-
Jamestown
Jamestown was the first permanent settlement in the USA. Jamestown first started as a settlement of 104 people but disease, famine, and violence brought that population down drastically. The winters were extremely harsh as the settlers didn't know what to eat or what to grow to prepare for the winter. Many people died due to famine. There were also many introduced diseases that they had little to no immunity against, this contributed greatly to their survival rate which was already very low. -
Mayflower Compact
This was a set of rules that agreed on self-governance. This was also an agreement for the colonists that came to the new land to be "together" or "one". Furthermore, they also needed permission to settle there so they made the Mayflower compact. This set the foundation for the Jamestown settlement. It laid out what they wanted for the future and what they wanted to happen right now. They laid out the government and their goals for the settlement. Many of these goals were religious. -
Plymouth
Plymouth was the second colony that was successfully founded in the USA from England. Furthermore, Plymouth is where the Mayflower first landed during its expedition. This settlement was known as one of the first English Puritan settlements that were successful. Plymouth would later ultimately merge with the Massachusetts colony. During the start of their colony, it was extremely had to survive, the colonists didn't know what to plant and died to many diseases. -
Navigation Acts
The Navigation acts were a set of acts that imposed restrictions on colonial trade. These acts prevented the colonies from directly shipping goods to other places, they had to go through England first. This was put into place so that England could collect more taxes and make more money from the colonies. This angered the colonists because they were being gatekept from lots of money that they could've made if trade with other countries was allowed and more free. -
Great Awakening
The Great Awakening was a religious awakening. The Great Awakening started as a result of wanting to revitalize religious piety. The Great Awakening changed religious views and how people viewed religion. Furthermore, the Great Awakening also made people realize that a revolution was needed and that independence was necessary if they wanted to keep living the way they were. Colonists also began to accept newer religions and the monopoly of protestants became a lot more diverse. -
French and Indian War
This was a conflict between Great Britain and France. This war was fought because of the land claims by Britain and France. The French and the British both claimed the Upper Ohio River Valley. This sparked a war between them. Even though it's called the French and Indian War, the Indians were on the side of the French and the British colonists just named it after their enemies. The British ended up winning the war and that ended with a conflict between colonial and British views. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was a very controversial proclamation from a colonists' point of view. The proclamation prohibited settlement past the Appalachian Mountains. This angered the colonists a ton because they had just fought for that land and they wanted the right to be able to settle in that land too. This was the end of the "neglect" that was going on from the British to the US. The British didn't really mess with the US for a while until now. -
Sugar Act
This was a tax that imposed taxes on both sugar and molasses. This resulted in a lot of sugar and molasses being smuggled. This upset the colonies a lot because they would need the sugar to make rum which was one of the main products that they could sell. The British wanted to tax both sugar and molasses because they had gotten greedy and wanted to increase cash output. They had just viewed the colonies as some sort of cash cow that they could utilize at any time. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act taxed things like newspapers, legal documents, playing cards, and almanacs. This angered the colonies because you had to pay a tax to be "legally" born or alive due to the tax on legal documents. Furthermore, a lot of literature also had to go through this tax which made the colonies lose out on a lot of money. Once you payed this tax your document would get stamped and it would become an official/legal document. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were a set of acts that taxed paper, lead, glass, and tea. These only made tensions rise between the British and the colonies. This act would later be repealed in 1770 due to the great displeasure of the colonies. The colonists were extremely displeased with this because it basically taxed everything that you need to build a house, plus it also taxed one of the most popular drinks in the colonies which is tea. -
Boston Massacre
Colonists were not happy with the British so they decided to protest outside of the Old State House. The colonists threw rocks, snowballs, and sticks at a squadron of British soldiers. After one of the Soldiers was struck and started bleeding, shots were fired by the British squadron. After the smoke cleared, several colonists were killed. This resulted in many newspapers covering this event that were extremely biased which just churned their hate for the British even more. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of "political" men walked out in broad daylight dressed as Native Americans and dumped over 92,000 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor. This caused over $1.7 million in financial damage to the British. Furthermore, this resulted in the British putting the Intolerable Acts in place. -
