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Oct 12, 1492
Columbus arrives in Bahamas
With funding from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, Christopher Columbus was able to set sail on an expedition to find a shorter route to the Indies. -
Jun 7, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
This treaty divided up the New World between Spain and Portugal. Spain got everything west of the line and Portugal got everything east of the line -
Apr 2, 1513
Juan Ponce de Leon explores Florida
Ponce de Leon lands on Florida's coast and claims land. He then named it "Pascua de Florida". Ponce de Leon named it this because they saw land on Palm Sunday. -
Aug 13, 1521
Cortes brings an end to the Aztec empire
After the Aztecs tried to take one last stand, Hernan Cortes and his army laid siege to Tenochtitlan. Then, European disease wiped out the rest of the Aztecs. -
Sep 6, 1522
Ferdinand Magellan's last ship returns to Spain
Ferdinand Magellan's crew returns to Spain to complete their circumnavigation of the world. Magellan was killed by the natives of the Philippines -
Nov 15, 1532
Francisco Pizarro destroys Incas in Peru
Pizarro arrived at Cajamarca and captured the Inca's ruler. In this process his troops killed thousands of Incans. -
Sep 8, 1534
Cartier explores St. Lawrence River
Jacques Cartier traveled up the St. Lawrence River for hundreds of miles. He did this after Verrazano explored the eastern seaboard. -
Nov 8, 1558
Elizabeth I becomes queen of England
This occurred during the rise of Protestantism in England and it created huge problems with Catholic Spain. -
Jan 1, 1565
Spanish build a fortress in St. Augustine, Florida
The Spanish had to build a fortress to defend against the French and protect their sea-lanes -
Sep 28, 1572
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
Over 10,000 Huguenots were murdered. -
Sep 8, 1577
Francis Drake circumnavigates the globe
Francis Drake was one of Queen Elizabeth's most famous Sea Dogs. He returned in 1580 with a ship full of Spanish treasures. -
Edict of Nantes
Granted limited toleration to French Protestants -
English settlers settle in New World
They settled in a place they named Jamestown. This settlement consisted of about 100 men. The settlers called it Jamestown because of King James I. -
Spanish found New Mexico
After the Battle of Acoma , the Spanish claimed this land. Then, about a year later, they named Santa Fe the capital city. -
John Rolfe perfects tobacco
Rolfe found a way to eliminate most of the bitterness of tobacco. After this, tobacco became the main export of Virginia. -
House of Burgesses was summoned
This was the first form of self- government in the New World. The House of burgesses is the reason that the charter was revoked by King James I in 1624. -
England claims Jamaica
The claiming of Jamaica is what helped the Eglish to start planting and raising sugar cane. The only downside is that sugar cane, unlike tobacco, required a lot of capital to get started. -
Charles II was restored to the throne
After his father, Charles I, was decapitated, Charles II was restored as the king of England. -
Barbados slave code adopted
This took all rights away from slaves and gave their owners pretty much complete control over their slaves -
Carolina was created
Some of the English settlers came up from Barbados to form a new colony. They had to leave because of the rapid growth of the sugar cane industry. -
La Salle explores the Mississippi River
Robert de La Salle sailed down the Mississippi River to see how far the Spanish penetrated into the Gulf of Mexico. -
College of William and Mary founded
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Yale College founded
This was founded as a Congregational college in New Haven, Connecticut. -
North Carolina split from South Carolina
North Carolina and South Carolina had to split because of arguments between the governors. The rich people of South Carolina didn't get a long with the poor inhabitants of North Carolina. -
Smallpox inoculation introduced
Physicians started giving powdered dried toad as a prescription. -
Colony of Georgia is founded
Georgia is founded as a buffer zone to protect the Carolinas from the Spanish if they decide to invade. The colony was founded by James Oglethorpe. -
Great Awakening begins
Jonathan Edwards proclaimed the folly of believing in salvation through good works -
War of Jenkins's Ear begins
War fought between Britain and Spain that was mainly confined to the Carribean Sea. -
Princeton college is founded
Originally named College of New Jersey, Princeton was founded as a Presbyterian church in Princeton, New Jersey -
General Braddock attempt to take Fort Duquesne
General Braddock set out to capture Fort Duquesne with little supplies and two thousand men. -
Pitt becomes leader in London government
William Pitt soon earned the title "Organizer of Victory". -
Battle of Quebec
Came to be one of the most important engagements in British and American history. -
Proclamation of 1763
prohibited settlement in the area beyond the Appalachians. This was created to simply solve the Indian problems. -
Sugar Act of 1764
This raised the duty on sugar imported from the west indies -
Quartering act of 1765
required colonists to feed and quarter british troops -
Stamp Act Congress of 1765
This was the first major revolt against the Stamp Act -
Stamp Act of 1765
