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1493
The Columbian Exchange
The Columbian Exchange was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, diseases, technology, and ideas between the New World and the Old World. -
1503
Encomienda
Encomienda was a labor system in Spain and the Spanish Empire. It rewarded conquerors with the labor of particular groups of subject people. -
1522
Spanish and Portuguese Exploration
Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors brought diseases that rapidly infected and killed native populations they encountered. Among these smallpox, influenza, and typhus. -
1540
The Black Legend
A legend that told the tale of the Spanish Empire, its people, and its culture. -
Spanish Armada
A fleet of the best ships put together to invade England.This defeat ended Spanish dreams of imperialism. -
Battle of Acoma
After twelve soldiers were killed at Acoma Pueblo in 1598, the Spanish retaliated by launching a punitive expedition, which led to the deaths of around 800 men, women and children during a three-day battle. -
Jamestown, Virginia
The first successful English colony. That relied heavily on tobacco production. The main goal was the head right system which gave 50 acres of land to any settler that paid for their own or someones pursuit to the new world. -
House of Burgesses
The Virginia House of Burgesses was the first legislative assembly of elected representatives in North America. This was the first form of self-government. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Bacon's Rebellion was an armed rebellion in Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley, since he did no want to exterminate all of the colonies Natives. -
Pueblo Revolt
The Spanish came in and tried to force the people to convert to Christianity. They arrest the pueblo holy men and some of them are put to death. As revenge, Pope, leads a revolt against the Spanish and kill 400 Spaniards all together and 35 priests. The Spanish are forced to leave the area. -
Salem Witch Trials
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft. -
The Steam Engine
The steam engine is a heat engine that does mechanical work using steam as its power. -
The Chickasaw Wars
This was a fight between the Chickasaw allied with the British against the French and their allies the Choctaws a The Province of Louisiana extended from Illinois to New Orleans, and the French fought to secure their communications along the Mississippi River. -
Iroquois Confederac
Greatest band of many tribes who attempted to resist the white men and remain in their homelands. -
The First Great Awakening
Protestant religious revivals that swept Protestant Europe and British America. It left a permanent impact on American Protestantism. -
French-Indian War
Both the British and French wanted to extend their Northern American colonies into the land west of the Appalachian Mountains, known then as the Ohio Territory. Also known as the seven Years War. This was ended by the Treaty of Paris of 1763. -
Proclamation of 1763
The British signed stating that they would not settle lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. This proclamation caused colonial resentment because was ignored. -
The Sugar Act
Raised taxes on molasses and sugar. This was passed in order to raise revenue. -
The Stamp Act
This act was passed by the British parliament to tax colonist for the purchase paper goods. -
Boston Massacre
This was an incident in which British Army soldiers shot and killed people while under attack by a mob. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party took place because the colonists did not want to have to pay taxes on the British tea. -
Intolerable Acts
Harsh laws passed by the British Parliament that were meant to punish the American colonists for the Boston Tea Party and other protests. -
Articles of Confederation
The original constitution of the US, ratified in 1781, which was replaced by the US Constitution in 1789, due to it having many weaknesses. -
Siege of Yorktown
General Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington as French and American forces trapped the British at Yorktown -
Treaty of Paris
The treaty was signed in Paris by representatives of King George III and representatives of the United States of America, and ended the American Revolutionary War. -
Shays Rebellion
Started when the government of Massachusetts decided to raise taxes instead of issuing paper money to pay off it's debts. Led by Daniel Shay in an effort to prevent courts from foreclosing on the farms of those who could not pay the taxes. This rebellion showed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation when the cental government could not end the rebellion. -
The 3/5 Compromise
Created by Henry Clay, the Three-Fifths Compromise outlined the process for states to count slaves as part of the population in order to determine representation and taxation for the federal government -
The Constitutional Convention
The gathering that created the Constitution of the United States. All states were invited to send delegates. The meeting in Philadelphia, designed a government with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches. -
The Virginia Plan
The Virginia Plan was a proposal by Virginia delegates for a bicameral legislative branch. -
New Jersey Plan
The Plan basically creataed how the United States would be governed called for each state to have one vote in Congress instead of the number of votes being based on population -
The Northwest Ordinance
A government for the Northwest Territory, provided a method for admitting new states to the Union from the territory, and listed a bill of rights guaranteed in the territory. -
Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers were a series of 85 essays advocating the citizens of New York to ratify the new United States Constitution. Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. -
The Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion was a tax protest in the United States during the presidency of George Washington. This was the first tax imposed on a domestic product by the newly formed federal government. -
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the US Constitution, that guaranteed individual rights such as the freedoms of speech, assembly, and worship. -
