of Independence

    The Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. Instead they now formed a new nation—the United States of America.

  • Battle of Trenton

    took place after General G Washington's crossing of the DE River north of Trenton, New Jersey. The hazardous crossing in adverse weather made it possible for Washington to lead the main body of the Continental Army against Hessian soldiers garrisoned at Trenton. After a brief battle, nearly the entire Hessian force was captured, with negligible losses to the Americans. The battle The battle significantly boosted the Continental Army's flagging morale, and inspired reenlistments.

  • Virgina Statute for Religious Freedom

    was drafted by T Jefferson in the city of Fredericksburg, VA. In 86, the Assembly enacted the statute into the state's law. The statute disestablished the Church of England in VA and guaranteed freedom of religion to people of all religious faiths, including Catholics and Jews as well as members of all Protestant denominations. The statute was a notable precursor of the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution.

  • Batle of Brandywine

    was fought between the American army of General G Washington and the British army of General Sir W Howe. The British defeated the Americans and forced them to withdraw toward the rebel capital of Philadelphia. Although Howe had defeated the American army, his lack of cavalry prevented its total destruction.

  • Battle of Saratoga

    decided the fate of Brit Gen J Burgoyne's army in the Rev War & are generally regarded as a turning point in the war. Once news of Brit's surrender reached King Louis XVI he decided to enter into negotiations with the Amers that resulted in a Franco-Amer alliance and Fren entry into the war. moved the conflict onto a global stage. Brit was forced to divert resources used to fight the war in N Amer, W Indies&Euro, and rely on what turned out to be the chimera of Loyalist support in its N Amer ops

  • Battle of Germantown

    was a battle in the Phili a campaign of the Revolutionary War, was fought on at Germantown, PA between the Brit army led by Sir W Howe and the Amer army under G Washington. The Brit victory in this battle ensured that Phili, the capital of the self-proclaimed U.S., would remain in Brit hands throughout the winter of 77–78. Despite the defeat, the Amer were encouraged by their initial successes.France, impressed by the Amer attack at Germantown, decided to lend more asisstance to the rebellion.

  • Articles of Confederation

    was an agreement among the 13 founding states that established the United States as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution. They did not work because they gave to much power to the states. Although the states' representatives to the Constitutional Convention in Phily were only authorized to amend the Articles, the representatives held secret, closed-door sessions and wrote a new constitution. The new Constitution gave much more power to the central govt

  • Franco-American Alliance

    alliance between Louis XVI's France and the U.S. during the Rev War. Formalized in the 78 Treaty of Alliance, it was a military pact in which the Fren provided many supplies for the Amers. The Netherlands and Spain later joined as allies of Fran; Brit had no allies. The Fren alliance was possible once the Amers captured a Brit invasion army at Saratoga. The alliance became controversial after 93 when Brit and Fran again went to war and the U.S. declared itself neutral.

  • Battle of Monmouth

    battle fought in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Army under Gen G Washington attacked the rear of the Brit Army column commanded by Gen Sir H Clinton as they left Monmouth Court House. Brit Victory. After the battle the Brit continued their march eastwards until they reached Sandy Hook. From there they were taken by boat to NY City where they began preparing the city's defences in expectation of an attack. The legend of "Molly Pitcher" is usually associated with this battle.

  • Massachusetts Constitution

    was the last of the first set of the state constitutions to be written. Consequently, it was more sophisticated than many of the other documents. Among the improvements was the structure of the document itself. Instead of just a listing of provisions, it had a structure of chapters, sections, and articles. This structure was replicated by the U.S. Constitution. It also had substantial influence on the subsequent revisions of many of the other state constitutions.

  • Battle of King's Mountain

    was a decisive battle between the Patriot and Loyalist militias in the South campaign of the Amer Rev War. The Battle of Kings Mount lasted 65 minutes. The Loyalists suffered 290 K, 163 W, & 668 P. The Patriot militia suffered 29 K & 58 W. The Patriots had to move out quickly for fear that Cornwallis would advance to meet them. Kings Mount was a pivotal moment in the history of the Amer Rev. the surprising victory at Kings Mount was a great boost to Patriot morale.

  • Battle of Cowpens

    was a decisive victory by the Amer army forces under Gen D Morgan, in the South campaign of the Amer Rev War over the Brit Army led by Co BTarleton. It was a turning point in the reconquest of SC from the Brit. took place north of the city of Cowpens, SC. Cowpens was a surprising victory and a turning point that changed the psych of the entire war, not only those of the backcountry Carolinas, but those in all the Southern states. As it was, the Amers were encouraged to fight further.

  • Battle of Yorktown

    was a decisive victory by a combined force of Amer Army led by Gen G Washington & Fren Army troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a Brit Army commanded by Brit lord and Lieut Gen Lord Cornwallis. The culmination of the Yorktown campaign, the siege proved to be the last major land battle of the Amer Rev War in N Amer, as the surrender by Cornwallis and the capture of both him & his army prompted the Brit govt to negotiate an end to the conflict. Washington moved his army to NY until treaty.

  • Newburgh Conspiracy

    was what appeared to be a threatened uprising in the Continental Army. soldiers were discontented over pay that was in arrears and a lack of funding for promised pensions, should take unspecified action against Congress to resolve the issue. Washington stopped any serious talk with his address & Congress approved approved a compromise agreement it had previously rejected: some of the pay arrears were funded, & soldiers were granted five years of full pay.

