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Period: 1491 to
Period 1/2
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1492
Columbus' First Voyage
Columbus' First voyage resulted in the joining of the Old World and the New. It began the first era of European imperialism and spelled the doom for millions of native inhabitants of the Americas. The territory Columbus conquered also saw the beginning of the Encomienda system. -
1521
Tenochtitlan Razed
The largest urban area in the New World was sacked and utterly destroyed, arguably the most powerful New World civilization was shattered. The Aztec people of central Mexico had their country, culture, and lives destroyed. -
1539
De Soto's Travels
Spanish explorer and murderer De Soto wrote several accounts of the yet-to-be colonized southeast US. These records are very helpful in painting a picture of Native American history and culture of the Mississippi River Valley. -
Jamestown Founded
The first successful English colony in The Americas. The permanence of this colony set the example for future English colonization in the New World. -
Metacom's War
Metacom's war was the last war fought between the Native Americans of the New England region and the English colonists. The war resulted in heavy casualties for Native Americans of the region and was their last effort to keep the English from encroaching upon their lands. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Bacon's rebellion was a major factor in the shift away from indentured servitude and the shift towards importing enslaved labor from Africa. The rebellion ensured greater rights for indentured servants, which led to wealthy planters turning to a system that would cost them less. -
The Enlightenment
The ideals of the Enlightenment changed the ways European and colonial societies conducted law, scientific research, and philosophy. And the ideas of Enlightenment-era philosophers would go on to inspire the American Revolution. -
First Great Awakening
The Great Awakening would characterize the Thirteen Colonies' religious behaviors. The revival led to the restructuring of several protestant sects and the formation of brand new sects that would come to dominate the English Colonies. -
Stono's Rebellion
Stono's rebellion was the first major slave rebellion in the Thirteen colonies. The fear of another rebellion like it led to the further dehumanization of enslaved people under the plantation system. -
7 Years War
The 7 Years War was the first global conflict in human history. The war led to massive change across the globe, but especially in North America, where French presence became almost unheard of, and the former British colonial policy of Salutary Neglect officially Ended. -
Proclamation Line of 1763
The Proclamation line restricted English settlement past the Appalachian Mountains, this particularly angered the colonists, who wanted to steal native lands to build their own farms. This anger would swell up to the Regulator Movements in the Carolinas and eventually the American Revolutionary War. -
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Period 3
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Stamp Act of 1765
The backlash to this act was the beginning of mass colonial resistance to British law in the colonies. Colonists began to organize, to actively boycott the act, and organizations like the Stamp Act Congress and the Sons of Liberty formed. -
Boston Massacre
The violence of the Boston Massacre played a major part in turning the American colonists against the British. The victims of the massacre became martyrs for the Revolutionary cause and were oft the subject of patriot propaganda. -
Coercive Acts
The Coercive Acts acted as a set of final straws for the patriot cause. The harsh restrictions placed on Boston by the acts led to the assembly of the First Continental Congress, which would begin to organize cross-colony resistance to the British. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress marked the first time that the colonies came together to organize against Great Britain. The organization that came together at this convention would also soon grow into the United States' founding fathers and greatest thinkers. -
Common Sense is published
Thomas Payne's Common Sense is one of the most influential texts in American history, as the pamphlet convinced hundreds of thousands of Americans to actively reject the British Empire. Common Sense is the best selling novel in American History, and it's contents turned the patriot cause into a movement. -
13 Colonies Declare Independence
The Declaration of Independence by the Thirteen Colonies began the Revolutionary War, a conflict that created a nation and continues to characterize that nation 2.5 centuries after its end. The declaration also crystalized the American commitment to independence. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga is considered the turning point in the Revolutionary War, not only was it a major victory for the Patriots but it also convinced the French Empire to support the American cause. Without French ships, funding, or training, the Revolutionary War might not have ended in a patriot victory. -
Shay's Rebellion
