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1492
The Arawak get an uninvited guest
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1502
First "Successful" Settlement in Abya Yala
POV of Johnson in his A History of the American People page 15, the first successful settlement of any kind, not simply European, was Nicolas de Ovando's Santo Domingo. Why does Italian, Columbus get so much credit? Maybe it has to do with Italian Americans needing a real American hero so they could become White.. Read positive things Johnson thinks Europeans provided. -
Oct 18, 1526
First Rebellion against Colonization
The Guale and enslaved Africans rebel against the Allyon settlement in what is now Georgia.
More about the rebellion Search for the primary source where Charles V of Spain granted land in Abya Yala to Allyon and also where someone mentions giants and people with tails? -
1528
Esteban survives Narvaez Expedition
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1540
The Chickasaw get uninvited guest
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1542
Bartolome de las Casas writes Destruction of Indians
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A Story of How a Wall Stands set
8th Collections
Poem
Acoma Pueblo -
British Northern Colonial Characteristics
British colonists of the northern colonies are farmers. For them: small farm=freedom. Freedom=dispossessing Native Peoples. Only first-born son inherited small farm, so other children became merchants of textiles and metal work. -
British Southern Colonial Characteristics
These colonists had a ruling class and a hereditary aristocracy (such as George Washington's father). They also had a huge poor White class. Still, it was better to be indentured in America than a poor serf in England with no chance of ever getting to own a small farm, which, as in the north, equaled freedom. Owning slaves to work that farm for you=even more freedom (ironic, right?) -
Fray Alonso de Posada Outlaws Kachina Dance
Spanish are conquering New Mexico in order to enslave Native people in silver mines. Catholic friars want to eliminate Native People's religions. They call this "extirpation." They extirpate the Hopi religion by outlawing their Kachina dances. Outlawing Native Peoples' spiritual practices is ongoing. The US periodically legalizes different aspects of Native religion, such as this 1994 amendment -
TAKEN: King Charles II Creates South Carolina
The king of England gives English proprietors (private owners) a buffer colony to protect his colonies against the Spanish who conquered Florida. Calls it South Carolina. Populates it with White people from Barbados (an island in the West Indies) who are expert slavers used to mistreating Black people. -
The English take Manahatta from the Dutch
The Dutch had previously taken it from the Lenape. Manahatta became New Amsterdam, and now it becomes New York. -
Nathaniel Bacon immigrates to Virginia
He is rich, part of an aristocratic family. He soon becomes an influential leader in Virginia's colonial government. -
47 Medicine Men Jailed in New Mexico
Spanish governor of New Mexico, Trevino, jails 47 medicine men for sorcery. Indigenous Peoples invade the jail, demand release. Spanish soldiers are away fighting the Apache, so Trevino is forced to release the prisoners, one of whom is Po'Pay. -
Period: to
King Philip's War
Massasoit (chief who helped Pilgrims survive first winters) had son named Metacom (aka King Philip) who was sick of British colonists taking his people's land and of British colony's Anti-Indian laws. Formed federation called Wampanoag with former enemy nations: Massachusett, Narraganset, and Pokanoket. Fought against British colonists. Body Count: 1,000 out of 52,000 Europeans died. 3,000 out of 20,000 Wampanoag died. British won. Metacom's head placed on pike for years in Plymouth town square. -
TAKEN: Bacon's Rebellion
Nathaniel Bacon disagrees with Virginia governor Berkely about how the Native Peoples should be eliminated. Bacon wants a fast genocide. Berkely wants an orderly, slow genocide. Bacon creates an army made of both Black and White slaves and indentured servants who want freedom to take as much as land from the Native Peoples as they can. They lose when Bacon dies of diarrhea, but rebellion scares the slave-owning White government. Create laws dividing Whites from Blacks. -
TAKEN: Britain Passes Habeas Corpus Act
The Habeas Corpus Act allows a prisoner to demand that the court examine the lawfulness of her or his detention. It is meant to prevent unlawful or arbitrary imprisonment. -
Po'Pay's Rebellion
Po'Pay, a Native man from Ohkay Owingeh (Santa Fe, New Mexico) recruits support from other Native Peoples (Pueblo Indians) to revolt against the Spanish in New Mexico who were enslaving them. However, the Tiwa Nation converted to Christianity and became "Hispanisized," meaning they considered themselves Spanish. The Tiwa betrayed the rebellion, but Po'Pay still won! It was called the Pueblo Revolt and it forced the Spanish and their Hispanisized Native slaves to flee New Mexico. -
