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Founding of Jamestown
Jamestown was the first successful British settlement in North America. It would be the foundation for the Virginia Company and would set the basis for many of the future British funded colonies. Originally founded by John Smith, the colony was not very successful at first, but after some time it became one of the more profitable colonies on the Continent with the discovery of the tobacco crop. This crop became the main crop for the South and the colonies until cotton took over. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Contract was created by the Pilgrims during the voyage to the Americas. Written by all the male members on the ship, the Contract existed as a way to ensure that the new colony was able to survive on its own. It laid out an early form of self-governance that wasn't seen on the continent before this. It also served as the first set of laws for the new colony, and lasted until 1691. -
Molasses Act
The Molasses Act was one of the first mercantilist taxes put on the new American colonies. The Act made that products like molasses, sugar, rum, etc. would be taxed if they came from a non-British source. This act was obviously passed to make the colonists buy their sugar and molasses from the British Caribbean plantations so that the money would go to the British Crown. This Act laid a foundation for what would become the series of taxes leading to the Revolution. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris in 1763 was the official end to the 7 Years' War, or the French and Indian War. The war was originally started in Europe over the Austrian Succession, but much of the fighting was done in the American colonies. Britain was the victor over the French, and so the treaty benefitted them greatly. The French had to give up their land west of the Appalachians to the Mississippi as well as some islands. However, the war but Britain in a debt the colonists would have to repay. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 followed to result of the French and Indian War. Not wanting to upset the Indians that lived in the Ohio Valley or other tribes west of the Appalachians, the British Crown made this Proclamation. It stated that it was illegal for any colonists to live or travel west of the mountains so they conflict with the natives could be avoided. This upset many colonists who thought they deserved to live in the land they fought for, and some broke it and lived on the frontier. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was one of the many acts that the American colonists viewed as taking away their economic freedoms. However, this act wasn't actually a tax, but a tax cut. A revision of the Molasses Act of 1733, the Sugar Act actually lowered the tax on molasses and sugar when compared to the original. Despite this, many colonists were still very upset by the fact that their was a tax at all, and many continued to smuggled in foreign goods like they had originally under the Molasses Act. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was seen as one of the more harsh taxes placed on the colonists during this time. This Act made it so that any official legal document, newspaper, or commercial document needed a stamp on it. This stamp was heavily taxed, making the price of these paper goods very expensive. The tax was mostly supposed to affect the rich of the colonies as they were the ones who got the most paper goods. However, this tax made a large majority of the population, not just the rich, very upset. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts, like the Stamp Act, was a high tax placed on certain items in order to raise funds and loyalty for the British government. The items taxed included imports on paint, paper, glass, lead, and most importantly, tea. Like mentioned, the tax was intended to fund the British governments in the colonies and the hope was that the people would be more loyal because of the new funding to the government. However, this act saw some of the most protests out of any act before it. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre could been seen as the culmination of the colonists' anger at the British government prior to the Revolution. It started when a mob of colonists began harassing an officer, who called for reinforcements. There was a standstill between the mob, throwing snowballs and chunks of ice, and the British Army. After someone yelled fired, a round of shots killed several people in the mob. Using newspapers, colonial leaders spun the event into the basis for Anti-British Sentiment. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was volatile protest against the tax on tea that was introduced during the Townshend Acts. The protest was carried out by the Sons of Liberty, a group of colonists that were against the British rule in the colonies. At night, they raided a British ship and threw a large quantity of tea overboard. This outraged the British Crown who, instead of backing down like the Sons of Liberty at hoped, tightened control on the colonies. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was the first meeting between twelve of the thirteen colonies. Each state, except Georgia, sent a delegate to Philadelphia to discuss British rule over the colonies, and especially boycotting British goods and for American rights under British rule. After delegating for a month, the delegates came up with a plan to boycott British goods as to avoid the taxes that were being put on them and to stop funding the government. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battles at Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the American Revolution for the official start. The British knew of the rebellion and sent the Army to go to a weapons reserve and wanted to stop the rebellion before it happened. The rebel militia intercepted them at Lexington and Concord, and the first shot of the revolution, called the shot heard 'round the world. The battles were surprisingly a victory for the Colonists, with only 93 casualties compared to 300. