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Benedict Arnold turns traitor
On September 21, 1780, Revolutionary War hero Benedict Arnold turned his back on his country in a secret meeting with a top British official. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
In this first battle of the American Revolution, Massachusetts colonists defied British authority, outnumbered and outfought the Redcoats, and embarked on a lengthy war to earn their independence. American victory. -
The Winter at Valley Forge
The winter of 1777-78 was not the coldest nor the worst winter experienced during the war, but regular freezing and thawing, plus intermittent snowfall and rain, coupled with shortages of provisions, clothing, and shoes, made living conditions extremely difficult. -
The Battle of Cowpens
South Carolina | Jan 17, 1781. A stunning example of military prowess and skilled leadership, the Battle of Cowpens near Chesnee, South Carolina, was a critical American victory in the Revolutionary War. This engagement further weakened British attempts to wrest the southern colonies from American control. -
The USS Constitution defeats the HMS Guerriere
Her foremast soon collapsed and brought the mainmast down as well. After losing the masts and being badly damaged, the British ship surrendered. Guerriere was too badly damaged to salvage and was burned the following day. This is the battle that earned Constitution the nickname “Old Ironsides”. -
The Battle of New Orleans
The climactic engagement, known as the Battle of New Orleans, occurred on January 8, 1815. In that 37-minute contest, 8,392 British soldiers attacked 5,359 Americans with disastrous results—2,037 Redcoat casualties in comparison to a mere 71 for Jackson's army. The dream of a British victory died at Chalmette. -
The Battle of Baltimore
The Battle of Baltimore was a sea/land battle fought on September 13 1814. American forces repulsed sea and land invasions off the port city of Baltimore, Maryland. -
The Election of Andrew Jackson
Jackson decisively won the election, carrying 55.5% of the popular vote and 178 electoral votes, to Adams' 83. The election marked the rise of Jacksonian Democracy and the transition from the First Party System to the Second Party System. -
The Battle of the Alamo
At dawn on March 6, 1836, the 13th day of the siege, the Battle of the Alamo commenced. Fighting lasted roughly 90 minutes, and by daybreak all the Defenders had perished, including a former congressman from Tennessee, David Crockett. The loss of the garrison was felt all over Texas, and even the world. -
The First Battle of Bull Run
The first land battle of the Civil War was fought on July 21, 1861, just 30 miles from Washington—close enough for U.S. senators to witness the battle in person. Southerners called it the Battle of Manassas, after the closest town. Northerners called it Bull Run, after a stream running through the battlefield. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected President
On November 6, 1860, he was elected president. Lincoln's steadfast refusal to allow for the expansion of slavery and his unwavering belief in democracy and freedom of opportunity for all propelled him to the White House and sustained him through four long years of civil war. -
South Carolina secedes from the United States
- Charleston Mercury on November 3, 1860. South Carolina became the first state to secede from the federal Union on December 20, 1860. The victory of Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 presidential election triggered cries for disunion across the slaveholding South.
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The Battle of Gettysburg
The charge was repulsed by Union rifle and artillery fire, at great loss to the Confederate army. Lee led his army on a torturous retreat back to Virginia. Between 46,000 and 51,000 soldiers from both armies were casualties in the three-day battle, the most costly in US history. -
The Treaty at Appomattox Courthouse
Where was the treaty signed? There was no treaty signed to end the Civil War. The surrender at Appomattox Court House was a military surrender of an army which was surrounded. The Confederate government never surrendered and even had it wanted to the United States government would likely not have accepted. -
Battle of the Philippines (Spanish American War, not World War II)
For the next three years the Filipinos carried on a guerrilla warfare campaign against U.S. rule. By the time fighting ended, some 20,000 Filipino troops and 200,000 civilians were dead. An estimated 4,300 Americans perished, the overwhelming majority as a result of disease. -
The sinking of the USS Maine
USS Maine, a second-class battleship built between 1888 and 1895, was sent to Havana in January 1898 to protect American interests during the long-standing revolt of the Cubans against the Spanish government. In the evening of 15 February 1898, Maine sank when her forward gunpowder magazines exploded. -
The Adoption of the Star Spangled Banner as the National Anthem
The Senate passed the bill on March 3, 1931. President Herbert Hoover signed the bill on March 4, 1931, officially adopting "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the national anthem of the United States of America. -
Mexico loses California, New Mexico, and Arizona
Mexico ceded nearly all the territory now included in the U.S. states of New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, Texas, and western Colorado for $15 million and U.S. assumption of its citizens' claims against Mexico. Treaty of Guadalupe HidalgoRead more about the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.Dec 19, 2024