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Period: 1491 to
Period 1/2 (1491-1763)
Native America, European Exploration, Colonization -
1492
Columbus's First Successful Trans-Atlantic Voyage
In an attempt to establish a trade route to India, Columbus accidentally landed in the Americas which lead to the beginning of European Exploration -
1513
Ponce de Leon Lands in Florida
Spanish conquistadors land in Florida and begin the conquest for gold in the Americas -
1534
Jacques Catier claims Canada
Jacques Catier sails across the northern Atlantic route and claims Canada for France -
1541
de Soto discovers the Mississippi River
Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto is the first European to see the Mississippi River -
Jamestown
Jamestown becomes the first successful British colony in the Americas -
Tobacco is cultivated
Native tobacco is cultivated in Jamestown for the first time and becomes a cash crop almost instantly -
Mayflower Compact
The first written plan of government in the colonies -
Bacon's Rebellion
An armed rebellion that took place in Virginia where settlers attempted to overthrow the rule of Gov. William Berkeley -
Salem Witch Trials
A series of hangings where more than 20 people were executed because of suspected witchcraft taking place in Salem Massachusetts -
French-Indian War Ends
Treaty of Paris signed in 1763 which gave Canada and Florida to Britain from France and Spain -
French-Indian (7 Years) War Begins
War fought in the northern colonies between the French and British with native American aid because of land disputes in the Ohio River Valley -
Period: to
Period 3 (1763-1800)
American Revolution, Confederal Era, and Early Federal Period -
Sugar Act
Law placed on the colonists by Britain in hopes to reduce sugar and molasses smuggling into the colonies -
Stamp Act
A direct tax placed on the colonies by Britain which taxed all printed materials from newspapers to playing cards -
Boston Massacre
Violent conflict between colonists and British troops because of a series of taxes placed on the colonists that resulted in 5 colonists being killed -
Boston Tea Party
Protest on the Tea Act where members of the sons of liberty snuck onto a merchant vessel and dumped millions of dollars of tea into Boston harbor -
Intolerable Acts
Britain's response to the Boston Tea party which punished colonists by closing Boston Harbor -
Declaration of Independence
Signed document by multiple founding fathers stating the US's independence from Britain -
Battle of Saratoga
The turning point in the revolutionary war where the advantage switched from the British to the colonists -
Battle of Yorktown
General Cornwallis surrenders to George Washington and the US officially becomes independent from Britain by winning the war -
Shay's Rebellion
Armed, violent protest that took place in Massachusetts because of taxes demanded by the state because of war debt -
Federalist Papers
Papers written and published to the public in order to promote the ratification of the US Constitution -
George Washington Elected
George Washington is elected the 1st President of the US after he lead the colonists to victory in the Revolutionary War -
Whiskey Rebellion
A tax protest against tax placed on Whiskey in Pennsylvania and the first major challenge to federal authority -
Judiciary Act
Supreme Court is created in 1789 by congress and George Washington -
Alien + Sedition Acts
A series of laws passed by president Adams that prohibited people from immigrating to the US and gave states the authority to deport any non-natural citizen -
US Capital Moved
US capital is moved from Philadelphia to Washington DC -
Period: to
Period 4 Pt.1 (1800-1824)
Era of Good Feelings -
Jefferson Elected President
Thomas Jefferson is elected the 3rd President of the US -
Louisiana Purchase
The US buys 820,000^2 miles of land from France for $15 mil -
Marbury v. Madison
Supreme court case that established the doctrine of judicial review -
Lewis + Clark Expedition
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out on their expedition across the continent -
US Bans Slave Trade
The US bans the import of new slaves into the states -
Madison Elected President
James Madison is elected the 4th president of the US -
Treaty of Ghent
Treaty of Ghent ends the War of 1812 after a stalemate between the US and Britain -
War of 1812
US declares war on Britain because of Britain's interference with US merchant ships -
McCulloch vs Maryland
Established that congress had the power to incorporate the bank and that Maryland could place taxes on what belonged to the federal government -
Missouri Compromise
Maine is admitted as a US state while Missouri becomes a slave state to maintain balance -
John Q. Adams Elected President
