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Fort Necessity
It was a pivotal early conflict in the French and Indian War. Led by 22-year-old George Washington, British colonial forces built the fort in western Pennsylvania to counter French claims in the Ohio Valley. The French and Native Americans, decisively defeated Washington, forcing his surrender. This marked the start of the Seven Years' War. It set the stage for British dominance in North America and Washington's rise as a key leader in American history. -
Stamp Act passed
The Stamp act was a very unpopular tax placed on the colonies by Britain. The Stamp Act caused more resistance because it affected the wealthy and the influential the most. Merchants and transporters were hit hard by the stamp act as it taxed all legal documents. Some of the colony's most influential people were heavily involved in the trading of goods across the Atlantic and were not happy at how much tax they would have to pay. This would lead to them writing and spreading discontent -
The Boston Massacre
As tensions rose in the colonies following various increase in British troops, protests began popping up in Boston. Colonists began to harass British soldiers, with one incident bringing the conflict between Britain and America to the forefront. On a snowy night in Boston, several Redcoats were faced by a large crowd of locals who threw snowballs filled with stones at them. The confusion and fear of violence led the soldiers to fire on the crowd. The Boston massacre enraged the colonies. -
The Boston Tea Party
The unpopular taxes levied by Britain had led to major activist groups such as the Sons of Liberty taking drastic action. Led by Samuel Adams, a group of colonists stormed a ship filled with British tea and to protest higher taxes on tea, dumped all the cargo in the harbor. The total damages were a massive sum of money. This infuriated parliament who would take a much harder approach to the colonies. This lead to the British banning town meeting in an attempt to scatter the revolutionaries. -
The Intolerable Acts
After the events of the Boston Tea Party, an angry British parliament decided it was time to force the colonies to comply. The Coercive acts closed Boston's port, suspended the legislator and local government, and revoked the colonies charter. This completely crippled Massachusetts economy and led to widespread civil unrest. Some colonists believed that Britain had gone too far and in response to these laws, the first Continental Congress came together. -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
Believing that the colonists were preparing for an independence war, the British decided to seize what they believed to be an armory in Concord. When they reached Lexington, a small group of militia exchanged gunfire with them. Despite winning this first exchange, the British would soon find themselves surrounded by hostile colonists who would harass them until they retreated to Boston. Lives had been lost and for all intensive purposes, the American revolutionary war had begun. -
The Battle of Trenton
After a string of military defeats, Washington was desperate for any kind of victory to show the war was winnable. An opportunity presented itself on Christmas when Washington noticed that a group of unprepared Hessian troops were camped on the other side of the Delaware river. After crossing the river with his army, Washington attacked the British and won a major victory, liberating the town of Trenton. This would begin a trend of military victories against the British and galvanize resistance. -
Articles of Confederation
Now that the colonies were embroiled in a war with Britain, they needed some sort of government to fund an army and prosecute the war. The first attempt at an American government came from the Articles of Confederation. While they did create some federal government for the colonies, they gave over most of the power to the states. This would lead to an ineffective federal government that could not raise funds or maintain an army. -
The Battle of Yorktown
After the disaster at Saratoga, General Cornwallis believed that if he could defeat Washington, the war could still be won. His strategy was to lure Washington's army to the port of Yorktown and fight him on familiar ground. Unfortunately for him, the French had already captured Yorktown and he found himself caught between two armies. With no hope of victory, he surrendered. With the loss of Cornwallis's army, the war was effectively over. -
Treaty of Paris
After years of war, it was clear that a war against America was unwinnable. With the French now involved and arriving in great numbers in America, the British decided to sign a peace treaty. The Treaty of Paris made Britain renounce all its territory to the west of the colonies and recognize American independence. Britain was allowed to keep Canada. With the war ended, America was now a real nation. However, its government was plagued with problems and the union was barely holding together. -
Shays Rebellion
After the revolutionary war, many soldiers who had gone without pay during the war returned to find themselves deeply in debt. Wealthy merchants and landowners dominated politics and extorted money from the poor. Angry veterans gathered behind Daniel Shay and formed militias. The Federal government was unable to put down this rebellion under the provisions of the Articles of Confederation. Instead, private armies funded by the wealthy put and end to the rebellion. -
The Constitutional convention
Shay's rebellion had shown the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and if the new country was to survive, they would need a stronger federal government. Delegates from the states met in Philadelphia to discuss a revision to the Articles. However, it was clear that the Articles were too flawed to be saved and it was decided that a new constitution was needed. This Constitution established a federal government with multiple branches and gave it the power to tax and create an army. -
