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2600 BCE
Mayans
The Mayan caste system was made of lower and upper castes. The upper caste was composed of rulers, nobles and priests. The middle caste were businessmen, merchants and soldiers. The lower caste was made up of farmers and slaves, Nobles and Priests. This depended on social class and wealth. -
Period: 2500 BCE to
Beginnings to Exploration
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753 BCE
Rome
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome. This involved multiple organizations such as the twelve tables, Eastern Emperors and the Corpus Civilis. Foreigners had no rights and, unless protected by some treaty between their state and Rome, they could be seized like pieces of property by any Roman. -
476 BCE
Dark Ages
During the high Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church became organized into a hierarchy with the pope as the head in western Europe. As he established surpreme power, the catholic church became extremely powerful. -
1095
Crusades
The Crusades helped to advance technologies, in form of accurate maps, crossbows, military techniques, and magnetic compasses. They advanced the technology from the Dark ages when it was becoming decentralized. -
1346
The Black Death
The Black death was a plague involving parasites and rodents that spread across Asia and Europe, wiping out almost 25 million people. This disease lasted until 1353. -
1492
Columbian Exchange
The Colombian Exchange was a trading of culture, disease, plants and animals that supported the old world between the 15th and 16th centuries. Some things exchanged were Grains, Tomatoes and Smallpox occasionally. -
1500
Hernan De Soto (New Spain)
Hernando was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who led the first European expedition deep into the territory of the United States. He is the first European documented as having crossed the Mississippi River. -
1579
George Calvert (Maryland)
Calvert was an English politician and colonial leader. He achieved political success as a member of parliament and later Secretary of State under King James. George Calvert was the first person to dream of a colony in America where Catholics and Protestants could prosper together -
Period: to
English Colonial Societies
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Chesapeake Colony (John Smith)
John Smith was an English soldier, explorer, colonial governor, Admiral of New England, and author. He played an important role in the establishment of the Jamestown colony and led the Chesapeake colonies -
Plymouth Colony (New England Colonies)
This colony was the first colonial settlement in New England. The settlers were a group of about Puritan Pilgrims, who sailed on the Mayflower and settled in Massachusetts. They named the first town after their port of departure. -
Navigation Acts
The Navigation Acts were a series of English laws that restricted foreign trade to England. The obvious solution was to seal off the English and Scottish markets to these unwanted imports -
Carribean Colonies
When the economy was in collapse, growth of sugar cane saved it. Though sugar production required a greater labor supply than was available through the importation of European servants and irregularly supplied African slaves. -
Salem Witch Trials
More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and Devil's magic and 20 were executed. Eventually, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those convicted. -
Middle Passage
The Middle Passage refers to the part of the trade where Africans, densely packed onto ships, were transported across the Atlantic to the West Indies. -
Act of Union (1707)
The Acts of Union were two Acts of Parliament where the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act passed in 1707. This planned to combine two nations under one identity. -
Period: to
Colonial America to 1763
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Triangular trade
This was the most well known trading system consisting of carrying slaves, cash crops, and manufactured goods between West Africa, Caribbean or American colonies and the European colonial powers -
The Great Awakening
This was a Protestant religious revolt that swept Protestant Europe and British America in the 1740s. it left a permanent impact on American Protestantism. -
Seven Year War
lieutenant colonel of the Virginia militia named George Washington successfully defeats a party of French and Indian scouts in southwest Pennsylvania as Virginia attempts to claim to the territory for its own settlers -
Period: to
The Revolutionary War
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Revenue Act
Parliament passed a modified version of the Sugar and Molasses Act which was about to expire. Under the Molasses Act merchants had been required to pay a tax of six per gallon on the importation of foreign molasses. -
Upper South (Colonial Economies)
tobacco was the dominant slave-produced product. This shift of the slave economy from the upper South to the lower South was accompanied by a shift of the enslaved African population to the lower South and West. -
Boston Massacre
Produced just three weeks after the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere’s historic engraving The Bloody Massacre in King-Street was probably the most effective piece of war propaganda in American history. He allowed for further conflicts -