Alien Act and Sedition Act
A series of laws that were passed by the Federalist Congress in 1798 and signed into law by President Adams. These laws included new powers to deport foreigners as well as making it harder for new immigrants to vote. -
The Election of 1800
Sometimes called the "Revolution of 1800", Vice President Thomas Jefferson defeated President John Adams. -
Marbury V. Madison
This case by the United States Supreme Court formed the basis for the exercise of judicial review in the United States under Article III of the Constitution. -
Westward Expansion and The Louisiana Purchase
Thomas Jefferson believed that the nations relied on its western expansion therefore he purchased Louisiana. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
A journey made by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, to explore the American Northwest, newly purchased from France, and some other territories. -
War of 1812
A war between The United States and the Great Britain, fought between 1812 and 1815. The War of 1812 has also been called the second American war for independence. -
Era of Good Feelings
The Era of Good Feelings marked a period in the political history of the United States that reflected a sense of national purpose and a desire for unity among Americans in the aftermath of the War of 1812, during the Presidency of James Monroe. -
The Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a group of Protestant religious revivals during the early 19th century in the United States. led to many reform movements to address injustice. -
The Missouri Compromise
The state of Missouri was admitted as a slave state and Maine was a free state. This compromise occurred to equal out slaved and free states. -
The Monroe Doctrine
This was a principle of United States policy, created by President James Monroe. It stated that any intervention by external powers in the politics of the Americas is a potentially hostile act against the United States. -
Jacksonian Democracy
A movement for more democracy in American government. Led by President Andrew Jackson, the idea was of spreading political power to the people and ensuring majority rule as well as supporting the "common man". -
Election of 1824
John Quincy Adams was elected President. In the previous few years there was a one-party government in the United States, as the Federalist Party had dissolved, leaving only the Democratic-Republican Party. In this election, the Democratic-Republican Party split as four separate candidates sought to win the presidency. -
Compromise of 1850
The south gained by the strengthening of the fugitive slave law, the north gained a new free state, California. Texas lost territory but was compensated with 10 million dollars to pay for its debt. Slave trade was prohibited in Washington DC, but slavery was not. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 allowed citizens in the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide locally whether to allow slavery. Also known as popular sovereignty. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred scott, a slave was taken into free land and wanted to be a freed man, however since he was still a slave, he was not a citizen being a slave and had no right to bring forth a lawsuit. He was property. Congress had no power to prohibit slavery. -
John Browns Raid
Abolitionist John Brown leads a small group on a raid against a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in an attempt to start an armed slave revolt and end the institution of slavery. -
Anaconda Plan
Military strategy proposed by Union General Winfield Scott early in the American Civil War. The plan called for a naval blockade of the Confederate states. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
The first battle of the American Civil War. -
Battle of Bull Run
The first battle of the American Civil War, fought in Virginia near Washington, D.C. The surprising victory of the Confederate army humiliated the North and forced it to prepare for a long war. A year later the Confederacy won another victory near the same place. -
Battle of Antietam
Battle in Maryland that ended Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North. This was known for being the bloodiest single day in the war, and led to the Emancipation Proclamation -
Gettysburg Address
A speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. Lincoln was speaking at the dedication of a soldiers' cemetery at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso proposed an American law to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican War. -
Shermans March To Sea
Sherman's march from Atlanta to South Carolina, he and his army applied a total warfare, burned earth policy that led over a million dollars in damage and destroyed the south. -
The Assassination of President Lincoln
John Wilkes Booth entered the presidential box at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C., and shot President Abraham Lincoln. -
Transcontinental Railroad
A train route across the United States which had a major impact on trade and travel. -
Battle of Little Big Horn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn was fought near the Little Bighorn River in Montana Territory. Federal troops led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer fought against a band of Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne warriors. -
President Garfield Assassination
He was shot by Charles J. Guiteau at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C., and died in Elberon, New Jersey. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Prohibited all Chinese laborers from immigrating to the United States. -
Wounded Knee Massacre
A massacre that started when the Sioux left the reservation in protest because of the death of Sitting Bull. The United States army killed 150 Sioux warriors at Wounded Knee. -
Pullman Strike
A strike by railroad workers upset by wage cuts. The strike was led by Eugene Debs but not supported by the American Federation of Labor. Soon President Grover Cleveland intervened and sent federal troops to put an end to the strike. -
Plessy V. Ferguson
It upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws for public facilities as long as the segregated facilities were equal in quality, a doctrine that came to be known as "separate but equal", found unconstitutional. -