Closes the Boston Harbor
The British government closes the Boston Harbor in retaliation to the Boston Tea Party. This was a big economic hit for Boston because the harbor provided trade, jobs, and fishing for many different people. -
The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts along with the Quartering Act were put into place. Colonists were required to quarter and feed any British soldier that requested them to do so. The Intolerable Acts made it so that British officers that were charged, had to be put on trial in Britain and not in the US. Furthermore, the current Massachusetts governor would be replaced. They were named the Intolerable Acts because they were so displeased that they had requested to leave the British and become independent. -
First Continental Congress
This was a meeting where each of the colonies would send Delegates in order to discuss what exactly the colonies would do against the Intolerable Acts. All but 1 colony (Georgia) sent delegates to the meeting. They discussed what they would do against the Intolerable acts and America's future. Some thought that they should go to war and some thought that they shouldn't go to war. This meeting resulted in a Declaration of Rights that they sent to the King of Britain. -
Shot Heard from Around the World/Lexington and Concord
This was known as the first shots/battle of the revolutionary war. The colonists had received information that the British were coming to invade so, Paul Revere and William Dawes made their famous right through the night warning everyone that the British were coming. It's unknown who shot the first shot at Lexington but the aftermath of the battle was that the British suffered 73 deaths, 174 wounded, and 26 missing. The colonists suffered 50 deaths and 39 wounded. This was the start of the war. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was a big turning point for the US. Before this battle, the US had won little to no battles at all. This was an extremely vital morale booster for all the soldiers who were beginning to lose hope. The British suffered great losses, they suffered over 1,000 deaths and wounded troops. This was an extremely big win for the colonies. -
Olive Branch Petition
This petition was formed by the Continental Congress. It was their attempt at reconciliation with Britain. It was thought of as their last resort before going to war. When the petition reached Britain King George waved it off and completely ignored it. He ignored it because of the position that they were in. On paper, the British shouldn't lose any war against the colonists. The British had more resources, men, and a navy. -
Common Sense
This was the first time that Thomas Paine had released his pamphlet which was titled "Common Sense." This played a big part in helping soldiers volunteer and enlist in the army. Thomas Paine gave the readers a big sense of justice and patriotism. This also convinced people to support the cause of American Independence from British control. He reminded people of their rights and what they should state for. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is single-handedly one of the most important documents in the history of the USA. It was the document that "founded" the USA. The document stated that they were declaring their separation from Great Britain. This document was brought up to Congress on July 4th, 1776 but was officially approved and signed in August 2nd, 1776. -
Washington Crosses the Delaware and launches a Surprise Attack
This was another huge win for the US. By taking advantage of the fact the date was Christmas, the US managed to surprise attack the Hessians who were essentially mercenaries that the British had hired. This gave the US a huge boost in strength because not only were they granted lots of supplies, but they also stopped all the Hessians before they could even do anything for the British. They took down around 1,400 Hessians this was the first battle of Trenton. They also rounded up 900 men. -
Battle of Princeton
During this battle, General Washington and the Continental Army defeat the British army and General Cornwallis in Princeton, New Jersey. This left a very big impression on other European nations that weren't in good standing with the British. This was a big victory because of the impression that it left and because of how much the Continental Army's morale was later boosted due to this battle. This was one of the biggest turning points in the Revolutionary War. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was an extremely important victory that some would say won the Revolutionary war. This battle persuaded the French to side with the USA because of their already bad blood. This was a fight between General Benedict Arnold and General John Burgoyne. The British wanted to flank but Arnold had already anticipated this and called in reinforcements. This prediction ultimately won them the battle and won the USA the revolutionary war. -
Battle of Yorktown
Washington begins his fight against General Cornwallis at Yorktown. There are around 6,000 American Forces, 6,000 French Forces, and 8,000 British Forces. The Americans and the French ambush the British, they take the high ground giving them little to no chance for victory. There were about 100 lives that were lost of either side of the battle with around 300 people wounded. General Cornwallis was forced to surrender because of how many troops they had lost and the position that they were in. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was the document that officially ended the Revolution and the conflict between the British and the Colonists. The document officially recognized the United States of America as an officially independent nation. -