  • Treaty of Paris

    The Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolutionary War between England on one side and the U.S. and its allies on the other. Treaty states England will recognize U.S. as an independent country, set boundaries, U.S. fisherrs were given unlimited access to Newfoundland waters, U.S. would not interfere with British creditors and merchants seeking to collect debts owed by Americans, and U.S. would compensate loyalists whose property had been confinscated.
  • Period: to

    End of Revolutionary War to War of 1812

  • Land Ordinace of 1785

    the immediate goal of the ordinance was to raise money through the sale of land in the largely unmapped territory west of the original states acquired at the 1783 after the end of the Rev War. Over 3/4 of the area of the continental U.S. ultimately came under the rectangular survey. laid the foundations of land policy until passage of the Homestead Act in 1862. established the basis for the Public Land Survey System. significant for establishing a mechanism for funding public education.

  • Jay-Gardoqui Treaty

    between the US & Spain guaranteed Spain's exclusive right to navigate the Missi River for 20yrs. also opened Spain's Euro & West Indian seaports to Amer shipping. However, the Treaty was not ratified under the A of C.When Spain closed the port of New Orleans to Amer commerce in 84, Congress sent Jay to achieve terms to open the Miss to Amer. Instead, Jay signed an agreement that ignored the problem of the Miss in exchange for commercial advantages benefiting the NE. Congress rejected treaty.

  • Constitutional convention

    held to address problems in governing the US, which had been operating under the A of C. Although it was intended to revise the A of C, the intention from the outset of many of its proponents, chief among them J Madison & A Hamilton, was to create a new government rather than fix the existing one. The delegates elected George Washington to preside over the Convention. The result of the Convention was the creation of the US, placing the Convention among the most significant events in US history.

  • Northwest Ordinance of 1787

    The primary effect of the ordinance was the creation of the Northwest Territory, the first organized territory of the United States, from lands south of the Great Lakes, north and west of the Ohio River, and east of the Mississippi River.The prohibition of slavery in the territory had the practical effect of establishing the Ohio River as the boundary between free and slave territory in the region between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.

  • Shay's Rebellion

    was an armed uprising that took place in MA. The rebellion was named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the Rev War & one of the rebel leaders. The rebellion took place in a political climate where reform of the country's governing document, the A of C, was widely seen as necessary. The events of the rebellion, most of which occurred after the Phily Convention had been called but before it began in May 87, are widely seen to have affected the debates on the shape of the new government.

  • United States Consitution

    is the supreme law of the US.The 1st 3 Articles of the Constitution establish the rules & separate powers of the 3 branches of the fed govt: a legislature, bicameral Congress; an executive branch led by the Pres; & a fed judiciary headed by the Supreme Court. guides Amer law & political culture. Its writers composed the 1st constitution of its kind incorporating recent developmet in constitutional theory with multiple traditions, & their work influenced later writers of national constitution

  • Judiciary Act of 1789

    was a landmark statute adopted in the first session of the First United States Congress establishing the U.S. federal judiciary. Article III, section 1 of the Constitution prescribed that the "judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court," and such inferior courts as Congress saw fit to establish. It made no provision, though, for the composition or procedures of any of the courts, leaving this to Congress to decide.

  • Whiskey Rebellion

    was a tax protest in the US. Farmers who used their leftover grain and corn in the form of whiskey as a medium of exchange were forced to pay a new tax. protesters used violence & intimidation to prevent federal officials from collecting the tax. Washington responded by sending peace commissioners to west PA to negotiate with the rebels& calling on governors to send a military to enforce tax.demonstrated that the new govt had the willingness & ability to suppress violent resistance to its laws.

  • Bill of Rights

    is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. These limitations serve to protect the natural rights of liberty and property. They guarantee a number of personal freedoms, limit the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and reserve some powers to the states and the public. While originally the amendments applied only to the federal government, most of their provisions have since been held to apply to the states by way of the 14th Amendment.

  • Proclamationof Neutrality

    was a formal announcement issued by United States President George Washington, declaring the nation neutral in the conflict between France and Great Britain. It threatened legal proceedings against any American providing assistance to any country at war.

  • Battle of Fallen Timbers

    was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between American Indian tribes affiliated with the Western Confederacy and the United States for control of the Northwest Territory. The battle, which was a decisive victory for the United States, ended major hostilities in the region until Tecumseh's War and the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. The defeat of the Indians led to the signing of the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, which ceded much of present-day Ohio to the United States

  • Jay's Treaty

    was a treaty between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Great Britain that is credited with averting war,[3] resolving issues remaining since the Treaty of Paris of 1783, which ended the American Revolution,[4] and facilitating ten years of peaceful trade between the United States and Britain in the midst of the French Revolutionary Wars, which began in 1792.

  • Treaty of Greenville

    was signed at Fort Greenville following the Native American loss at the Battle of Fallen Timbers the previous year. The parties to the treaty were a coalition of American Indian tribes, known as the Western Confederacy, & the local frontiermen of the US. It ended the Northwest Indian War in the Ohio Country. was for several years a boundary between American Indian territory and lands open to European-American settlers.

  • Pickney's Treaty

    established intentions of friendship between the United States and Spain. It also defined the boundaries of the United States with the Spanish colonies and guaranteed the United States navigation rights on the Mississippi River.