The Spanish American-War
A war between Spain and the United States. The war began as an intervention by the United States on the behalf of Cuba. The United States obtained Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines in the war as well as gained temporary control over Cuba. -
The Big Stick Diplomacy
The policy created by Theodore Roosevelt in foreign affairs. The "big stick" symbolizes his power and readiness to use military force if necessary at any means. -
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
This was a civil rights organization created to fight prejudice, lynching, and Jim Crow segregation. The idea was to work for the betterment and better living for "people of color." -
Angel Island
The immigration station on the west coast where Asian immigrants, mostly Chinese gained admission to the United States. -
Panama Canal
Waterway across the Isthmus of Panama. The canal connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. This canal is used to level out the different sea levels so that ships may travel. -
Red Scare
The rounding up and deportation of several hundred immigrants of radical political views by the federal government in 1919 and 1920. This “scare” was caused by fears of communism. -
Harlem Renaissance
A time of African American culture in the 1920s when New York City's Harlem became an intellectual and cultural capital for African Americans, through all forms of art. -
The Lost Generation
A group of writers who shared the belief that they were lost in a greedy, materialistic world that lacked moral values. -
The Great Depression
The economic crisis and time of low business activity in the United States and other countries, roughly beginning with the stock-market crash and continuing through most of the 1930s. -
The Dust Bowl
Region of the Great Plains that experienced a drought due to overproduction. -
The New Deal
This was a series of programs created by Franklin Roosevelt to combat economic depression enacted a number of social insurance measures and used government spending to stimulate the economy. -
Truman Doctrine
President Harry S. Truman stated that the United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces. -
The Marshall Plan
The United States helped to rebuild Europe by giving them money. This would increase foreign trade and prevent the spread of communism. -
Brown V. Board of Education
This was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. -
Emancipation Proclamation
This was an executive order issued, by President Lincoln freeing slaves in all portions of the United States not then under Union control. -
Martin Luther King Jr. March on Washington
March on Washington, was a non-violent protest for Jobs and Freedom, it was held by civil rights leaders to protest racial discrimination. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Union victory that stopped Confederate General Robert E. Lee's second invasion of the North. More than 50,000 men fell as casualties during the 3-day battle, making it the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War. -
The Great Society
A domestic program in the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson that instituted federally sponsored social welfare programs.This idea was almost similar to Franklin D. Roosevelt's, New Deal. -
The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
King was shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. that evening. -
The Watergate Scandal
A break-in at the Democratic National Committee offices in the Watergate complex in Washington was carried out under the direction of White House employees. Disclosure of the White House involvement in the break-in and the cover-up forced President Nixon to resign in 1974 to avoid impeachment due to his involvement. -
Ronald Reagan and the Iranian Hostage Crisis
A group of Iranian students raided through the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking more than 60 American hostages. The reasons for this was President Jimmy Carter’s decision to allow Iran’s Shah, some months before, to come to the United States for cancer treatment. The Hostages were taken for over a full year. Hours after President Reagan gave his Inaugural address negotiating their release, the hostages were then set free. -
The Fall Of the Berlin Wall
As the Cold War began to thaw out in Eastern Europe, East and West relations improved. Then at midnight the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), announced that they were free to cross the country's borders. -
The Collapse Of The Soviet Union
The once Great Almighty Soviet Union, fell due to the great number of radical reforms that Mikhail Gorbachev had put into play during his six years as leader. However he was the disappointed at the fact that the nation was falling apart so he resigned. -
President Clinton's Impeachment
The House of Representatives places two articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, first with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and second obstructing justice. President Clinton was having an affair with Monica Lewinsky, an unpaid intern. The two had many sexual encounter in the White House. Bill Clinton was the second president in American history to be impeached. -
The Terrorist Attacks On September 11, 2001
On September 11, 2001, 19 members of the Islamic tourist group, Al- Queda hijacked 4 planes in a planned suicide attack on parts of the United States. Two of the planes crashed into the World Trade Center, also known as the "Twin Towers", In New York. The third plane hit the Pentagon in Washington D.C. And the fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania. Over 3,000 were killed. -
The United States Invades Iraq
Americans were told by President Bush and his administration that the U.S. was going to war with Iraq due to approaching threats of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction connected to terrorism. -
Barack Obama Was Elected President
Democratic senator, Barack Obama of Illinois was elected president in 2008. He relied heavily on the internet during his campaign and became the first African-American to become president. The significance of this election was that Obama had gathered a lot of support from all kinds of supporters. His election became known as a "political watershed".
