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Founding of Jamestown
Jamestown was the first permenant British colony in North America. The start of the colony was rough and of the original settlers, only 38% survived. The colony itself was created as a investment by companies in England, and it's success later on were used as advertisements to convince new people to travel to the New World. It helped the development of the Headright system and was crucial to the immigration to America. -
The Headwright system
The headright system originated in the Virginia Company as an incentive to get a larger population in the New world. The system worked by giving land incentives to people in the new world, something lacking in the mainland, while also allowing people to get land if they pay for other passengers. This led to many indentured servitude contracts, where you would work for someone in exchange for passage. This system greatly increased the population of the new world and spurred on further immigration -
The first Great Awakening Begins
The Great awakening was the revival of religious life in America. George Whitfield and Johnathan Edwards were the major circut pastors of the awakening, one preaching the kindness of God while the other preached fear of His wrath. These "revivals" were hours long and attracted a massive audience, and contributed greatly to both the religious and secular beliefs and environment at the time. It also influenced the morals and thought processes of many people at the time. -
French and Indian War/7 Years War
The 7 Years war (9 years long), was a war between the world powers of Britain and France along with their Indian allies in North America. Border tensions from the colonies and expansionism led to the conflict, especially when the border was undefined. George Washington was a major leader in this war, and helped him to gain the experience that he would use later, especially in asymmettic warfare. Though a rocky start for the British, it ended in a English victory with the treaty of Paris in 1763 -
Treaty of Paris in 1763
The treaty of Paris (1763) was an end to the French and Indian war. It forced the French to give up all their territory in North America and ended foreign threats in America. The war had been vastly expensive and now needed to be paid off, something that the colonies bore the brunt of in taxes. The enourmous land attained by Britain in this time period was very beneficial to future American dreams, although later procilmations by Britain would limit further expansion into the new territory. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston massacre was a the worst snowball fight ever. A confrontation that had been brewing due to the sons of liberty revolting and destroying finally erupted. Several soilders guarding a courthouse opened fire on a crowd that was throwing things at them and harassing them. This moment was memorialized in metal by none other than Paul Revere, who publicized it and sent it to the colonies and spread outrage towards the British Regime -
The Intolerable acts
The Intolerable acts were signed by the british government in response to rising rebbellion in the colonies, particularly the Boston Tea Party. The acts did several things, including a more aggressive Queartering act, Replaced colonial government with Crown goverment, and made all British government criminals tried in England. The last and possibly most significant was the closing of the Boston port, the lifeblood of the colony. The acts did nothing to stifle rebbellion, and instead incited it. -
Lexington and Concord
The battles at Lexington and concord are some of the most well known battles of American history. Known as the "Shot heard round the world" it was very influencial because it was the start of the Revolutionary war and was also a calling to a large amount of the colonial British at the time to support the American cause. It was a political and tactical success for the Americans, as they both protected their stores of weapons and garnered support for their revolution. -
The declaration of independence
America, finally having enough from the intolerable treatment from Britain, declares independence. This was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and passed through the hands of many founding fathers. They had debated between peace offerings and independence for a long time but not it was time for the peace doves to hold up their end of the bargain and sign on to the declaration. The declaration of independence led to the revolutionary war, and allowed for the america we have today. -
Battle of saratoga
The battle of saratoga was a major turnng point for the revolutionary war. Knowledge of the terrain and a mastery of spycraft gave the Americans the advantage in this fight. They were able to outmanouver and surround a single British army, forcing its surrender. This was the first surrender in history of an entire British army, and helped the colonial military both become better supplied and gave Ben Franklin the ability to coerce the French to aid America and turn the tide of the war. -
Articles of Confederation
The articles of confederation were the ruling documents of government before the constitution was drafted. They represented all the fears that they had before of the British government and their fear of tyrannical government. However, as Shays rebellion demonstrated, they were too weak to effectively rule a union. They didn't allow a strong single president, taxation, or standing army, all failures that would cripple a nation. This led to the meeting in which the constitution was drafted. -
Battle of Yorktown
The battle of Yorktown was both a demonstration of military brilliance by George Washington as well as a testament to the importance of information in war. George Washington and his forces pushed Cornwallis back into Yorktown, where Cornwallis believed they would be safe for the winter. However, What he didn't know is that the seas were controlled not by the British navy, but the French. Surrounded on all sides, he surrendered to the US on October 19th, essentially ending the revolutionary war. -
Shays Rebbellion