  • XYZ Affair

    was a political & diplomatic episode involving the US and Rep Fran. An Amer diplomatic commission was sent to Fran to negotiate issues that were threatening to break out into war. The diplomats were approached through informal channels by agents of the Fren Minister Talleyrand, who demanded bribes & a loan b4 formal negotiations could begin. Although such demands were not uncommon in Europ diplomacy of the time, the Amers were offended, & eventually left Franc w/out ever engaging in negotations

  • Alien and Sedition Acts

    were four bills passed in 1798 by the Federalists in the 5th United States Congress in the aftermath of the French Revolution and during an undeclared naval war with France, later known as the Quasi-War. They were signed into law by President John Adams.

  • Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

    were political statements drafted in 1798 & 1799, in which the KY & VA legislatures took the position that the federal Alien & Sedition Acts were unconstitutional. The resolutions argued that the states had the right and the duty to declare unconstitutional any acts of Congress that were not authorized by the Constitution. In doing so, they argued for states' rights and strict constructionism of the Constitution. The KY & VA Resolutions of 1798 were written secret by VP T Jefferson & J Madison

  • Quasi- War

    was an undeclared war fought mostly at sea between the United States and the French Republic from 1798 to 1800. By the autumn of 1800, the United States Navy and the Royal Navy, combined with a more conciliatory diplomatic stance by the government of First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte, had reduced the activity of the French privateers and warships. The Convention of 1800, signed on September 30, ended the Franco-American War.

  • Convetion of 1800

    was a treaty between the United States of America and France to settle the hostilities that had erupted during the Quasi-War. The Quasi-War, waged primarily in the Caribbean.The Convention of 1800 terminated the only formal treaty of alliance the United States had signed; it would be nearly a century and a half before the United States entered into another formal alliance.

  • Marbury v. Madison

    was a landmark US Supreme Court case in which the Court formed the basis for the exercise of judicial review in the US under the Constitution. The landmark decision helped define the boundary between the constitutionally separate executive & judicial branches of the American form of govt.

  • Essex Junto

    was a powerful group of New England Federalist Party lawyers, merchants, and politicians. They supported Alexander Hamilton & the Massachusetts radicals. When Hamilton was offered a place in the plot to secede New England from the Union, he denied the offer. Consequently, the Essex Junto tried to vie support from Aaron Burr, who accepted the offer from the Junto. The 1st attempt to break off New England from the Union failed since it was unable to gain support from the major power brokers in NY

  • Embargo Act of 1807

    was a general embargo enacted by the US Congress against Brit & Fran during the Napoleonic Wars. The embargo was imposed in response to violations of US. neutrality, in which Amer merchantmen & their cargo were seized as contraband of war by the belligerent Euro navies. The Brit Navy resorted to impressment, forcing 1000s of Amer seamen into service on their warships. Brit & Fran, engaged in a struggle for control of Euro, rationalized the plunder of U.S. shipping as incidental to war and needed

  • Fletcher v. Peck

    was a landmark United States Supreme Court decision. The first case in which the Supreme Court ruled a state law unconstitutional, the decision also helped create a growing precedent for the sanctity of legal contracts, and hinted that Native Americans did not hold title to their own lands. The resulting case reached the Supreme Court which in a six to one decision ruled that the state legislature's repeal of the law was void because it was unconstitutional.

  • Tecumseh's War

    conflict in the Old Northwest btwn the US & an American Indian confederacy led by the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Although the war is often considered to have climaxed with W H Harrison's victory at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 11, Tecumseh's War essentially continued into the War of 1812 and is frequently considered a part of that larger struggle. Tecumseh was killed by Amers at the Battle of the Thames in Canada in 13 and his confederacy disintegrated. remaining tribes were forced to sell land

  • Battle of Tippecanoe

    between United States forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American warriors associated with the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Was a victory for U.S. Often seen as the climax of the Tecumseh's War.
  • Period: to

    War of 1812

    was a military conflict between the US & Brit & their Indian allies which resulted in no territorial change btwn the Empire and the US, but a resolution of many issues which remained from the American War of Independence. The US declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions brought about by Brit's continuing war with France, the impressment of Amer merchant sailors into the Royal Navy, Brit support of Indian tribes against Amer expansion, & humiliation on the seas.

  • Battle of the Thames

    was a decisive United States victory in the War of 1812 against Brit. The Amer victory led to the re-establishment of Amer control over the Northwest frontier. Apart from skirmishes between raiding parties or other detachments, & an Amer mounted raid near the end of 14 which resulted in the Battle of Malcolm's Mills, the Detroit front remained comparatively quiet for the rest of the war. The death of Tecumseh was a crushing blow to the Indian alliance he had created, & it effectively dissolved

  • Hartford Convetion

    was an event in 1814–1815 in Hartford, Connecticut, US, in which New England Federalists met to discuss their grievances concerning the ongoing War of 1812 & the political problems arising from the federal government's increasing power. Despite radical outcries among Federalists for New England secession & a separate peace with Great Britain, moderates outnumbered them and extreme proposals were not a major focus of the debate.

  • Treaty of Ghent

    was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The treaty restored relations between the two nations to status quo ante bellum - that is, there was no loss of territory either way.

  • Battle of New Orleans

    was the final major battle of the War of 1812.[6][7] American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the Louisiana Purchase.The Battle of New Orleans is widely regarded as the greatest American land victory of the war.
  • Period: to

    Jacksonian Democracy and the Age of Reformation

  • Rush-Bagot Treaty

    was a treaty btwn the US & Brit limiting naval armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, following the War of 1812. It was ratified by the US Senate & has been confirmed by Canada, following Confederation in 1867. provided for a large demilitarization of lakes along the international boundary, where many British naval arrangements & forts remained. The treaty, and the separate Treaty of 1818, laid the basis for a demilitarized boundary between the U.S. and British North America.

