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Jamestown is settled
Virginia Company of London received a charter from King James I to create a settlement in the New World. Upon landing in by the Chesepeake Bay, Native Americans attacked the settlers but a few survived to name a location on the James River, Jamestown. -
John Smith comes to Jamestown
Jamestown was on verge of collpase until John Smith took the reins of the colony. He enorced hard work and whipped the other colonists into shape. Nevertheless, few survived under Smith's leadership, but without him, all would be dead. -
John Rolfe and Tobacco
The husband of Pocahontas, John Rolfe, became the econominc savior of Jamestown after he learned to cultivate tobacco. Europeans had a insane craving for tobacco and John Rolfe discovered that Jamestown had apt soil for the crop. Colonists who came to the New World hunting for gold to make them rich turned to tobacco to be their cash cow. Tobacco put Jamestown on the map and gave it prosperity. -
Puritans land in the New World
The Puritans accepted a charter anf formed the Massachusetts Bay Company and fleed the England they so much resented. The Puritans started a colony in Massachusetts and about twenty-thousand followed them in years to come. -
Slaves come to America
The new cash crop, sugar, brought millions of slaves to the Colonies to tend to the sugar cane fields and its production. -
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The British enforce insane taxes and laws on the Colonies
The Britsh parliment passed taxes, such as the Sugar and Stamp Act, that hike up the prices of goods to insane levels, along with creating laws, such as The Navigation Laws and the Quartering Act. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Around 1,000 Virgina-men revolted against their Govenor, William Berkeley, for being too peaceful towards Native Americans. The rebels, led by Bacon, attacked Natives, threw Berkeley out of Virgina, and torched the capitol. -
Jonathan Edwards begins the Great Awakening
In very rapturous sermons, Jonathan Edwards preached that full faith in God was the only way to reach eternal salvation. -
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The Frecnh and Indian War
After three Anglo-French wars have been fought in Europe, The French and Indian War was the first Anglo-French War fought in the Colonies. The war was fought almost everywhere (including Africa) and the French ended up losing te war along with their holdings in America -
Boston Tea Party
Govenor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson, leads a band of Colonists dressed as Natives and dumped over taxed British tea into the harbor as a sign of protest. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
A Britsh commander in Boston sent his troops to seize gunpowder from Colonial rebles at Lexington. The rebel "Minute Men" did not leave their holdings in Lexington rapidly enough for the British, and shots were eventually fired. This started the Revoultionary War as opposed to just a rebellion. -
Second Continental Congress
Delegates from the thirteen Colonies gathered in Philedelphia, similar to the First Continental Congress in 1774. There they decided that Gerorge Washington would lead the American military force. -
Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence and brought it to the Congress in Philedelphia and was signed by each of the men in the Congress. The Declaration explained and proclaimed American freedom from Great Britain. -
French-American Alliance Begins
The American win at the Battle of Saratoga was the catalyst for the French alliance and foregian aid. This aid greatly helped the Americans and the war, probably, would not have been won by the Americans without it. -
The Constitution is ratified
Congress called upon a comittee to draft a Constitution for the new nation in 1776. The papaer was soon called the Articles of Confederation and was accepted into Congress in 1777. It was finall ratified by all 13 states in 1781. -
Treaty of Paris
Three American diplomats, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay, went to Paris to negotiate peace. After the Treaty was signed, Great Britain officially recognized America as independent. -
George Washington becomes first Presdident of America
George Washington was elected the first leader of the new nation when delegates from each state gathered in Philedelphia at the Constitutional Convention. -
Bill of Rights
James Madison drafts the Bill of Rights and Congress passed it. The Bill of Rigths are the first ten Amendments in the Constitution that safeguard American principles and rights. -
Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin
Just as slave trade was beginning to die down, Eli Whitney invents the Cotton Gin, and the demand for slaves picks up again. -
Washington's Farewell Address
George Washington leaves office and warns Americans that political parties (such as the Federalist and Democratic-Republicans) will be maiginant to the country and isolationism should be upheld. -
Second Great Awakening Begins
During this time, the protestant chirch began to revive itself and many riding the new evangelical wave became politically active in reform movements. -
Louiana Purchase
Napolean Bonaparte of France sold Lousiana in Western North America to Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe for $15 million. Louis and Clark explored this territory. -
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War of 1812
America declared another war on Britain, still being the world's largest army. It resulted out of each country attempting to block eachother's trade efforts and ended with an American victory. -
Jackson elected president
Andrew Jackson was elected as president and created "Jacksonian Democracy". This new philosphy was built on expansionism, universal white male sufferage, a strict constitution, lasiez-faire economics, and less power for the national bank. -
First Railroad Built
The new invention of the railroad brought way to a new revolution years to come in America- the Industrial Revolution. -
The Alamo
While Texas was a war zone on the issue of whether it shold belong to America or Mexico, Mexican General Santa Anna killed all Texan rebels. This instilled a great sense of vengence in the rebels and was a driving force for them to defeat Santa Anna's army from then on. -
Seneca Falls Convention
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott led the Convention and discussed women's social, civil, and religous rights. This was the first act of female sufferage and organization. -
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Bleeding Kansas
During this time, Americans were split by their ideas on slavery. Being that Kansas was a popular soverienity state, thousands of intense Americans went over to Kansas to vote on what they thought the state should be- free or slave. Kansas ended up being a Free State. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
These were the seven debates between the two presidential hopefuls. The argued mainly on the topic of slavery. -
Lincoln wins election
The Radical Republican Lincoln beats his three other opponents for the presidnecy. -
Confederacy is formed
South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee all secede from the Union and form the Confederate States of America.
