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1500 BCE
Caste System
The Aztecs were one of the first group o people that followed a strict social structure. This structure consisted of different groups of people and basing them in different types of classes. Individuals were identified as different things depending on what they worked in or how wealthy they were. The wealthier you were the higher in the class society you were. Slaves and peasants were always on the bottom while High Priest were on the top. This all depended on your education, wealth and job. -
Period: 1500 BCE to 1534
Begginings To Exploration
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550 BCE
Human Sacrifice
Human Sacrifice in the Maya culture was a very popular ritual that consisted of killing a human and sometimes using many people was common. Although this was a very popular tradition for the Mayans it was only performed on specific events in Maya society. Human Sacrifice was common during their annual calendar, times of crisis etc. The Mayans did this because they believed that this made them stronger and this was needed to communicate with their gods to show they were worthy good luck. -
500 BCE
Dark Ages
The dark ages is another name used for the middle ages and it was called the dark ages because it was during the fall of the Roman but also towards the beginning of the Italian renaissance. The dark ages had also gained its named because of the tragic disease that was spread throughout Europe called the black death. This period lasted throughout the 5th to 15th century. Feudalism was very common and the feudal system was basically a lot of poor people with little to no opportunity. -
1300
The Renaisance Era
The renaissance was an era that meant "rebirth" which was a period in the European Civilization. This Era consisted the witness of discovery of new things in life and exploration of new continents and land all over the world. One big part of the renaissance was the art that was made during this time, Italian scholars and artist had fresh and new inspiration because of the achievements in the roman culture. During the end of the this time period still many new things were being discovered. -
1347
The Black Death
The Black death was the mid-fourteenth-century-disease and was also known as the bubonic plague. The deadly disease came to be when fleas were infected when sucking rat blood and then going on to infect people, this disease started off small and was spread all over Europe killing 25 million people in only five years. During the renaissance period Europe was filthy which made the disease spread very quickly because of the dead bodies lying around and the constant infection all throughout cities -
Apr 15, 1452
Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo Da Vinci was a famous artist during the Renaissance period and was very well known because of his achievements in art. Leonardo was a very smart man and studied the law of science and nature which inspired a lot of his work later in his life. He went to create one of the most famous artworks in history such as "Mona Lisa", "The Last Supper" and the "Vitruvian Man" and he also did sculptures that were displayed in the city. Leonardo died on May 2,1519 at the age of 67. -
Period: 1492 to
English Colonial Societies
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1534
Church Of Engand
The church of England was established by Henry VII and was part of the Anglican communion. The main reason why the church of England was because of the split with the pope in the 1530's. Henry, who wanted to pass his throne to one of his future sons but this wasn't working because none of his wife's were giving him a boy. This cause King Henry to divorce but since his religion didn't allow this he decided to make the church of England and pass the Act of Succession and the act of Supremacy. -
John Smith
John Smith was an English soldier, adventurer, author and explorer. Born January 1580. He is famous for his exploration of the New World and is responsible for the settlement and survival of Jamestown, Virginia which was England's first permanent colony in the New World. -
Tobacco
Tobacco was a crop grown in the town of Jamestown, Virginia. John Rolfe acquired tobacco seeds in the caribbean and experimented by planting the first seed in Virginia. This crop was a cash crop because they sold it on the European market since they were one of the first to grow it. By 1630 over a million and a half pounds of tobacco were leaving Jamestown every year to be sold to foreign places. -
Mayflower
The Mayflower was a ship that transported Puritans known today as Pilgrims to the New World. Many Pilgrims died on the Mayflower due to pneumonia or scurvy. The Pilgrims had to turn back twice due to ship having a leak. -
Squanto
Squanto was the Indian who helped the Pilgrims survive in harsh New England. He showed the Pilgrims how to grow & fertilize crops with dead fish. Squanto died November 30th of 1622 in Chatham Massachusetts due to a fever. -
Roger Williams
Roger Williams was a religious man and the founder of Rhode Island. Williams later a Reformed Baptist who was expelled by the Puritans because of his dangerous ideas. He had been exiled from Massachusetts for religious reasons -
Anne Hutchinson