  • Dartmouth college v. Woodward

    was a landmark decision from the US Supreme Court dealing with the application of the Contract Clause of the US Constitution to private corporations. The decision settled the nature of public versus private charters and resulted in the rise of the American business corporation and the free American enterprise system. contract is still valid because the Constitution says that a state cannot pass laws to impair a contract.

  • Adams-Onis Treaty

    was a treaty between the United States and Spain in 1819 that gave Florida to the U.S. & set out a boundary between the U.S. and New Spain. It settled a standing border dispute between the two countries & was considered a triumph of American diplomacy. It came in the midst of increasing tensions related to Spain's territorial boundaries in North America vs. the US & United Kingdom in the aftermath of the American Revolution; and also, during a period of weakening in Spanish Power.

  • McCulloch v. Maryland

    landmark decision by the S Court of the US. MD had attempted to impede operation of a branch of the 2nd Bank of US by imposing a tax on all notes of banks not chartered in MD. The Court determined that Congress did have the power to create the Bank. Chief Justice Marshall supported this conclusion w/ 4 main arguments.1st, argued that historical practice established Congress' power to create the Bank. he invoked the 1st Bank of the US history as authority 4 the constitutionality of 2nd bank

  • Missouri compromise

    was passed between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the US Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery in the former LoA Territory north of the parallel 36°30` north except within the boundaries of the proposed state of Missouri. To balance the number of "slave states" and "free states," the northern region of what was then MA was admitted into the US as a free state to become Maine.

  • Second Great Awakening

    was a Protestant revival movement during the early 19th century in the US. The movement began around 90 & after 20 membership rose rapidly among Baptist & Methodist congregations whose preachers led the movement. It was past its peak by the 40s. It has been described as a reaction against skepticism, deism, & rational Christianity, although why those forces became pressing enough at the time to spark revivals is not fully understood. It enroll millions of new members & formd new denominations

  • Monroe Doctrine

    was a policy of the US. It stated that further efforts by Euro nations to colonize land or interfere with states in N or S Amer would be viewed as acts of aggression, requiring U.S. intervention. At the same time, the Doctrine noted that the US would neither interfere w/ existing Euro colonies nor meddle in the internal concerns of Euro countries. The Doctrine was issued at a time when nearly all Latin American colonies of Spain and Portugal had achieved independence from Spain and Portugal

  • Gibbons v. Ogden

    was a landmark decision in which the Supreme Court of the US held that the power to regulate interstate commerce was granted to Congress by the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution. Note that in Gibbons v. Ogden the court specifically stated there are limits upon the federal commerce power, but chose not to put into detail what those limits were aside from goods specifically made, moved, and sold within one state were exclusively beyond the reach of the federal commerce power.

  • Tariff of 1828

    was a protective tariff passed by the Congress of the US designed to protect industry in the north US. It was labeled the Tariff of Abominations by its southern detractors because of the effects it had on the antebellum South economy. The major goal of the tariff was to protect industries in the north US which were being driven out of business by low-priced imported goods by putting a tax on them. The South was harmed directly by having to pay higher prices on goods the region did not produce

  • The Maysville Road Veto

    occurred when Pres A Jackson vetoed a bill which would allow the Fed govt to purchase stock in the MV,Wash,Paris,&Lexton TurnpikeRdComp, which had been organized to construct a road linking Lexton & the Ohio River, mostly in KY. Its advocates regarded it as a part of the national Cumberland Rd system. Congress passed a bill in 30 providing fed funds to complete the project. Jackson vetoed the bill on the grounds that federal funding of intrastate projects of this nature was unconstitutional.

  • Indian Removal Act

    was signed into law by Pres. A. Jackson. The act authorized him to negotiate with the Indians in the Southern U.S. for their removal to federal territory west of the Miss River in exchange for their homelands. It was, in theory, supposed to be voluntary, in practice great pressure was put on Indian leaders to sign removal treaties. Most observers, whether they were in favor of the policy or not, realized that the passage of the act meant the inevitable removal of most Indians from the states.

  • Bank War

    The Bank War refers to the political struggle that developed over the issue of rechartering the 2nd Bank of the U.S. (BUS) during the A. Jackson administration. With the Bank charter due to expire in 36, the pro-BUS Pres of the Bank of the U.S., N Biddle, in alliance with the Rep under Sen H Clay and Sen D Webster, decided to make rechartering a referendum on the legitimacy of the institution in the general election of 32. When Congress voted to reauthorize the Bank Jackson vetoed the bill.

  • Nullilfication Crisis

    was a sectional crisis during pres A Jackson created by SC's 32 Ordinance of Nullification. It declared by the power of the State that the fed Tariffs of 28 and 32 were unconstitutional & therefore null & void within the sovereign boundaries of SC. Jackson signed into law the Tariff of 32. This compromise received the support of most north & half of the south in Congress. It was too little for SC. A Force Bill & new negotiated tariff satisfactory to SC. The Nullifciation Ordinance repealed in83

  • Compromise of 1833

    was proposed by Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun as a resolution to the Nullification Crisis. It was adopted to gradually reduce the rates after southerners objected to the protectionism found in the Tariff of 1832 and the 1828 Tariff of Abominations, which had prompted South Carolina to threaten secession from the Union. This Act stipulated that import taxes would gradually be cut over the next decade until, by 1842, they matched the levels set in the Tariff of 1816—an average of 20%.