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was very similar to the First, but this time, delegates came from every state. This was formed as a sort of first government for the Revolution, which had officially started with the battles at Lexington and Concord. They first tried to reunite with England with the Olive Branch Petition, but the King rejected it. Eventually they cut ties with England. This government was the first democratic government of the colonies and was the basis for our American government -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was the last resort of the Second Continental Congress after the Olive Branch Petition failed. It was written by Thomas Jefferson and ratified by the Congress after a vote of nine to two. While not the start of the Revolution War, it was the point where the United States was officially born and now they weren't just fighting for rights, but for independence. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was the turning point of the war for the Americans. A British army, led by General Burgoyne, were trying to meet up with other British armies to cut off the Northeast. The plan as nearly successful, but logistical problems, as well as some overconfidence by General Howe, meant that the army led by Burgoyne was defeated at Saratoga. Overall, the battle was a major turning point because it led to the French agreeing to help the revolution, leading top victory. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the first version of the constitution that we have today. The first version of the Articles was created in 1776, but fears over what it would do kept it from being ratified at first. Its goal was to make a form of unity between the states to create one unified country. However, none of the states wanted to give up their power. In this sense, the Articles failed because of the fear of a strong central government made it extremely weak during crises. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was the last battle of the Revolutionary War. The British Army was led by General Cornwallis, who was met by a combined American and French force at Yorktown. Eventually, the American-French army was able to successfully siege the city, and Cornwallis surrendered. This surrender was such a lost to Britain, that the already war exhausted Parliament agreed to the end of the war. -
Treaty of Paris (Round 2)
The Treaty of Paris in 1783 was the treaty that ended the Revolutionary War. After the Battle of Yorktown, the British Parliament had already agreed to end the war, and so the treaty was officially signed by King George III and the US representatives. The treaty was fairly simple. It recognized the US's independence from Britain and gave a large amount of Britain's colonial holdings in America to them as well, although they kept Canada. -
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance was the Founding Fathers' method for administering new states into the Union, and set the foundation for future expansion over the Continent. The Ordinance was focused on the Northwest Territory and gave certain population goals for the territories to hit before they could apply for statehood. It also laid out the relationship with the Indian population, giving them land they could live on, but saying that colonists could live there as well. -
Cotton Gin
The cotton gin was one of the most influential machines to be invented up to that point, at least in the US. Up until that point, cotton was extremely unprofitable, as it was very hard to get all the seeds out. For this reason, most plantations farmed tobacco. However, after the cotton gin's invention by Eli Whitney, cotton became very, very profitable, and so the South started growing it. This was important because slavery was going out of fashion, but after this, it surged in popularity. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts were created under the Presidency of John Adams. Adams was fearful of losing his power, and since the Federalists were becoming more and more unpopular over time, he started taking drastic measures to assure his reelection. The Acts made it harder for immigrants to vote, raising the amount of time one had to spend in the country to become a citizen. It also pretty much got rid of freedom of the press and allowed the President to deport any immigrant he wanted. -
Kentucky + Virginia Resolutions
The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions were laws passed by the governments of the two states in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts. Kentucky and Virginia were largely Anti-Federalists, so they didn't support Adams' attempt to seize power. The Resolutions introduced the idea of nullification, the idea that states had to power to declare Federal laws null and void. Although in this case nullification was used on a terrible law, it would later create an issue during Andrew Jackson's presidency. -
Election of 1800
The election of 1800 is sometimes referred to as the Revolution of 1800 because it was the first time that a party was democratically overthrown in US history. Since Adams pretty much had no chance of winning, it came down to if the election would result in a peaceful transfer of power. After the election, Jefferson was labelled as the victor and became President in a seemingly perfect transfer. However, behind the scenes, Adams had tried to create one more grab at keeping Federalist power. -
Marbury v. Madison
The night before Jefferson's inauguration as the president, Adams and the Federalists created a number of new courts that were to be filled with Federalist judges, a way to hold power. A letter to one of these judges, Marbury, was discovered by James Madison, who took it to Jefferson. Marbury attacked Madison in court stating that he had the right to the commission. In the end, Marbury won, and the Supreme court created the idea of judicial review, an idea that is instrumental to our government. -
Lousiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the largest ever land acquisition ever made by the US. Jefferson hoped to secure the Mississippi River, so he sent James Madison to make a deal with Napoleon of France. Napoleon upped his deal, offering the entire French American territory for $15 million. After much deliberation, Jefferson accepted the deal, and the US gained land from the Mississippi to what was owned back then by Mexico, opening up a whole world of growth for the US. -
Embargo Act of 1807