The disaster of Shay's Rebellion is what convinced American leaders to revise the Articles of Confederation. The Articles were incredibly weak and created a national government that was practically useless, Shay's Rebellion demonstrated the weakness of the Articles and lead to the creation of the still presiding American government. -
The Constitution is ratified
The ratification of the Constitution showed the permanence of the American Experiment. The country would no longer be a loose collection of states, but a unified, centralized country. -
Washington Elected First President
Washington's presidency would define the role of a supreme executive forever. While the explicit duties of the president were laid out in the constitution, the way the president carries out these duties was laid out by Washington's term, he set the two-term limit and created the independent cabinet. -
Jay's Treaty
Jay's Treaty acts as a signal for the future relationship between the US and Great Britain, the two just got done fighting a war and now they're trying to end the rivalry and begin a trade relationship. The treaty also started a rift in American politics between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson and was one of the inciting factors of the emergence of the first two-party system. -
Battle of Fallen Timbers
The war between the Northwest Confederacy and The US would solidify the United States as an antagonizer to native peoples. The ensuing treaty after the Battle of Fallen Timbers would also see the end of the frontier in the Old Northwest and would begin the search for the next frontier to expand into. -
Election of 1796
The election of 1796 solidified partisan divides between The Federalists and The Democratic-Republicans. The discourse around the election was particularly hostile and starkly contrasted the elections before it. -
Naturalization, Alien, Sedition Acts
These pieces of legislation were incredibly restrictive and were eventually used as ammunition in the election of 1800 to turn voters away from the Federalist Party. The mass protests to these laws also culminated in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolves which introduced and legitimized the Nullification of national laws by individual states, which would grow into a very contemptuous issue. -
'Revolution' of 1800
Jefferson's win in the Election of 1800 created a new era of party politics, dominated by Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party. The agenda of the Democratic-Republicans also drastically reversed the direction of the federal government. -
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Period 4 Part 1
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Marbury v. Madison
The jurisdiction on Marbury v. Madison granted the Supreme Court the power of Judicial Review. Judicial Review greatly increased the role and power of the Supreme Court in Government. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Lousiana Purchase doubled the US' total landmass and gave the country a brand new frontier. The acquisition of the Lousiana Territory spurred manifest destiny, conflicts with Native Americans, and a crisis over the expansion of slavery. -
Embargo act of 1807
The Embargo Act of 1807 closed off American Markets to the rest of the world. This drastic measure began a period of attempted isolationism, and this refusal of trade increased the tensions with both Great Britain and France. -
Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe was the last stand of Northwest Native Americans against the expansion of the United States. The Battle also contributed to the rising tensions between Great Britain and the United States which would culminate in the War of 1812. -
War of 1812
The War of 1812 saw the rise of new leadership in American Politics, John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, and Andrew Jackson were all involved with the war's emergence and eventual end. The war also saw the resolution of all the issues that characterized American foreign policy up to that point, issues with natives and conflict in the Atlantic. -
Era of Good Feelings Begins
The Era of Good Feelings was an era characterized by increased nationalism and more civil party politics, as the Federalists were no longer powerful, The US practically functioned as a one-party state. The Era also saw the expansion of national infrastructure and a the start of the Market Revolution. -
McCulloch v Maryland
The ruling of McCulloch v Maryland asserted the supremacy of the National Government when state and national governments are on conflict. This ruling would define the relationship between the States and the National Government for years. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise ended the Era of Good Feelings, as congress broke upon sectional lines, as fierce debate broke out between Northern Congressmen and Southern Congressmen. The result of the compromise divided the Lousiana Purchase into Slave and Free territories putting the Slavery Question off for decades. -
Monroe Doctrine Established
The Monroe Doctrine established the US as the hegemon of the Western Hemisphere, claiming that all European powers could not interfere in Western Hemisphere. The Doctrine also would characterize American Foreign policy for a century. -