  • Anti-Rent War (Anti-renters Movement)

    was a tenants' revolt in upstate New York during the early 19th century, beginning with the death of Stephen Van Rensselaer III. The Anti-Rent War led to the creation of the Antirenter Party which had a strong influence on New York State politics from 1846 to 1851. The first mass meeting of tenant farmers leading to the Anti-Rent War was held in Berne, NY.

  • Dorr's Rebellion

    The Dorr Rebellion was a short-lived armed revolt in RI led by Thomas Dorr, who was wanting changes to the state's electoral system. The "Dorrites" led an unsuccessful attack against the arsenal in Providence, Rhode Island. Defenders of the arsenal were "Charterite" (those who supported the original charter). The Charterites, finally called another convention. The new constitution greatly liberalized voting requirements by extending suffrage to any free man, regardless of race, poll tax of $1.
  • Period: to

    Mexican-American War

    was an armed conflict between the United States of America and the United Mexican States from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico considered part of its territory despite the 1836 Texas Revolution.

  • Compromise of 1850

    was a package of five bills passed in the United States in September 1854, which defused a four-year confrontation between the slave states of the South and the free states of the North regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War. The compromise, drafted by Whig Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky and brokered by Clay and Democrat Stephen Douglas, avoided secession or civil war and reduced sectional conflict for four years

  • Kansas-Nebraska Act

    created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opening new lands for settlement, and had the effect of repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 by allowing settlers in those territories to determine through Popular Sovereignty whether they would allow slavery within each territory. The act was designed by Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois.

  • Bleeding Kansas

    was a series of violent political confrontations involving anti-slavery & pro-slavery elements, that took place in the KS Territory & the neighboring towns of MO until 1861. At the heart of the conflict was the question of whether KS would enter the Union as a free state or slave state. As such, Bleeding KS was a proxy war btwn North & South over the issue of slavery in the US. The events later known as Bleeding Kansas were set into motion by the KS–NE Act which nullified the MO compromise.

  • Dred Scott Decision

    It made two main rulings. The first ruling was that African Americans were not citizens, and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court. The second ruling was that the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in any territory acquired subsequent to the creation of the US. In reaching this decision, Taney had hoped to settle the growing controversy surrounding slavery in the US, but it had the opposite effect. The decision played an important role in the timing of state secessio

  • Lincoln- Douglas Debates

    were a series of seven debates between A Lincoln, the Rep candidate for the Senate in Illinois, and Senator S Douglas, the Dem Party candidate. At the time, U.S. senators were elected by state legislatures; thus Lincoln and Douglas were trying for their respective parties to win control of the IL legislature. The debates previewed the issues that Lincoln would face in the aftermath of his victory in the 1860 presidential election. The main issue discussed in all seven debates was slavery.

  • John Brown's Raid on Harper Ferry

    was an attempt by the white abolitionist John Brown to start an armed slave revolt in 1859 by seizing a United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Brown's raid, accomplished by 20 men in his party, was defeated by a detachment of U.S. Marines led by Col. Robert E. Lee.Brown was taken to the court house in nearby Charles Town for trial. He was found guilty of treason against the commonwealth of Virginia and was hanged on December 2.

  • Morrill Tariff

    was a high protective tariff in the US, adopted during the administration of Pres J Buchanan, a Democrat. It was a key element of the platform of the new Rep Party, & it appealed to industrialists and factory workers as a way to foster rapid industrial growth by limiting competition from lower-wage industries in Euro. It had been opposed by cotton planters, but they had mostly left the US Congress when it was finally passed. However, the tariff played only a modest role in financing the war
  • Period: to

    Civil War

    fought between the United States and several Southern slave states that declared their secession and formed the Confederate States of America. The American Civil War was one of the earliest true industrial wars. Railroads, the telegraph, steamships, and mass-produced weapons were employed extensively.

  • Homestead Act

    were several US federal laws that gave an applicant ownership of land, typically called a "homestead", at little or no cost. In the US, this originally consisted of grants totaling 160 acres of unappropriated federal land within the boundaries of the public land states
  • Period: to

    Reconstruction Era

  • Black Friday Scandal

    was caused by two speculators’ efforts, Jay Gould and James Fisk, to corner the gold market on the New York Gold Exchange. It was one of several scandals that rocked the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant.Although Grant was not directly involved in the scandal, his personal association with Gould and Fisk gave clout to their attempt to manipulate the gold market. Also, Grant's order to release gold in response to gold's rising price was itself a manipulation of the market.

  • Credit Mobilier Scanadal

    involved the Union Pacific Railroad and the Crédit Mobilier of America construction company in the building of the western portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. In 1868 Congressman Oakes Ames had distributed Crédit Mobilier shares of stock to other congressmen, in addition to making cash bribes, during the Andrew Johnson presidency.Garfield denied the charges and succeeded in gaining election as President in 1880, so the scandal did not have much effect on him

  • Salary Grab Act

    was passed by the United States Congress. The effect of the Act was, the day before the second-term inauguration of President Ulysses S. Grant, to double the salary of the Pres and the salaries of Supreme Court Justices. Hidden in the salary increases was also a 50% increase for members of Congress, retroactive to the beginning of their just-ending term. Public outcry led Congress to rescind the congressional salary increase.