Anne Hutchinson was a mother of 14 and a Puritan. Born July 1591, Alford, United Kingdom. She was banished from Boston in 1637 because of her religious beliefs and feminism. -
John Winthrop
Winthrop was an English Puritan lawyer. He was also a leading figure in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. John Winthrop was born January 12th, 1587. He was the first governor or the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the chief among the Puritans of New England. -
Period: to
American Industrial Revolution
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Revenue Act/Sugar Act
Parliament passed a modified version of the Sugar & Molasses act which was about to expire. Merchants were required to pay a tax of six pence per gallon on the importation of foreign molasses, this was a attempt to curb the smuggling of sugar and molasses in the colonies by reducing the previous tax rates and enforcing the collection of duties. -
Townshend Acts
This act imposed taxes on imported luxury goods that were coming into the colonies. Taxes were imposed on lead, glass, paint, paper and tea. -
Slavery
During this period of slavery the amount of labor slaves had to do was minimized to almost none because of the invention of the cotton gin. The slave economy was falling out because of this invention, they produced more product with only so much labor. -
Boston Massacre
Also known as the "Incident on King Street" was an incident in which British army soldiers shot at civilians in the middle of the street, they were forced to shoot by the angry protestors. The protesters were throwing objects like snowballs, sticks, and rocks at the soldiers. 5 were killed in this event. -
Boston Tea Party
In this event the Sons of Liberty had one goal which was to protest the Parliament that the British had imposed on tea taxes. "No taxation without representation." -
Battle of Lexington
The Battle of Lexington & Concord are known for "the shot heard around the world". During this battle the Redcoats met the militia in Lexington -
Period: to
The Revolutionary War
The Revolutionary War was a global war fought between the 13 Colonies and Great Britain. This war was fought for the independence of what is now the United States of America. It is the fifth-longest US war, lasting 8.4 years. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was a hope for peace sent by the Continental Congress to the King as a petition for peace. This Petition ended in rejection and was support for the revolution. -
Dunmore's Proclamation
This Proclamation was made to offer freedom for slaves that fought in war along side the British in November of 1775. The Southerners didn't approve of this. The Proclamation also declared Virginia in a state of rebellion and placed the colony under martial law. -
Period: to
The Constitution
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Period: to
New Republic
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Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was a negotiation between The United States and Great Britain that ended the revolutionary war and brought the independence of the United States to recognition. This treaty was drafted November 30, 1782 -
Shays' Rebellion
No one benefitted from this rebellion, this rebellion was an uprising in Massachusetts during the years of 1786 and 1787. Daniel Shay led four thousand rebels to perceive economic and civil rights, but they didn't last too long because the rebellion ended up in debt and couldn't rebel anymore. -
Anti Federalist
Supported less government, and states rights. They also supported the bill of rights and Republicanism depending on informed population. -
New Jersey Plan
The New Jersey Plan was a modified version of a A.O.C. it had a single legislature so it was a one state vote. Virginia had the least power when it came to judiciary. -
Election of 1788
This was the very first presidential election. George Washington ran for president in this election. Washington was elected unanimously by the electoral college. Nobody ran against Washington so he would have won by default. -
Alexander Hamilton
Hamilton was one of the Founding Fathers. He was also a promoter for the Constitution, and the main author for the George Washington administration. Along side John Madison and John Jay, Hamilton wrote 51 of 85 essays for the Federalist collective. -
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments on the Constitution. Which include the right to bear arms, freedom of speech, press and assembly. The Bill of Rights were written by James Madison on September 25, 1789. -
Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson was one of the founding fathers, he was one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was also a leader when America had their revolution. In 1776 Jefferson resigned from the continental congress and got re-elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. -
Bank of the United States
The Bank of the United States was established by Alexander Hamilton in 1791. The First Bank was supposed to serve as a respiratory for federal funds, but the Bank went into debt during the Revolutionary War and was forced to close since each state had a different form of currency. -
Whiskey Rebellion
This Rebellion was against the taxation on alcohol. This taxation was set by Hamilton to help the stabilize the country's financial issues and to possibly get the states out of debt. -
Cotton Gin