With the Napoleonic Wars in full swing, Thomas Jefferson had a choice to make: either refuse trade to the British or the French. Whichever he choice risked war with the other. Jefferson's choice was the Embargo Act, which denied US trade with any foreign power. In this way, he did avoid a war with either of the superpowers, but he also inhibited the United States' growth. The Act got a ton of backlash and Jefferson left the Presidency feeling that he failed. -
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was the last battle of the War of 1812, since the war ended prior to the battle. The American troops were led by Andrew Jackson and they had the goal of repelling a British invasion of New Orleans. Using pretty ingenious tactics of a trench wall around the only place the British could attacking and having everyone reload while only the best shots actual did the shooting, the battle was an American victory and propelled Jackson into popularity. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was a US policy regarding Europe's affairs in the Western Hemisphere. Wanting to protect US influence in the Caribbean and Latin America, James Monroe created what would be known as the Monroe Doctrine, in simple terms stating that Europe should stay out of North and South America or else. This philosophy would dominate US foreign policy for a long time, and would be the basis of imperialism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. -
CORRUPT BARGAIN! (I love Henry Clay)
The Election of 1824 was a very close race between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, but it really wasn't. Jackson won the election in every sense, but a combination of a split voting population and third party candidates made it so that no one got the required number of electoral votes. The election was decided by the House of Representatives after Henry Clay struck a deal that said he would support Adams if he became Secretary of State. This made Jackson and the Democrats furious. -
Tariff of Abominations
The Tariff of Abominations was called that by many Democrats and Southerners because of how much it hurt the Southern economy. Passed under John Quincy Adams, its goal was to support the Northern and Western economies by making the country more reliant on their goods. However, it ended up making it very expensive to live in the South and was one of the reason why John Quincy Adams' Presidency was despised by many of time, leading to Jackson's victory in 1828. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act is one of the more talked about events in US history and led to the Trail of Tears. President Jackson did not like the Native population of the country at all and wanted to rid them from their lands in order to grow the US. This act gave the President the power to forcefully relocate the Native tribes into existing territory. The Act was a success for the US, as many tribes decided to move, but some, like the Seminoles, resisted and some managed to stay in their lands. -
Second National Bank Ends
Another pet peeve of Jackson's was the Second National Bank. When Congress sent him a bill that extended the life of the Bank by 15 years, he vetoed it, stating that it was unconstitutional and taking advantage of the working American. He also planned to weaken the bank by creating a number of small state banks and forcefully moving all of the money in the National Bank into these smaller banks. After the Bank's closure, the country went into a serious economic crash that ruined the Democrats. -
Battle of the Alamo
Texas, a state of Mexico, had recently opened its borders to any US citizen that wanted to live there. Mexico was hoping that they could increase the productivity of the region. However, the American population eventually got fed up with the requirements to live in Texas and revolted. The Alamo was a stronghold defended by Texan troops and some American heroes, all of which were killed in the battle. The result was that the US would join the war on the Texan's side, winning their independence. -
Gag Rule (I just like the way it sounds)
The gag rule was an official rule of the US House of Representatives and Congress to never bring up the issue of slavery. This was because slavery was such a debated issue during this time that any mention of it would create so much tension that a brawl or massive argument would ensue. The gag rule hoped to keep Congress from breaking out in pure pandemonium and kicked actually trying to solve the problem even further down the road. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was the end of the Mexican-American War. The war was started because of President James K. Polk and his desire to gain California and a Pacific border for the US. The war went extremely well for the US, and in a very short amount of time they were able to capture Mexico City and force a Mexican surrender. The treaty gave America a ton of western territory, including California, and allowed the country to trade with nations in Asia as well as Europe. -
Seneca Falls Convention
The Seneca Falls Convention was a meeting for the purpose of the women's suffrage movement and the official start of it. The goal of the Convention was to create a group that would try to change the inequality that women faced at that time. The convention was a success, but it wasn't so much for the abolition movement. Many supporters of abolition were also supporters of women's rights, but the convention caused a rift between those who prioritized freeing slaves or women's suffrage. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was the last attempt to kick the issue of slavery down the road. The previous compromise, the Missouri Compromise, stated that any state above a certain line would be slave and above would be free. However, that was not enough for the South. Henry Clay's Compromise introduced the idea of popular sovereignty. It also created the Fugitive Slave Law, let California into the Union as a free state, and illegalized the selling of slaves in Washington DC. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was created by Stephen Douglas in order to create a railroad that would go through his home state of Illinois. The Act would create the states of Kansas and Nebraska and would allow them to choose whether to allow slavery or not based on popular sovereignty. The idea of popular sovereignty was a good idea on paper, but it would lead to Bleeding Kansas, where many from outside Kansas swarmed in to change the results of the vote towards their side. -
