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Aug 3, 1492
Columbus Finds America
With funding from the king of Spain, Christopher Columbus set off for Asia to find spices and other valuable items. He never made it to Asia though. He sailed and found islands, now known as the Bahamas. While Columbus was not the first to "discover" the America's, he did help lay the foundation for the later 13 Colonies. -
13 Colonies
Many colonies were established on the American continent. Most of these colonies were set up to make money, but a few were there for religion. -
French and Indian War
The French and the Biritsh both wanted to grow their territories, which caused conflict and eventually a war. During the war the British, the French, and the American Colonies all fought. This war lasted seven years. -
Boston Tea Party
After the French/Indian war, the British government needed more money to pay for the war. The Tea Act was proposed and many colonists disagreed. As defiance, some colonists dumped all the tea that was on British ships into the Boston Harbor. -
Revolutionary War
Due to all the taxes, the colonists started to rebel and small fights turned into massacres. This war caused the death of hundreds and took place thoughout several towns and forts. After 8 years, the war ended with the surrender of a British general and treaties made with France. -
Writing of the Constitution
Shortly after the Revolutionary war, several men known as the Founding Fathers, wrote the United States Consitiution. The Constitution is a set of laws for the new government. The Articles of Confederation and the Bill of RIghts were later added to the Constitution to improve upon what was already set up. -
Lewis and Clark
After a large portion of land was bought from the French, Lewis and Clark were hired by Thomas Jefferson to explore the land and find a way of passage to the Pacific Ocean. Their journey was tough, but they made friends with several Native Americans. Lewis and Clark sucessfully mapped out most of United States and found rivers leading to the Pacific Ocean. -
Missouri Compromise
The United States had slave states and anti-slave states. Missouri was an anti-slave state, but they wanted to be a slave state. The Missouri Compromise made it so Northern states would not allow slavery, while the Southern states would. -
Industrial Revolution
During this time, many new inventions were showing up and improvements were being made to common objects. Items started to be mass produced and transportation was becoming more effective through the use of steam. -
Bleeding Kansas
Slavery was a popular subject during this time. Several people wanted to vote to determine whether or not slavery would be allowed. However, slavery was already outlawed in many states. Fights broke out between those who wanted slaves and those who wanted to outlaw slavery and many people were killed.