Lower South (Colonial Economies)
The lower south of the colonies had focused mainly on Slavery and intensive crop cultivation. the economic value of slaves exceeded the invested value of all of the nation's railroads, factories, and banks -
Boston Tea Party
The East India Company did not export tea to the colonies; by law, the company was required to sell its tea wholesale at auctions in England. This was a revolt against Sons of Liberty -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War. -
Thomas Paine
Common Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–76 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. -
Declaration of Independence
Historian Richard B. Morris identified the following seven figures as Founding Fathers which are John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was an agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America that served as its first constitution. -
Period: to
The Constitution
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Treaty of Paris 1783
The Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolutionary War. Two provisions of the treaty were British recognition of U.S. independence and the creation of boundaries that would allow for American western expansion. -
American Virtue
The American founding is an historical period that runs from the outbreak of the American. Revolution in 1775 to the end of George Washington's presidency. This lead to Morally American Virtue -
Shays Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in Massachusetts during 1786 and 1787. Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays led four thousand rebels in an uprising against perceived economic and civil rights injustices. -
Virginia Plan
The virginia plan was a proposal by Virginia delegates for a bicameral legislative branch. The plan was drafted by James Madison while he waited for to assemble at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. -
The Great Debate
the Anti-Federalists opposed to the Constitution. Though they weren't a united group, they opposed the Constitution because they thought stronger government threatened the sovereignty of the states. -
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance was an act of the Congress of the Confederation of the United States (the Confederation Congress), passed July 13, 1787. -
Election of 1788
The election took place following the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788. In this election, George Washington was elected for the first of his two terms as President of the United States, and John Adams became the first Vice President of the United States. -
Period: to
New Republic
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18th Century Enlightenment
European politics, philosophy, science and communications were radically changed during the course of the “long 18th century” as part of a movement referred to by its participants as the Enlightenment -
Whiskey Rebellion
Revolt against the US government in Pennsylvania. It was started by a tax on whisky, and was the first serious challenge to federal authority. President Washington called out the militia, the rebellion collapsed. -
Bill of RIghts
This was written James Madison in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties, the Bill of Rights lists specific prohibitions on governmental power. -
Cotton Gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, allowing for much greater productivity than manual cotton separation -
Election of 1796
Election between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Although Adams won, Thomas Jefferson received more electoral votes than Pinckney and was elected Vice-President. -
XYZ affair
The XYZ Affair was a political issue early in the administration of John Adams, involving a confrontation between the United States and Republican France that led to an undeclared war -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Kentucky Resolutions. These resolutions were passed by the legislatures of Kentucky and Virginia in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. -
Enlightenment
Deism was an important factor in french enlightenment. This was in tune with the natural law perceived by Enlightenment thinkers. It believed in the existence of God, simply through common sense. -
Period: to
The Age of Jefferson
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Election of 1800
The election of 1800 between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson was an emotional and hard-fought campaign. Each side believed that victory by the other would ruin the nation. -
Hamilton v. Burr
This duel was fought between American politicians Aaron Burr, the sitting Vice President of the United States, and Alexander Hamilton where one took the shot and Burr became a fugitive -
Embargo Act 1807
The Embargo Act of 1807 was a law passed by the United State Congress and signed by President Thomas Jefferson It prohibited American ships from trading in all foreign ports -
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a conflict fought between the United States, the United Kingdom, and their respective allies -
Free Black Communities
Free Southern blacks continued to live under slavery, unable to travel or assemble as freely as those in the North. It was also more difficult for them to organize and sustain churches, schools, or fraternal orders such as the Masons. -