Period: to
Virginia Exports
Virginia exports 300,000,000 pounds of slave-produced tobacco per year to feed British smoking addiction. -
Charles II gives Pennsylvania to Penn
William Penn gets to privately own an entire colony called Pennsylvania. His is a Quaker, which is a religion that believes in non-violence and acceptance of other religions. The religious freedom and cheap land attracts poor Germans fleeing war in Europe. Unlike most British colonies where only really rich land-owning White men could vote, over 50% of White males in Pennsylvania could vote (meaning that a lot of them owned land). -
Dominion of New England established
King James II of England consolidates all the Northern Colonies into one mega colony called the Dominion of New England (includes Connecticut, Plymouth, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey). He places a tyrant named Andros as the governor. Andros levies taxes without any say from colonial governors. -
England's Glorious Revolution
England gets a new royal family, kicks out James II. This automatically cancels everything James II did, such as appoint Andros over the Dominion of New England. British colonists actually put Andros in jail. -
British Bill of Rights
The British Parliament passes the Bill of Rights which stipulates exactly who will inherit the crown, limits the power of the king, gives free speech to parliament, prohibits cruel and unusual punishment (similar to the US 8th Amendment), gives Protestant Christians the right to bear arms against Catholics (the Protestants had just revolted and kicked out their Catholic King, which is why they were writing this Bill of Rights), prohibits the king from taxing without Parliament's agreement. -
John Locke Writes Essays
Locke writes essays saying that the Native Peoples of Abya Yala should not count as humans because they don't believe in the private ownership of land. Locke believes that the land in Abya Yala is up for grabs for anyone who can fence it and exploit it. Believes in "social contract": citizens give up some liberty in exchange for the government protecting their "natural rights": right to steal land if people aren't using it "properly." Government exists to protect private property. -
Protestant Toleration Act
England's new government passes act. Separates church from state. Church membership in the Puritan colonies is no longer a requirement for voting. Instead being a "visible saint" is a requirement, which means being rich enough to own land (Puritans believed that if you were rich, it was a sign that God elected you to be rich). Most colonial landowners are male because land isn't inherited to daughters. White Colonists now are of many Christian religions, not just Puritans and Separatists. -
Plymouth Colony Absorbed
The original Plymouth colony of the famous Mayflower Pilgrims is canceled and becomes part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which is now led by a governor who doesn't even live there (he lives in England) instead of being led by the CEO of the Massachusetts Bay Company. -
TAKEN: Salem Witch Trials
The Puritans are angry with England's Protestant Toleration Act because it means that they now have to give religious freedom to all White people, even their arch nemeses, The Quakers, so they take their anger out on those whom they deem "witches" among themselves. This is an example of scapegoating. When a society has a problem, they often take it out on people who have nothing to do with the problem. Can you find an example of this in today's society? -
TAKEN: James Moore's Extermination Order
South Carolina governor James Moore leads the Creek and Yamasee nations against the Hispanisized Natives who have become Spanish Catholics in the Florida missions (remember, Florida belongs to Spain still). Moore wins and sells the Hispanisized Natives into slavery in the West Indies (Caribbean sugar cane plantations). Now, there are practically no Native Peoples in Florida except the Creek and the Yamasee. -
Yamasee War
The SC colonists, whom the Yamasee and Creek recently helped to exterminate the Hispanisized Florida Natives, betrayed the Y and C. The SC colonists now try to exterminate the Y and C so that they can expand British slave plantations into Florida. Long story short, the Y ally with Spain. Leads to international conflict involving France. Peace restored by Emperor Brim of Coweta Nation. Read more -
Great Awakening
Jonathan Edwards leads a religious revival meeting at which Congregationalist Puritans focus less on quietly finding evidence of God's election in their lives (they believed God elected certain people for salvation before birth, and that election cannot be changed no matter what you do) and more on creating that evidence with loud, external expressions of "born again" spirituality such as speaking in tongues and fainting. Religion becomes emotional and public instead of serious and private. -
