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America's History
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Jamestown
The first permanent English settlement, Jamestown was named in honor of King James. The trip was founded by the Virginia Company of London. The land was swampy, with mosquitoes and dirty water among other things. They had hot summers and cold winters. It was hard for the colonists to adjust to their new environment. -
Plymouth
Another trip that the Virginia Company financed was settled on by the Pilgrims, who were persecuted Puritans, and called Plymouth. The Pilgrims sailed in the Mayflower and arrived at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, rather than their original destination, the mouth of the Hudson River, near present-day New York. One year later, they celebrated the first Thanksgiving to thank the natives who helped them settle down in Massachusetts. -
Great Migration
Starting in 1630 and ending around 1640, Puritans began the Great Migration, where they left England and left for the unsettled Americas. Around 20,000 Puritans came to America. Puritan merchants had ivested in the Massachusetts Bay Company, so when they received a royal charter from England in 1629, 11 well-supplied ships were prepared to carry 1,000 passangers to the new colony. They were well-prepared and did not suffer a starving time. John Winthrop was the governor of the colony. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was an agreement between the English people and William and Mary, the monarchs. It was made to respect the rights of the the people and the Parliment. The Bill of Rights also included the following clauses: Monarchs cannot cancel or impose laws without Parliment approval. Excessive fines and cruel punishments were forbidden. People could complain to the monarchs without being arrested. This document strengthened the rights of the people. -
The Salem Witchcraft Trials
It started in Massachusetts, where the Puritans lived. Several Salem girls were told witch stories from Tituba, an Indies slave, and thought it funny to act bewitched. They began to falsely accuse others of being witches. The witch-hunts began and moew than 100 people were arrested and 30 were killed. Then, as suddenly as it has began, it stopped. -
The Enlightenment
This period of time, also known as the Age of Reason, emphasized reason and science as paths to knowledge. Pop with wealthy, educated men like Benjamin Franklin, it began in Europe and was based on classical writings (from the Renasissance), equality (from Christianity), and challenging the church (from the Reformation). John Lock argued that people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property, while Charle-Louis Montesquieu, a Frenchmen, proposed three branches of government. -
The Great Awakening
Lasting from the 1730's to the 1740's, the Great Awakening was a religious movement where ministers began to preach about inner religious emotion being more important than outward religious behaviors. Many people switched churches and cultures, and women, African Americans, and Native Americans were welcomed, causing churches to gain between 20 and 50,000 new members. Princton and Brown were formed to train ministers. This movement encouraged equality and began the questioning of British rule. -
French and Indian War
From 1754 to 1763, the British and the French fought over who would control the North and East parts of North America. This argument started with the fur trappers in the Ohio River Valley. George Washington was a major who served as a correspondence from the French to the British. -
Boston Massacre
In the fall of 1768, British soldiers arrived. The Redcoats called the Colonists, Yankees. On March 5th, 1770 youths and dockworkers insulted the British in front of the Custom House. Red coats fired on the Colonists and 5 people, including Crispus Attucks, were killed. This event became a tool for an anti-British propaganda in newspapers. -
Boston Tea Party
On the night of December 16th, 1773, the Sons of Liberty dressed up as Native Americans and boarded three tea ships in Boston Harbor. Their names were The Beaver, The Eleanor, and The Dartmouth. In total, they destroyed 342 chests of tea. This event was a reaction to the Tea Act and it added cause for rebellion. -
Lexington and Concord
Here is the song of the 'Shot heard round the world'!Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the Revolutionary War. On the dawn of April 19th, 1775, around 4,000 Minutemen and militiamen lined the road from Lexington to Concord and fired on the Redcoats. The first shot in these battles was called, "The shot heard round the world". This forced Americans to choose sides. -
Continental Army
Led by George Washington, the Continental army was formed to fight the British for American Independence. The army never had more than 17,000 men at a time and it was made up of untrained men from state militias. There was a lack of supplies and many women helped out around the camps. -
Declaration of Independence