Period: to
The American Industrial Revolution
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McCulloch v. Maryland
This is one of the first and most important Supreme Court cases on federal power. In this case, the Supreme Court held that Congress has implied powers which gave Congress the power to establish a national bank. -
Panic of 1819
The Panic of 1819 was the first major peacetime financial crisis in the United States followed by a general collapse of the American economy persisting through 1821. -
Mass Production Labor Change
Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production was furthered with the creation of more efficient inventions and tools that opened up more factory jobs. -
Nature (Creation of Parks)
National Parks began to be built in honor of those soldiers who have fallen or to honor certain events that have occurred in the past. These were focused on nature to preserve an image for social interaction. -
Greek Revival 1820
The Greek Revival Style began with public buildings in Philadelphia in 1820, and quickly became popular for residences. -
Period: to
Cultural Changes
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Iron Plow
Jethro Wood was the inventor of a cast iron plow with replaceable parts, the first commercially successful iron plow. His invention accelerated the development of American agriculture -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was a United States policy of opposing European colonialism in The Americas beginning in 1823. -
Changes in Transportation Roads
improved road building further by analyzing stone thickness, road traffic, road alignment and gradient slopes.This allowed more efficient transportation over time -
Election of 1824
John Quincy Adams was the winner of the 1824 election. In this election, the Democratic-Republican Party split as four separate candidates sought the presidency. -
Period: to
Age of Jackson
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Second Great Awakening
This was a Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States. membership rose rapidly among Baptist and Methodist congregations whose preachers led the movement. -
Election of 1828
It featured a re-match between President John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson, who won the electoral college vote in the 1824 election. -
Temperance Movement
The Temperance movement is a social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements typically criticize alcohol intoxication -
Yeoman Farmers
small landowners (mostly south) who farmed their own land and usually did not own slaves who were also free from slavery or servitude -
Whig Party
The Whig Party was a political party active in the middle of the 19th century in the United States. Four US presidents belonged to the party while in office -
Anti-abolitionism
Those of the population who were against getting rid of slavery. The growth of abolition provoked a violent reaction. Mobs attacked the homes and business of abolitionists and continued revolt -
Stephen F Austin
Known as the "Father of Texas", and the founder of Texas, he led the second and the most successful colonization of by bringing 300 families from the United States -
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson led the age of the Common Man, having the focus go on regular people. They were allowed to do more than usual such as vote, though this created conflict in politics in this period -
Telegraph
Developed by Samuel Morse and other inventors, the telegraph revolutionized long-distance communication. It worked by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations. -
Growing City Slums
In the nation's growing cities, factory output grew, small businesses flourished, and living and few, if any, opportunities for movement out of the city slums. Though these slums grew due to lack of opportunity -
Martin Van Buren
Also known as OK or Old Kindernook, he became known for being a politician. He earned the nicknames "Little Magician" and the "Red Fox" for his cunning politics. He was unable to get elected to a second term as president -
Period: to
Westward Expansion
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Manifest Destiny
the belief that it was God's plan to that the U.S. should extend all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This attitude helped fuel western settlement, Native American removal and war with Mexico. -
Election of 1844
James K. Polk defeated Whig candidate Henry Clay with 170 electoral votes to Clay's 105. During this time the annexation of Texas was opposed -
Ulysses S Grant
became the first president after the Civil War and was previously a Union General who defeated General Lee at Appomattox Court House, which ended the Civil War; during presidency several scams passed through Congress; the Panic of 1873 -
Vera Cruz Siege
The Battle of Veracruz was a 20-day siege of the key Mexican beachhead seaport of Veracruz, during the Mexican-American War. -
Election of 1848
Zachary Taylor was the winner of this election, while he was a whig, and apart of the south, Zachary Taylor became president, died in office, making his vice president Millard Fillmore president -
California Gold Rush
Time span where thousands of miners travel to Northern California after news reports of the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in January of 1848. Gold had been in high demand -
