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Oct 12, 1492
Columbus lands in the Bahamas
Columbus lands with the Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria. -
Jun 7, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
Dividing land of the New World between Spain and Portugal -
May 20, 1498
Da Gama to India
Vasco da Gama becomes the first man to sail to India from Europe -
Sep 1, 1513
Balboa crosses Panama Canal
Vasco Nunez de Balboa crosses the Ithmus of Panama and "discovers" the Pacific Ocean. He claims all land touching this ocean for Spain -
Aug 13, 1521
Cortes conquers Aztecs
Hernan Cortes claimed Tenochtitlan for Spain and renamed it Mexico City -
Jan 1, 1532
Pizarro defeats the Inca
Francisco Pizarro invades the Incas of Peru and defeats them. -
Nov 17, 1558
Elizabeth I takes the crown
Elizabeth I takes the crown of England and Ireland until her death in 1603 -
Nov 15, 1577
Drake circumnavigates the globe
Sir Francis Drake completes the second circumnavigation of the globe -
England defeats the Spanish Armada
Queen Elizabeth watches over the final battle of the Spanish Armada in 1588 after a long battle -
England crush Ireland
The Irish try to rebel until the English eventually put them down in 1590 -
Spain and England sign a peace treaty
The end of the Anglo Saxon war is made official by the Treaty of London -
Jamestown
Captain Wingfield chose Jamestown, along the James River as the first settlement of the colonists from his ship -
John Rolfe perfects tobacco crop
Rolfe cultivates tobacco commercially for the first time in America -
First African Americans come to America
The first African American "slaves" were brought to English America. They were first treated as indentured servants -
The Carolinas
North America officially seperates from South Carolina -
Maryland founded
Maryland was discovered, which would eventually be used as an escape for Catholics who were not welcome in England. -
Maryland Toleration Act
This Act insisted the tolerance of all Christians but also granted the death penalty to those who denied Jesus -
Carolina colony established
The first permanent settlement at Charles Town was established by the English in 1670 -
Yamasee War
The colonists of South Carolina and many Native Americans fight for about two years -
Georgia Colony established
The last colony of the 13 colonies, Georgia, is established. -
Beginning of the Great Awakening
Great Awakening movement begins in Massachusetts. The movement will last ten years and spread to all of the American colonies. -
First Colonial Coins
The first colonial copper coins are made in Connecticut. -
Stono Rebellion
Slave rebellion in South Carolina. It was the largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies prior to the American Revolution -
War of Jenkins's Ear
War between Great Britain and Spain, led to King George's war in America -
Iron Act
Iron Act instated, limiting the manufacturing of the British colonies -
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society is found in Philadelphia by Ben Franklin -
Céloron's expedition
French used impressive military power to reclaim their originally owned land in the Ohio Valley -
Currency Act of 1751
Restricted the use of paper money by the colonies of New England -
The first general hospital is founded
The first general hospital is founded in Philadelphia. This provided medicine and treatment for the ill but did not help those with diseases -
Treaty of Logstown
Treaty to negotiate with the local Indians in present day Pittsburgh -
French and Indian War
The war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763 -
The Battle of Ticonderoga
Part of the French and Indian War, the French drove back the British/American attack, inflicting heavy losses. -
Anglo-Cherokee War
War ensued between the sountern colonists and the Cherokee Indians -
French Fort Niagara is captured by the English
Fort Niagra being captured by the English ruined some of the French's communication with the West -
Quebec surrenders
Quebec surrendered to the English -
George III becomes new English king
George III now had control of the colonies -
England declares war on Spain
England declares war on Spain who had been planning to ally itself with France and Austria -
Treaty of Paris
Ended the French and Indian War -
Proclamation Line of 1763
organized Great Britain's new North American empire and
improved relations with Native North Americans -
Sugar Act
A tax on sugar imported into the colonies. -
March of the Paxton Boys
led by the Scots Irish in Philadelphia -
Quartering Act
All colonists were required to house and feed soldiers when necessary. -
Sons of Liberty
Sons of Liberty first formed in Boston to protest taxation without representation -
Stamp Act Congress
Met in New York City, with representatives from all colonies, to discuss the hopeful repeal of the Stamp Act -
Stamp Act Repealed
Parliament decided to repeal the Stamp Act since it seemed to be too late to please the colonists by only lessening its tax. -
Townshend Acts
Series of acts proposed by Charles Townshend that taxed goods and restricted trades -
Boston Massacre
British redcoats killed five members of a Boston mob. -
Boston Tea Party
Colonists threw barrels of tea into the Boston Harbor when trade officials refused to return the tea to Britain -
First Continental Congress
Met in Philadelphia in Carpenter's Hall to discuss the Intolerable Acts -
Kentucky first explored
Daniel Boone opens Wilderness Road into Kentucky for the first time -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War in two Massachusetts colonies. -
Second Continental Congress
Met in Philadelphia to discuss the warfare of the Revolution and appoint George Washington as commanding general of the continental army. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle in Massachusetts in which Britain lost about 300 soldiers and suffered over 900 injuries. -
"Common Sense"
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine about the Revolution in a language that common people to understand. -
Declaration of Independence
Declaration of Independence signed to report that the colonies now viewed themselves as independent states and did not follow under British rule any longer. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Americans under General Gates defeats British General Burgoyne. -
Articles of Confederation
First constitution. An agreement among the 13 founding states that legally established the United States of America -
