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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta Signed
magna cartaKing John signed the Magna Carta at Runnymede on June 15, 1215. -
Mayflower Compact signed
mayflower compactThe Mayflower Compact was signed by all the men on November 11, 1620. Its purpose was to ask the king for permission to settle where they had landed. -
Formation of New Englnad Confederation
formation of new england confederation
In May of 1643, representatives from Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven gathered in Boston to create an alliance due to fear of attacks by the Dutch. -
The French and Indian War begins
Begining of French and Indian War
The French and Indian War began when George Washinngton attcked Fort Duquesne in the spring of 1754. This war would result in a victory for Britain. -
Albany Plan of Union announcced
Albany State of Union 2Albany plan of union Drafted by Benjamin Franklin, the Albany Plan of Union was made to unite the colonies. It was the first plan with the idea of uniting the colonies together. -
Treaty of Paris (1763)
Treaty of Paris<a href='http://www.ushistory.org/us/8d.asp' Signed by Britain, France, Spain, and Portugal, the Treaty of Paris, ended the Seven Years War. -
Royal Proclamation (1763)
Royal Proclamation Issued by King George, it forbade the colonists from settling past the line created by the Appalachians. -
Sugar Act
Sugar Act Passed by the British Parliment, it reduced the tax on molasses by half and made the collection of the taxes stricter than that on the Molasses Act. -
Stamp Act
stamp act This act required the colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. -
Stamp Act Congress
Stamp Act Congress Gathering of representatives from the colonies in New York City to try to stop more taxation by the British Parliment. -
Townshend Acts
townshend acts A series of acts passed by parliment and named after Charles Townshend. -
Boston Massacre
Boston Massacre A street fight caused by colonists throwing snowballs at a british soldier. The British then began to fire, causing the death of some colonists. -
Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party A protest by the Sons of Liberty, where tea chests were dumped into the Boston Harbor. -
Congress meets for the 1st time
1st Continental Congress
Congress first met at Carpenter's Hall ,in Philadelphia, from September 5, to October 26, 1774. -
First Continental Congress
First Continental Congress The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia from Septmber 5 to October 26, 1774. There were only representatives from twelve of the thirteen colonies. -
Patrick Henry "Give Me Liberty"
"Give me Liberty" Henry proposed that a volunteer infantry be created in Virginia at the Second Virginia Convention and ended his speech with "Give me liberty, or give me death!". -
Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
the ride of Paul Revere On April 18, 1775 Paul Revere took a ride to warn the colonists of the approaching British Army. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
lexington & concord The first battle of the American Revolution. Known for the famous " shot heard around the world". -
Fort Ticonderoga
fort ticonderoga Fort Ticonderoga is located on Lake Champlain and is the location of "America's first victory" in the American Revolution. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill Battle that took place near Breed's Hill. The colonists surprised the British soldiers at the begining of the battle and the battle ended in a British victory -
"Common Sense" Published
"Common Sense" ' "Common Sense", a book by Thomas Paine, challenged the authority of the British government. -
British evacuate Boston
British evacuate Boston On March 17th George Washington and the continental army were finally able to to force the British out of Boston. -
Second Continental Congress meets
second continental congress The Second Continental congress met in the State House in Philidelphia. At this meeting it was decided to completely break away from Britain. -
Declaration of Independence announced
Declaration of Independence The Continental Congress secretly voted to approve the Declaration of Independence. This approval created the new nation. -
"The Crisis" published
The Crisis "These are the times that try men's souls", the opening line to Thomas Paine's "The Crisis", is a series of seven pamphlets that served to unite the people and encourage them to fight for their cause. -
Washington captures Trenton
Trenton George Washington decided to attack the Hessians on Christmas morning. Washington and his army were able to capture Trenton with a little more than an hour of fighting. -
British Defeated at Saratoga
British defeated at Saratoga The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the American Revolution. In this battle the continental army defeated Gentleman Johny Burgoyne. -
Articles of Confederation Signed
articles of confederation
The Articles of Confederation were drafted witha purpose of uniting the thirteen colonies and creating a stronger central government. -
Winter at Valley Forge, PA
Valley Forge There was no war at Valley Forge. This location was used to train the continental army in traditional European style warefare. -
Benedict Arnold plans found out
Benedict Arnold Benedict was in communication with Captain John Andre and told him about the strengths and weaknesses of the American Army. He was also planning to surrender West Point to the British. On September 23, several incriminating papers were found from Arnold. -
John Paul Jones defeats the Serapis
J.P. Jones John Paul Jones, in command of Bonhomme Richard, a merchant ship, defeated the British on September 23, 1779. The cost of this battle was high as he lost Bonhomme Richard. -
Cornwallis surrenders
Cornwallis Charles Lord Cornwallis surrendered his British Army to a combined American and French force outside of Yorktown, VA. This surrender by Cornwallis ended the American Revolution. -
Newburgh Conspiracy
Newburgh Conspiracy
The Newbury Conspiracy was caused by the anger of the American soldiers towards the government due to them not being payed and the governments' promises not being kept. -
Treaty of Paris (1783) Signed
treaty of paris
The Treaty of Paris declaired the independence of the United States from Britain. It also called for peace between the countries. -
Spain closes the Mississippi River
closing of Mississippi R.