Shays rebellion was the result of the failures of the Articles of Confederation. Daniel Shays, the namesake of the Rebellion, was a veteran of the revolutionary war who came back home to nothing. Upset with this, many other farmers and veterans banded together to shut down courts and buisnesses. As they approached Boston and were rampant throughout the countryside, the government could not do much to stop them, forcing businesses to hire private armies to eventually put the Rebellion down. -
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance was the division of the Northwest territories explaining how states could come to be through having a large enough population, outlined how they could write their own constitutions, and how rights would be protected in the new states. It also ensured that these states would be free, an early attempt to cut off the lifetime of slavery in the US. This part was later struck down by the Dred Scott decision. -
Signing of The U.S. Constitution
The US Constitution was the source of much debate between the delegates, with many compromises having to be made, and even the Bill of rights made in response to the constitution. It gave an effective outline for how our country should work and function and the operation of the federal government. It included effective checks and balences, clauses for amending the constitution, and a strong effectiv goverment in stark contrast to the failures of the Articles of Confederation. -
Alexander Hamiltons Financial Plan
Alexander Hamilton, a Federalist and loose constructionist, believed in the a strong industrial America. HIs financial plans included 3 main parts for the economic growth of America. 1) The plan of assumption of state debts to create one national debt. 2) The creation of a national bank of the US to help entrepreneurs and upstarting buisnesses. 3) Economic policies to help foster American industries, most notably protective tarrifs, a policy that would be both long lived and controversial. -
The Whiskey Rebellion
The whiskey Rebbellion was a response to the Exise task on whiskey, something that many farmers used as a bartering tool instead of money. Much like Shays rebellion was a test of the Articles, the Whiskey rebellion was a test of the Constitution. Using the powers of the Constitution, President George Washington personally rode out to stop the revolt as it was growing out of control. When he arrived the rebels fled and disbanded, ending the revolt and showing the effectiveness of the constitution -
The Bill of Rights
The bill of rights was an anti-federalist plan designed to counter the federal power in the constitution with listed rights for individuals. The bill of rights contained 10 amendments, most of which were designed to give protections from the justice system. The first and second protect freedom of expression and right to bear arms respectively, while the 10th gives states power that is not expressly given in the constitution. The bill of rights is so influencial that it is still used in law today -
XYZ affair
The XYZ affair was the French revenge for our broken treaty of friendship. Adams sent 3 diplomats, named X, Y and Z to negotiate peace with France and France demanded a bribe to negosiate. The Diplomats, outraged by this, leaked the details to the public, sparking rage and warmongering against France. While America cried for war, Adams decided to attempt to broker peace because he knew the nation would not survive a war with france. -
Virginia And Kentucky Resolutions
The Virginia and Kentucky resolutions were formed as a result of the Alien and Sedition acts, which trampled on the rights of free speech. Regardless, the Supreme court didn't have the power of judicial review at the time and so these states stated that they had the ability to nullify federal law if they didn't agree with it. These resolutions would have had a detrimental effect if followed through on. Contrary to their argument, Federal power trumped states rights, a precedent significant later -
Alien and Sedition Acts
The alien and sedition acts, signed into law by John Adams, was an affront on the constitution. The Sedition act declared that anyone who spoke badly of his administration or person could be convicted of treason, clearly against the first amendment. The Alien act declared that any immigrants could be deported or imprisoned during wartime, and raised the age for citizenship up from 5 to 14 years. These are arguably the worst acts signed by John Adams and stained his reputation forever -
Second Great Awakening Begins
The second Great awakening was the second great revival of Christianity in America. Led by Charles Finney, it preached free will and equal treatment of all, something that was very influencial on other movements, such as abolitionism. The inclusion of women in religious society had a massive impact on the women's rights movement, and helped their eventual ictory on the path of suffrage. With so many attending church regularly, some saw a utopian vision of heaven on earth and wanted it to happen. -
The election of 1800
The election of 1800 was a monumental election in American history, the first of many to come. Between John Q. Adams and Thomas Jefferson, it was a conflict of ideas between Federalist and Anti-federalist. The result of the election, A Jefferson victory, was the result of the failures of Adams, The XYZ affair and the Alien and Sedition Act. Its Significance? This was the first time in the history of the world that a rival had handed power to their competetor without bloodshed or intruige. -
The Louisiana Purchase
The louisiana purchase was a massive boon for America, giving the US 530 Million Acres of land for only 15 Million. Napolean, desperately needing to fund his wars, decided to sell off the louisiana territory to the U.S. Jefferson, a strict constitutionist, struggled for a while with the constitutionality of the issue, but eventually settled on it for he believed it best for the country. It allowed for further settlement westward and was essential to the building of America. -
Madison V. Maubry
