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1492
Christopher Columbus
An Italian explorer, who while sailing for Spain's Ferdinand and Isabella, accidently discovered the New World. His discovery made him a celebrated hero upon his return to Europe. -
1492
Age of Discovery
During this age the European ships were traveled around the world to search for new trading routes and partners to feed burgeoning capitalism in Europe -
Oct 12, 1492
Columbian Exchange
This refers to the flow of goods between the Americas, Europe, and Africa that followed Columbus's widely advertised "discovery" of the New World. -
Oct 12, 1492
Introduction of Tobacco
Tobacco farming and curing is labor intensive. An increase in the value of tobacco and its resultant popularity as a farm crop, also led to an increase in the slave trade. -
Jun 7, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
This was signed by Spain and Portugal. It divided the territories of the New World. Spain received the bulk of territory in the Americas. -
1512
Encomienda System
Conquistadors and other leaders received grants of a number of Indians, from whom they could exact "tribute" in the form of gold or labor. -
1525
Atlantic Slave Trade
The first record of a slave trade voyage direct from Africa to the Americas is for a ship that landed in Santo Domingo, on the island Espanola. -
Jamestown
Jamestown was the first colony established. Colonists that were sent there were very poorly supplied and a lot of them died during starvation time in the winter. -
House of Burgesses
This house was the first legislative assembly of elected representatives in North America. It was created as part of an effort to inspire English craftsmen to journey and settle in North America. -
Pequot war
In this war, Indians killed New England fur trader, Connecticut and Massachusetts soldiers attack Pequots and win. Connecticut River Valley opens for settlement-trade. -
King Phillip's War
Puritains killed Indians for killing Indian spy. This bloody battle ended when King Phillip, leader of Iroquois confederation, is killed by the English. -
Bacon's Rebellion
This was an armed rebellion led by Nathaniel Bacon against the governor of Virginia, William Berkeley. They did not achieve the goal they wanted but ultimately led to Berkeley being called back to England. -
Pueblo Revolt
This was an uprising of most of the indigenous Pueblo people against the Spanish colonists in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico. -
Great Awakening
This was the revitalization movement that went throughout the colonies during the 1730s-1740s. Two main leaders of this awaking were Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. -
French and Indian War
This war is known as the Seven Yeras' War. It was the North American conflict in large imperial war between Great Britain and France. It ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War. France gave up all its territories in mainland North America, it effectively ended any foreign military threat to the British colonies there. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation stated that they would not settle lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. Many colonists ignored the Proclamation and ventured west either way. -
American Revolution
Conflict arose from growing tensions between residents of Great Britain's 13 North American colonies and the colonial government which represented the British crown. -
Quartering Act
This act required the colonies to house British soldiers in barracks provided by the colonies. It gave provisions for British troops to be given food and shelter at the expense of American colonists. -
Stamp Act
This was an act of Parliament of Great Britain. It imposed a direct tax on the colonies of British America. -
Townshed Acts
This act imposed duties on glass, lead, paints, papers, and tea imported into the colonies. -
Steam Engine
James Watt invented the Stem Engine. It used coal rather than water, powered machines like the cotton mills, and led to the factory system. -
Nothwest Ordinances
This provided a method for admitting new states to the Union from the territory, and listed a bill of rights guaranteed in the territory. -
Louisiana Purchase
This purchase was the acquisition of the Louisiana territory by the United States from France. The United Sates acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. -
Battle of Tippecanoe
This was a conflict between the confederacy of native warriors led by Tecumseh. This battle pushed Congress to feel that war with Britain was justified. -
War of 1812
This war was a conflict fought between the United States, the United Kingdom, and their respective allies. The Treaty of Ghent ended this war on December 24, 1814. -
James Monroe
His presidency is known as the "Era of Good Feelings." He served two terms in office. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise attempted to keep balance of the slave states and free states in Congress. Missouri entered as a slave state and Maine entered as a free state. -
Election of 1824
The election of 1824 pitted four Democratic-Republican candidates against one another for the presidency: John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, William Crawford, and Andrew Jackson. -
Samuel Morse
The telegraph was invented by Samuel Morse. It took only seconds to communicate with another country. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Nebraska and Kansas would enter the Union with the principles of popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty says that states should decide for themselves when they wanted to be free or they wanted to hold slaves. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
Battle between Union and Confederates over control of coastal fort. This is where the 1st shots of the Civil War occurred. -
Battle of Bull Run
Federal troops marched from Washington D.C. to Bull Run. Confederate troops were ready to attack. -
Battle of Antietam
This battle was significant in Civil War history because it was the 1st major battle on Northern soil. It was also the bloodiest single day battle. -
Abraham Lincoln
The Ten-Percent Plan said that as soon as 10 percent of voters in a state took an oath of loyalty to the union, the state would be readmitted. -
"Seward's Folly"
