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Period: 1490 to
Beginnings of Exploration
Time and place where people had settled in the Americas for the first time. -
1492
Columbian Exchange
the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World -
1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
The agreement between Spain and Portugal aimed at settling conflicts over lands newly discovered or explored by Christopher Columbus and other late 15th-century voyagers. -
1506
Christopher Columbus
Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer. Born in the Republic of Genoa, under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. -
1521
New Spain
New Spain was a colonial territory of the Spanish Empire in the New World north of the Isthmus of Panama. -
1534
New France
The area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spain in 1763. -
The Renaissance
The period in European history, from the 14th to the 17th century, regarded as the cultural bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history. -
Tobacco 8
The cash crop in Chesapeake Colonies -
English Colonization
British colonization of the Americas began in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia and reached its peak when colonies had been established throughout the Americas. -
Chesapeake Colonies 8
Colony and Dominion of Virginia, later the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Province of Maryland, later Maryland, both colonies located in British America and centered on the Chesapeake Bay. Chesapeake had one crop economy that was based on tobacco. -
Period: to
Colonial America 1
European nations came to the Americas to increase their wealth and broaden their influence over world affairs. The Spanish were among the first Europeans to explore the New World and the first to settle in what is now the United States. -
Period: to
English Colonial Societies 8
North America colonies were represented by a small wealthy social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization. The members of Colonial society had similar social status, roles, language, dress and norms of behavior. -
Atlantic Slave Trade 1
An Inter-African slave trade, which was the new source of labor for Europeans. Increased in the late 1600s. By 1700s, Britain became the largest slave trading slave trading nation -
New England Colonies 8
The first settlement in New England was Plymouth Colony. It was chartered by a group commonly referred to as the Pilgrims in 1620. -
Royal Colonies 8
A colony, as New York, administered by a royal governor and council appointed by the British crown, and having a representative assembly elected by the people. -
Plymouth Colony 8
The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. -
Triangular Trade 1
A Transatlantic Slave Trading system, carrying slaves, cash, crops and manufactured goods between West Africa, Caribbean or American colonies and the European colonial powers -
Massachusetts Bay Colony 8
An English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of Massachusetts Bay. -
Glorious Revolution 8
Also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III, Prince of Orange. -
Salem Witch Trials 8
A series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693 -
Age of Enlightenment 1
An intellectual and philosophical movement which dominated the world of ideas in Europe during the 18th century -
Act of Union 1707 8
Two Acts of Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act passed in 1707 by the Parliament of Scotland. -
The Great Awakening 1
A Protestant religious revival that swept Protestant Europe and British America in the 1730 and 1740. An evangelical and revitalization movement, it left a permanent impact on American Protestantism. It resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of deep personal revelation of their need of salvation by Jesus Christ. -
French & Indian War 1
Britain desired more land to the west, while the French wanted more land to the south. Causing them both to fight over territory. Although the British won the war with the French, the British still faced pressing colonial problems that the Treaty of Paris only aggravated. -
Fort William Henry 1
Fort William Henry was constructed to command the southern end of Lake George. It was a British outpost to protect the colonies farther to the south and to serve as a launching site against the French held northern end of the lake protected by Fort Carillon. -
Period: to
The Revolutionary War 2
The American War of Independence, was a global war that began as a conflict between Great Britain and her Thirteen Colonies, which declared independence as the United States of America. -
Acts of Parliament 2
Also called primary legislation, are statutes passed by a parliament (legislature). -
Boston Massacre 2
The Incident on King Street by the British, where British Army soldiers shot and killed people while under attack by a mob. -
Boston Tea Party 2
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts. -
Quebec Act 2
Passed by the British Parliament to institute a permanent administration in Canada replacing the temporary government created at the time of the Proclamation of 1763. -
First Continental Congress 2
A meeting of delegates from twelve of the Thirteen Colonies who met from September 5 to October 26, 1774 at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania early in the American Revolution. It was called in response to the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament, which the British referred to as the Coercive Acts, with which the British intended to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. -
The Declaration of Independence 2
An assertion by a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. -
Articles of Confederation 3
the first constitution of the United States, on November 15, 1777. -
Battle of Saratoga 1
the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. -
Period: to
The Constitution 3
Creates a government that puts the power in the hands of the people. Separates the powers of government into three branches: the legislative branch, which makes the laws; the executive branch, which executes the laws; and the judicial branch, which interprets the laws. And sets up a system of checks and balances that ensures no one branch has too much power -
Iron Plow 9