  • Sanborn Incident

    was an American political scandal which occurred in 1874. William Adams Richardson, Ulysses S. Grant’s Secretary of the Treasury, hired a private citizen, John D. Sanborn, to collect $427,000 in unpaid taxes. Richardson agreed Sanborn could keep half of what he collected. Sanborn kept $213,000, of which $156,000 went to his various assistants. Sanborn and two others were indicted for revenue fraud. Sanborn's defense was that he was under contract from the government due to appropriations bill

  • Whiskey Ring

    was a profit-making tax evasion swindle on the part of whiskey distillers to defraud the US govt millions of dollars each year. This organized network of tax fraud and bribery, known as the Whiskey Ring, extended nationally and involved "he printing, selling, and approving of forged fed revenue stamps on on bottled whiskey. Sec Bristow, whom Pres Grant put in charge of the Treasury in 74, immediately discovered the corruption, investigated, indicted & forcefully prosecuted members of the ring

  • Greenback Labor Party

    was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology which was active between 1874 and 1889. The party fielded Presidential tickets three times — in the elections of 1876, 1880, and 1884, before fading away. The party opposed the deflationary lowering of prices paid to producers entailed by a return to a bullion-based monetary system, the policy favored by the dominant Republican Party. Continued use of unbacked currency, it was believed, would better foster business and assist farmers

  • Peik v. Chicago and Northwestern Railway

    the supreme court's decision in this case held that the granger laws were not inviolation of the federal governmen'ts power to regulate interstate trade and commerce and that states could establish their won interstate regulations when federal law was not present

  • Compromise of 1877

    was a purported informal, unwritten deal that settled the intensely disputed 1876 U.S. presidential election, pulled federal troops out of state politics in the South, and ended the Reconstruction Era. Through the Compromise, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was awarded the White House over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden on the understanding that Hayes would remove the federal troops whose support was essential for the survival of Republican state governments in South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana.
  • Period: to

    Industrialism and Progressive Era

  • Munn v. Illinois

    As in other states the grangers in IL had alread obtained regulation for max rates that could be charged by grain elevator & storage facilities These laws were often challenged by the owners of the businesses & sometimes they ended up in federal cort So long as property was devoted to public use the cort ruled the states could place regulations on the RR for the good of the public The decision was not complete vict for the famers cuz Cort decided that states coudn't regulate rates 4 long hauls

  • Illinois v. Wabash

    the court reversed its earlier decision in the Peik case & ruled that commerce & trade that corssed state lines was directly under th authority of the fed govt, no the states. Even Congress got into the act, passing the Interstate commerce act. Under the ICA's guidelines certain rules had to be obeyed, such as reasonable shipping rates & the elimination of abuses by the railway companies. It was given the authority to use the courts to compel recalcitrant railway companies to obey its policies.

  • American Federation of Labor

    was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. The AFL was the largest union grouping in the United States for the first half of the 20th century,While the Federation was founded and dominated by craft unions throughout the first fifty years of its existence, many of its craft union affiliates turned to organizing on an industrial union basis to meet the challenge from the CIO in the 1940s. Dissolved in 1955

  • Interstate Commerce Act

    is a United States federal law that was designed to regulate the railroad industry, particularly its monopolistic practices. The Act required that railroad rates be "reasonable and just," but did not empower the government to fix specific rates.The Act was the first federal law to regulate private industry in the United States. It was later amended to regulate other modes of transportation and commerce

  • Dawes-Severalty Act

    congress persuaded Native Americans to relinquish their tribal ways by granting them plots of land and citizenship if they stayed on the land for 25 years and made a concerted effort to become civilized. Unfortunately, the best land had been sold to speculators, railroad companies, and mining companies, so the policy failed. Not until the 1920s did the U.S. government grandt citizenship rights to Native Americans

  • Dependent & Disability Pension Act

    was passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by President Benjamin Harrison. The act provided pensions for all veterans who had served at least ninety days in the Union military or naval forces, were honorably discharged from service and were unable to perform manual labor, regardless of their financial situation or when the disability was suffered. resulted in an enormous spike in federal expenditures on pensions.

  • Sherman anti-trust act

    a landmark federal statute on United States competition law passed by Congress in 1890. It prohibits certain business activities that federal government regulators deem to be anticompetitive, and requires the federal government to investigate and pursue trusts, companies, and organizations suspected of being in violation. It was the first federal statute to limit cartels and monopolies, and today still forms the basis for most antitrust litigation by the United States federal government.

  • Sherman Silver Purchase Act

    did not authorize the free & unlimited coinage of silver that the Free Silver supporters wanted. However, it increased the amount of silver the govt was required to purchase on a recurrent monthly basis to 4.5 mill ounces.it had been passed in response to the growing complaints of farmers' and miners' interests. Farmers had immense debts that couldn't be paid off due to deflation caused by overproduction, & they urged the govt to pass the it in order to boost the economy and cause inflation.