John Quincy Adams is elected the 6th president of the US -
Period: to
Period 4 Pt.2 (1824-1848)
Jacksonian Era -
Andrew Jackson Elected President
Andrew Jackson is elected the 7th US president in one of the "dirtiest" elections in history -
Indian Removal Act
Set in motion by Andrew Jackson and allowed state officials to override federal protection of native americans, which lead to many native tribes being relocated and forcefully removed from their homes -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
A slave revolt in Virginia that lead to the deaths of 55 white citizens and slave owners -
Mechanical Reaper Patented
The mechanical reaper made agriculture much easier and more efficient -
Battle for the Alamo
Mexican soldiers attacked and reclaimed the Alamo from Texan soldiers -
Steel Plow Invented
John Deere's Steel Plow made plowing fields using farm animals as opposed to human labor much easier and efficient -
Trail of Tears
Native Cherokee tribes are forcibly moved from the southeast to Oklahoma -
Liberty Party Formed
Radical abolitionists form the Liberty Party in 1840, which did not smooth over well with southern democrats -
William Harrison Elected President
William Henry Harrison is elected the 9th US president and becomes the first president to die in office -
Westward Immigration Begins
With farmland running out on the Eastern Seaboard, Americans began to move westward in search of new farm land which lead to the Mexican-American War -
Polk Elected President
James K. Polk defeats Henry Clay in the 1844 election -
Telegraph is Invented
Samuel Morse's telegraph allowed people to communicate and relay messages at a much longer distance much more effectively -
Period: to
Period 5 (1844-1877)
Victorian Era, Manifest Destiny and Civil War -
Irish Potato Famine
An influx of irish immigrants came ti the United States because of a blight that wiped out the potato crop -
Mexican-American War Begins
The US expands westward and goes to war with Mexico because the US government believed it was their right to expand and Mexico disagreed -
End of the Mexican-American War
The US gains multiple southwestern states after defeating Mexico in the MA war. The US government gave Mexico 15 million dollars to give up its claims to Texas and the Treaty of Guadalupe was signed -
Lincoln Elected President
Lincoln is elected the 16th US president and leads the union through the civil war -
Beginning of the Civil War
Because of issues regarding slave states, the Union (primarily made up of northern and western states) and the Confederate States (primarily southern states) went to war with each other -
Homestead Act
The US government offered 160 acres land to US Citizens for free with the understanding that they would cultivate and improve it -
Battle of Shiloh
Major victory on southern soil for the union that allowed them to move south and set up Ulysses S. Grant in Mississippi -
Battle at Gettysburg
A major Confederate victory on northern soil as well as the bloodiest battle on the civil war -
Emancipation Proclamation
Proclamation made by Abraham Lincoln that freed all confederate slaves -
Credit Mobilier Scandal
A construction company bribed congressman into funding the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad. Congressman who obliged could purchase stocks in the company at face value instead of market value -
Lincoln Assassinated
John Wilkes Booth assassinated president Lincoln on April 6th 1865 -
13th Amendment Ratified
Officially ended slavery in the US -
End of the Civil War
Lee surrenders to grant at the Appomattox Courthouse and the Union takes victory over the confederate states -
Period: to
Period 6 (1865-1898)
Guilded Age -
14th Amendment Ratified
Gives all natural born persons regardless of race citizenship in the US -
Ulysses S. Grant Elected President
After leading the union to victory in the Civil War, USG was elected the 18th president of the US -
15th Amendment Ratified
Allows black men to vote -
Yellowstone becomes the 1st National Park
The federal government allowed the preservation of the first national park in order to prevent the land from being logged and mined -
Civil Rights Act Passed
Gave equal rights to blacks in jury duty but was overturned by the Supreme court 8 years later -
Battle at Little Bighorn
The largest victory for Native Americans in american history. US Calvary and Native Americans fought in the eastern Montana territory -
Great RR Strike
Railroad workers in West VA went on strike after the Baltimore and Ohio railroads cut wages for the 3rd time in one year -
Civil Service Act Passed
Law that established the US Civil Service commission which began the merit system and ended the spoils system -
Dawes Act Passed
Act that divided Native American lands into individual parcels which impacted native tribes negatively because of disorder in unity and government -