Independence made America's split from England official. Thomas Jefferson wrote this important document because he was a good writer and he was from Virginia, and without Virginia's support, America would not have become a separate country. -
Articles of Confederation
At first the national government had few powers in the Articles of Confederation. It could wage war, make peace, sign treaties, and issue money, while the states were given the power to set taxes and enforce laws. The national government was run by the Congress, with each state having one vote. This was the beginning of America's government. -
Battles of Saratoga
Burgoyne's army needed supplies, so they began to head to Albany, New York. On September 19th, General Horatio Gates, an American commander, fought Burgoyne's army at Bemis Heights. On October 7th, the British fell back and were forced to surrender as they had run out of supplies. They never reached Albany. The effects were Benedict Arnold turning traitor and European help for America. -
Battle of Yorktown
Cornwallis went to Yorktown, Chesapeake Bay, to get supplies. French ships blocked supplies from reaching the waiting British, while Rochambeau, a French commander, and George Washington trapped Cornwallis on the peninsula. On October 19th, 1781, Cornwallis surrendered his 8,000 troops. This was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. It also started negotiation of peace treaty. -
Constitutional Convention
Meeting in Philadelphia, many great minds and some of our Founding Fathers came together to design a new national government. About half were lawyers, three-fourths had been representatives in Congress, and many had helped write their states' constitutions. Randolf suggested the Virginia Plan, where the government would have three differents branches with different functions to limit the power of the other branches. The Great Compromise was made to satisfy all states and get it passed. -
Federal Judiciary Act
When this act was passed, it created a court system, the Supreme Court, which was made of six members. There was a chief justice and five associate justices. Today that number is now grown to 9. As well, this act created the lower, less powerful court systems. John Jay was promoted by George Washington as the first chief justice. He was a well-known New York lawyer and diplomat. -
Bill of Rights
Ensuring the rights of all Americans, the Bill of Rights was created to protect people against the strong national government. Madison, who had just become a Congress member in 1789, proposed a set of changes be made to the Constitution. Congress edited this list and suggested placing them in a separate section of the Constitution. When they were sent off to the states, ten of the amendments for ratified. This amendments are now named the Bill of Rights. -
Whiskey Rebellion
A group of farmers in Western Pennsylvania beat up tax collectors and threatened to attack Pittsburgh. Washington and Hamilton prepared to crush the rebellion and enforce the tax. They feared that ignoring the problem would remove some of the national government's power. In October, General Henry Lee and Hamilton brought an army with 13,000 soldiers to Pennsylvania to stop the rebellion and the rebels fled. Twenty were caught and Washington had showed the power of the government. -
Judicial Review
This principle was created due to the reult of the case Marbury V. Madison in 1803. It states that the Supreme Court has the final say in interpreting the Constitution and declaring wether or not laws were constitutional. The chief justice, Marshall, helped to create a balance among the three branches of government. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Led by Meriwether Lewis, a young officer, and his friend William Clark, a skilled mapmaker and natural leader, the Lewis and Clark Expedition was led to explore the newly purchased Louisiana Territory and to see if there was an all-water route to the Pacific. York, Clark's slave, and Sacagawea also came along. Sacagawea used her knowledge of the land to help the expedition succeed. -
The Star-Spangled Banner
America waged war against Britian because Britian interfered with their shipping while France and Britian were fighting each other. Both sides did not want the United States' products to help their enemy so both sides took American ships captive. Once British defeated France, it wholeheartly began to attack America. One Washington lawyer, Francis Scott Key, watched as the American flag still stood after the battle at Fort Mchenry and wrote a poem which later became our national anthem in 1931. -
Industrial Revolution
Factory machines replaced hand tools and mass manufacturing replacing farming as a major source of work. Because of the British blockade during the War of 1812, supplies could not get ot America and it began to produce its own products. Many factories cropped up in New England. -
Trail of Tears
American troops led by General Winfield Scott rounded up 16,000 troops and forced them into camps. From 1838-1839, the Cherokees, an Indian tribe, marched West. One fourth died on the trip. This harsh journey was named the Trail of Tears.
