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Settlement of Jamestown
A group of English businessmen sent ships to form the first permanent English colony in North America. -
Mayflower Compact
The first document establishing self governance in North America -
Petition of Right
A constitutional document in England enumerating certain rights for Englishmen. -
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Navigation Acts
Acts passed by England to bolster their own economy by regulating those of their colonies. Included the Navigation act of 1663. -
Navigation act of 1663
One of the acts passed that is grouped under the wide banner of the Navigation Acts. The Navigation Act of 1663 required that any materials traded between any English colonies must go through England first. -
Settlement of Pennsylvania
The king of England gave William Penn a piece of land as payment for a debt that his father was owed. Penn founded the colony of Pennsylvania where the Quakers settled. -
Salem Witch Trials
A period of suspicion among the puritans, consisting of many hearings, prosecutions, and executions of those suspected of witchcraft. -
Molasses Act
The Molasses act established very high taxes on items such as molasses, rum, and sugar, from non-English colonies in the Caribbean. -
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The Seven Years War
The first global war affecting Europe, the Americas, West Africa, India, and The Philippines. This war was mainly fought in the Americas to expand trade into the western interior. -
Proclamation of 1763
A proclamation that drew a line limiting colonial expansion westward in North America -
Sugar Act
Provided a tax on sugar and molasses, and attempted to end the smuggling of french and dutch sugar. -
Quartering Act
Required colonies to house English soldiers in barracks provided by the colonies. -
Declaratory Act
Parliament repealed the stamp act but enacted the declaratory act stating that the British government had the authority to create legislation for the colonies. -
Boston Massacre
Five people are killed in a shootout in Boston and nine British soldiers are tried for murder. -
First Continental Congress
The first Continental Congress meets with delegates including Patrick Henry, George Washington, and Sam Adams. Every colony sent a representative but Georgia. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The first battle in the American Revolutionary war. -
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Revolutionary War
The North American English Colonies fought and won their independence from England. -
Declaration of Independance
The newly independent north american colonies declared their independence after winning the Revolutionary war. -
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Articles of Confederation
Ratified in 1781. The US's first attempt at a constitution, with a weak federal government with no power to tax. -
Constitutional Convention
Each new state sent delegates in order to create a new governing document after the failure of the Articles of Confederation. -
Ratification of the Constitution
The constitution became ratified after New Hampshire became the ninth state to sign. -
Judiciary Act
Established lower federal courts, under the supreme court, a power given to congress by Article III. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts limited rights to free speech and immigrant rights. -
Election of 1800
Thomas Jefferson was elected, transferring power from Federalists to Democratic Republicans -
Marburry V. Madison
The Supreme Court case that established the power of Judicial Review. -
Louisiana Purchase
The US purchased a large tract of land, leading to westward expansion. -
Embargo Act
Restricted US trade in foreign nations. -
Non-Intercourse Act
Lifted all embargoes besides France and England. -
The British Burn Washington DC
A British attack on the capital city during the war of 1812. -
Treaty of Ghent
Ended the war of 1812 and settled the
US and Canada border. -
Hartford Convention
Discussions made about the war of 1812 and beginnings of the idea of secession from the union. -
Adam-Onis Treaty
The US purchases Florida and claims Oregon in exchange for Texas. -
Panic of 1819
A depression that consisted of sectionalism, banking failures, and agriculture decline. -
New Harmony Society Founded
A Utopian society founded by Robert Owen that ultimately failed. -
John Quincy Adams Elected
First minority vote president. Henry Clay was Speaker of the House and also Sec. of State of his administration. -
Andrew Jackson Elected President
Begins ¨Age of the common man¨. Shows the Democratization of the U.S. -
Tariff Of Abominations
Tariffs made to protect Northern industries. SC considered this unconstitutional. -
Indian Removal Act
Removed civilized Indian Tribes from their territory to reservations westward. -
Nullification Crisis Began
Declared tariffs of 1828 and 1832 unconstitutional. Would have led to SC secession. -
Texas Declared Independence from Mexico
Increases tensions between Mexico and U.S. Eventually sparks the Mexican-American war. -
Panic of 1837
Recession caused by Andrew Jackson's policies regarding the bank. -
U.S. Annexation of Texas
Texas becomes a state -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Gave the U.S present-day Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. -
California Gold Rush
The discovery of gold in California caused people to flood in, eventually leading to California gaining statehood. -
Comprimise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was passed by Congress that allowed California into the Union as a free state. The Compromise did not forbid slavery in other new territories. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise and created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska where the people living in those territories could vote on whether or not to be a slave or free state. -
Dredd Scott Decision
The Dred Scott Decision ruled that Dred Scott, a free African American, could not sue the federal court since African Americans were not considered to be citizens of the U.S so had no rights as citizens. The Court also ruled that Congress could not deny slavery from new territories. -
Abraham Lincoln's Election
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Southern Secession Began
Southern Secession began when South Carolina seceded in 1860 followed by other states that proceeded to create their own new government and were known as the Confederacy States. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run was a wake up call for Union leaders when they were defeated at this first major battle of the Civil War. -
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American Civil War
The American Civil War began when southern confederates attacked Fort Sumter, ending in the first Confederate victory. The war ended with Confederate Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. -
Slavery Prohibited
Slavery is prohibited when Lincoln banned slavery in all United States territories. -
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address given by President Lincoln to honor the fallen soldiers from the battle. -
Lincoln Assassinated
Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment was ratified completely prohibiting slavery in the United States. -
Civil Rights Act
Stated that all those born in the United States were citizens. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment was ratified and guaranteed that anyone born in the US was a citizen and that no state could deny anybody the laws of the country. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment gave all male citizens the right to vote. -
Munn v. Illinois
A U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court upheld the power of government to regulate private industries. -
Compromise of 1877
An unwritten, informal deal hat settled the intensely disputed 1876 election. Under the election of Rutherford B. Hayes, federal troops would be removed from the South, officially ending the era of Reconstruction. -
Pendleton Act of 1881
A civil service reform enacted to mandate that positions within federal government should be awarded on the basis of merit rather than political affiliation. -
Immigration Act of 1882
This was the first comprehensive immigration law enacted in the United States. In response, Congress passed two major acts, including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 which would restrict Chinese laborers from emigrating into the United States. -
Civil Rights Cases of 1883
A group of 5 legal cases that the United States Supreme Court consolidated into a single ruling which was declared unconstitutional, thus spurring the approval of Jim Crow Laws. -
Contract Labor Law of 1885 (Foran Act)
An act to prohibit the importation and migration of foreigners under contract or agreement to perform labor in the United States or any of its territories. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890
The first federal act against monopolies, extensively used during Theodore Roosevelt's presidency for trust-busting, but initially used against the formation of labor unions. The act is informally known as the Sherman Against Monopolies Law. -
Pullman Strike of 1894
Pullman lowered wages yet refused to lower rent in the "company town". As a result, the American railway union refused to move train cars, but achieved nothing when Cleveland shut down the strike. -
Spanish American War
Hostilities began in the aftermath of the internal explosion of USS Maine in Havana Harbor in Cuba, leading to U.S. intervention in the Cuban War of Independence. -
Annexation of Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam
A result of the Spanish American war, allowing the US to establish its dominance as pacific power -
Roosevelt Becomes President
Theodore Roosevelt becomes the 26th president of the United States