Invented in 1794 by Eli Whitney, the cotton gin allowed slaves to produce more cotton with less work. The Cotton Gin impacted the funds on cotton. Cotton was now easier to produce with less work, so now more cotton is being shipped out at faster rates which gives American cotton farmers a higher income and more cotton to export to foreign countries. -
Jay's Treaty
This treaty was so unpopular due to the failure in opening up profitable West Indies trade to America. The main goal of this treaty was to settle issues between two countries that had not been resolved even after the America got it's independence. -
Washington's Farewell Address
Washington made his farewell address when he was leaving his presidency behind. He dedicated most of this farewell address to the relations he had with foreign countries. -
Period: to
The Age of Jefferson
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Jefferson Administration
This was when Jefferson began his presidency on March 3rd, of 1801. Thomas Jefferson was a draftsman of the Declaration of Independence before he became president of the United States. -
Presidency of John Q. Adams
While Adams was in office he was the first to live in the White House. One of his major threats was the war with France. During his presidency the Congress passed the Alien & Sedition Acts. -
Period: to
Westward Expansion
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Sacagawea
Sacagawea was known for helping Lewis & Clark on their expedition in search for ways to the Pacific. Sacagawea Lemhi Shoshone woman. She was born in May of 1788 in Idaho and died December 20, 1812 in North Dakota. -
Lewis & Clark
Lewis and Clark led a 2 year expedition in search of unknown lands they also wanted to trade with Natives and make set sovereignty in the region of that part of the United States. One of their main goals was to find a water way to the Pacific Ocean from the United States. -
Hamilton vs. Burr
This event was a duel between two politicians (Alexander Hamilton & Aaron Burr) in Weehawken, New Jersey. This duel resulted in one casualty. Hamilton was too confident so shot at a branch and Burr aimed right at his chest and killed Hamilton. -
Embargo Act of 1807
The Embargo Act was a law passed by the congress and signed off by President Jefferson to prohibit American trading ships in foreign ports. This affected agricultural prices and American shipping markets. -
War of 1812
The war of 1812 was a three year long war. Located in Eastern and Central North America. This war started because Great Britain had refused to surrender western forts as they agreed to when they set the Treaty of Paris. -
Panic of 1819
This was the first major financial crisis the United States had. This caused banks to close and houses and farms to foreclose. This happened during Monroe's presidency. -
Temperance Movement
This movement was a anti-alcoholic movement. They criticized the consumption of alcohol, this movement lasted from the 1820s to 1840s. This movement was supported by Frances Willard who pushed the group and came up with a motto "Do everything to protect women and children". -
Second Great Awakening
This protest was a religious revival which started around 1790, but picked up heavily in the 1800. After 20 years they gained many members. This protest involved women and their rights. -
Election of 1824
This election was tenth presidential election. Candidates were Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, William H. Crawford, & Henry Clay. Since no presidential candidates received a majority of votes, the house of representatives chose John Quincy Adams as president. -
John Calhoun
Calhoun was the 7th Vice President of the United States of America. He encouraged the nation to fight England in the war of 1812, which is where he got his name "Warhawk" from. Calhoun resigned from Vice President in 1832, he became the first to resign from a presidency. -
Period: to
Cultural Changes
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Election of 1828
This election was the 11th presidential election, held from October 31st, to December 2nd. Both presidential candidates John Quincy Adams & Andrew Jackson ran in the election. Andrew Jackson came out victorious during this election. -
Period: to
Age of Jackson
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Death of Jackson's wife
Rachel Jackson born June 15, 1767 died on December 22, 1828 due to a heart attack. Rachel died just a few days after Jackson was elected president of the United States. This left Andrew Jackson devastated since he loved his wife dearly. -
Canals
This man made water way made it easier to travel, canals were also used as water supplies, irrigation, land drainage, and hydroelectric power. The first canal was opened in 1829 between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, by passing Niagara Falls & the Lachine canal making it easier for ships to go through almost impassable rapids. -
Andrew Jackson
The 7th president of the United States, Andrew Jackson was born March 15th 1767 in Waxhaws. Jackson died June 8 of 1845. Before becoming President Jackson was a lawyer, land owner & a hero after leading the states to victory in New Orleans during the War of 1812. -
Anti Slavery Movement