Jethro Wood was the inventor of a cast-iron moldboard plow with replaceable parts. His invention accelerated the development of American agriculture in the antebellum period. -
Constitution of Massachusetts 3
The fundamental governing document of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of the 50 individual state governments that make up the United States of America -
Battle of Yorktown 2
The Siege of Little York, ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virginia, was a decisive victory by a combined force of American Continental Army troops led by General George Washington and French Army troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by British peer and Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis. -
Treaty of Paris 2
Signed in Paris by representatives of King George III of Great Britain and representatives of the United States of America on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War. -
Shay's Rebellion 3
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. -
Constitutional Convention 3
A constitutional convention is a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. -
Northwest Ordinance 3
An act of the Congress of the Confederation of the United States (the Confederation Congress), passed July 13, 1787. -
Virginia Plan 3
A proposal by Virginia delegates for a bicameral legislative branch. The plan was drafted by James Madison while he waited for a quorum to assemble at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. -
Connecticut Plan 3
An agreement that large and small states reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that in part defined the legislative structure and representation that each state would have under the United States -
Election of 1788 4
The first quadrennial presidential election. It was held from Monday, December 15, 1788, to Saturday, January 10, 1789. Washington won the election -
Period: to
New Republic 4
The time where the first election took place and conflict between Federalists and Anti-Federalists erupted -
Bill of Rights 4
Written by 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. -
First bank of the United States 4
was a national bank, chartered for a term of twenty years, by the United States Congress -
Cotton Gin 9
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 -
Whiskey Rebellion 4
A tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax imposed on a domestic product by the newly formed federal government. -
Election of 1796 4
the third quadrennial presidential election -
Adams Presidency 4
An American patriot who served as the second President of the United States and the first Vice President. -
Cotton Gin 9
Invented by Eli Whitney, the cotton gin that was popular in the South. The South became the cotton producing part of the country because Whitney's cotton gin -
Period: to
The American Industrial Revolution 9
The Industrial Revolution came near the end of the eighteenth century, when Samuel Slater brought new manufacturing technologies from Britain to the United States and founded the first U.S. cotton mill in Beverly, Massachusetts. -
Kentucky Resolutions 4
Political statements drafted in 1798 and 1799, in which the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures took the position that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional. -
Election of 1800 4
Was the fourth quadrennial presidential election. -
Period: to
Age of Jefferson 10
The primary author of the Declaration of Independence. At age 33, he was one of the youngest delegates to the Second Continental Congress beginning in 1775 at the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, where a formal declaration of independence from Britain was overwhelmingly favored. -
Jefferson Administration 10
When he was inaugurated as the third President of the United States. Jefferson assumed the office after defeating incumbent President John Adams in the 1800 presidential election. -
Hamilton vs. Burr 10
A duel that was fought between prominent American politicians Aaron Burr, the sitting Vice President of the United States, and Alexander Hamilton -
Steamboats 9
Steamboats started to appear on western rivers in 1807. They were a quicker way for transportation -
Waltham System 9
A labor and production model employed in the United States, particularly in New England, during the early years of the American textile industry -
War of 1812 10
A conflict fought between the United States, the United Kingdom, and their respective allies. -
Battle of New Orleans 10
Under the command of General Andrew Jackson, American forces successfully repelled the invading British army (led by General Edward Pakenham). -
Rush-Bagot Treaty 10
U.S. & Britain limit weapons, British will allow fishing and it will agree to jointly occupy Oregon Territory -
Panic of 1819 10
An economic boom after War of 1812. And created the Bank of U.S. -
Adams-Onis Treaty 10
A treaty between the United States and Spain in 1819 that ceded Florida to the U.S. and defined the boundary between the U.S. and New Spain. -
Temperance Movement 6
The Temperance movement is a social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages. -
The Second Great Awakening 6
A protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States. -
Missouri Compromise 10
Drew imaginary line to set up balance between slave and free states. States above would be free, and below would be slave -
Slave vs Free State 10
A balance was was set up between slave and free states. States above would be free and below would be slaves -
Period: to
Age of Jackson 5
Politics of the Jacksonian Era. Even though Andrew Jackson was president only from 1829 to 1837, his influence on American politics was pervasive both before and after his time in office. -
Period: to
Cultural Changes 6
As the 18th Century began, slavery began to emerge quick and changes of culture had occurred -
Election of 1824 5
The United States presidential election of 1824 was the tenth quadrennial presidential election. John Quincy won the election -
Presidency of John Quincy Adams 5
John Quincy Adams was an American statesman who served as a diplomat, United States Senator, member of the House of Representatives -
John C Calhoun 6
An American statesman and political theorist from South Carolina, and the seventh Vice President of the United States from 1825 to 1832. -
Election of 1828 5