Washington is Elected
George Washington was the United States of America's first-ever president. Furthermore, George Washington was unanimously voted into office. He was voted into office with 69 electoral votes which was every single vote that had been cast by representatives. Before being a presidential candidate, George Washington had been a general in the army and was one of the key people accredited with the Continental Army's win over Britain. -
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights was the first of 10 Amendments in the Constitution. This was to ensure the American population that there wouldn't be power corruption and the things that the British did. It listed out the people's rights and how the government would be managed from here on out. The Bill of Rights didn't turn out to be successful, in fact, it caused quite a lot of problems for the government and the people. -
John Adams
John Adams is made president. This event was so important because this was one of the first if not the first peaceful transfer of power. Furthermore, John Adams was the Vice President of the United States of America when George Washington was still in office. The people felt that it was right to vote for John Adams because they liked George Washington so much when he was in office. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
These acts raised the difficulty and timeliness of becoming a resident of the USA. They raised the year requirement from 5 years to 14 years. Furthermore, the president was allowed to imprison and deport immigrants that were non-citizens. The government could also imprison people that published or spoke badly of the American government. On top of all of these things, they made it a lot harder for immigrants to get the right to vote. This act suppressed a lot of immigrants. -
Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival because Christians were complacent with their worship but some people weren't. People reconsidered their morals, how they thought, and what was right and what was wrong. This was a big turning point because it was a big part of what started the slavery abolishment movement. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was a deal between France and the United States of America. Napoleon decided that he wanted to sell the American territory that they had owned which is about 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River. They gave all of this land up for only $15 million. The USA nearly doubled its size. It's estimated that the French sold the USA the land for as little as 4 cents per acre. -
War of 1812
The war of 1812 was fought over what the British were doing to American ships and seamen. The British limited trade between America and Europe by capturing ships and imprisoning seamen. Furthermore, the British also took over American ships and captured stock and goods that the ships were carrying over. The USA also wanted to expand their marines but this isn't possible when your ships are constantly being attacked and captured by Britihs forces. -
Battle of New Orleans
The battle of New Orleans was led by future president General Andrew Jackson. The British were attempting to capture an important part of the United States but they were unsuccessful because of General Andrew Jackson's plans. The American forces had larger guns, and better positioning, but there were fewer men. Andrew Jackson had only suffered 100 deaths in this battle but dealt a lot of damage to the British side. The British suffered almost 300 deaths and thousands were wounded. -
Election of 1824
Adams and Clay meet privately…no one knows what is discussed. In the days that followed the meeting, Clay publicly supports Adams and the house elects Adams as president. 3 days later Adams appoints Clay to become his secretary of State. Jackson supporters claim it was a ‘Corrupt Bargain’. -
Jackson is elected president
Jackson was considered a president that rooted on and cheered on the common man. Furthermore, Jackson really took advantage of the power that he had so that he made the government that he thought would be best for the common man. Jackson also changed a lot of things economically, he paid off the national debt and got rid of the national bank because he thought that it had too much control over economical affairs. He also strengthened relationships with foreign nations. -
The 1828 Election
In the 1828 Election Jackson wanted to recreate the old Jeffersonian coalition of Northern farmers and artisans, Southern slave owners, and farmers with small land holdings. It created a national committee that oversaw local and state party units (the first political party - the Democrats). First modern political campaign: Politics became local, Mass meetings, parades, picnics, Mudslinging on both sides, Newspapers, speeches, buttons, etc. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal act was an act that was enacted by President Andrew Jackson that said that the Indians had to relocate to Western lands where they were permitted to settle. This act was very cruel because the Indian people didn't really gain anything from the act. The act was just centered on the expansion of America and the forward progression, there was little regard for how this affected the Indians at all. -