Judiciary Act of 1789
The new nation needed a new justice system to replace the vacuum that British magistrates had previously filled. The act established a new supreme court that could approve or stop laws based on constitutionality. Marbury v. Madison established the supreme courts ability to set precedents and use their power to interpret the constitution and apply it to all things. -
The assumption of state debt
With the states now united, it was time to consolidate the economy into one entity as opposed to thirteen states with thirteen economies. The first move by the federal government was to assume all state debt as repayment for their efforts during the war. This divided the nation as states like Virginia had already repaid their debt and worried their taxes were going to other states. This would start debate over the powers of the government dividing people between federalist and anti-federalist. -
Creation of the National Bank
To help control the new American currency and provide money for the government, George Washington created an American National Bank. It stored the government's wealth and helped provide American businesses with loans. This was a great victory for the federalist cause and gave the federal government real power. Many anti-federalists were unhappy as they thought that states should have the power to create currency and hand out loans. -
The XYZ Affair
For their help in the Revolutionary War, the United States offered to help the French in a time of crisis. However, when the French revolution happened, the United States chose not to help. This soured relations between the two former allies and resulted in the XYZ affair. The French believed that the Americans were not worth talking to and refused to recognize them unless they were paid a massive amount of money. This was humiliating to John Adams and caused him to be even more unpopular. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
John Adams's presidency was not nearly as successful as George Washington's. While George Washington had been able to keep the nation united, his death would lead to increasing factionalism within the democracy. John Adams would do everything in his power to ensure federalists like him held onto power. He would create the Alien and Sedition Acts which gave him the power to silence and deport opposition. This would make him deeply unpopular and ensure his loss against Jefferson. -
Thomas Jefferson's election
John Adams's presidency was very unpopular and his desire to keep the federalists in power at all costs led to his defeat at the hands of Jefferson. Many believed that Adams would begin a civil war but just as Washington had done, there was a peaceful transition of power. Jefferson had a very different idea of the way the nation should run. He wanted minimal government intervention and a strict adherence to the constitution. -
The Barbary Wars
The federal government had gone to great lengths to ensure it could provide for an army but had failed to make any kind of navy. Jefferson attempted to avoid the issue but his hand was forced when Barbary pirates from Africa began raiding American merchants and ransoming crews. Now no longer under the British Protection they used to be, Jefferson reluctantly created the United States Navy and quickly put an end to the Barbary pirates dominance in the Mediterranean. -
The Louisiana Purchase
The French going into the 19th century were fighting a war with the majority of Europe. In need of money to fight the war, Napoleon offered to sell the entire Louisiana territory to America. Jefferson, who'd only wanted the port of New Orleans, initially wanted to refuse. He believed that he couldn't because it was not mentioned in the constitution. Ultimately, he sacrificed his values for the good of the nation. By buying Louisiana, Jefferson had doubled the size of the nation. -
The Lewis and Clark expedition
After the massive Louisiana purchase, Jefferson wanted to explore the new territories in preparation for expansion. Before the expedition, very little was known about the far west of the continent. Lewis and Clark would spend 2 years exploring with the help of Natives and a small company of frontiersmen. They would collect a variety of new wildlife and create a large amount of maps. This expedition would help provide insight on the west and reveal that the country was connected to the pacific. -
Embargo Act of 1807
Towards the end of Jefferson's presidency, tensions in Europe were rising in the aftermath of the French revolution. The Napoleonic Wars threatened to spill over into the Americas. After the Louisiana purchase, the British viewed America with increasing hostility and began impressing American sailors who were shipping goods to France. In response to this, Jefferson banned all international trade. This destroyed the American economy but did boost domestic production. -
The Underground Railroad
With the northern states abolishing slavery, some southern slaves believed that if they could escape to the north, they could be free. Many obstacles lay in their way however. Bounty hunters and local militia were constantly looking for runaway slaves and the punishment for running away was often barbaric. Northerners and Southerners who sympathized with the slaves cause allowed them to hide in their homes and guided them north. This was known as the underground railroad. -
War of 1812
Angered over British refusal to stop impressing American sailors, congress formally declared war for the first time in history. Both sides were unable to decisively beat the other and the war would end in stalemate. The war was seen as unimportant compared to the one in Europe and there were no real territorial gains. The British did launch one invasion which led to the burning of DC and destruction of the White House. The war also made Andrew Jackson famous for his victory at New Orleans. -
Treaty of Ghent