From 1830 to around 1870 abolitionist wanted to end segregation and discrimination. They denounced slavery as a sin and also caused a Anti-abolitionist movement to be formed which would go against them. This movement was led by many abolitionist leaders such as Harriet Tubman, William Lloyd Still & Fredrick Douglass. -
Railroads
Railroads had a big impact on the Industrial Revolution. These railroads allowed raw goods to be transported in large quantities over land. They also had transcontinental railroads which linked the nation. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Also known as The Southampton Insurrection, Nat Turner's rebellion was a slave uprising that took place in Southampton County, Virginia. Nat Turner along many other slaves rebelled against slave owners or white people killing men, women, and children. At the end they found Nat Turner in hiding along with his rebels and hung them in Jerusalem. -
William Miller
Miller was an American baptist preacher. He began a movement called Millerites. Miller had people convinced that Jesus would return to Earth in a event called the "advert" which never happened, that is known as the "Great Disappointment". -
Henry Clay
Clay was a US senator who passed the Compromise of 1850 through congress. Henry Clay was born April 12th of 1777 in Hangover County, Virginia. Henry was a planter, lawyer and statesman who represented Kentucky. Henry Clay was a whig who believed the nation should despite controversy on Americans over slavery. -
Come and Take It
The Battle of Gonzales was the first engagement of the Texas revolution. This battle resulted in Texans winning due to the Mexican withdrawal. the flag had a cannon on it with a come and take it underneath. -
Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett was born August 17, 1786, Crockett was a American folk hero, frontiersmen & soldier. Crockett was well known for wearing his coonskin cap. Davy Crockett fought in The Battle of the Alamo and died there March 6, 1836 -
Battle of San Jacinto
This battle was held in what today is Harris County. Led by General Sam Houston to fight against General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's Mexican army, this battle lasted only 18 minutes and had casualties of 630 dead Mexican soldier and 730 captured. Only 9 out 910 Texans were killed -
Telegraph
Developed by Samuel Morse to be used for long distance communication, the telegraph was first used in 1837. This invention had a big impact on warfare and made drastic changes to it. The telegraph made it easier to communicate with people at very long distances through a wire. -
Iron Plow
Jethro Wood invented the cast-iron moldboard plow in 1837 for the Middle-West since the soil was different and the wooden plows weren't strong enough to plow through the soil. This invention sped up agricultural production because of the size of the invention. -
Edgar Allen Poe
Edgar Allen was an American writer, critic and editor, Poe is well known for his short stories and poetry. Poe is considered to be the inventor of the fiction genre in literature. Murders in the Rue Morgue” was a mystery that Edgar Allen wrote that became one of his most famous works. -
Shortest Lived President
William Henry Harrison was the 9th president of the United States. Harrison died just a month after being elected president. William Henry caught pneumonia and died on April 4, 1841 -
Millerites
Millerites were a group of people who followed the teachings of William Miller and believed in the advert. Which was supposed to have Jesus return to the earth. -
Joseph Smith
A American religious leader, Smith was the founder of Mormonism & The Latter Day Saint movement. Jospeh Smith was charged for starting a riot in 1844 and sat in jail awaiting trial. Jospeh Smith was murdered by a mob of anti-moromon people. -
Manifest Destiny
This was an American expansion that went from coast to coast, this helped with the war of Mexico and Native American removal. James K. Polk led the Manifest Destiny. This event affected many people in different ways, especially Native Americans since they were being pushed off their land when Americans were expanding. -
James K. Polk
The 11th president of the United States of America. Born November 2nd, 1795 in Pineville, North Carolina. Polk led the manifest destiny. Polk also led the nation to war with Mexico and took over a large amount of land during his time in office. -
Bear Flag Revolt
This was a small group of settlers who rebelled against Mexico's government and claimed California to be an independent Republic. This small group consisted of 30 Americans following the lead of William Ide. -
Battle of Palo Alto
This battle was one of the first major Mexican-American Wars. Located in Brownsville Texas, this battle was fought on May 8, 1846 and took place north of the Rio Grande. -
California Gold Rush
James W. Marshall found a gold nugget in at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California, the word got around and more than 300,000 people rushed to California in search of gold. This had a negative effect on the state of California because after the news that James W. Marshall had found gold, the state was filled with boomtowns, mines, and men. -
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Sectionalism
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Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
This treaty brought peace to the Mexican-American war that was going on. This treaty entitled peace, friendship, and limited settlements between the US and the Mexican Republic, this treaty was signed on February 2nd, 1848. -