  • McKinley Tariff

    was an act of the United States Congress framed by Representative William McKinley that became law on October 1, 1890. The tariff raised the average duty on imports to almost fifty percent, an act designed to protect domestic industries from foreign competition. Protectionism, a tactic supported by Republicans, was fiercely debated by politicians and condemned by Democrats. The McKinley Tariff was replaced with the Wilson-Gorman Tariff in 1894, which promptly lowered tariff rates

  • Homestead Strike

    was an industrial lockout & strike, culminating in a battle btwn strikers and private security agents on July 6, 1892. The battle was the 2nd largest & one of the most serious disputes in U.S. labor history second only to the Battle of Blair Mountain. The dispute occurred at the Homestead Steel Works in the Pittsburgh area town of Homestead, PA, between the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers (the AA) and the Carnegie Steel Company. The final result was a major defeat for the union

  • Coxey's Army

    was a protest march by unemployed workers from the US, led by OH businessman J Coxey. They marched on D.C. the 2nd year of a 4 yr economic depression that was the worst in US history to that time. The purpose was to protest the unemployment caused by the Panic of 1893 & to lobby for the govt to create jobs which would involve building roads & other public works improvements, with workers paid in paper currency which would expand the currency in circulation, consistent with populist ideology

  • Pullman Strike

    was a nationwide conflict in the US which, in the summer of 94, pitted the American Railway Union and employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company against the company's ownership and the federal government of the US under G Cleveland. The strike & boycott shut down much of the nation's freight and passenger traffic west of Detroit, MI. Debs was arrested on federal charges, including conspiracy to obstruct the mail

  • Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act

    slightly reduced the United States tariff rates from the numbers set in the 1890 McKinley tariff and imposed a 2% income tax. The purpose of the income tax was to make up for revenue that would be lost by tariff reductions

  • Dingley Act

    raised tariffs in United States to counteract the Wilson–Gorman Tariff Act of 1894, which had lowered rates. The Dingley Tariff remained in effect for twelve years, making it the longest-lived tariff in U.S. history. It was also the highest in U.S. history, averaging about 52% in its first year of operation. Over the life of the tariff, the rate averaged at around 47%. The Dingley Act remained in effect until the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act of 1909.

  • Sinking of the Maine

    the U.S.S. Maine was sent to Havana Harbor to protect U.S. citizens & property. Just 1 wk after the DeLome paper, a explosion blew up the ship , killing over 250 Amer sailors. Given the mood of the Amer people at this point, they belieed the obvious culprit was Span. After the Heast & Pulitzer papers sensationallized the story the public was for the most part decidedly sypathetic to a war w/ Span. To this day the cause of the sinking is a mystery but many experts believe explosion was accident
  • Period: to

    Spanish War

    was a conflict btwn Spain & US, effectively the result of Amer intervention in the Cuban War of Indep. Amer attacks on Spain's Pacific possessions led to involvement in the Philippine Revolution. Although the main issue was Cuban independence, the t10wk war was fought in both the Caribbean and the Pacific. Amer naval power proved decisive, allowing U.S. expeditionary forces to disembark in Cuba against a Spanish garrison already brought to its knees by nationwide Cuban insurgent attacks.

  • The Delome Letters

    in 1898 a US newspaper published private correspondence stolen from the Spanish minister in Washingtion, Dupuy DeLome. IN the letter the minister made derogatory comments about President McKinnley, which, when made public, outraged the American people. Althoguh DeLome resigned, the damage had been done.

  • Bankruptcy Act

    as the first United States Act of Congress involving Bankruptcy that gave companies an option of being protected from creditors. Previous attempts at federal bankruptcy laws had lasted at most a few years. Its popular name is a homage to the role of Senator Nelson in its composition. It was significantly amended by the Bankruptcy Act of 1938. It was superseded by the Bankruptcy Act of 1978.

  • Gold Standard Act

    established gold as the only standard for redeeming paper money, stopping bimetallism. It was signed by President William McKinley. The Act fixed the value of the dollar at 25 8/10 grains of gold at "nine-tenths fine" equivalent to 23.22 grains of pure gold. The Gold Standard Act confirmed the nation's commitment to the gold standard by assigning gold a specific dollar value.On April 25, 1933 the United States and Canada dropped the gold standard.

  • Platt Amendment

    was an amendment to the military appropriations bill, constrained by the earlier Teller Amendment that forbade annexation of Cuba. It dictated the conditions for the withdrawal of US troops remaining in Cuba at the end of the Span-Amer War & defined the terms of Cuban-U.S. relations, until it was abrogated by the 1934 Treaty of Relations. it, allowed unilateral U.S. involvement in Cuban and gave U.S. guantanamo bay.

  • Hay-Pauncefote Treaty

    is a treaty signed by the United States and the United Kingdom on 18 November 1901, as a preliminary to the creation of the Panama Canal. The Treaty nullified the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty of 1850 and gave the United States the right to create and control a canal across the Central American isthmus to connect the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. In the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, both nations had renounced building such a canal under the sole control of one nation.

  • Lochner v. New York

    invalidated a New York State law that had limited night work hours in bakeries. The cour contended that the law was a violation of the work contract between employer and eemployee

  • Muller v. Orgen

    upheld a law that limited work hours for women aundry workers only. It did not apply to other workers and did not oerturn the Lochner decision. In the Muller case, the curt decided taht the inherent "weakness" of females required their protection by the government.

  • Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act

    bill lowering certain tariffs on goods entering the United States. It was the first change in tariff laws since the Dingley Act of 1897. An additional provision of the bill provided for the creation of a tariff board to study the problem of tariff modification in full and to collect information on the subject for the use of Congress and the President in future tariff considerations. Another provision allowed for free trade with the Philippines, then under American control.

  • The Ballinger-Pinchot Controversey

    grew out of western opposition to conservation measure because they inhibited the development of the West.. Ballinger, Sec of the interior, was identified with those westerners and conservatives who opposed conservation measures. Pinchot represened the progressive wing that faored conservation measures. Once again, Taft threw his weight behind the conservatives and sided with Ballinger, who proceeded to open over 1 million acres of land that Roosevelt had reserved.