Interstate Commerce Act Passed
Law that required railroads to charge more fair rates to customers and passengers and make them public -
Sherman Antitrust Act Passed
Law that prohibits trusts and monopolies in order to create a more fair diverse market -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
Supreme Court Case where an african american woman was arrested and convicted for refusing to move out of an all-white train car -
Spanish-American War
War fought between the US and Spain because of unfair Spanish rule over Cuba -
Period: to
Period 7 Pt.1 (1898-1918)
Spanish-American War, Industrialization, World War 1 -
Boxer Rebellion
An violent campaign lead by a group called the Boxers in China against foreigners which lead to eventual support by the Chinese government -
Gold Standard Act
Act that directly tied paper currency and gold together and stated that only gold could redeem paper money -
Teddy Roosevelt 1st Term
Teddy Roosevelt becomes the 26th president of the US. Considered the first modern president and serves until 1909 -
Food and Drug Act
Allowed the federal government to inspect food and drugs and banned the interstate shipment and sale of impure food -
NAACP Founded
Organization founded to fight for the abolition of segregation and discrimination in the US -
William Taft Elected President
William Taft is elected the 27th President of the US. "Dollar Diplomacy" -
Woodrow Wilson 1st Term
Woodrow Wilson is elected the 28th president of the US and leads the first progressive movement and the US through WW1 (served until 1921) -
Federal Reserve Act
Law that placed all national banks under the jurisdiction of a federal reserve board in order to try and prevent financial crisis -
Beginning Of WW1
Archduke Ferdinand is assassinated in Sarajevo lead to a series of events building up to the Battle at Marne -
Completion of the Panama Canal
The Panama canal is completed after 10 years of construction, allowing ships to sail directly to the Pacific from the Atlantic as opposed to around South America -
Clayton Antitrust Act Passed
Law prohibiting exclusive sales contracts -
Sussex Pledge
Promise made to the United States by Germany to not sink passenger ships on route to Europe...thus brought the US into the war because Germany broke the pledge when sinking the Lusitania -
Us Enters WW1
After the sinking of multiple US merchant ships, the US entered the war in April of 1917 -
End of WW1
Germany and other opposing powers surrender after the Battle of Amiens and the 100 Day allied siege. Armistice is signed in Nivember 11th, 1918 -
Period: to
Period 7 Pt.2 (1918-1945)
WW2 and Reform -
18th Amendment Ratified
The sale and production of alcoholic beverages is banned nationwide and leads to massive bootlegging campaigns and the popularity of speakeasies in the 1920's -
19th Amendment Ratified
Gave women the right to vote -
The Great Depression
The crash of the US (and other nations') economy and stock market which lead to nationwide chaos and suffering -
Herbert Hoover Elected President
Herbert Hoover is elected the 31st President of the US over Franklin D. Roosevelt -
Tariff Act
Raised the tariff on imported goods in order to protect domestic production in the US -
FDR First Term
FDR is elected the 32nd President of the US and beats Herbert Hoover handily because of change wanted in the US coming out of the Great Depression -
21st Amendment Ratified
The 21st amendment brought the end of prohibition in the United States -
Establishment if the "New Deal"
The response to the Great Depression out in place by FDR that focused on healing the country economically and physically -
Dust Bowl
Series of dust storms caused by over-plowing the great plains that lead to severe drought and famine in the great plain states -
Indian Reorganization Act
The attempt by the US government to culturally assimilate Native Americans into white american society -
Social Security Act
Law signed in by FDR that created the Social Security program and helped provide a cushion for the unemployed -
Neutrality Acts
A series of acts passed by congress in the late 1930's that responded to the impending threat of WW2 -
Beginning Of WW2
On September 1st 1939, Hitler invaded Poland and started the 2nd World War -
Battle at Stalingrad
Nazi Germany and the USSR fought for control of the southern Russian city of Stalingrad. The battle marked the end of Germany's advancement into Russia and was one of the most devastating military conflicts in history with around 2 million casualties -
VE Day
The celebratory day in Europe after the Nazis surrender on May 7th, 1945 -
End of WW2
Imperial Japan surrenders to the Allies after the Battle at Okinawa and armistice is signed on Sep. 2nd, 1945