The 11th quadrennial presidential election. Andrew Jackson won the election -
The Second Party System 5
A name for the political party system in the United States during the 1800s, was the Democratic Party, led by Andrew Jackson. -
Age of the common man 5
The changing character of American politics -
Andrew Jackson 10
American soldier and statesman who served as the seventh President of the United States. Won the popular vote but not the electoral vote -
Abolitionist movement 6
A movement to end slavery -
Telegraph 9
A way of communication. Sends electric pulses for messages -
Nat Turner's Rebellion 9
Led by Nat Turner, rebel slaves killed from 55 to 65 people, the largest and deadliest slave uprising in U.S. history. It took place in Southampton County, Virginia, during August 1831. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion 9
A slave rebellion that took place in Southampton County, Virginia, during August 1831. Led by Nat Turner, rebel slaves killed from 55 to 65 people, the largest and deadliest slave uprising in U.S. history. -
Tariff Act of 1832 5
Referred to as a protectionist tariff in the United States. The purpose of this tariff was to act as remedy for the conflict created by the Tariff of 1828. -
Election of 1832 5
The 12th quadrennial presidential election. Andrew Jackson won the election -
Iron Plow 9
Developed by John Deere, was an invention that contributed greatly to the agricultural world. It allowed farmers to cultivate crops more efficiently because the smooth texture of the steel blade would not allow the soil of the Great Plains to stick as the cast iron plow did. -
Siege of Bexar 8
The Siege of Béxar was an early campaign of the Texas Revolution in which a volunteer Texian army defeated Mexican forces at San Antonio de Béxar. -
Battle of Gonzalez 8
The Battle of Gonzales was the first military engagement of the Texas Revolution. -
Period: to
Westward Expansion 8
Louisiana Purchase took place, doubling the size of the country. By 1840 almost 7 million Americans had migrated westward in hopes of securing land and being prosperous. The belief that settlers were destined to expand to the west is often referred to as Manifest Destiny. -
Election of 1836 6
Was the 13th quadrennial presidential election. Martin Van Buren won the election -
Henry David Thoreau 6
An american essayist, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, and historian. -
Great Revival 6
An architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture. -
Election of 1844 8
The 15th quadrennial presidential election. Democratic candidate James K. Polk defeated Whig candidate Henry Clay with 170 electoral votes to Clay's 105 -
Manifest Destiny 8
This was an expansion of U.S. territory as colonies rather than states and was another demonstration of growing U.S. imperialism. -
Bear Flag Revolt 8
An unrecognized breakaway state that, for twenty-five days in 1846, militarily controlled the area to the north of the San Francisco Bay in the present-day state of California. -
Mexican American War 8
The Mexican–American War, also known as the Mexican War and in Mexico the American intervention in Mexico, was an armed conflict between the United States of America and the United Mexican States -
Bringham Young 8
He was the second President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877. -
Seneca Falls Convention 6
The first women's rights convention. It advertised itself as "a convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of woman" -
Election of 1848 8
The 16th quadrennial presidential election. It was won by Zachary Taylor of the Whig Party, who ran against Lewis Cass of the Democratic Party -
Compromise of 1850 7
The Compromise of 1850 consists of five laws passed in September of 1850 that dealt with the issue of slavery. -
California Gold Rush 7
When gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought some 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. -
Period: to
Sectionalism 7
Loyalty to one's own region or section of the country, rather than to the country as a whole. -
Election of 1852 7
The seventeenth quadrennial presidential election. Franklin Pierce won the election -
Kansas-Nebraska Act 7
It allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery within their borders -
Dred Scott vs. Sandford 7
The Supreme Court ruled that Americans of African descent, whether free or slave, were not American citizens and could not sue in federal court. -
Election of 1860 7
The nineteenth quadrennial presidential election to select the President and Vice President of the United States. Abraham Lincoln won the election -
Abraham Lincoln 7
American statesman and lawyer who served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. -
Ulysses S Grant 11
Ulysses S. Grant was a prominent United States Army general during the American Civil War and Commanding General at the conclusion of that war -
North 11
With a population of 22 million and over 110,000 factories in a $1.5 billion industry. The North believed they were fighting to upload Constitution, Union. -
South 11
With a population of 5.5 million, over 3.5 million slaves, and 18,000 factories in a $155 million industry. The south had a great history of competent military leaders and compared themselves to American colonists -
Period: to
The Civil War 11
The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865. The result of a long-standing controversy over slavery, war broke out in April 1861, when Confederates attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina, shortly after President Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated. -
Robert E Lee 11
Robert Edward Lee was an American and Confederate soldier, best known as a commander of the Confederate States Army. -
Battle of Antietam 11
Also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, was fought near Sharpsburg, Maryland and Antietam Creek as part of the Maryland Campaign. -
Battle of Shiloh 11
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War -
Conscription Act 11
U.S. Congress passes a conscription act that produces the first wartime draft of U.S. citizens in American history. The act called for registration of all males between the ages of 20 and 45, including aliens with the intention of becoming citizens -
Election of 1864 11
The 20th quadrennial presidential election, where Abraham Lincoln was the winner
