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Oct 12, 1492
Columbus Discovered America
Christopher Columbus, sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a route to Asia, but achieved fame by making landfall in America instead. In 1492, on a voyage for Spain in search of a direct sea route from Europe to Asia, Christopher Columbus unintentionally discovered America. Explanation: The land that Columbus founded showed everyone the world was round, which lend to discovering more resources. -
Jamestown Settlement
On May 14, 1607, the Virginia Company explorers landed on Jamestown Island to establish the Virginia English colony on the banks of the James River. Almost immediately after landing, the colonists were under attack from what amounted to the on-again off-again enemy, the Algonquian Natives. Explanation: Jamestown was considered as the first permanent English settlement in the "new world." -
Plymouth Settlement
The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth; Founded by a group of Separatists and Anglicans, who together later came to be known as the Pilgrims, Plymouth Colony, along with Jamestown, Virginia, one of the earliest successful colonies to be founded by the English in North America and the first sizable permanent English settlement in the New England region. Explanation: The Plymouth Colony was one of the earliest successful colonies to be founded by the English. -
French & Indian War
Half a century of conflict between Britain and France over North America culminated in the French and Indian War. The French, determined to secure the territory against encroaching British and American traders and land speculators, built a chain of forts along Pennsylvania's Allegheny River. The British ministry ordered colonial colonial governors to repel the French advance, "by force" if necessary. Explanation: This war lead to the American Revoluntion.The French lost all their colonies. -
Albany Congress plans to Unite the 13 Colonies
Immediately before the American Revolution, there were not just 13 British colonies in the New World. By the mid-eighteenth century, however, the value of the mainland colonies both as a source of raw materials and as a market for British goods was becoming increasingly apparent. the American colonies were worth protecting. Explanation: This was the first attempt to unite the 13 colonies. They tried to make their defense stronger from the French and Indians. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, against the British government that controlled all the tea coming into the colonies. In 1773, after officials in Boston refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain, a group of colonists boarded the ships and destroyed the tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor. Explanation: This act towards the British, it was one of the things that led to the Revolutionary War to get our independence. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
In February 1775, Parliament declared Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion. This declaration permitted soldiers to shoot suspected rebels on sight. Explanation: This battle was the beginning of the Revolutionary War, and without the Revolutionary War we would have not declared independence from Great Britain. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. Explanation: Declaration of Independence was the official document declaring America’s Independence. -
Ratification of the Constitution
Ratification of the Constitution took place on Sept. 17, 1787 when the ninth state agreed to ratify the Constitution. Eventually, all thirteen states would ratify the Constitution. Once the ninth state ratified the Constitution, the Congress set a timetable to begin government under the Constitution. The government eventually began operations in 1789. Explanation: The Constitution shaped our government, and it established democracy in the United States. -
George Washington:1st President
The Constitution provided a broad outline of the office and powers of the president. . It would be up to George Washington, as the first president, to define the office. Modeling the executive branch along the lines of a general's staff, Washington consulted his cabinet officers, but he made the the final decisions, just as he had done as Commander-in-Chief. Explanation: George Washington led America’s victory in the Revolutionary War and presided to the writing of the constitution. -
Lousiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was one of the largest land deals in history. In 1803, the United States paid approximately $15 million dollars for over 800,000 square miles of land. With the purchase of this new territory, the land area of America nearly doubled. Explanation: Louisiana Purchase was important because we bought part of the western United States from Britain. -
War of 1812
War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including a desire for expansion into the Northwest Territory, trade restrictions because of Britain's on going war with France. British support the American Indian tribes against American expansion, and the humiliation of American honor. Explanation: The War of 1812 kept us from going back under British’s control. -
Mexico-American War
American forces invaded New Mexico, the California Republic, and parts of what is currently northern Mexico; meanwhile, the American Navy conducted a blockade, and took control of several garrisons on the Pacific coast of Alta California, but also in Baja California. Another American army captured Mexico City, and forced Mexico to agree to the session of its northern territories to the U.S. Explanation: The Mexico-American War added more territory to the U.S. -
American Civil War
11 Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederacy to fight for independence. 20 freed states in which slavery already had been abolished, and 5 slave states that became known as the "border states" supported the federal government. These 25 states, referred to as the Union. After 4 years of warfare the Confederacy surrendered and slavery was outlawed everywhere in the nation. Explanation: Civil War was important because we freed the slaves. -
Spanish-Mexico War
After ten days of debate, Congress declared war, but only after adopting the Teller Amendment. The amendment made it clear that the United States did not harbor imperialist ambitions, and it announced that the United States would not acquire Cuba. European leaders were shocked by this declaration. Britain's Queen Victoria called on the European power to "unite...against such unheard [of] conduct. Explanation: The Spanish-American War was important because after this war we had more colonies. -
World War 1
World War I was a major war centered in Europe that began in 1914. It involved all the world's great powers, which were assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies and the Central Powers. More than 9 million combatants were killed, largely because of great technological advances in firepower without corresponding advances in mobility. Explanation: WW1 was the first war that involved “everyone” and led to the ratification of the 19 amendment, giving women the right to vote. -
World War 2
World War 2 was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's nation; forming two opposing military alliances, the Allies and the Axis. Marked by significant events involving the mass death of civilians, including the Holocaust and the only use of nuclear weapons in warfare, it was the deadliest conflict. Explanation: WW2 was against Hilter trying to take over, our world would be completely different if we didn’t defeat Germany and Japan -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese and the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike.The attack came as a profound shock to the American people and led directly to the American entry into World War II in both the Pacific and European theaters. The following day (December 8) the United States declared war on Japan. Explanation: Pearl Harbor was an attack by Japan. They were trying to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from influencing the war, the Empire of Japan was planning. -
Neil Armstrong: Moon Landing
After a 4-day journey from the Earth to the Moon, the lunar module detached from the command module and landed on the surface of the Moon. Neil Armstrong descended the ladder from the lunar module and onto the lunar surface
The first words spoken by Neil Armstrong , “that’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for man kind." Explanation: This was the first time in record history that someone had walked on another “world.” -
September 11 Attack
The 9/11 attack was a series of four coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the U.S on Sept. 11. 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in NY, Both towers collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings. There were no survivors from those flights. Explanation: 9/11 was a terrorist attack killing many people and starting a U.S. war in Iraq.