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Period 4 part 2
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Election of 1828
The Election of 1828 saw the rise to power of Andrew Jackson and his Democratic Party. The party invented new political strategies that led them to win in a landslide victory, the victory of the Democrats also saw the death of the Democratic-Republicans. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act forcibly removed tens of thousands of Native Americans from their homes and sent them to live in conditions completely unfamiliar to them. This forced migration was also accompanied by the ethnic cleansing of Native Americans, as thousands died along the trail to Oklahoma, some in part to intentionally poisoned blankets. -
Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis stressed the US' dynamics of Federalism, Nullification, and the powers of the president. President Jackson's show of force maintained the principle of national supremacy, and turned many prominent Southern politicians to turn against Jackson. -
The Bank War
The Bank War pushed Jackson and his rivals to their limit. The political maneuvering of Nicolas Bittle and Henry Clay and Jackson's retaliation led to the destruction of a National Program and set the scene for the emergence of the Whig Party. -
Whig Party Founded
The Founding of the Whig party led to the emergence of the Second Party System. The Whig Party was originally a hodge-podge of Jackson's opponents but soon developed a distinct ideology, that could challenge and beat the Democrats in elections. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner's rebellion drastically increased the paranoia of the slave-holding states. The rebellion led to bitter crackdowns on the rights of freedmen and the very little privileges enslaved people were granted. -
Election of 1840
The Election of 1840 saw the first embrace of Jacksonian politics by both of the prominent candidates. Both Harrison and Van Buren tried to appeal to the 'common man' and embraced the manipulative elements of Jacksonian Policy. The election also saw the first Whig president in office. -
Election of 1844
The election of 1844 saw the popularization of Manifest Destiny as the candidates bitterly debated over issues of land expansion. The victor, James K. Polk's entire platform was devoted to expanding the land territory of the US and by consequence saw the Slavery Question return to political discussion. -
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Period 5
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Texas Annexed
The annexation of Texas saw the US admit it's largest State up until that point. The issue of Texas' slaveholding status also led to the debate over Slavery return to congress. -
Treaty of Guadeloupe-Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadeloupe-Hidalgo saw the end of the Mexican-American war and, the US expand all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The massive tract of land increased the US' size and influence across the Western Hemisphere. -
Seneca Falls convention
The Seneca Falls convention was the climax of the first women's movement. Prominent advocates for women's rights such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Fredrick Douglas were in attendance. -
Compromise of 1850
The compromise drastically affected the political geography of the US and briefly assuaged the tensions between the Free and Slave States. The laws saw the borders of Texas and California solidify, as well as the ban of the slave trade from the District of Columbia. -
Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin
The publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin led to a drastic increase of abolitionists in the United States. The book humanized enslaved people in the eyes of formerly apathetic northerners, leading to increased sectional tension. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act led to an unconventional war in the Midwest. The conflict named 'Bleeding Kansas' saw the debate over slavery turn to violence and would act as a prelude of the Civil War to come. -
GOP formed
The GOP was formed as a party of free-soilers and the anti-expansion of slavery stance of the party appealed to Northern and Western voters, which turned party lines into sectional lines, further increasing the tensions between North and South. The rise of the Republicans led to the 3rd party system which still stands to this day. -
Dred Scott v Sanford
The decision of Dred Scott v Sanford was another event that drove the sectional divide deeper. Since the ruling practically abolished the Free States, ending decades of government policy and tipped the balance heavily in the favor of enslaving states. -
John Brown's Raid
John Brown's Raid convinced many Northerners to help escaping enslaved people, as John Brown became a martyr for the abolitionist cause. Southern paranoia surrounding the raid led to even harsher slave laws in the South. -
Lincoln Elected President