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman was an American Abolitionist who traveled back and forth through a passage known as the "Underground Railroad" to free many slaves. Tubman was born 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland. -
Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay passed this law through congress after new land was added into the United States, the Northern and Southern colonies argued over whether it should be a free or slave state. This affected both sides, the south gained fugitive state law and the north got another state. -
Election of 1852
This was the 17th presidential election. Abraham Lincoln won this election as a Republican, he defeated Democrat John C. Breckinridge, Stephen A. Douglas and John Bell. This election had a political party split into two and allow one to win. -
Election of 1860
this was the 19th presidential election. Lincoln came out victorious in this election against competitor Fredrick Douglas, which left the South very displeased about the winner of this election. -
Tenant Farmers
A tenant farmer is one who does not own the land or the farm they are working on. Tenant farmers would sometimes rent the land they would grow their crops on. -
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln was a state lawyer who was elected to become the 16th president of the United States of America. He was in office from March 1861 up until his assassination in April of 1865. Lincoln dominated his presidency over the victory of the Union in the Civil War. -
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American Civil War
The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865. The war started in April of 1861. During this time Abraham Lincoln was elected president. The first battle was The Battle of Fort Sumter, and the final battle was The Battle of Palmito Ranch. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run (First Battle of Manassas) was fought on July 21, 1861 in Prince William County, Virginia. The engagement began when 35,000 Union Troops marched from federal capital in Washington D.C. to strike 20,000 Confederate soldiers along a small river known as Bull Run. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought between Genera Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of Potomac, commanded by Major General Ambrose Burnside. Fredericksburg was the 10th costliest land battle of the American Civil War and had 18,030 casualties. -
Lincoln's 10% Plan
Lincoln's 10% Plan was a blue print for reconstruction, it made it clear that any southern state could be considered readmitted into the Union as long as 10 percent of their voters swore onto an oath. They also had to agree that slavery was illegal whether they liked it or not. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was a battle fought in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This battle started on July the 1st of 1863 to the 3rd. The Union won this war, led by General Robert E. Lee. -
Lincoln's Tomb
Due to the amount of preservatives they added into Lincoln's body his dead corpse was not able to decompose. His grave had many robbers who tried to take his dead body with them. So they put him in a concrete wall. -
KKK
The Klu Klux Klan was a white supremest group who put Blacks under them. They were a group of poor white people who made themselves feel better by telling themselves they weren't black poor. -
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Reconstruction
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13th Amendment
The 13th amendment abolished slavery & involuntary servitude. (Except as a punishment for crime). It was passed by the Congress on April 8th, 1864 and by the House on January 31st, 1865 -
Assassination of Lincoln
On April 14th of 1865 John Wilkes Booth came up from behind president Lincoln while he attended a play at the Ford's theater in Washington DC. John Wilkes booth shot President Lincoln in the back of the head and dived onto the stage after he let the shot out. -
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was a well known actor who assassinated the 16th president of the United States of America. John Wilkes Booth ran after shooting Lincoln but was captured after. He died due to a gunshot wound in Port Royal Virgina. -
The Lost Cause
The Lost Cause was a literary and intellectual movement developed by white Southerners, many of them were former Confederate generals. -
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was a US army general during the American Civil War, he commanded the Union army which came out victorious after the war. General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Courthouse with 28,000 troops. -
Sharecroppers
Sharecroppers were farmers who didn't have enough money to keep cultivating crops on their lands so they ended up having to sell their farms. Sharecroppers would live off the money they earned from selling their farms. -
Compromise of 1877
The Compromise of 1877 was a informal, unwritten deal that settled the disputed in 1876 of the U.S. presidential election. It resulted in the US government pulling the last troops out of the South, and formally ended the Reconstruction Era. This brought Rutherford Hayes to victory in 1877
