Early US History

  • Oct 12, 1492

    The Discovery of America by Columbus

    Christopher Columbus lands in America while attempting to find a sea route to Asia.
  • The Settlement of Jamestown

    The first permanent colonist settlement in the Americas.
  • Period: to

    The French and Indian War

    A seven year war between the colonists, the French, Great Britain and Native American tribes over land in North America.
  • The Boston Tea Party

    Colonists protest the tea tax by dumping tea that had been shipped from Britain into the sea.
  • The Battle of Lexington and Concord

    The battle that officially started the Revolutionary war - the "shot heard 'round the world".
  • The Declaration of Independence Adopted

  • The Declaration of Independence Signed

  • The Battle of Yorktown

    The last major battle of the Revolutionary War.
  • Period: to

    Constitutional Convention

    The convention that decided how America was going to be governed.
  • The Invention of the Cotton Gin

    The cotton gin is invented by Eli Whitney.
  • The Alien and Sedition Acts

    Acts are passed to limit criticism on the national government and limit foreign immigrants.
  • Period: to

    The Alien and Sedition Acts Passed

    Acts are passed to limit criticism on the national government and limit foreign immigrants.
  • Invention of the Electric Light Bulb

    Englishman Humphry Davy invents the Electric Arc Lamp.
  • The Louisiana Purchase

    An enormous plot of land that Jefferson bought for very cheap from France that expanded America to the West.
  • Period: to

    The War of 1812

    The War of 1812 was a war that was fought over mostly the British impressment of American sailors, but also over disagreements over expansion, trade, and Native American policies.
  • The Missouri Compromise

    This let Missouri become a state, and also made it so that the Union must have equal slave and free states.
  • Andrew Jackson's Presidential Election

  • Period: to

    The Trail of Tears

    A deadly route Native Americans were forced to follow as they were pushed out of their lands as the US expanded.
  • Invention of the Telegraph

  • The Panic of 1837

    An event that started off a major depression in the US.
  • Period: to

    The Mexican - American War

    A war between Mexico and America over attacks on disputed land near the Rio Grande.
  • The Compromise of 1850

    A compromise that attempted to smooth of disputes between new free and slave states.
  • The Firing on Fort Sumter

    The official beginning of the Civil War.
  • The Emancipation Proclamation

    A proclamation that freed slaves in the Confederate states.
  • 13th, 14th, and 15th Ammendments

    Known and the Reconstruction Amendments, these amendments addressed slavery, citizenship and voting rights.
  • Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse

    What is considered to be the largest and most significant surrender of the Civil War.
  • Abraham Lincoln's Assassination

  • Andrew Johnson's Impeachment

  • The Organization of Standard Oil Trust

    John D. Rockefeller organizes what will become a large oil company.
  • Invention of the Telephone

    Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone.
  • Patent of the Light Bulb

    Thomas Edison patents a practical design for a light bulb that is much better than previous attempts.
  • The Homestead Strike

    A strike at a steel mill in Homestead, caused by tensions between managers and employees.
  • The Pullman Strike

    A strike by railroad workers because of severe wage cuts.
  • Period: to

    The Spanish - American War

    A war between Spain and America that was mostly caused because of an explosion of a US battleship and America's support of rebelling Filipinos and Cubans of Spanish rule.
  • Theodore Roosevelt Become President

  • Invention of the Airplane

    Wilbur and Orville Wright invent and fly the first airplane.