Southern conspiracies over Lincoln's election led the Southern States to secede from the Union, starting the civil war. The Civil War would define the US forever, serving as a baptism by fire of the US' ideals, asserting democratic ideals of freedom from oppression. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam is the single Bloodiest day in American history, the mass casualties of the battle ended the Confederate invasion of Maryland. The Union's victory in the battle convinced Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Battle of Vicksburg
The Battle of Vicksburg bisected the CSA and officially marked the turning point in the conflict. The battle saw a fall in confederate morale and led to the Union's complete control of the Mississippi River. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation changed the Union's cause for the war, as the war became a crusade to free African-Americans from slavery. The document convinced thousands of Freedman to support the Union cause, as well as dissuading the European powers from backing the CSA. -
Lincoln's Assassination
Lincoln's Assassination threw the entire nation into a period of mourning. The assassination also saw Vice-President Andrew Johnson rise to the presidency, and thus a period of congressional dominance over the national government. -
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Passage of 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments
The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments are the greatest accomplishment of Reconstruction. These amendments abolished the cruel system, that tainted the country for a century, ensured equal rights for all Americans, and expanded the franchise to hundreds of thousands of Americans. However, these amendments were not always practiced after Reconstruction ended, as the US government became more concerned with the affairs of Big Business over the people. -
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Period 6
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Freedman's Bureau
The Freedman's Bureau was a reconstruction program that ensured the rights of African Americans in the former Confederacy. The Bureau upheld the ideas of Reconstruction and egalitarianism and helped thousands of African Americans gain their own land and vote in elections. -
Election of 1868
The Election of 1868 saw war hero Ulysses S. Grant rise to the presidency. The election of 1868 was the first election that African American males in the South voted in and the African American vote went strongly in the favor of Grant. -
Transcontinental Railroad Completed
The Transcontinental Railroad connected both halves of the country together. It allowed for mass migration to the Western US and was a sign of the US' growing industrialization. -
Knights of Labor
The Knights of Labor were a powerful national labor union that worked to ensure the rights of workers across the country. The union had hundreds of thousands of members and was able to combat the powerful businesses of the Gilded Age. -
Credit Mobiler Scandal
The Credit Mobilier scandal highlights the intense corruption of Gilded Age America. The scandal ended the career of several politicians and created an atmosphere of distrust toward the federal government amongst the American public. -
Battle of Little Bighorn
The Battle of Little Bighorn is the largest Native American victory of the Plains Wars. The victory of the Native Americans and the death of General Custer infuriated the American public and largely turned white Americans against Native Americans. -
Compromise of 1877
The compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction reforms and left the south controlled by reactionary white supremacists for decades. This moment signifies when the Republican party sacrificed its morals for a political victory, abandoning hundreds of thousands of black voters that they once fought to protect, in exchange for a Republican president. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act demonstrates America's long history of xenophobia and nativism. The Chinese Exclusion Act was a bipartisan piece of legislation, both Democrats and Republicans agreed to cease accepting immigrants from one of the world's largest countries for no other reason than overt racism. -
Election of 1884
The Election of 1884 is a prime example of the politics of the Gilded Age, as both campaigns were concerned with Lassiez Faire economic policy, both politicians were also suspected of corruption. The Election of 1884 also was the first time a Democratic president won the election since the 1850s. -
Interstate Commerce Act
The Interstate Commerce Act was an attempt to limit the power of the massive Railroad corporations, however, due to lassies faire politicians, the Act, and the body is created, The Interstate Commerce Commission would remain idle and unused. However, when the progressive era reared its head the ICC would be used as a tool by progressive presidents to actually regulate the Railroad industry. -
Sherman Anti-trust Act
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was originally designed to limit the powers of the massive Trusts that dominated the American Economy during the Gilded Age, but due to Lassiez Faire politicians, it would paradoxically be used as a weapon against unions fighting those trusts. Just like the ICC, the progressive era saw the legislation used as it was intended to and would see the downfall of many powerful trusts. -
