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1451
Iroquois Confederacy
A powerful alliance of Indian tribes that was the only one to remain neutral during the French and Indian War (Seven years' war). After the Seven Years' War the alliance with the Iroquois and the British diminished and they began contesting each other for power over the Ohio Valley. -
1492
Christopher Columbus Voyage
In 1492, Columbus led 3 ships and set sail in search of a route to the “indies”. While he failed to reach it, he landed at an island in the Bahamas. -
1492
Columbian Exchange
Period of cultural and biological exchanges between the New and Old Worlds. Exchanges of plants, animals, diseases and technology transformed European and Native American ways of life. -
1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
A treaty signed in 1494 by Spain and Portugal, which split the Western lands down a line of demarcation from north to south, giving Spain the all territory west of the line, and Portugal all land east of the line. -
1500
Encomienda System
The Encomienda system used native Indians as a labor source. The conquistadors that were in charge of the system had to take care of the native Americans. Although the system was supposed to be used to Christianize the Indians and protect them, it ended up being used as an effective system to enslave native Indians. -
1517
Protestant Reformatiom
The Protestant Reformation was a major 16th century European movement aimed initially at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. It made religion become a key factor in colonizing the New World. -
1519
Ferdinand Magellan
Magellan wanted to find a way to reach Asia by sailing West around the Americas to continue trading with Asia. He and his crew are known to be the first to circumnavigate the world. -
Jamestown
In the Virginia Colony, it was founded on May 14, 1607. It is commonly regarded as the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States. It was founded by Captain John Smith. -
House of Burgesses
It was the first elected assembly of representatives of English colonists in North America. It was established in the Virginia Colony in 1619 by the Virginia Company. Later on, other colonies also adopted house of Burgesses. -
Mayflower Compact
The first agreement for self-government in America. It was signed in 1620 by the 41 men on the Mayflower and set up a government for the Plymouth colony. -
Half Way Covenant
A Puritan church document; In 1662, the Halfway Covenant allowed partial membership rights to persons not yet converted into the Puritan church. -
King Philip's War
An armed conflict between the Native Americans and English colonists. The Natives attempted to prevent English control, but failed. The British victory ended Native presence in the New England region. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Bacon's Rebellion was an armed rebellion in 1676 by Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley. Virginians were angered because they resented Virginia Governor William Berkeley's friendly policies towards the Native Americans. -
Salem Witch Trials
Occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were executed. Eventually, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those convicted. -
Proclamation of 1763
Decree issued by Parliament in the wake of Pontiac's uprising, prohibiting settlement beyond the Appalachians. Contributed to rising resentment of British rule in the American colonies. -
Sugar Act
British deeply in debt because of the French & Indian War. English Parliament placed a tariff on sugar, coffee, wines, and molasses. Colonists avoided the tax by smuggling and by bribing tax collectors. -
Declaration of Independence
Formal pronouncement of independence drafted by Thomas Jefferson and approved by Congress. The declaration allowed Americans to appeal for foreign aid and served as an inspiration for later revolutionary movements worldwide. -
Articles of Confederation
First American constitution that established the United States as a loose confederation of states under a weak national Congress, which was not granted the power to regulate commerce or collect taxes. The Articles were replaced by a more efficient Constitution in 1789. -
Battle of Yorktown
It is considered the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War. The Continental Army, led by General George Washington, won a decisive victory against the British Army, led by General Lord Charles Cornwallis. He surrendered and the war was over in a few weeks. -
Treaty of Paris 1783
This treaty ended the Revolutionary War, recognized the independence of the American colonies, and granted the colonies the territory from the southern border of Canada to the northern border of Florida, and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River. -
Bill of Rights
Popular term for the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The amendments secure key rights for individuals and reserve to the states all powers not explicitly delegated or prohibited by the Constitution. -
Louisiana Purchase
U.S. acquisition of the Louisiana territory from France in 1803 for $15 million. The purchase secured American control of the Mississippi river and doubled the size of the nation. -
Steam Boat Invention
Robert Fulton invented a boat that had a powerful steam engine; these enabled boats to travel upstream on rivers, thus increasing trade while at the same time improving interstate transportation. -
Panic of 1819
A natural post-war depression caused by overproduction and the reduced demand for goods after the war. However, it was generally blamed on the National Bank. -
Missouri Compromise of 1820
In an effort to preserve the balance of power in Congress between slave and free states, the Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. In 1854, the Missouri Compromise was repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. -
Monroe Doctrine
A statement of foreign policy issued by President Monroe. Stated that Europe should not interfere in affairs within the United States or in the development of other countries in the Western Hemisphere. -
American System
An economic system pioneered by Henry Clay which created a high tariff to support internal improvements such as road-building. This approach was intended to allow the United States to grow and prosper by themselves and would eventually help America industrialize and become an economic power. -
Erie Canal completed
It is a canal in New York State, United States, that runs from the Hudson River to Lake Erie, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The canal, considered a marvel of the modern world at the time, allowed western farmers to ship surplus crops to sell in the North and allowed northern manufacturers to ship finished goods to sell in the West. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
It ended the U.S.-Mexican War and transferred 500,000 square miles of land from Mexico to United States ownership. Land included California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico as well as parts of Colorado and Wyoming. -
Compromise of 1850
North:
• California admitted as a free state
• Texas gave up its claims to lands disputed with New Mexico
• Slave trade in D.C. was banned, but slavery was legal
South:
• Popular sovereignty in Mexican Cession lands
• Texas was paid $10 million for land lost
• A new, tougher Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
It allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery within their borders. The Act served to repeal the Missouri Compromise of 1820 which prohibited slavery north of latitude 36°30´. -
Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the location of the first shots fired in the first battle of the American Civil War. Once the Confederate States of America took control of Charleston Harbor, they soon aimed costal guns on the fort, and fired. After the battle, 4 more states seceeded, and their was more support for military action. -
Battle of Antietam
Civil War battle in which the North suceedeed in halting Lee's Confederate forces in Maryland. It was the bloodiest battle of the war resulting in 25,000 casualties. -
Standard Oil Trust
Founded by John D. Rockefeller, Standard Oil would become the largest oil company in the world. Rockefeller used unethical practices like horizontal integration to eliminate his competitors. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Issued by Abraham Lincoln after the Battle of Antietam. It declared that all slaves in the rebellious Confederate states would be free. The North now had a much stronger moral cause- It had to preserve the Union and free the slaves. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Led by General William T. Sherman, 60,000 northern troops swarmed over the Georgia countryside south of Atlanta, consuming and/or destroying everything in their path; operations concluded at Savannah, Georgia, on the Atlantic coast; Union victory. -
Transcontinental Railroad
A golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah to signal the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad. The railroad had been a dream for people living in the American west at the time. -
Credit Mobilier Scandal
This scandal occurred in the 1870s when a railroad construction company's stockholders used funds that were supposed to be used to build the Union Pacific Railroad for railroad construction for their own personal use. To avoid being convicted, stockholders even used stock to bribe congressional members and the vice president. -
Compromise of 1877
The Compromise of 1877 resolved the disputed 1876 presidential election between Democratic candidate Samuel Tilden and Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes. Democrats agreed that Rutherford B. Hayes would become president in exchange for the withdrawal of federal troops from the South and the granting of home rule in the South. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
It was the first significant law restricting immigration into the United States. This act provided an absolute 10-year ban on Chinese labor immigration. Many Americans justified it because they feared jobs were being taken away. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
The first law to limit monopolies in the United States. This wanted to create a fairer competition in the workforce and to limit any take-over's of departments of merchandise. -
Plessy vs Ferguson
A landmark constitutional law case of the US Supreme Court in which the racial segregation policy was upheld. The "separate but equal" doctrine stated that it was okay. -
USS Maine destroyed
On this date, the U.S.S. Maine blows up, killing 260 Americans. At the time it was blamed on the Spainish and was a main factor leading to the war. -
World War I
Asasination of Archduke Ferdinand in Austria-Hungary started the global war known as WWI. The Entente Powers against the Central Powers. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution gave women the right to vote. The Women’s Suffrage movement was the campaign that successfully achieved its goal. -
Roaring 20s
It was a period of great social and political change. For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than farms. Economic growth and wealth also characterized this period. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was the biggest economic decline the country has suffered. The recession was caused by failed banks and included high unemployment, low consumer spending, and overproduction. It can also be said that the drought conditions made it more severe. -
World War II
The Second World War was the global conflict in which the Allied Powers faced the Axis Powers. The Nazi group led by Hitler were the main antagonists that the United States attacked. -
Manhattan Project
The project was a research development during WWII. It helped create the first nuclear weapons, which would be used to end the war. -
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin blocked prevented access to West Berlin. This prompted President Truman to order a massive airlift of supplies. -
Sputnik blasts into space
The first man made object it sent into space by the Soviets. This event led to an increase in investment in science and technology in the U.S (space race). -
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authorizing President Johnson to take any measures he believed were necessary. With this, he escalated the war in Vietnam, resulting in an anti war movement back in the U.S. -
Civil Rights Act
President Lyndon B. Johnson makes a landmark decision to the racial policies in the 60s. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or origin. -
Moon Landing
Apollo 11 goes on a mission to bring the first humans to the moon. Astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to set foot on the moon. -
War Powers Act
The War Powers Act limited the presidents power to deploy troops without the consent of Congress. This redoes the power that the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave. -
Nixon Resigns
After the Watergate Scandal escalated, President Nixon lost almost all of his supporters, probing him to resign from office. He resigned in the face of almost certain impeachment and removal from office. -
Iran Hostages released
The Iran hostage crisis negotiations were negotiations in 1980 and 1981 between the United States Government and the Iranian Government to end the Iranian hostage crisis. The 52 American hostages, seized from the US Embassy in Tehran in November 1979, were finally released. -
Berlin Wall falls
The Cold War began to thaw across Eastern Europe, and the East Berlin communist party announced a change in the city's relations with the West. Crowds of Germans crossed and climbed on the wall, where they all met to celebrate. -
Persian Gulf Begins
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of neighboring country of Kuwait. Hussein defied orders to stay away from Kuwait, and the war began with the U.S offensive plan of Operation Desert Storm. -
9/11 Attacks
The terrorist clan of Al Qaeda made multiple attacks on U.S soil. The destruction of the World Trade Center in Manhattan was the most destructive. -
Barack Obama elected
The Presidential election of 2008 was history for the United States. Barack Obama becomes the first African American president to take office. -
Great Recession
The Recession of 2008 was a period of major economic decline worldwide. It was by far the worst recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s. -
Obama signs Affordable Health Care Act
Also known as Obamacare, the health care reform was enacted in 2010.The law provides consumers with subsidies (“premium tax credits”) that lower costs for households with incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level. It would help individuals purchase health care.