Madison V. Marbury had a massive effect on how government is run. The Marshall Court decided that the act that the case was being used to justify itself was Unconstitutional, The Judiciary act of 1789. It was the first time the Court had struck down an act of Congress as Unconstitutional, and gave the Supreme court a significant power for checks and balances: Judicial Review. This power has significantly impacted politics and lawmaking in a positive way, ensuring the constitutionality of laws -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition was significant in the expansion of the US. It showed that there was another coast and how far away it was, and helped influence the rise of Manifest Destiny in the US. Without the expedition, it would likely have taken much longer for America to develop westward, and would have caused even more struggle for settlers attempting to move west. Jeffersons commission of Lewis and Clark was immensely beneficial to the growth of the nation. -
Embargo of 1807
The Embargo of 1807, as under Jefferson, was uncharacteristic of him as he wished to protect agrarian society rather than an industrial one. The Embargo banned all foreign goods from being imported or exported, and the navy enforced this. He unfortunately underestimated the dependence of Europe on American goods which led to 2 main problems. 1 The suffering of the American economy, it caused major damage primarily but would later be recognized as helping industry. 2 Helped start the war of 1812 -
Declaration of the war of 1812
James Madison declared war on Great Britain in 1812 for the British attacks on American shipping and the unfair treatment of America in global politics. Great Britain continued to impress American ships and sailors into their own navy despite American upset. The war of 1812 was beneficial to America because it was now seen as a true power who would stand up for itself, not simply a small independent colony to be pushed around. -
The Battle of New orleans
The battle of New Orleans was a demonstration of tactical and strategic brilliance by Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson. He was able to accurately predict where the British would attempt to drop off troops and fortified the area to effectively make an insurmountable trench and wall system. He was able to recruit many common people from nearby as well to bolster his forces. This battle, while not ending the war of 1812, was an amazing US success and propelled JAckson to fame which would help his election -
The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise, Authored by Henry Clay, was designed to help reduce the sectional tensions by forcing that equal numbers of both slave and free states entered the union. This was created by making all states south of the 36' 30' line slave states and all states north of the line free states. The states also had to enter in pairs of free and slave to maintain the balance. This Compromise remained in effect until the Kansas-Nebraska act of 1854. -
The Monroe Doctrine
President James Monroe declared in his state of the union that the US wouldn't tolerate European interference in the western Hemisphere. This policies was intended to, and partially helped in the separation of New and Old worlds, giving America more room to expand. This policy helped to further American interventionism and expansionism in the Americas in both the 19th and 20th Centuries. -
Tariff of 1828
The Tarrif of 1828, a significant point of argument between north and south, helped Northern industry while driving up prices in the cotton fueled south. The south named it the "Tarrif of Abominations", and would later threaten to nullify the law through South Carolina, and although this was struck down it showed how policies inherently favored one section over another due to the vast differences in lifestyle and economy. This Tarrif did however greatly help manufacturing in the North. -
Election of 1828
The election of 1828, directly after the Corrupt Bargain of 1824, led to the presidency of Andrew Jackson. This election was also the first in which landless white males could vote. This led to the "Rule of common man" or, as said by his opponents, "King Mob." His presidency had many both good and bad effects, including his destruction of the bank and his treatment of indians. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner's rebellion was the result of the oppression of slavery. He was an enslaved preacher and brought his followers with him to commit the bloodiest slave rebellion in America, killing 55 people in 24 hours before a vicious counterattack from whites ended in the death of many dozens of slaves. This was an example for the north of the evils of slavery and the failures of the slavery system, while for the south it enhanced their fears of a slave rebellion. -
The Nullification Crisis of 1832
The Nullification Crisis was spawned from the southern hatred for the "Tarrif of Abominations" or the Tarrif of 1828. South Carolina, a front for radical southern policy, declared that the Tarrif was unenforceable in South Carolina and they had the right as a state to nullify the law. They used many arguments formerly used in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions to justify their case, and were supported by the VP, John C. Calhoun. The president, Andrew Jackson, shut the crisis down with force -
The independence of Texas
Texas was inititally a Mexican territory for ruffians, and they offered free land to any Americans who would inhabit the land and become citizens. Though not officially Americans, many people in America sympathized with the people in Texas and believed them to be their own. After Santa Anna began to crack down on Texans, they rebelled and declared their independence. This was significant because it allowed the gaining of the Texas territory as well as further territories in the west from Mexico -
