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The Battles of Lexington and Concord
Massachusetts colonists defied British authority, outnumbered and outfought the Redcoats, and embarked on a lengthy war to earn their independence. -
The Winter at Valley Forge
regular freezing and thawing, plus intermittent snowfall and rain, coupled with shortages of provisions, clothing, and shoes, made living conditions extremely difficult. -
Benedict Arnold turns traitor
Revolutionary War hero Benedict Arnold turned his back on his country in a secret meeting with a top British official. -
The Battle of Cowpens
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. -
USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere
USS Constitution met and defeated HMS Guerriere, a 38-gun British frigate under the command of Captain James Richard Dacres. While relatively inconsequential in strategic terms for the War of 1812, the stunning victory provided a much-needed morale boost for the American public. -
The Battle of Baltimore
Faced against the greatest military in the world, American forces held their ground and saved Baltimore from facing the same fate as Washington D.C., the epic event also inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words that would eventually become "The Star-Spangled Banner," today's National Anthem. -
The Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans | Andrew Jackson, British Invasion ...
Farragut entered the lower Mississippi near New Orleans and soon breached the heavy chain cables that were stretched across the river as a prime defense. -
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. The 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. -
Mexico lost California, New Mexico, and Arizona Battle of the Philippines (Spanish American War, not World War II)
The Spanish-American War of 1898 ended Spain's colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere and secured the position of the United States as a Pacific power. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected President
Lincoln took office following the 1860 presidential election, in which he won a plurality of the popular vote in a four-candidate field. Almost all of Lincoln's votes came from the Northern United States, as the Republicans held little appeal to voters in the Southern United States. -
South Carolina secedes from the United States
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 end result of the battle was a Confederate victory and Federal forces retreated to the defenses of Washington, DC. One week later, General George McClellan was appointed head of the Army of the Potomac. The three maps cited below all use the name “Bull Run” to identify the battle. -
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. -
The Treaty at Appomattox Courthouse
There was no treaty signed to end the Civil War. The surrender at Appomattox Court House was a military surrender of an army that was surrounded. The Confederate government never surrendered and even had it wanted to the United States government would likely not have accepted. -
The sinking of the USS Maine
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 United States' passions against Spain, eventually led to a naval blockade of Cuba and a declaration of war. -
The Adoption of the Star Spangled Banner as the National Anthem
This patriotic song, whose words were written by Francis Scott Key on Sept. 14, 1814, during the War of 1812 with Great Britain, was adopted by Congress as the U.S. national anthem in 1931.