Great Awakening Continued
This religious movement undermines traditional political authority because followers stop believing that their leaders were necessarily chosen by God. It creates "republicanism" which is where all property owning citizens (not just leaders) possess what they call, "virtue." Virtue means the ability to make decisions for the good of the whole group of White, landowning males without being biased by special interests (such as female rights, poor people's rights, etc.) -
TAKEN: Stono Rebellion
Enslaved people from Angola (many of whom fought in Yamasee War) rise up in South Carolina, cut off their masters' heads, place them on pikes, and march toward St. Augustine Florida where they will be safe because Spain wants African allies against British, so promises no slavery for Africans in Florida (though Spain does enslave Native people there). March was crushed by British before arrival, but cry of "Lukango!" (liberty in Kongolese) inspires other slave revolts along the way. -
Georgia Created as Experiment
King created colony of Georgia as social experiment. See if street trash of London could become wealthy if given own land (limit of 500 acres) in America. No slavery allowed. King also used Georgia as shield against French to west and Spain to south. King's appointed leaders in Georgia made trade agreements with Upper Creek Nation, this cut the actual colonists out of Native trade and land. They felt trapped and wanted the freedom to kill Natives and take their land. -
British and Spanish Neutral Zone
England and Spain create a neutral zone in Florida. -
TAKEN: Walking Purchase
Quakers in Pennsylvania trick Delaware Nation (William Penn's former allies) out of huge areas of land by saying that they found a lost treaty (they didn't) that said the Quakers get as much land as a man could walk in a day. Penn's son hired three fastest walkers and offered a large prize to the one who could cover the most land. The winner, running on a carefully cleared path, crossed more than twice the land the Delaware had anticipated. Delaware lost 1,200 square miles of their land. -
George Whitefield
He arrives in the colonies from Britain preaching that humans need only to repent in order to be saved. This is a revolutionary belief because before him, many colonists thought that people were "preordained" before they were born to be saved or damned. Nothing they could do during life could change their destiny of heaven or hell. All they could do was find "signs" of salvation (which usually meant signs of wealth). The idea of repentance changed all that. -
Ohio For Virginians
Governor of Virginia starts the Ohio Company claiming land in Ohio. This would later be one of George Washington's main reasons for fighting war against British because Washington claimed land for himself in Ohio and British King said, "no, that land belongs to the Native Peoples and we're not messing with them." Washington and most other colonists wanted the freedom to kill and displace Native Peoples from Ohio. Meanwhile, French (numbering 65,000 colonists) felt that Ohio belonged to France. -
Seminoles
Chief Secoffee establishes a refugee community in Florida for survivors of the Yamasee War, for Ochese Creek Nation, and for marooned slaves called Cimarrones. Maroons were communities of people who had escaped slavery. There were Maroon colonies all over Abya Yala, especially Brazil and Haiti. The name "Seminole" comes from "Cimarron." -
Junipero Serra Accuses of Witchcraft
Here is a primary source excerpt of the accusation
He enclosed the Pame near Queretaro, Mexico creating his first plantation of forced "mission Indians." There were not allowed to leave. Controlled market system, meaning they were paid, but could only buy from him. Example of what the Spanish called "reduccion." He wanted no oversight, so he kicked out non-Indians by accusing them of witchcraft. -
TAKEN: Seven Years War Begins
The British, including a young George Washington, try to eject the French from the forts that the French built in Pennsylvania (they built them in order to stop the governor of Virginia's Ohio Company). Washington loses Fort Necessity, but he finds some Native Peoples' land that he claims for himself. -
British Braddock Loses Fort Duchesne
General Braddock of the British army loses Fort Duchesne to the French as part of the Seven Years War. -
Cajuns Created
As part of the Seven Years War, the British expel 11,000 French Acadians from Nova Scotia, Canada. The refugees flee to Louisiana and become the ancestors of the Cajuns. -
TAKEN: British Take Montreal
The British Take Montreal, Canada from the French as part of the Seven Years War -
Treaty of Paris Ends Seven Years War