The closing of the Mississippi River by Spain greatly affected the United States trade. Many people involved in trade took their products down the river , through the Gulf of Mexico, and then to all the foreign countries that purchased their items. With the river closed they could no longer do that and had to use a different way of transportation. -
Land Ordinance of 1785
land ordinance 1785
The Land Ordinance of 1785 involved the sales of new land that was bought by the United States. Before people started settling ontlo the new lands, the lands were surveyed. -
Ordinance of Religious Freedom
religious freedom
The Ordinance of Religious freedom was the beginning of the separation beetween the church and state. It allowed for freedom of religion in the United States. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shays Rebellion
The seizing of many farms by the local sheriffs due to high debt caused Shay's Rebellion. The angry farmers began a march towards an arsenal where there they took weapons and began a rebellion. -
Annapolis Convention
Annapolis Convention
The Annapolis Convention was a meeting James Madison called for to discuss trade. Although there was very low attandance, they were able to come up with a resolution. -
Constitutional Convention Opens
constitutional convention
The opening of the Constitutional Convention began the four months that 55 delegates would spend forming the constitution. -
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
NW Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was created for the addition of new states into the Union. It was made up of four principal ideas for the assistance of states that were being added. -
The Great Compromise agreed to
Great Compromise
The Great Compromise solved the states problems for representation. Small states wanted equal representation while larger and more populated states asked for proportional representation. In the end, both sides were met by giving all states two senators in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives. -
Constitution sent to the states for ratification
constitution sent to states
After all of the delegates had signed the constitution on Sertember 17, 1787, a copy of the constitution was sent to all of the states for ratification. Rhode Island would become the last state to ratify the constitution on May 29, 1790. -
Anti-Federalist articles appear
anit-federatists
Anti-Federalist articles started to appear as soon as copies of the constitution were released. Anti-Federalists opposed the constitution. -
Federalist Papers appear
Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers were a series of essays and articles that promoted the constitution. The main authors of the "Federalist Papers" are Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. -
Delaware ratifies
Delaware
Delaware was the first state to ratify the constitution. The day of ratification is found on its state flag and December 7th is known as "Deleware Day". -
Massachusetts ratifies the Constitution
MassachusettsMassachusetts held the largest convention of all of the states. This led to a lot of disagreement when the time came on deciding whether to ratify the constitution or not. Massachusetts was the 6th state to ratify the constitution. -
New Hampshire ratifies the Constitution
New Hampshire
New Hampshire became the 9th state to ratify the constitution on June 21, 1788. -
George Washington elected President
George Washington
George Washington was elected as the first president of the United States on February 4, 1789. After helping with the creation process of the constitution, the population wanted nothing more than for him to be president -
Bill of Rights sent out
Bill of Rights sent out
The Bill of Rights was sent out on September 25,1789. The Bill of Rights was made up of 12 articles that later became the first 10 amendments of the constitution. -
Bill of Rights ratified
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791. It took approximately two years, since congress sent it out on September 25, 1789, for it to be passed. -
Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions written
v&k resolutions Written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were a response to the Alien and Sedition Acts. These resolutions gave states the ability to declare federal laws unconstitutional. -
Hartford Convention meets during War of 1812
Hartford Convention The Hartford Convention took place in Hartford, Connecticut. New England Federalists gathered to call for state's rights. -
Missouri Compromise
Missouri CompromiseThe Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 and admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. The compromise prohibited slavery in the Louisiana Territory north of the 36° 30´ latitude line. -
Tariff on Abominations passed
Tariff on Abominations This tariff protected New England manufactuing interests from competition with foreign importers. -
South Carolina tries to nullify
SC tries to nullify Nullification was introduced to the population of South Carolina by Calhoun so that the southerners could fight against the Tariff of Abominations. -
Abolition of Slavery Act (1833)
Abolition of Slavery ActIn 1833 Parliament passed an act to abolish slavery in the British West Indies, Canada, and the Cape of Good Hope.This meant that it was illegal to buy or own a person. -
Texas declares independence from Mexico
independence from Mexico Texas declared independance from Mexico and later became its own republic. -
James K. Polk elected
Polk elected Polk ran for the Democratic party. He became the United States' 11th president. -
Mexican War
Mexican War The Mexican War was a war between the United States and Mexico. The United states would end up victorious. -
Wilmot Proviso
Wilmot Proviso
Proposed by David Wilmot, the Wilmot Proviso said "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist" in lands won in the Mexican-American War. -
California enters the Union
California