Required colonists to use stamps to show proof of the payment of taxes. -
Stamp Act repealed
Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in order to get the colonies to end the nonimportation agreements -
Townshend Acts passed
These acts put a light import tax on glass, white lead, paper, paint, and tea. -
Boston Massacre
60 townspeople attacked 10 redcoats and the redcoats opened fired on the civilians. 11 colonists were killed or wounded -
Boston Tea Party
A group of Bostonians dressed as Indians climbed aboard ships loaded with tea and dumped the cargo into Boston Harbour -
Quebec Act
This act extended the southern border of Quebec to the Ohio River. Doing this also extended the jurisdiction of Catholicism. -
Intolerable Acts
Parliaiment passed these acts in order to punish the Bostinians for the Boston Tea Party. The Intolerable Acts restricted the colonists' rights -
1st Continental Congress meets
55 delegates met at Philadelphia to address grievences the colonists had against the Intolerable Acts -
Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment
Lord Dunmore issued a proclamation promising freedom for any enslaved black in Virginia who joined the British army. -
Lexington Massacre
Britain sent soldiers into Boston to sieze the colonists' provisions such as gunpowder, and to capture the rebel leaders -
Battle of Long Island
General Washington and his men were overpowered by the British and escaped to Manhattan Island. -
Declaration of Independence is approved by Congress
This declaration was simply a list of all of the things that the king has done to the colonies. -
Common Sense is released
Thomas Paine's pamphlet argued that the colonies had outgrown any need for English domination and that they should be given independence. -
French made an open alliance with the Americans
The French did this to stop the British from siezing the French West Indies. -
Articles of Confederation
first written constitution adopted by the colonists -
Whiskey Rebellion
This was a small rebellion of small farmers that was caused due to the excise tax put on whiskey. This rebellion was quickly put down. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien Act made it so that an immigrant had to live in the United States for 5 years before applying for citizenship. The Sedition Act made it so people could not talk bad about political fiigures. -
Election of 1800
Thomas Jefferson becomes President after defeating his oponent John Adams. There was a huge controversy that came with this because Jefferson actually tied with his running mate, Aaron Burr. -
Judiciary Act of 1801
The Judiciary Act of 1801 created 6 new federal justice positions in the Federal Court. These would be called the Midnight Judges. -
Marbury vs. Madison
This case was the result of the Judiciary Act of 1801. William Marbury was one of the newly appointed judges and James Madison refused to give him his commissions. -
Louisiana Purchase
Thomas Jefferson sent Toussaint L'Ouverture to France to bargain with Napoleon Bonaparte. Jefferson told him to only spend 10 million dollars, but he ended up spending 15 million dollars. -
Lewis and Clark expedition
Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the Louisiana Purchase. Along the way, they discovered a large number of plants and animals. -
Impeachment of Samuel Chase
This occurred due the fact that Samuel Chase was very arrogant. This gave Thomas Jefferson the opportunity he needed to get rid of him. Despite his efforts, Jefferson failed to remove Samuel Chase from the Supreme Court. -
Pike's Explorations
While Lewis and Clark were exploring the Northwest, Zebulon Pike was busy exploring the Southwest of the United States. -
Burr Treason Trial
Aaron Burr was tried for treason, but was found not guilty because of the fact that he never actually commited treason. Burr only planned to commit treason. -
Chesapeake Affair
British ships off the coast of Virginia wanted America to surrender 4 desserters. When America refused, the British attacked the Americans killing 3 people. -
Embargo Act of 1807
The Embargo Act forbade the export of all goods from the United States, whether in American or foriegn ships. -
Non-Intercourse Act
This replaced the Embargo. It lifted the Embargo and only applied to products going to Britain or France. Although it had good intentions, the Non-Intercourse Act greatly damaged the United States' economy. -
Macon's Bill No. 2
This bill lifted the Embargo that Jefferson placed against Britain. The bill would only go into effect if Britain and France lifted their banns on foreign goods. -
Battle of Tippecanoe
Led by William Henry Harrison, the United States defeated Tecumseh and his brother, "The Prophet", at this major battle in the fight for westward expansion. -
Battle of Lake Erie
Oliver Hazard Perry led the United States Navy to an important victory at this battle. This helped to take away one of the British's main waterways. -
Battle Of Thames
In this important battle, General William henry Harrison and the United States Army defeated the Britsh Redcoats. This occurred as the British were retreating from the Battle of Lake Erie. -
Hartford Convention
The smaller states in the United States to met at this convention to fix the wrongs that the government has done them. -
Treaty of Ghent
This treaty was written as an armistice between the United States and Britain. -
British Burn Washington
