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Jamestown
It was the first successful settlement in Virginia. It was a part of the Joint Stock Virginia Company of London. The colony was led by Captain John Smith. -
Mayflower
It was a ship that transported piligrims to Plymouth. WIlliam Bradford was the leader. He created the Mayflower Compact which set up the first government. -
Bacons Rebellion
Virginia frontiersmen were seeking for land and came into conflict with the Native Americans. Berkley refused to retaliate against Inidan attacks, so Bacon led a revolt. He chased Berkley out of Jamestown and torched the capital. -
Seven Years War
It was also known as the French and Indian War. It was fought between the English and the French on American soil for control over the Ohio River Valley. English won and were established as a world power. It involved most of the globe, therefore, a world war. -
Stamp Act
It was an act passed by British Parliament to raise revenue from the American colonies. It was in the form of a stamp so it required all newspapers and legal documents. -
Sugar Act
Law passed by Parliament to raise revenue. It increased the tax on foreign sugar imported from West Indies. After protests in the colonies it was lowered. -
Townsend Act
It was named for Charles Townshend who was the head of British ministry. It was tax on import duties like glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea. It was indirect tax payable at ports. -
Boston Massacre
A huge crowd of colonists protested against British customs agents and the presense of British troops in Boston. Colonists were angered by British taxes and power. Violence was flared and 5 colonists died. -
Declaration of Independence
It was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and formalized colonists separation from British. It laid out Enlightment values from John Locke such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It established the colonies independence, cutting off all ties from England. The colones were now recognized as states. -
Articles of Confederation
It was the first form of a Constitution in America. It was a loose confederation of states under a weak national government. The government had no power to regulate tax or collect taxes. It was replaces in 1789. The weaknesses were that states had more power including the power that in order to pass something 9 states had to approve. -
Yorktown
Cornwallis surrendered at the Battle of Yorktown at the end of the American Revolution. Americans and French surrounded the Enlgish in all directions. They caught Cornwallis between land and sea which enforced the surrender. -
Land Ordiance
It divided the United States into a system of townships to facilitate a sale of land to settlers and raise money. It was the only successful part of the Articles of Confederation. -
Shays Rebellion
A rebellion led by debtor farmers in Western Massachusetts after foreclosure of farms. It was led by Captain Daniel Shays against Boston creditors. It called for revisions to the Articles of Confederation. -
Great Compromise
It was also known as the Connecticut Compromise. It combined both the New Jersey and Virginia plan. It defined the legislation and representation of each state. The bicameral legislature and proportional representation in the lower house was established. The upper house was divided equally among states. -
Constitution
It established the rights and liberties of American citizens. It created federal government and its three branches-executive, legislative, and judicial. It established a system of equal power called checks and balances. James Madison was the father of the constitution. -
National Bank
Alexander Hamilton extablished the bank after one of England. It paid interest to the government as a source of revenue. Federalists supported it as it was to stabalize the nation's credit and handling financial buissness. -
Second Great Awakening
It was a series of religous revivals based on Methodism and Baptism. It brought the philosophy of attaining salvation through good deeds. It attracted women, blacks, and natives. It led to prison reform and temperance movement. -
Louisiana Purchase
The US gained the Louisiana territory from the French. Jefferson bought it for 15 million dollars from Napoleon. It secured power of the Mississippi River and doubled the size of the nation. -
Embargo Act
Congress forbidded all exportation of goods from the United States. This happened because of French and British impressment. Jefferson thought this Act would weaken the British by stopping trade. It ended up hurting the economy. -
Treaty of Ghent
It ended the War of 1812 and restored the status quo. Most captured territory was returned to its owner. It also set up a border between Canada and the United States. -
Era of Good Feeling
It was era between 1815 and 1824 when the federalists disappeared and allowed the republicans to govern. It was minimal political fighting and more agreement. It was a time of James Monroe's presidency. -
Missouri Compromise
Missouri wanted to join the US as a slave state which would have unbalanced the Union. The compromise solved it by adding Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. Also they created a line that would divide the North and South, the free states and the slave states. -
Monroe Doctrine
It was issued by James Monroe to the European nations. He made it clear that there would be no colonization in the Western Hemisphere and the US would not interfere in European affairs. It protected the US from buissness interest. -
Panic 1837
It was durning Jacksons presidency. Many state banks were withdraing money from Banks of the US. Jackson enforced the Specie Circular to enforce payment for federal land in the form of gold or silver. State banks collapsed as a result. -
Seneca Falls
It was the site of the first modern women's rights convention. Stanton, Mott, and Anthony were the main women leaders in the convention. They listed the discriminations against women and even tried to change the Declaration of Independence by insterting the word "woman."