No Native Nations were present for the signing of the treaty that carved up their lands. Treaty drew boundaries in Abya Yala between what would belong to England, France, and Spain. England got Canada from France and Florida from Spain. Importantly, England got all of North America east of the Mississippi. Spain got Cuba, the Phillipines, pretty much all of North America west of the Mississippi, and most of Central and South America except Brazil (which belonged to Portugal). -
Proclamation Line
King of England drew a boundary line to the west of the colonies beyond which colonists could no longer kill Native Peoples and steal their lands. This made colonists angry because they had just fought a war against the French to be able to access those lands, especially in Ohio where George Washington himself had claimed land. Since they no longer had the freedom to kill Native Peoples and steal their land, many colonists starting thinking about rebelling against their own King. -
TAKEN: Pontiac's Rebellion
Since the French were kicked out of Abya Yala as a result of the Seven Years War, the Native Peoples had to deal with the British, who were much more bloodthirsty than the French. A Native general named Pontiac rebelled, laid siege to Detroit in order to kick out the British. Killed many British colonists. Lost, but scared the British into slowing down the genocide of Native Peoples. King drew a line beyond which colonists could not cross into Native lands. This was called the Proclamation Line. -
Remonstrance of Pennsylvania Frontiersmen Published
This is a list of complaints that the colonists who already live in the newly created Indian Territory have against the King of England who drew a boundary line that they already crossed. When they say, "freedom" they mean, "the freedom to continue killing Native Peoples and stealing their land." This is a primary source. Read it -
Stamp Act Congress
British King taxes all paper (through stamps) to pay for 7 Years War. Writers angry because been writing letters to each other across colonies to plot against the British (called Committees of Correspondence, COC). Now King has the gall to tax those letters? Also, colonies had been deciding on own taxes for a hundred years, and now King comes along and says, "only I can tax." Heck no. COC meets in person for first time. Decide to boycott all British goods. Boycott works! King cancels stamp act. -
Townsend Acts
Some dude named Townsend convinced the British Parliament to make new taxes against the colonists. The Committees of Correspondence decide to boycott British goods again. Since they can't buy British goods, they have to make their own. It is called "homespun." Women who know how to sew start groups like The Daughters of Liberty to make homespun instead of buying British clothing. The boycott works again (like it did against the Stamp Act). King cancels the tax. -
Population Check
During this time period, there are less than 10,000 free People of Color in the 13 British colonies. -
TAKEN: Boston Massacre
The American colonists are getting sick of being controlled by the British and sick of not being allowed to continue their genocide of Native Peoples. So, they protest in Boston. Their protest gets a bit out of hand, and a few of them are shot by British soldiers. John Adams, who would later become president of the US, defends the soldiers in court and they are found innocent. Crispus Attucks of Native and Black descent, is killed in the massacre. Look him up! -
TAKEN: Tea Act
This tax allowed cheap tea to flood the colonies. Colonists with own tea shops couldn't compete with cheap British tea. This actually made tea cheaper, but colonists felt this was a slippery slope. If the British could tax something as basic as their daily tea, what else would they start taxing? Air? Instead of boycotting tea, the colonists decided to dress like Native Peoples and dump British tea into the Boston Harbor. It was called the Boston Tea Party. It didn't work. The tea act stayed. -
Intolerable Acts
British acts that made colonists especially angry: 1. Massachussetts Governing Act- colonists in Mass. could no longer elect own governors 2. Quartering Act- British soldiers had the right to take over the homes of colonists. 3. Quebec Act- extended southern boundary of Quebec, which was filled with Catholics, thus forcing British colonists to extend religious freedom to Catholics (whom most British colonists hated). #1 made Mass decide to disobey all acts and prepare for war against Britain. -
First American Government Created
Since British refused to let colonists cross Proclamation Line and continue stealing Native Peoples' lands, Committees of Correspondence got more serious. Formed First Continental Congress. Delegates from 12 out of 13 colonies (not Georgia) met in Philadelphia to create a govt. that would have police with authority to enforce boycott against British goods and enforce homespun. Meeting minutes -