Texas is Annexed
Texas was annexed because Mexico threatened to fight over the territory. This took so long to decide because there were differences in ideals between people who supported slavery and people who didn't support slavery. Furthermore, the USA completely dominated Mexico in the war and was able to claim Texas and even more as part of the US territory. This was very ruthless but if not for this war, the USA would be a lot smaller than it is today. -
Dred Scott
The Dred Scott decision was a decision in which the Supreme Court ruled that the slave Dred Scott would not be granted freedom. Dred Scott had moved with his owner to a state in which slavery was illegal. This case was very controversial because slaves that came before them and wanted to be granted freedom were granted freedom, but Dred Scott wasn't granted freedom. This was an important event because this one decision contradicted all of the other decisions that were made by the court. -
Mexican American War
The Mexican-American war was a conflict that was fought between the USA and Mexico over territorial claims in Texas. Mexico claimed Texas as its territory and so did the USA, this caused a great conflict between both nations. This war resulted in the USA getting a huge victory and getting Texas to be part of the USA and they also got even more land than they had wanted with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. -
Mexican Cession
The Mexican Cession was a result of the Mexican American War this was a big plot of land that was given from Mexico to the USA due to them losing the war. The cession included Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. This was a big addition to the United States and nearly doubled the territory that was currently owned by the United States. -
Compromise of 1850
This was a compromise where California would become a free state. Becoming a free state was a win for the Union but it was a compromise so the Confederacy also had to get something out of it. The Confederacy had gotten that in Washington DC would allow slavery but the trade of slaves was illegal in Washington DC. Each side of the conflict got something that they wanted out of this compromise. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was the act that repealed the Missouri Compromise. Furthermore, this act created 2 new territories Kansas and Nebraska. The 2 territories were part of popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty means that the side with more people or votes will succeed. In this situation, it was between slavery and abolitionists. The people who supported slavery ended up winning through unorthodox methods of putting in fake votes and things like that. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a group of violent crimes that were committed in Kansas due to the popular sovereignty that was going on. The person who led the Bleeding Kansas crimes was someone by the name of John Brown. John Brown and seven other men traveled to a pro-slavery location and they just slaughtered everyone that was there. Not only did he do this but he also led an "army" and raided slave owners farms and land. -
Civil War Begins
The Civil War begins at Fort Sumter due to Confederate troops firing shots. In less than 2 days' time, the USA surrenders to the Confederacy. The Civil war happened because Lincoln wanted to reunite the South and North together because the Southern states succeeded due to the threat of abolitionism. Furthermore, Lincoln also wasn't one to be fond of slavery, so he coincidentally could knock out 2 birds with one stone. -
Civil War Ends
The Civil war ended when General Robert E. Lee surrendered his troops to General Ulysses S. Grant. This meant that the South would have to accept the thirteenth amendment which stated that slavery would be officially abolished in the United States of America. The South would be part of the United States of America since they had lost the war. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead act was an act that was put in place to combat the rising populations in the East. People thought that the harbors in the East were getting filled up too quickly. Residents of the USA could claim 160 acres of government-certified land. This was a very good option for the USA because they had a lot of excess land that they could give away. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was a document that stated all people who were currently enslaved would now be free. This caused a great stir in the South because the entire foundation of their economy was based upon slavery and what they did for the plantations. If the South lost this war, this would be a devastating blow to their economy and how they operated daily. -
Railroad
When the railroad was being built, this was one of the most important events in human history. This marked the start of industrialization. The railroad was extremely important not only as a symbol but also from an economic standpoint. People could now transport goods from California all the way over to the Boston Harbor. -
Reconstruction
Reconstruction was a period of time when people sought reconstruction and recovery from the Civil War. This was a period of time when the South had a transformation of society, giving former slaves more rights. There was also an economic shift in the South people became less focused on farming and more focused on industrialization. This was good for rebuilding.