Period: to
Sectionalism
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Seneca Fall Convention
The Seneca Falls Convention was the first women's rights convention. It advertised itself as a convention to discuss rights of woman -
John C Calhoun
As a young congressman from South Carolina, he helped steer the United States into war with Great Britain and established the Second Bank of the United States -
Fire-Eaters
he Fire-Eaters were a group of radical pro-slavery Southerners in theSouth who urged the separation of Southern states into a new nation, which became the Confederate States of America. -
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was a forced removal of Native American nations from their ancestral homelands in the Southeastern United States to an area west of the Mississippi River that had been designated as Indian Territory. -
Election of 1852
this presidential election allowed Winfield Scott (Whig) vs. Franklin Pierce (Democrat) and pierce, the only president from New Hampshire, wins the election 254 to 42 electorally -
Henry Clay
Also apart of the Whig party with Martin Van Buren and famous as the “Great Pacificator” for his contributions to domestic policy, he emphasized economic development. -
Election of 1860
Election with candidates, Abraham Lincoln, John Bell, Stephen Douglas and John C. Breckinridge, where Republicans won (Abraham Lincoln) -
Crittendon Compromise
The Crittenden Compromise was an unsuccessful proposal introduced by United States Senator John J. Crittenden. This was unsuccsessful since it was an attempt to prevent secession -
Stonewall Jackson
he was a confederate general who was known for his fearlessness in leading rapid marches bold flanking movements and furious assaults. he earned his nickname at the battle of first bull run for standing courageously against union fire -
Period: to
The Civil War
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Secession of Southern States
The American Civil war was one of the contributing factors to the secession of southern states. This also declared their secession and joined the Confederacy -
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a sea fort in Charleston, South Carolina, notable for two battles of the American Civil War. Though the overall battle was the bombardment of Fort Sumter by the Confederate States Army, -
Clara Barton
Clara Barton was the first woman to go onto a battlefield in the United States to nurse the wounded soldiers: later, she set up the American Red Cross -
Trent Affair
The Trent Affair was an incident in 1861 during the American Civil War that threatened a war between the United States and the United Kingdom -
Northern Colonies Population
Northern Colonies (North Carolina) were the most populated from a majority of the others. By 1780, the population rose to around 200,000 -
Lincoln's 10% Plan
This was Lincoln's reconstruction plan for after the Civil War. it proclaimed that a state could be reintegrated into the Union when 10% of its voters in the 1860 election pledged their allegiance to the U.S. and pledged to abide by emancipation, and then formally erect their state governments. -
Battle of VIcksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Vicksburg's loss was in many ways more important to the war. Now, Union forces had complete control of the Mississippi River and had in effect cut the Confederacy in two -
Gettysburg Address
President Abraham Lincoln was invited to give remarks, which later became known as the Gettysburg Address on the site of one of the bloodiest and most decisive battles of the Civil War. -
Period: to
Reconstruction
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Freedmen's Bureau
An agency created by the goverment that helped and protected newly freed african americans find jobs, homes, education, and a better life. -
John Wilkes Booth
Booth was an American stage actor who,assassinated Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865. -
Black Codes
Black Codes is the popular name given to the statutes passed by Southern slave states. the Black Codes were laws passed by Democrat Southern states in 1866, and ended in 1877 because of the Reconstruction after the Civil War. -
Southern Military Leadership
Some acts were included to represent military leadership such as the act creating the Freedmen's Bureau, the Civil Rights Act of 1866, and several Reconstruction Acts. The Reconstruction Acts established military rule over Southern states until new governments could be formed. -
Jim Crow Voter Disenfranchisement
Disenfranchisement after the Reconstruction Era in the United States was based on a series of laws, new constitutions, and practices in the South that were deliberately used to prevent black citizens from registering to vote and voting. -
Enforcement Acts
The Enforcement Acts were three bills passed by the United States Congress They were criminal codes which protected African-Americans' right to vote, to hold office, to serve on juries, and receive equal protection of laws. Though many whites had resisted this -
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered a depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 until 1879, and even longer in some countries. -
Compromise of 1877
This settled the election of 1876, troops were removed from Louisiana and South Carolina and concessions for building a southern transcontinental railroad made