Britain Allies with Enslaved Africans
Seeing that war with the American colonists is on the horizon, British Governor Dunmore offers freedom to any enslaved person who deserts her or his master and fights for the British against the colonists. 5,000 joined immediately. 100,000 just fled their masters, but didn't join. In the end, 15,000 formerly enslaved people left the U.S. and actually moved to another part of the British Empire. -
TAKEN: First Fighting of British against Colonists
Spoiler alert. The British lost the battle. Battle of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts caused the British to abandon Boston, but they captured New York to make up for it. -
Thomas Paine's Common Sense
150,000 copies are printed. It leads directly to the Declaration of Independence because it convinces white, landowning male colonists like Thomas Jefferson that remaining under British control would be stupid. What about Paine's persuasive essay do you think convinced Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence? Read Common Sense -
Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations
Liked economic liberalism: markets should regulate themselves based on supply and demand. Sellers shouldn't have to pay King for right to sell. Hated "mercantilism:" King regulates economy to increase national power and monopolize production, uses tariffs so that balance of trade favors the government and not the merchants. Mercantilism: colonies are great money-makers because they BOTH produce new raw materials AND buy back finished goods from those materials. King makes money on both ends. -
Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson reveals what he actually means by "all men" when he calls Native Peoples "merciless Indian savages." He also reveals the true complaint that the colonists have against the King of England, "you won't give us the LIBERTY of continuing our genocide against Native Peoples like we used to!" Read the declaration -
Washington Crosses the Delaware
On Christmas eve, the new Continental Army commanded by George Washington crosses the Delaware River and gives the British a surprise attack. Colonists are backed by professional German mercenaries who kick the British soldiers' butts. This win inspires new recruits to Washington's army, which was previously thought to be a lost cause. Maybe the colonists could actually win! -
Valley Forge
This was a low point for Washington's Continental Army. Or was it? Search it up. -
TAKEN: Battle of Saratoga
In Upstate New York, colonial commander Horatio Gates beats British commander John Burgoyne. This win helps colonists gain European allies, especially France. The King of France ends up bankrupting himself helping the colonists beat the British (his arch rivals). The French King's lack of funds would later lead to the French Revolution where the poor of France overthrew him (and chopped off his head). -
Articles of Confederation
The delegates from the colonies come together and ask, "guys, what if we actually win this war? We're going to need some sort of rules about how we're going to interact as colonies. I mean, are we all going to be separate countries, or one country made of many states?" What rules did they come up with? -
Brits Take All Major Cities
The war for colonial independence from Britain is raging. By now, the British have control of all major colonial cities including Boston. However, the Continental Army continues winning small scale battles in the countryside. The British are dying by a million tiny cuts. This is called guerrilla warfare: an small army goes from village to village gaining support along the way, convincing people to stop being loyal to a stupid king thousands of miles away. -
Iroquois Confederacy
A bunch of major Native Nations had combined into a confederacy called the Iroquois Confederacy a long time ago to fight against Europeans. But now they saw White people fighting amongst themselves: British versus Americans. So they split up and chose to fight for the side that they thought would win: The Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, and Cayuga fought for the British. The Tuscarora and Oneida fought for the Americans. -
TAKEN: Jackson's Face Slashed
A young lad by the name of Andrew Jackson gets captured by the British and has his face slashed. He would later use that scar to say, "hey, nobody fought against the British more than me." He is now on the $20 bill. -
Period: to
USA Almost Destroyed by Native Peoples
During Articles of Confederation, newborn USA had no standing army to protect its borders from Native Nations who were taking their land back. USA needed a strong federal government so it could tax citizens to pay the salaries of soldiers to fight Native Nations. In other words, it needed a Constitution to create a more perfect union AGAINST Native Peoples. Articles of Confederation were too weak -
TAKEN: British Surrender. USA Born!