  • Taft's antitrust suit against U.S. Steel

    When US Steel purchased the bankrupt TN Coal & Iron Company the combination seemed to be in violation of the Sherman Anti-Turst Act Ted's position had been that US Steel had provided a public service to the nation by acquiring a company that, if it defaulted on its loans, could have dire consequences for the economy. Ted assure US Steel taht the Justice Department would not prosecute the company, but under taft that is exactly what happened. Ted felt as if Taft had undermined his integrity.

  • Panama Canal Tolls Actt

    the act allowed US ships to use the panama canal toll-free. wilson convinced congress to repeal the ac, which angered strong nationalists like Roosevet but was appreciated by the British, who had earlier challenged the exemption

  • The Federal trade Commission

    was created to regulate business by controlling trusts and monopolies, investigate misconduct, and issue cease and desist orders to intractable businesses

  • The Underwood Tariff

    was the 1st significant reductionin the tariff in 50 yrs. Wilson sided with consumers, who he belieed were paying inflated prices because o fthe protection accorded businesses. Yet he believed that lowering the tariffs and thereby increasing foreign competition would compel U.S. businesses to become more efficient, lower their prices, and make better products. The nations' corporate leaders agreed, though the idea of lowering tariffs is often a hard pill for business to swallow.

  • The Federal Reserve Act

    addressed glaring currency problems: the inablity of the federal governmen to regulate the aount of money in the economy and to regulate banking pracices. All national banks were requeired to join the Federal Reerve System. A board of directors composed of financial experts was to oversee the federal reserve system.

  • Clayton Anti-Trust Act

    was the resonse to wilson's call for steps to be taken to break monopolies. The new law modified the Sherman Anti-Trust Act by now exempting unions from restraint of trade provisios, but only when pursing legitimate aims. This provided the govt an opportunity to limit labor's power. The clayton act supplemented the sherman act by including new provisions prohibiting unfair and illeagal business practices such as price fixing
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    World War to World War

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    World War I

    WI was a global war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. It involved all the world's great powers, which were assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies and the Central Powers.

  • The Adamson Eight-Hour Act

    growing out of concern that a railroad strike would severely damage the economy, Had Wilson's support. The act also provided compensation for overtime work

  • The Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

    prohiited interstate trade invoving commodities produced by children under the age of 14. It was subsequently ruled unconsitutioal in the 1918 supreme court case Hammer v. Dagenhart. In 1924 a constitutional amendment to abolish child labor failed to recieve the approval of the required 3/4 of the states for ratification

  • Jones Act of 1916

    The Act provided for eventual Filipino independence, made the Philippines a full-fledged U.S. territory, and granted universal male suffrage.

  • Jones Act of 1917

    the act conferred citizenship rights on all Puerto Ricans and made democractic improvements to their legislative system

  • Hammer v. Dagenhart

    was a United States Supreme Court decision involving the power of Congress to enact child labor laws. The Court held regulation of child labor in purely internal (to a single state) manufacturing, the products of which may never enter interstate commerce, to be beyond the power of Congress, distinguishing the Lottery line of cases, which concerned Congressional regulation of harms (e.g. interstate sale of lottery tickets) that required the use of interstate commerce.

  • Adkins v. Children's hospital

    held that a maximum of ten hour workday for women workers in Washington D.C. was unconstitutional.
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    Great Depression

    The market crash marked the beginning of a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement. Although its causes are still uncertain and controversial, the net effect was a sudden and general loss of confidence in the economic future. Great Depression ends with the US entry of WWII
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    World War II

    WWII was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history
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    Cold War

    was a sustained state of political and military tension between the US & the USSR. was so named because the two major powers—each possessing nuclear weapons and thereby threatened with mutual assured destruction—never met in direct military combat. Instead, in their struggle for global influence they engaged in ongoing psychological warfare and in regular indirect confrontations through proxy wars. Cycles of relative calm would be followed by high tension, which could have led to world war.

  • Housing Act

    This act budgeted $3 billion for slum clearance and new low-rent housing

  • Minimum Wage Act

    The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was amended to increase the minimum wage.

  • Social security Act

    Coverage to individuals who were self-emploeyd was added, and retirees were given increased benefits.
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    Vietnam War

    was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.The U.S. government viewed involvement in the war as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam as part of their wider strategy of containment. The US involvement began in the early 1960s. The North Vietnamese government and Viet Cong were fighting to reunify Vietnam under communist rule. U.S. military involvement ended on 15 Aug1973 as a result of the Case–Church Amendment passed by the U.S. Congress.

  • Economic Opportnity Act

    The act authorized $1 billion for the War on Poverty. In addition, it created the Job Corps to provide vocational training and educational opportunites for underprivledged youth

  • Civil Rights Act

    this act strengthened antisegregation policies by withholding federal funding to states that did not coply with federal laws regarding voting rights, education, and public facilities

  • Elementary and Secondary Eduaction Act

    the act provided extensive financial aid to public and parochial schools

  • Appalachian Regional Development Act

    The Act set aside $1 billion for aid to the poverty-stricken Appalachian mountain regions

  • Medicare Act

    the act provided nursing and hospital care funded by the social security system, to the elderly

  • Voting Rights Act

    the act forbade literacy tests under certain circumstances and authorized the president to enforce the fifteenth amendment.

  • Erdman Act

    was a US federal law pertaining to railroad labor disputes. The law provided for arbitration for disputes between the interstate railroads and their workers organized into unions. The most significant portion of the act was its provision prohibiting a railroad company from demanding that a worker not join a union as a condition for employment. The act made it unlawful to strike or fire a worker during the arbitration process.