After a few years of war, neither side could claim a decisive victory over the other and they remained in a stalemate. With the American economy suffering and the British fighting a massive war in Europe, both sides came together and made peace. The treaty restored pre-war borders and ended the practice of impressment. The Americans saw this as a triumph as they were able to stand up to a world power. -
Battle of New Orleans
After the wars conclusion, there was still fighting going on across America. It still took months for messages to cross the world and for those in America, the war was still on. The British in an attempt to capture the crucial port of New Orleans landed thousands of troops in the south. The only thing stopping them from taking the city was a general named Andrew Jackson and his small force of militia. By rapidly drafting the locals, Jackson built a fort and decisively defeated the British. -
The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a federal legislation of the United States that balanced desires of northern states to prevent expansion of slavery in the country with those of southern states to expand it. Slave states were now restricted to be below the thirty sixth parallel. While this temporarily satisfied both sides, it led to many who felt forced to follow beliefs not their own. It also caused further division between north and south. -
The Corrupt Bargain of 1824
The election of 1824 was a pivotal election as many saw Andrew Jackson as having a good chance of winning. Andrew Jackson promised radical change to the nation and some believed he would destroy the nation. The race was split between Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams, and Jackson. Henry Clay dropped out of the race but gave support to Adams. Once Adams had won, he made Henry Clay secretary of state. This led many to call the election The Corrupt Bargain and Jackson vowed revenge. -
Tariff of Abominations
In a desperate attempt to please his northern voter base John Quincy Adams introduced an incredibly controversial set of tariffs. They aimed to incentivize Northern industrial growth by raising the prices of foreign goods. While this was moderately successful in the north, the south was dependent on imports for many things and had very little industry. These tariffs united the south against Adams and gave Jackson the majority he needed to win the upcoming election. -
Andrew Jackson's Elected
A war hero and renowned duelist, Jackson had won the hearts and minds of the south. His strictly anti federalist views were popular at the time his political opponent John Quincy Adams was deeply unpopular. By galvanizing the many who were against federal power, Jackson took power and set about creating a nation led by the states. His actions would have terrible repercussions and further divided an already fracturing nation. -
Indian removal act
As American settlers moved west they encountered growing numbers of Native Americans. These groups had relocated to the west where they had signed treaties with the American government that their land would be respected. These treaties were not enough to deter frontiersmen who would violently remove any natives in their way. Andrew Jackson decided to aid the frontiersman and would begin the process of forcibly removing native Americans from their homes and onto distant reservations. -
Beginning of The Second Great Awakening
was a religious revival that swept across the United States, emphasizing personal salvation, emotional faith, and moral reform. It inspired widespread evangelical movements, growth in church membership, and social reforms such as abolitionism, temperance, and women's rights. This awakening reshaped American society by linking religion with activism, fostering a sense of shared moral purpose, and laying the groundwork for key 19th-century reform movements like the Temperance movement. -
The Bank War
One of the greatest evils of the federal government that Jackson had vehemently criticized was the federal bank. Jackson saw the bank as corrupt and as a way for foreign investors to invade American business. Jackson decided that it was time for the bank to end and vetoed renewing its charter. He then withdrew all of the money within it and redistributed it to the states. Hyperinflation followed soon after as states tried to fill the gap. The economy would suffer, leading to the Panic of 1837. -
The Taney Court
After the death of John Marshall, Robert Taney was appointed as chief justice of the supreme court. The arrival of Taney would see a major shift in the political leanings of the court. Taney would oversee many controversial and damaging decisions that would restrict American rights and give power to state governments. He was largely responsible for legalizing African American oppression and perpetuating slavery. -
The Trail of Tears
As settlers pushed further westward, they encountered massive tribes inhabiting the plains. The government decided it was time for these tribes to move again. Large numbers of federal troops moved onto Native American lands and began the long process of relocation. Tribes were moved far to the west onto undesired land to make room for settlers. Federal troops used violence to move groups and killed anyone who resisted. A staggering number of natives died on the journey west. -
The Mexican American War
It was a conflict brought about by territorial disputes, sparked by the U.S. annexation of Texas and border disagreements. The U.S. emerged victorious, capturing Mexico City and forcing the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty ceded vast territories, including California, Arizona, and New Mexico, to the U.S., fulfilling Manifest Destiny. The war deepened sectional tensions over slavery, contributing to the lead-up to the American Civil War. -
Compromise of 1850