Battle of Yorktown
Combined forces of America and France defeat Britain in one of the last major battles of the Revolutionary War -
Treaty of Paris
Britain recognizes American independence -
Land Ordinance of 1785
Sold the new land to pay off national debt -
Shays Rebellion
Armed uprising of farmers in Massachusetts against the government. -
Washington leaves office
Urges the United States to stay neutral and keep its permanent alliances. -
Great Compromise signed
This defined the legislative structure and representation that each state would have under the United States Constitution -
Three Fifths Compromise
Decided slaves should be counted as three fifths a person to the population count -
George Washington elected President
Unanimously elected by the Electoral College -
Bill of Rights
James Madison drafted the Bill of Rights and got them passed into the constitution -
French Revolution began
Uprising in France eventually led to a war with Britain that the US had to decide to get involved in or not -
George Washington took his oath of office
He then established his cabinet -
Alien and Sedition Act
Acts directly aimed to decrease the number of voters for Democratic Republicans. The Alien Act dealt with citizenship and voting rights, and the Sedition Act clearly went against Freedom of Speech -
Judiciary Act of 1789
Vested the judiciary issues of the government in one supreme court -
First Bank of the United States created
Created by Hamilton, its charter lasted for 20 years and was located in Philadelphia -
Neutrality Proclamation
Washington clearly states the nations neutral stance on the war between France and Britain -
Jays Treaty
John Jay was send to London to negogiate a peace treaty to avoid war -
Whiskey Rebellion
Pennsylvanian whiskey distillers in 1794 strongly opposed the 1791 excise tax on whiskey -
Pinckney's Treaty of 1795
Spain granted the Americans free navigation of the Mississippi River and the large territory north of Florida. -
Election of 1800
Jefferson defeats Adams as president. A flaw in the constitution actually left Jefferson to have to defeat Aaron Burr also. -
Judiciary Act of 1801
Created 16 new federal judge positions and other judicial offices. -
Naturalization Law of 1802
Jefferson passed this to change the laws set by the Alien Act, reduced the previously required 14 years residence to 5 years -
Embargo Act of 1807
Jefferson closed all trade to British ports -
Treaty of 1818
United States peacefully divided the Oregon territory with Britain -
Florida Treaty of 1819
Spain gave away its rights of Florida to the United States -
Liberia establised
The American Colonization Society formed the village of Liberia in Africa to send freed slaves to. -
Denmary Vesey led a slave uprising in South Carolina
Vesey abd about 30 other men were hung for their attempted uprising -
Treaty of 1824
Russia gave the United States it's rights to the Oregon Territory -
Temperance Society
The American Temperance society was formed in Boston to support a cut in alcohol consumption. -
Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World
David Walker's novel that predicted a bloody end to the slavery dispute -
The Liberator
William Lloyd Garrison created his abolitionist newspaper in Boston "The Liberator" -
Nat Turner's rebellion
In 1831 Nat Turner led a rebellion that killed 60 Virginians who were mostly women and children -
Nullification Crisis of 1832
Fear of slave uprisings. Beatings and lynching were becoming frequent to prevent this -
Emancipation in West Indies
Britain emancipated all of the slaves they had in the West Indies, leading to emancipation in America -
Historical records
George Bancroft began recording historical books of America's past -
Antislavery gospel
Theodore Welds led a group of antislavery preachers on an 18 day debate. "Land Rebels" -
Postmaters limited
The government ordered all postmasters to destroy any abolitionist material that went through their mail -
Gag Resolution
Required any anti-slavery appeals to be tabled without debate -
Reverand Elijah Lovejoy
Reverand Elijah Lovejoy's printing press was destroyed four times and he was eventually killed because of his antislavery ideas -
Canadian Rebellion
A small number of Canadians started a rebellion, joined by some Americans. -
Oberlin College
The first university opened up for women in Ohio -
John Tyler
John Tyler became president after William Henry Harrison's sudden death -
Tariff of 1842
Under the Tyler adminstration, called for more federal revenue -
Union Blockade
The Union's plan to cut off the south from importing or exporting -
First Battle of Bull Run
Lincoln's unready troops went against the Confederates in Manassas. -
Peninsula Campaign
McClellan's plot to attack Lee at Richmond. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
Lee destroyed the Union army led by General John Pope at Antietam -
EMancipation Proclamation
Declared free the salves in those Confederate States still in rebellion. The border States weren’t affected. -
Battle at Fredericksburg, VA
Lee attacked Ambrose Burnside's unprepared troops. The Union army lost nearly 10,000 people -
Chancellorsville, VA
Lee's right hand man, Stonewall Jackson, is accidentally killed by a Confederate solider after catching the Union in a crossfire. -
Gettysburg Address
Lincoln went to Gettysburg to dedicate the cemetery of those who had fallen. There were 51,000 casualties -
Vicksburg and Port Hudson
Grant defeats the Confederates' last spots along the Mississippi River -
Gettysburg
This batle lasted for three days until George Pickett’s charge broke the back of the Confederate attack -
Merrimack vs Monitor
Steel plated ships that ended the use of wooden ships in warfare. -
Blacks began enlisting into the Union Army
They generally were used as cooks or firemen -
Wade Davis Bill
Required that 50% of a State’s voters take the oath of allegiance -
Election of 1864
Lincoln was renominated with no opposition -
Scorched Earth Policy
Sherman's troops marched all the way to Georgia destroying all Confederate property in their path. -
Lincoln's Asassination
Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth in Ford Theatre -
13th Amendment
Officially freed all slaves -
Ex parte Milligan
The Supreme Court case that ruled that military tribunals could not try civilians in areas where the civil courts were open -
Reconstruction Act of 1867
Divided the South into 5 military districts -
14th Amendment
Gave slaves civil rights -
15th Amendment
Gave slaves the right to vote