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was the end of the Mexican-American War, and was a major victory for the US in terms of land gain. The US scored major victories against the weaker nation and eventually made it to their capital, where they forced the Mexican goverment to flee and eventually sign the treaty. The US gained the contested territories of Texas to the Rio Grande, the territories of New Mexico and Colorado, and most importantly, California, which split the Missouri Compromise line. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding kansas, a mini civil war that served as a precursor to the larger civil war, was a stark showing of what would soon occur. Prior to the violence the opposing forces tried to stack the population in their favor, but abolitionsts were winning. Slavers flooded across the border to rig the vote and turned Kansas into an official slave state. Pro-slavery and Abolitionist forces clashed, with each side trying to assert their governments dominance of the state. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska act was a direct replacement for the Missouri Compromise. Kansas and Nebraska were about to be accepted into the union, and they were both above the 36' 30' line and would therefore both be free states. This outraged the south and so after months of debate they settled on popular sovereignty, the ability of a state to decide whether or not they were slave or free. This also came with the later caveats of fugitive slave laws being nationally enforced and California being free -
The Dred Scott Descision
The Dred Scott Descision was an egregious Descision by the Taney court in which they ruled that there were no such things as free states and at the same time declared the Missouri Compromise Unconstitutional. They declared that slaves and freedom slaves were not citizens of the United States, and that slavery should be enshrined in the constitution. This decision escalated sectional tensions further, and post civil war the 14th amendment repealed this descision . -
Fort Sumter attacked
Fort Sumter was a federal military base in South Carolina, and by this point the south has already succeeded. Fort Sumter was attacked by the south as a preemptive strike, and quickly took over the Fort in a day after denying the base support from Union supply trains. Fort Sumter was viewed as the true start of the civil war, and was the result of a military miscalculation by the confederacy. -
The Pacific Railway Act
The Pacific Railway act was designed to create a transcontinental railway between the east and west coast, hopefully helping the economy significantly and connecting the mostly uninhabited west to the populous northeast. Formulated by Lincoln, it was another genius move that incentivised competition by selecting two buisnesses to compete with each other and giving them money per mile. It also further incentivised the deadline by making the offer void if they didn't complete it in time. -
Homestead act
The homestead act was possibly the biggest contributor for expansion for the common man. It entailed 160 acres of land for anyone who moved west, and stayed lived there. This encored hundreds of thousands of people to move to the west, and helped the west be as populated as it is today. The homestead act unfortunately had an ill effect on the native indians and bison population, and the Indian Analog to the homestead act, the Dawes act, was a dramatic failure to understand Indian culture. -
Emancipation Proclimation
The Emancipation Proclimation was a brilliantly engineered political move by Lincoln. It started that all states taken by force must free their slaves, while states currently in the union or by peace would retain them. This brought forgin opinion to the Union side, as it was seen as just. The Procilamtion changed the framing of the war from just reuniting the union to freeing the slaves. This was one of the most influencial parts of lincolns presidency and would be remembered for a long time. -
Siege of Vicksburg
The siege of Vicksburg, Led by Ulesses S. Grant, lasted from May 18 to July 4th. The siege ended the Vickburg campaign and sut off the east and west sides of the confederacy by taking the Mississippi river. The siege of Vicksburg was a major victory for the union as it both cut off the confederacy as well as gave them landing points from the river to invade. It also propelled Grant to fame and gave him the publicity to become the 4-Star general the union needed. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The battle of Gettysburg was a monumental turning pointt in the Civil war. The conflict lasted 3 days and was the bloodiest battle in American history, and was the conflict between Union General UIesses S. Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The battle was a union victory and resulted in Lee peeing pushed onto his heels, unable to launch another major offensive for the rest of the war. This battle ended with over 50,000 American casualties. -
Election of 1866
The Election of 1866 was a referendum on President Andrew Johnsons inability to execute effective reconstruction policies and his failures to govern the south effectively. Radical Republicans were given a supermajority in 1866 and given the power to govern reconstruction without fear of presidential Veto. The RR's were able to pass the 14th and 15th amendments as well as the civil rights act of 1866. -
13th Amendment
The Thirtheenth Amendment banned slavery across the United States. Being the Third Amendment since the Bill of Rights, it was an uncommon thing to make an amendment and helped set a precenet for radical republicans to push more civil rights amendments such as the 14th and 15th. It forced the end of slavery and was symbollic to the end of the abolitionist movement in a victory. -
Lee's surrender at Appomattox
Robert E. Lee was a the best general in the Confederate Army. After his defeat at Gettysburg, he was kept on his heels by a Relentless Ulyesses S. Grant. Eventually, once Grant split his forces, one to cut him off and the other to race ahead of him, he was trapped and forced to surrender at the courthouse at Appamattox. This marked the beggining of the end of the confederacy, with the surrender of all forces completed withing 3 months. In the Noth however, it was viewed as the end. -
The Election Crisis of 1866 and The Compromise of 1867
In 1866, an election between Republican Rutheford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden, Northern Republicans were suspicious of the fact that not a single vote in the south went Republican, something that they attempted to remedy by flipping all the votes in their southern held states, outraging the south. To remedy this, they ended up assigning a commity to decide the election, and that ended in Rutheford B. Hayes in exchange for the end of reconstruction and military oversight in the south.