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The Boston Massacre
The stirrings of what became the American Revolution began as residents grew angry about the heavy taxation. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration was adopted by the Congress -
Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation
On June 11, the Second Continental Congress appointed three committees in response to the Lee Resolution proposing independence for the 13 colonies -
George Washington chairs Constitutional Convention, meeting in Philadelphia
New York and New Jersey were in a dispute over duties charged on goods crossing state lines, and Spain and Britain were encroaching on American territories in the west. -
Construction of the U.S. Capitol begins
Construction of the Capitol, the building that houses the U.S. Congress, began in 1793 and was largely completed by 1865 -
Kentucky becomes the 15th state
Under the direction of the postmaster general, David Burr compiled information from postmasters throughout the country about transportation routes and the location of post offices to produce a large set of state and regional maps -
Thomas Jefferson elected third president of the United States
Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States of America and one of the founding fathers of the republic. -
Lewis and Clark set out from Saint Louis for the Pacific
Jefferson’s detailed instructions to Lewis regarding the goals of the expedition. “The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri River, and such principal streams of it, as, by its course and communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean, whether the Columbia, Oregon [sic], Colorado, or any other river, may offer the most direct and practicable water communication across the continent, for purposes of commerce.” -
First continental map of the United States
This 1816 map by John Melish (1771–1822) is the first to show the United States as a continental state -
Osceola, leader of the Seminole struggle against U.S. troops, dies
Osceola was a Seminole war chief who led the resistance to the campaign by U.S. federal troops to forcibly resettle his tribe to territory west of the Mississippi River. -
Failure of democratic revolutions in Europe triggers increased immigration to the United States
This map by Gotthelf Zimmermann reflects the importance of German immigration to North America in the mid-19th century. -
Transcontinental Railroad completed
President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act into law on July 1, 1862.