Ellis Island
Ellis Island was the only immigration center in the Eastern United States. The idea of only having one port was designed to limit immigration, but the island still saw massive numbers of 'new immigrants' to America, and it was the first place that many German, Scandinavian, Polish, and Jewish Americans saw when they first moved to the US. -
Omaha Platform
The Omaha Platform saw a massive grassroots movement in the midwest blossom. The People's Party formed around the tenants of the Omaha platform, as Labor Unions, and Farmers' Alliances came together in an attempt to build a more progressive US in the face of a corrupt, trust-riddled Gilded Age. -
Pullman Strike
The Pullman Strike saw wage laborers demand adequate treatment from powerful businesses and a government that supposedly swore to protect them. The Pullman Strike also saw the rise to prominence of US politician and labor leader Eugene V. Debs. -
Spanish American War
The Spanish American War established the US as a global imperial power. The War also led to the annexation of the Philippine archipelago, which would lead to half a decade of oppression, the ar also gave the US overarching power in the Caribbean and South America, intervening in elections, trade, and government. -
Period: to
Period 7 Part 1
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Insular Cases
The Insular cases established the US' imperialistic attitude towards the territories acquired in the Spanish-American War. These cases did not allow the inhabitants of these territories to vote in US elections, and the document cited these inhabitants as 'aliens' these documents still stand today for territories like Puerto-Rico and Gaum. -
Teddy Roosevelt Assumes Office
Theodore Roosevelt was America's first Progressive president and he brought the Progressive Movement to the national government. He revitalized the government and brought long-needed regulation to the previously unregulated economy, he was also one of the country's most imperialist presidents, wishing to expand the US' naval power and equal the imperial powers of Europe. -
Anthracite Coal Strike
The Anthracite Coal Strike is a fantastic example of Teddy Roosevelt's character as a president. Roosevelt gathered the coal barons together and adamantly demanded that the mineworkers of America be given the concessions they required, Roosevelt also threatened the coal industry with nationalization if they didn't keep their end of the bargain. -
Panamanian Revolution
The Panamanian Revolution is a prime example of the Roosevelt Era imperialism and 'Big Stick' diplomacy. The revolution only happened due to US government intervention, so that the US could acquire the Panama Canal Zone. -
Oregon System
The Oregon system created many of the hallmarks of state and local governments in many states across the US. The programs of the Oregon System: initiative, referenda, and recall, have allowed for greater citizen power in state governments. -
Antiquities Act
The Antiquities Act is responsible for the creation of many National Parks and Monuments. This piece of legislation granted the power of creating national parks/monuments to the president, allowing for an expedient process for confirming national parks. -
17th Amendment
The 17th Amendment was part of greater democratizing the US government. By placing the power to select senators directly in the hands of the people, the role of the citizen in government expanded. -
Election of 1912
The election of 1912 is one of the strangest in US history. The winning president won less than 50% of the popular vote but was able to win the presidency due to a significant 3rd party, an extremely rare occurrence in American electoral politics. -
Federal Reserve Act
The Federal Reserve Act is one of the most important pieces of legislation in US history. The Federal Reserve System stabilized the tumultuous economy of the early 1900s and has overseen over a century of monetary policy. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is often credited with starting the First World War, while it is not the only cause, it was the spark that lit the flame. The war would go on to claim millions of lives, and forever change the face of the globe. -
Zimmerman Telegraph
The outrage from the interception of the Zimmerman Telegraph played a large role in the US joining in the First World War. Americans were infuriated of the repeated German violations of 'US neutrality' and were ready to go to war. -
February Revolution
The February Revolution officially took Russia out of the First World War. The ensuing violence would end in the radical Bolshevik faction gaining control over the former Russian Empire, this new Bolshevik Russia would soon grow to great power status. -
Espionage and Sedition Acts
The Espionage and Sedition Acts are prime examples of wartime restrictions of civil liberties. Due to these laws and similar acts by the US government the rights of the press were heavily restricted and many were sent to lives in prison due to criticizing the government, these restrictions were made constitutional later in Schenck v. US. -
