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The Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. American victory British forces succeed in destroying cannon and supplies in Concord Militia successfully drive British back to Boston Start of the American Revolutionary War. -
The Winter at Valley Forge
Valley Forge is the location of the 1777-1778 winter encampment of the Continental Army under General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. Despite the brutal conditions, Valley Forge was significant because Washington used the time to improve his army. Troops drilled daily under the tutelage of a Prussian officer, Baron von Steuben, who implemented a system of standardized military training that enhanced the fighting capacity of the Continental Army. -
Benedict Arnold turns traitor
Yet Arnold felt that he never received the recognition he deserved. In 1779, he entered into secret negotiations with the British, agreeing to turn over the U.S. post at West Point in return for money and a command in the British army. His name has since become synonymous with the word “traitor.” -
The Battle of Cowpens
Battle of Cowpens, (January 17, 1781), in the American Revolution, brilliant American victory over a British force on the northern border of South Carolina that slowed Lord Cornwallis's campaign to invade North Carolina. British casualties were estimated at about 600, whereas the Americans lost only 72. -
The USS Constitution defeats the HMS Guerriere
The exchange of broadsides felled Guerriere's masts and reduced the ship to a sinking condition. Constitution's crew took the British sailors on board and set Guerriere on fire, then returned to Boston with news of the victory, which proved to be important for American morale. -
The Battle of Baltimore
The successful defense of Baltimore City helped end the War of 1812. This victory, together with the defeat of a British naval squadron on Lake Champlain showed the British government that the United States could hold out against British attacks. -
The Battle of New Orleans
The resounding American victory at the Battle of New Orleans soon became a symbol of American democracy triumphing over the old European ideas of aristocracy and entitlement. The battle was the last major armed engagement between the United States and Britain. -
The Election of Andrew Jackson
The 1828 United States presidential election was the 11th quadrennial presidential election. It was held from Friday, October 31 to Tuesday, December 2, 1828. It featured a repetition of the 1824 election, as President John Quincy Adams of the National Republican Party faced Andrew Jackson of the Democratic Party. -
The Battle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was an important event in the Texas Revolution and American History because it rallied the rest of Texas to fight against the Mexican army eventually leading to a victory over Santa Ana at the Battle of San Jacinto -
Mexico loses California, New Mexico, and Arizona
This treaty, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the war between the United States and Mexico. By its terms, Mexico ceded 55 percent of its territory, including the present-day states California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, most of Arizona and Colorado, and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected President
The 1860 United States presidential election was the 19th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 1860. -
South Carolina secedes from the United States
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. -
The First Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run 3,000 Union casualties1,750 for the Confederates.Its outcome sent northerners who had expected a quick decisive victory reeling, and gave rejoicing southerners a false hope that they themselves could pull off a swift victory Federal forces under General Irvin McDowell attempted to flank Confederate positions by crossing Bull Run but were turned back The end result of the battle was a Confederate victory and Federal forces retreated to the defenses of Washington, DC. -
The Battle of Gettysburg
The Union had won the Battle of Gettysburg. Though the cautious Meade would be criticized for not pursuing the enemy after Gettysburg, the battle was a crushing defeat for the Confederacy. Union casualties in the battle numbered 23,000, while the Confederates had lost some 28,000 men–more than a third of Lee's army. -
The sinking of the USS Maine
On February 15, 1898, an explosion of unknown origin sank the battleship U.S.S. Maine in the Havana, Cuba harbor, killing 266 of the 354 crew members. The sinking of the Maine incited United States' passions against Spain, eventually leading to a naval blockade of Cuba and a declaration of war. -
Battle of the Philippines
Battle of Manila, (4–5 February 1899), largest and first battle of the Philippine-American War, a war between the United States and Filipino revolutionaries from 1899 to 1902, an insurrection that may be seen as a continuation of the Philippine Revolution against Spanish rule. -
The Adoption of the Star Spangled Banner as the National Anthem
President Woodrow Wilson adopted the song as a de facto “national anthem” in 1916 but did not codify this ruling. In 1929, “House Resolution 14” was presented to Congress to name “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the official national anthem to the United States. President Herbert Hoover signed into law a bill that designated the “Star-Spangled Banner” as the National Anthem of the United States. On April 15, 1929, Representative John Linthicum of Maryland introduced to the House, H.R.