California was the 31st state to be admitted to the Union. It was admitted as a free state. -
Fugitive slave law enacted
FSL This law forced slaves to be returned to their owners. This spurred the Underground Railroad -
Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin, a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe caused a lot of conflict, as it shared stories of slaves. This book led to the outbreak of the civil war. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act passed
The Kansas Nebraska Act
Introduced my Stephen Douglas, The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise and allowed slavery in the territory north of the 36° 30´ latitude. Douglas left it up to popular sovereignty to decide whether the territories would be slave or free. -
"Border Ruffians" attack Lawrence
5/21/1856 Around 8oo pro-slavery men from Kansas and Missouri rode to Lawrence and arrested members of the free state government. -
Charles Sumner attacked
Charles Sumner Charles Sumner, a senator from Massachusetts was attacked by South Carolina congressman ,Preston Brooks, on the floor of the United States Senate. -
Pottawatomie Creek (5/24/1856)
Pottawatomie Creek John Brown and his men killed five men who were settled on Pottawatomie Creek -
Formation of the Republican Party
Republican Party
Created by politicians such as Horace Greeley, Salmon Chase and Charles Sumner , the Republican Party was created as a response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The politicians did not want to sit there and allow popular sovereignty to decide whether the territories would be slave or free. -
Dred Scott decision announced
DredChief Justice Roger B. Taney announced in a 7-2 ruling against Dred Scott. With this decision, the court supported the idea that slaves were in fact property. -
Lecompton Constitution Passed
Lecompton Constitution A second constitutional convention met at Lecompton, Kansas to create a constitution for Kansas. It took approximately three weeks to write and was followed by much controversy -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
debates Lincoln and Douglass had face-to-face debates at seven different locations throughout Illinois. They fought for a chair in the senate. -
Raid at Harper''s Ferry
Harper's Ferry Led by John Brown, the raid on Harper's Ferry was done with the purpose of fighting against slavery. -
Formation of Constitutional Union Party
Constitutional Union Party Many ex-Whigs came together to form the Constitutional Union Party. -
Democrats split in 1860
Democrats split
The Democrats split over ideas regarding slavery. The Democratic party turned into the Democratic party of the north and the Democratic Party of the south. -
Election of 1860
1860
Lincoln-Republican
Breckenridge- Southern Democrat
Bell-Constitutional Union
Douglas-Northern Democratic -
Lincoln announces Plans for Reconstruction
reconstructionLincoln's plan regarding reconstruction had the population take an oath regarding their loyalty to the Union. -
Wade-Davis Bill Recieves Pocket Veto
billThe Wade-Davis Bill was a bill that proposed Reconstruction written by Radical Republicans Benjamin Wade of Ohio and Henry Winter Davis of Maryland. -
Lincoln re-elected President
reelection Lincoln went against Democratic canidate George Mcllelan in this election, and won. -
Formation of the Freedman's Bureau
bureau Congress created the Freedmen's Bureau to help the freed men during Reconstruction. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
assassination Lincoln was killed at Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth. -
Black Codes created in Mississippi
codes The Black Codes were laws in the US that limited the blacks' rights. -
President Andrew Johnson Announces Plan for Reconstruction
plan Johnson's plan for Reconstruction called for amnesty and restoration of property, except for slaves. -
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Ku Klux Klan Created
kkk The creation of the KKK was the beginning of hard times for African Americans. -
Civil Rights Act Enacted
rights The Civil Rights Act protected the civil rights of African-Americans. -
Reconstruction Acts Enacted
acts enactedThe Reconstruction Act was "An act to provide for the more efficient government of the Rebel States". -
President Andrew Johnson Impeached
impeachment Andrew Johnson was impeached after he removed Edwin Stanton (Security of War) from office. -
Ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment
14 The Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States". -
Ulysses S. Grant elected President
election Ulysses , a radical republican, won the election of 1868. -
Hiram Revels elected to Senate
revels Hiram Revels was the first person of color to serve in the U.S Senate and in the U.S Congress. -
Ratification of the 15th Amendment
15 The 15th Amendment gave African Aamerican men the right to vote. -
Ku Klux Klan Act Enacted
kkk acts The act established penalties , such as fines and jail time, for those who attempted to deprive citizens of their equal protection under the law. -
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Civil Rights Act (1875) Passed
1875 The Civil Rights Act guaranteed equal treatment in public accomodations for African Americans. -
"Jim Crow" enters the American cultural language
Jim Crow These laws brought the beginning of segregation. -
Rutherford B Hayes elected President
president Rutherford B Hayes became the 19th president of the United States of America. -
Last National Troops Leave South Carolina
troops The last troops left due to the Compromise of 1877. -
Civil Rights Act Overturned
act Civil Rights Act of 1875 was claimed unconstitutional based on the 13 and 14th Amendments. -
Florida Requires Segregation in Places of Public
florida Florida became the first state to require segregation in any public accommodation. -
Case of Plessy v. Ferguson
P V. F On June 7, 1892, 30-year-old Homer Plessy was jailed after sitting in a "white" railroad car. The acse then took part of April 12, 1896.
