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English Colony of Jamestown Established
The English had sent explorers to the Americas and even attempted to settle several colonies before finally finding success in Jamestown. It was established in the 14th of May, 1607, and was the first permanent English settlement in the New World. The settlement was heavily dependent on help from the local Indian tribes and supplies from the Old World. After being in dire straits for several years -
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French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was merely the American theater of a much larger, worldwide war, the Seven Years' War. The war in America pitted the British, the colonies, and a number of American Indian tribes against the French, and their American Indian allies. It was a major unifier for the disparate colonies. A sense of camaraderie between the colonists formed while the British became more of an impediment, largely due to their demand for taxes from the colonists to pay for the war. -
Birth of John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was born in Massachusetts to John and Abigail Smith Adams. The Adamses, as well as the Quincys on Abigails maternal line, were heavily prominent in early American politics. John Quincy was named after his great-grandfather, Colonel John Quincy, who died only two days after the birth of his great-grandson. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
In one of the first battles of the American Revolution, British troops drove colonial forces away from the hills near Boston Harbor after suffering many more casualties than their foes. A seven-year old John Quincy Adams and his mother observed the battle from a hilltop near his home, roughly ten miles south of the battlefield. In his own words: "I saw with my own eyes the fires of Charlestoen, and witnessed the tears of my mother...". -
Departure to France with Father
On February 13, 1778, John Adams, along with his son John Quincy Adams, boarded a ship bound for France. John Adams had been appointed a commisioner to France and it was decided that he would bring his young son along with him in order to ease his loneliness, expose John Quincy to the world, and help create a father-son bond. John Quincy met many important figures in Europe, saw many notable places, and had a life-changing experience. -
John Quincy Adams Admitted to Harvard University
President Willard of Harvard University was reluctant to admit John Quincy Adams to the college, due to being turned off by John Quincy's animation and eagerness. Nevertheless, after many months of studying and waiting, John Quincy perservered and was eventually admitted. The fifteen month experience at Harvard was not an entirely positive one for John Quincy, as he felt that he was not being challenged and that th other students were wild and immature. -
Storming of the Bastille
Tensions between the various social and economic classes in Frances culminated in members of the National Guard capturing the Bastille from the French government, which was a fort and prison in the center of Paris. The event is credited with being a spark in the French Revolution. -
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Whiskey Rebellion
Taxation without representation was a sensitive issue for the populace of the young United States. A 1791 tax placed on all distilled spirits became very unpopular, especially in rural western Pennsylvania, where whiskey was in large circulation and even served as a form of currency. Attacks on tax collectors occured in many places, including western Pennsylvania and western North Carolina. Several thousand colonists joined the fighting but it was put down by a military expedition. -
John Quincy Adams' Marriage
On the 26th of July, 1797, John Quincy Adams married Louisa Catherine Johnson, daughter of a wealthy Englishman. The new couple had originally planned to move to Lisbon, for a new assignment for John Quincy, but they were written at the last moment by President John Adams to proceed to Prussia, where a commission to the court in Berlin would arrive. Louisa had four miscarriages before finally giving birth to their first son, George Washington Adams. -
John Quincy Adams Appointed as Minister to Prussia
John Quincy Adams officially became the minister plenipotentiary to Prussia in late 1797. He was warmly welcomed by the royal society in Berlin after proving his language skills. The United States was able to negotiate a renewal of of amiability and commerce with Prussia thanks to John Quincy Adams' efforts. -
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Quasi-War
Arguments over the payments of debt between France and the United States, and well as the fact the the United States chose not to support France against Britain, led to an undeclared war from roughly 1798-1800. It was practically entirely a naval war, where the young American Navy attacked French privateers and defended the coast. France was impressing American seamen and seizing hundreds of ships, causing a dent in the American economy. Likely no more than fifty men were killed. -
Battle of Trafalgar
The British Royal Navy's victory against the French and Spanish Navies at the Battle of Trafalger secured its domination in the world for decades to come. The French and Spanish fleet lost numerous ships while the British lost not a single one. Napoleon's plans for invading England were effectively abandoned after this defeat. -
John Quincy Adams Resigns from the Senate
After experiencing heavy opposition to his lack of party-adherence, and not being selected for another term, John Quincy Adams resigned from his post in the Senate. John Quincy not only faced social and diplomatic exile, but was so incensed with the difficulties of serving the citizens that he moved away from the public eye. "[They required me to aid them in promoting measures tending to dissolve the union and to sacrifice the independence of this nation." -
Battle of New Orleans
British troops once again ravished the United States during the War of 1812. The last major battle was fought just south of New Orleans, Louisiana. An overwelming British attack force was defeated by American troops led by Andrew Jackson. American land in the west was made safe by the outcome of the ten day battle. -
Battle of Waterloo
Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from captivity on the island Elba, which is off of the coast of Italy. He managed to regroup his French armies, which had been previously defeated by a Anglo-led European alliance. The battle ended Napoleon's reign and his chances for leading the French in creating a vast empire. -
First Electric Telegraph is Rejected
Francis Ronalds, a young Englishman whose family ran a lucrative cheese business, was interested in electricity and developed one of the world's first electric telegraphs. He proposed his invention to the Admiralty (government that commanded the Royal Navy) of the UK, but it was turned down on August 5, 1816. Only a few decades later, telegraphs connected large parts of the western world with instant communication. -
Inauguration as the 6th President of the United States
The 1824 Presidential Election was marred by being the first election in which the winner did not gain the majority of electoral votes, or even the necessary amount (131 at the time). Henry Clay offered his hope for Adams being selected: "he [Clay] had no hesitation in saying that his preference would be for me." Adams encouraged internal improvements, high tariffs, a national bank, favorable relations with the natives in the west, and a contination of the Monroe Doctrine. -
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Nullification Crisis
Tariffs made in 1832 and 1833 were declared unconstitutional, null, and void by South Carolina. Both tariffs put pressure on the South and were unpopular in South Carolina, in particular, where the politics became based on nullifying the federal laws. John Calhoun ran for Senate in order to have more power in protecting the nullification for the state. Only when the Compromise Tariff of 1833 was negotiated, was South Carolina content. -
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Mexican-American War
After Mexicans attacked American forces in disputed territory along the Mexican-American border, war was declared. Mexico lost an enormous amount of land, including a sizable portion of the American West. The war only lasted two years, but tens of thousands of men and women on both sides were killed in the process. The Mexican Cession created a new border along the Rio Grande. -
Death of John Quincy Adams
At age 78, former President John Quincy Adams suffered a bad stroke. This was a sign of future troubles. On the 21st of February, 1848, while the House of Representatives debated the honoring of U.S. Army officers who served in the Mexican-American War, John Quincy suffered a cerebral hemorrhage after yelling "No!". He died two days later. He was the first president to have his photograph taken (post presidency, in his case.) -
Battle of Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter was one of the last Federal strongholds in the South as of 1861. Confederate artillery located around Charleston Harbor fired on the fort early in the morning of the 12th of April, 1863, in an attempt to force the Federals to retreat. The commander of the fort, Major Anderson, refused to evacuate until 2 days later, on the 14th of April. No soldiers or civilians were killed due to the fighting, but two privates were killed in an ammunition accident during the surrender.