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First Red Scare
The First Red Scare saw the American public break out in fervent paranoia over a phantom threat of scheming communists. The First Red Scare saw Americans turn against European immigrants out of fear of their politics, the violation of the civil liberties of many Americans who were suspected communists, as well as contributing the 2nd wave of the Ku Klux Klan. -
Wilson's Fourteen Points
The demands of president Wilson at the Treaty of Versailles were largely ignored by the European powers, wishing to carve up the world as they saw fit. However, some of Wilson's suggestions actually came to fruition, The League of Nations and Polish Independence played a big part in post-war world. -
Period: to
Period 7 Part 2
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19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment saw the expansion of the franchise to women in every state. The 19th amendment is one of the largest democratization of American politics if not the largest, ending the long fight for women's suffrage. -
Teapot Dome Scandal
The Teapot Dome Scandal exemplifies the rampant corruption of the 1920s, especially the Harding Administration. The scandal showed the American public Harding's incompetence and the disgraceful behavior of his political allies, the investigation into the scandal also resulted in the first conviction and imprisonment of a cabinet member. -
Emergency Immigration Quota Act
The Emergency Immigration Quota Act demonstrates the prevalent xenophobia brought upon by the Eugenics Movement. The law established strict quotas on Eastern Europe and Asia, stopping hundreds of thousands of immigrants from finding a better life in the US. -
Battle of Blair Mountain
The Battle of Blair Mountain was the largest armed uprising in the US since the civil war. The conflict consisted of coal strikers, seeking better wages and housing, and the coal companies dropping homemade bombs from airplanes and gunning down protestors in order to maintain their hoards of wealth. -
Scopes Trial
The Scopes Trial demonstrated the cultural clash of the 1920s between progress and tradition. The case was highly publicized and the American public became increasingly invested in what was thought in school as a result of the trial. -
Stock Market Crash of 1929
The Stock Market Crash marked the end of the economic boom of the 1920s and signaled the hardship to come. The crash and the issuing depression led to an upheaval of American life, and a nationwide state of poverty that has not been rivaled since. -
Hawley-Smoot Tariff
The Hawley-Smoot Tariff demonstrates the ineptitude of Hoover and his allies in assuaging the effects of the Great Depression. The tariff did not work as intended, neither did any of Hoover's regressive Lazziez Faire policies, at least to the extent that the nation required. These out-of-touch attempts at easing the depression turned the American public against Hoover and his conservative beliefs. -
Election of 1932
The Election of 1932 saw the foundation of the modern Democratic coalition constructed, and the election of the US' longest sitting president. FDR's promise of Progressive reform saw African-Americans turn to the Democratic party for the first time, and FDR's campaign sought to touch base with the public who had lost faith in the government after Hoover's incompetence. -
Reichstag Fire
The Reichstag Fire was the event that led to Adolf Hitler securing his power as chancellor of Germany. The subsequent purges and pogroms would set the stage for the most devastating war in human history. -
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New Deal
The New Deal is one of the most significant sets of government policies and programs. The New Deal helped ease the worst of the Depression, provided mass relief and jobs, began to revitalize the American economy, and created many government agencies that are still around today. -
Nazi Germany Invades Poland
The German invasion of Poland brought Nazi Germany into conflict with France and Great Britain, starting the European theater of the Second World War. The invasion of Poland also sparked the question of US intervention, but the answer would not come for several years. -
Pearl Harbor Attack
The Attack on Pearl Harbor brought the US into World War Two, waking the sleeping giant. The attack turned the government and the public against the Axis Nations, but also led to rampant discrimination of Japanese Americans. -
Korematsu v. US
The Jurisdiction on Korematsu v. US is a grim reality that still has precedent today. The ruling constitutionalized the internment of an ethnic population, most of them citizens, for national security purposes during wartime. This is particularly frightening and an example of the rollback of civil liberties and civil rights during wartime. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference shaped the post-war world in the image of the allied powers. Under the provisions of the conference, Germany and Austria were divided, the Eastern Bloc was carved up, and the conditions were set for the Cold War to come.