Surrender at Appomattox
The Surrender at Appomattox was pretty much the end of the Civil War, even though some minor battles were fought here and there. The Battle of Appomattox was between the Union forces led by Grant and the Confederates led by Lee. Lee's army was severely outmatched by the Union forces, and so the Battle was over fairly quickly with Lee surrendering at the Appomattox Courthouse. With Lee's army out, the Confederacy had no hopes of fighting back, and the attempt at secession was over. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
The Dred Scott case was one of, if not the worst, Supreme Court decision in history. The case was started by Dred Scott when his and wife, both slaves at the time, were moved to Minnesota by their owner. Despite the fact that Minnesota was a free state, they were still slaves, and this was their basis for the legal attack. The Court's decision was in favor of Sandford, stating that no slave was ever free, even if they go to a free state. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the first true battle of the Civil War. The fort was positioned on South Carolina's coast, who had recently seceded from the Union. Fearful that the Union would use the Fort as a way to invade the state, the South Carolinian army attacked the Fort. The Battle was over fairly quickly, as the troops defending did not have any way to reinforce or supply themselves. The Battle had little significance towards the outcome of the war, but is important for being the first. -
Transcontinental Railroad Begins
The Pacific Railway Act, and the Transcontinental Railroad, was one of the most important developments for the US's economy. Despite the fact that the Union was struggling with the Civil War, Lincoln still created the Act to make a Railroad from St. Louis Missouri to Sacramento. The job was split between two companies and they both got land and money depending on how much track they laid. After the railroad's construction, it became much easier for people and goods to travel from east to west. -
Emancipation Proclamation
With the Civil War finally turning toward a Union victory, Lincoln found it the right time to declare the official meaning of the war to be about freeing the slaves. The Proclamation made it so that any slave that was in captured territory prior to the proclamation was free, although it didn't free slaves in already captured territory. This did two things. One, it freed a lot of the slaves and led the border states to do the same thing. Two, it made sure foreign powers would intervene in the war -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1–3, 1863, in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the Civil War. In the battle, Union General George Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, halting Lee's invasion of the North. The battle involved the largest number of casualties of the entire war and is often described as the war's turning point due to the Union's decisive victory. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment was the law that finally outlawed slavery in the United States. At this point the war was as good as over, and the Emancipation Proclamation had done its fair share when it came to freeing the slaves. The 13th was the nail in the coffin for slavery that ended it everywhere in the US, even if the state laws still allowed for slavery. Despite its success, the 13th did not help with making sure the new free blacks had any way to start their new life, leaving them on their own. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment was the follow up to the 13th Amendment that tried to help the new freed population out a little bit. After slavery was outlawed, many in the South feared that the new black voting population would lead to a "Colored Empire". White supremacists groups started killing blacks and those in power passed Black Codes that limited the right to vote and was pretty much slavery in everything but name. The 14th made it so that no law could limit the rights of anyone born in the US. -
15th Amendment
The 15 Amendment was another amendment created to try and protect blacks in the South. This Amendment states that no law could limit any man's right to vote. It was popular with freedmen, but garnered controversy among women, who believed that it would be very easy to grant them to right to vote as well through this Amendment. However, many man in power believed that it was best for women if they did not vote, and they would have to wait another 30+ for that right. -
Crime of 1873
The Crime of 1873 was another bill that led to an economic collapse. Previously, the country's currency was based on silver coins, but this law changed that and instead based the country's currency on the gold standard. It outlawed the use of silver as currency and made every dollar based instead on gold reserves that the country had. This bill was obviously met with backlash, hence the name, and resulted in one of the worst economic depressions in history. -
Custer's Last Stand
The Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand, was a battle between Sioux Indians, led by Sitting Bull, and American forces, led by General Custer. Custer had been trailing the Sioux army for a while and believed he could wipe them out. However, he was surprised by their numbers and, after splitting his army, was completely wiped out. This battle turned out to be the last time a Native army defeated the US and fueled Anti-Native feelings in the states. -
Arrest of Boss Tweed
In the middle of the 19th century, the political machine known as Tammany Hall, run by Boss Tweed, was the largest in the country and controlled the political system of New York. However, this power came crashing down with the embezzlement of funds for the reconstruction of the NYC Court House. The fraud was exposed by the New York Times and political cartoonist Thomas Nast, and in 1876, Boss Tweed was arrested and Tammany Hall shut down, showing the people no longer supported political machines