By this point, a civil war seemed almost inevitable. The issue of slavery had driven the north and south to far apart for any real reconciliation but in a last attempt to bring the nation together, Henry Clay proposed a compromise. This compromise allowed states to choose whether they would be free or slave through voting and allowed southerners to recapture slaves in the north. Both sides benefited from this but it wasn't enough to stave off a war. -
Dred Scott vs. Sanford
Dred Scott v. Sandford was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that held the U.S. Constitution did not extend American citizenship to people of black African descent, enslaved or free; thus, they could not enjoy the rights and privileges the Constitution conferred upon American citizens. The Supreme Court's decision has been widely denounced, both for its overt racism and for its crucial role in the start of the American Civil War four years later. -
Election of Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln was deeply unpopular in the south for his distaste of slavery. Despite not appearing on southern ballots, he overwhelmingly won the election. Abraham Lincoln was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War and succeeded in preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, bolstering the federal government, and modernizing the U.S. economy. -
South Carolina secedes
Tired of northern insolence and with the imminent threat of losing their slaves and therefore their economy and way of life, South Carolina became the first of many states to secede from the union. They believed that the constitution allowed for states to leave whenever they wanted to. These newly separated states joined together to form the Confederacy which was built on the principle of slavery. Abraham Lincoln saw no other option than to destroy the rebels. The Civil war had begun. -
Ironclads
One major advantage the Union had over the Confederacy was in its naval power. The Confederates would struggle to dislodge union blockades. In an attempt to gain complete supremacy, both sides used iron clads for the first time in history. These steel ships were the first real battle ships of today and were much stronger than the previously used wooden ships, while also having less of a profile to be hit by opposing cannonballs. -
Homestead Act
To encourage western expansion, Lincoln decided to start handing out land for free. The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of government land or the public domain, typically called a homestead. In all, more than 160 million acres of public land, or nearly 10 percent of the total area of the United States, was given away free to 1.6 million homesteaders; most of the homesteads were west of the Mississippi River. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
Seeing a chance to destroy the institution he hated in the name of unifying the nation, Abraham Lincoln created the Emancipation Proclamation. It served as a radical statement to the nation and made the war about ending slavery. Foreign powers who were supporting the Confederates backed out since as they had also abolished slavery. Many former slaves and African Americans would rush into the fight and the Confederacy would only lose from here. -
The Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, halting Lee's invasion of the North. The battle involved the largest number of casualties of the entire war and is often described as the war's turning point. -
Appomattox Court House
The Confederates had suffered a string of major defeats. The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought in Appomattox County, Virginia, on the morning of April 9, 1865, was one of the last battles of the American Civil War. It was the final engagement of Confederate General in Chief, Robert E. Lee, and his Army of Northern Virginia before they surrendered to the Union Army of the Potomac under the Commanding General of the United States Army, Ulysses S. Grant. -
Reconstruction
The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloody Civil War, bring the former Confederate states back into the United States, and to redress the political, social, and economic legacies of slavery. These attempts were successful at burying the old status quo but some element of southern independence remained. -
13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments
Over the course of a few years, America rid itself of slavery and amended the constitution by making every American a citizen regardless of race. The 13th amendment freed all American slaves and abolished slavery. The 14th amendment gave every American citizen the full protection of the law and guaranteed everyone personal liberties. Finally, the 15th amendment gave African Americans the right to vote. Though sometimes ignored, these amendments were revolutionary for the nation. -
Women's Christian Temperance Union
The stated purpose of the WCTU was to create a "sober and pure world" by abstinence, purity, and evangelical Christianity. Annie Wittenmyer was its first president. Wittenmyer was conservative in her goals for the movement focusing only on the question of alcohol consumption and avoiding involvement in politics. The constitution of the WCTU called for "the entire prohibition of the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors as a beverage." -
The Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. The school began as the Normal School for Colored Teachers at Tuskegee in a tiny space at the Butler Chapel. The university suffered discrimination and a lack of funding due to lingering confederate sentiment. Over time though, the university would expand and provide Southern African Americans an opportunity for higher education. -
Wounded Knee massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre, also known as the Battle of Wounded Knee, was a massacre of nearly three hundred Lakota people. In a misunderstanding that occurred while American troops were disarming the tribe led to the wholesale slaughter of innocent women and children as well as several soldiers. The public's indifference to the massacre shows how anti native American sentiment was widespread during this time.