The British stormed Washington D.C. in the summer of 1814 with roughly 4,000 soldiers and set fire to all of the buildings in Washington D.C. -
American Colonization Society formed
The group called for all slaves to be sent back to Africa. They planned on sending them to the newly formed country of Liberia -
University of Virginia Founded
Thomas Jefferson founded this publically funded colleg with the hopes that it would attract a wide variety of students from all across the country. -
Missouri Compromise
This admitted Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. It also said that any future states north of the 36 degree line would be free states and that anything south of it would be slave states. -
Republic of Lyberia is established
This country was established by the American Colonization Society in order to be able to send slaves back to their home lands. -
Vesey Slave Rebellion
Vesey and his accomplisses were tried and convicted before their massive slave rebellion actually got to happen -
New Harmony Established
This was one of the utopian communities of this time period. This community was established in Indiana in 1825. -
American Temperance Society Founded
This society was formed in order to discourage the use of alcohol by americans. This was in response to the many cases of alcoholism that were springing up. -
Webster Publishes Dictionary
Noah Webster published this dictionary in 1828. It mainly helped to standardize the english language and make communicating much easier. -
"Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World" is published
This writing by Daivid Walker called for all blacks to unite in the fight against racism. -
Nat Turner Slave Rebellion
Nat Turner held this uprising in Virginia where 60 peopl were killed. Most of the people that were killed were women and children. -
First Issue of "The Liberator" is Published
William Lloyd Garrison was a radical abolitionist and he wrote these papers in order to convince people that slavery should be illegal. -
British Abolish Slavery in West Indies
This occurred because of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. Eourpeans started seeing how cruel slavery was after the Enlightenment . -
American Anti- Slavery Society Founded
This abolitionist society was formed by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan. This group was formed after the issue of slavery was rekindered. -
U.S. Post Office Calls for Destruction of Abolitionist Materials
This was seen as a violation of the freedom of the press and angered many people in the United States. -
"Broadcloth Mob" Attacks Garrison
Because of his radical beliefs, William Lloyd Garrison was tied up by the "Broadcloth Mob" and dragged throught the streets of Boston -
"Gag Resolution" is Passed
This legislation passed by the House of Representatives called for all appeals concerning slavery to be tabled without debate. -
Canadian Rebellion
Two armed uprisings that happened in southern and northen Canada and were instigated by great unpopular political reform. -
Lovejoy Killed in Illinois
Elijah Lovejoy was murdered in Alton, Illinois by a mob that was trying to destroy his abolitionist material. -
"American Slavery As It Is" is Published
Theodore Weld wroted this book in 1839 in order to further push for the emancipation of all slaves in America. -
Liberty Party Organized
This was an abolitionist political party. The members of this party tried to push the belief that the Constitution was an Anti-Slavery document. -
First Battle of Bull Run
General George McClellan attacked General Lee's men at Monassess Creek in Virginia.The Confederates won this battle -
Battle of Shiloh
Ullysses S. Grant attempted to capture the main juncion of the Confederate railroad in Mississippi. -
Merrimack vs. Monitor
The Southern Merrimack and the Union Monitor battle off the coast of the United States. This battle proved wooden ships obselete. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
Gneral Robert E. Lee defeated Union general John Pope at this battle. -
Battle of Antietam
This destructive battle at Antietam Creek proved to be the single bloodiest day of battle during the war with about 26,000 soldiers dying. -
Emacipation Proclamation ISsued
This document attempted to free the slaves in the Confederacy, but failed due to the fact that the Confederacy was not a part of the United States at the time. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
General Ambrose Burnside impulsively charged the Confederate forces up a hill, and failed to wim the battle. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
General Robert E. Lee divided his troops in order to trick Joe Hooker by out flanking them. This worked, but Stonewall Jackson was mistakenly shot and killed by his own men. -
Battle of Chattanooga
Ulyssess S. Grant attacked the Confederates at Chickamauga Tennessee. This Union victory opened it up for the North to move into Georgia. -
Vicksburg
Ulyssess S. Grant attacked this Confederate stronghold at almost the same time as the Battle of Gettysburg -
Battle of Gettysburg
This critical battle was the most important victory for the Union during the Civil War. General George Meade led the charge for the the Union against Robert E. Lee. -
Lincoln elected president
Lincoln defeats McClellan in this election during the Civil War. -
Burning of Atlanta
Union General William Sherman and his forces invaded Georgia and burned it to the ground.