British Lord Cornwallis loses a major battle in Yorktown, Virginia to the Continental Army. Meanwhile, another British battalion is surrounded on 3 sides in Pennsylvania by the French Navy. Spain takes advantage of the panic and takes Florida back. England loses the war. USA is born. -
TAKEN: Treaty of Paris Part II
The news of Cornwallis's surrender was not immediate because he didn't have an Instagram. It took a few years for the war that became known as the Revolutionary War to come to an actual end when the British and the Americans sat down together in Paris to sign a treaty. What did the treaty do? -
Rebellion against California Mission at San Gabriel
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TAKEN: United Indian Nations v USA
Seeing that the colonies had united under a federal government called the USA, many Native Nations united into the United Indian Nations (UIN). The UIN gave the Continental Congress an ultimatum: "Either you enforce your treaties by keeping your land-hungry, genocidal maniac colonists off our remaining lands, or we defend our lands with force." The problem was, the Continental Congress had no way of enforcing its treaties because it had no army. So, the UIN attacked on 2 main fronts: NY and GA. -
TAKEN: Shay's Rebellion
White farmers rise up against the White people who loaned them money because they have no way of paying it back. This makes rich White people realize that too much democracy among the lower classes threatens private property (which they call "liberty.") These rich, White "elites" wanted a strong national government that could fund an army and police to protect their property and their money. So, they met that same year and wrote up The Constitution. -
Frankenstein published
8th Collection -
from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass set
8th Collections -
Waterlily by Ella Deloria set
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from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer set
8th Collections -
The Known World set
Book about a Black slave owner -
Tell-Tale Heart by Poe published
8th Collection -
Henry Box Brown mails himself to freedom
See Kevin Hart's Black History -
The Underground Railroad set
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from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad set
8th Collections
Year that Harriet became an official conductor -
Karuk coming of age ceremony disrupted
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Elijah of Buxton set
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The Drummer Boy of Shiloh set
8th Collections -
Alcott's Civil War Journal set
8th Collections
Also connect to her house near Boston, her connections to John Brown (harbored his grieving daughters), Henry David Thoreau (taught at her dad's school) and abolitionism. Also Little Women. -
My Friend Douglass set
8th Collections
Lincoln met Douglass -
Bloody Times: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis set
8th Collections
but also good book meant for YA to read entirety -
The Real McCoy set
8th Collections -
Hawaii Annexed
Jonathan Osorio Opinion of what 4th of July means to a Native Hawaiian.
Trask's Speech in 1993
Trask's We Are Not Americans video -
A Mystery Of Heroism published
8th Collections
About the Civil War but published during the nadir of race relations. Connect to Key and Peele skit about Civil War reenactments. Also show Drunk History Harriet Tubman and Kevin Hart's history of Black captain. -
The Monkey's Paw set
8th Collection -
Wrights manufacture airplanes
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Much to Young To Work So Hard set
8th Collections -
Chicago by Carl Sandburg set
8th Collections
The year he moved to Chicago