"Seward's Folly" was a deal to purchase the region of Alaska from Russia for a sum of $7.2 million. After 1865, Seward, a supporter of territorial expansion, was eager to acquire the tremendous landmass of Alaska. This area was roughly about one-fifth the size of the rest of the United States. -
"The Glided Age"
"The Glided Age: A Tale of Today" is a novel by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner. It expressed greed and political corruption in post-Civil War America in the era referred to as the Gilded Age. -
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union
This union was founded in 1874. The pupose of the WCTU was to create a "sober and pure world" by abstinence, purity, and evangelical Christianity. -
"New South" Movement
The "New South" movement included cheap labor and cotton helped the Southern textile industry outperform the North. It also improved railroads and it created a more industrialized South. -
Sioux Indian Tribe
The discovery of gold impacted the Sioux Indian Tribe. Miners began settling on Sioux tribal lands in search of gold. Sioux leader, Sitting Bull, assembled his own army. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
This act provided an absolute 10-year moratorium on Chinese labor immigration. The Chinese Exclusion Act required the few nonlaborers who sought to entry to obtain certification from the Chinese government that they were qualified to immigrate. -
Dawes Severalty Act
Native land was redistributed. Natives received 160 acres and had to prove they were effective farmers. Natives could only sell land with certificate. -
Hull House
Hull House was a settlement house in the United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. It helped immigrants ease their transition into American society. -
Social Gospel Movement
In the Social Gospel Movement, Christians were obligated to improve the lives of those less fortunate. This movement was a religious movement that arose during the second half of the nineteenth century. -
Herbert Hoover
The Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover was nominated as the Republican candidate. Hoover's 1928 electoral victory was the last election until 1952 in which a Republican won the White House. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression. This depression affected all the world's industrialized nations and the countries that exported raw materials to them. -
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the only U.S. president to be elected four times, serving 12 years in office from March 4, 1933 to his death on April 12, 1945. -
New Deal
The Great Depression led to a New Deal for the American People. FDR created this New Deal which was a series of programs to end the Depression. -
The Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was a name given to an area of the Great Plains that was devastated by nearly a decade of drought and soil erosion. This time was known as the Dirty Thirties. -
The Korean War began.
The Korean War began in 1950. North Koreans invaded South Korea before meeting a counter offense by the UN Forces. It was dominated by the United States. The war ended in stalemate in 1953. -
Brown v. Board of Education Decision.
The Supreme Court's decision was that segregation in public schools were unconstitutional. Segregation was harming the black children. The South ended up integrating their schools instead of closing them. -
The Freedom Rides begin.
The Freedom Rides were made up by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). It involved men and women who were black or white. They participated in the integrated bus rides. -
The Berlin Wall was constructed.
After the Bay of Pigs embarrassment, Khrushchev threatened the President to get Americans out of Berlin. Kennedy ignored them. They began the construction of the wall around West Berlin to stop the East Berliners escape to the West. -
The March on Washington.
Martin Luther King was seeking jobs and freedom for African Americans. This march caught John F. Kennedy's attention. He was able to initiate a strong federal civil rights bill in Congress. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964.
president Johnson supported the civil Rights Act of 1964 because of the March on Washington and the death of John F. Kennedy. This act did many great things to ensure equality. For example, it outlawed discrimination of African Americans and women. Also, they changed voting requirements and racial separations in public schools were removed. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
Congress issued this to ask for an increase in their authority to wage war. It increased executive power to engage in the Vietnam War. -
The Voting Rights Act was passed.
This act expanded on the 15th Amendment which prohibited tactics that disenfranchised African American voters, including literacy tests. This act was considered the most far-reaching pieces civil rights legislation in U.S. history. Basically, everyone could vote. -
Malcolm X was assassinated.
Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965. He was told that his dream of becoming a lawyer was a "no realistic goal." Malcolm X believed that blacks should use violence to profess black supremacy. He was a hero to many people, that thought of him as a symbol of black pride and social protest. -
SALT l adopted.
This caused the U.S. and Soviet Union to limit the weapons. It was initiated by Nixon. -
War Powers Act.
This limited the President's ability to wage war without the consent of the legislative branch. The President must report to Congress within two days of putting troops in danger in a foreign country. Also, a 60 to 90 day limit for over seas troop presence. -
Richard Nixon Resigns.
Nixon was scared to lose his chance for reelection and sent someone to spy on the Washington D.C. complex. They were caught. Nixon said he was not a part of it, yet Congress did not believe him. They gathered evidence to impeach him. He felt threatened by the impeachment and was pressured by the public. -
Camp David Accords.
The Camp David Accords were the peace accords that ended the Israeli-Egyptian disputes. The achievement by Carter is considered his greatest achievement in office. -
Tax Reform Act of 1986.
This act came from Reagan. It lowered the highest income tax rates from 50% to 28%. Also, it lowered corporate income taxes from 46% to 34%. It removed many tax shelters and exemptions.
