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Establishment of Jamestown
The English established their first enduring American settlement, Jamestown, in Virginia for economic reasons. -
Jamestown Starves
After their leader, Captain John Smith, returned to England in 1609, the colonists at Jamestown endured a second winter of starvation and death. -
House of Burgesses Established
The Virginia House of Burgesses was the first democratically elected legislative body in British North America. -
Colony of Massachusetts Established
The Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts was established by Pilgrims from England. -
Puritans Migrate to New England
Facing growing persecution in England, the Puritans began to travel to New England between 1630 and 1640. -
Maryland is Established
Maryland was the fourth colony established. It created a place for Roman Catholics who were still struggling against religious tyranny in England. -
First Written Constitution
The Fundamental Orders, inspired by Thomas Hooker’s sermon of May 31, 1638, provided the framework for the government of the Connecticut colony from 1639 to 1662. -
Establishment of Rhode Island
The Puritans did not ordinarily permit others to practice their religion freely in Massachusetts. In 1636, Roger Williams, therefore, left Massachusetts to start his own new colony at Rhode Island, based on the principles of religious toleration. -
Navigation Act
Thus, the British Parliament declared that only English ships would be allowed to bring goods into England and that the North American colonies could only export its commodities to England. -
Pennsylvania Established
William Penn founded Pennsylvania for the Quakers, a group of Protestants who opposed war. -
Colony of Georgi Established
James Oglethorpe formed the colony in 1733 as a place for imprisoned debtors and convicts sent from England. -
French and Indian War
War between Britain and France broke out in 1754. Since many Indian tribes sided with the French, the conflict became known in North America as the French and Indian War. -
Proclamation Line of 1763
The Proclamation Line of 1763 said that colonists could not settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. This line was resented by the colonists. -
The Sugar Act
This act reduced the tax on imported sugar in half, but also took steps to enforce it more strictly. -
The Stamp Act
The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. -
Townshend Act
The Townshend Acts were a series of laws passed by the British government on the American colonies in 1767. They placed new taxes and took away some freedoms from the colonists. -
Boston Massacre
A disagreement between a soldier and colonists drew attention and became an angry mob of colonists against 12 British soldiers. -
Boston Tea Party
On December 16, 1773, at Griffin’s Wharf, a group of approximately 50 Bostonians disguised as Native Americans boarded the ships Beaver, Dartmouth, and Eleanor, and proceeded to dump 342 crates of tea into the Boston harbor. -
The Intolerable Acts
After the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Harbor was closed until the people agreed to pay for the destroyed tea. This act also eliminated the colonists’ elected government. -
Declaration of Independence Issued
Representatives of the Second Continental Congress began discussing the issue of American independence in 1776. After much debate, Thomas Jefferson and a committee including John Adams and Benjamin Franklin wrote most of the Declaration of Independence. -
Lousiana Purchase
The purchase of the Louisiana territory nearly doubled the size of the US. It stretched from the Mississippi River in the East all the way to the Rocky Mountains in the West as well as from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico. -
Lewis and Clark
This event became known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition, named this from the leader, Captian Meriwether Lewis, and Lieutenant William Clark. The length of the travel would take over a year. -
War of 1812
During this time Britian was fighting with the French. The British Royal Navy kept the country from trading with other countries and this angered Americans. The Navy had also captured numerous American vessels and seamen and were putting those to war against France. -
Louisiana Statehood
After the Louisiana purchase, more and more people were migrating to the territory. The population grew till it was large enough to create a new state. This state became known as Louisiana and it was the first state West of the Mississippi. -
Battle of Thames
This battle was a part of the on-going war of 1812 and was fought between American troops and an alliance of the British and Indian forces. American forces won this battle, and the leader of the Indian tribes, Tecumseh was killed. -
Treaty of Ghent
The treaty stated that both go back to their own lands and keep the ones they had conquered, with small exceptions. -
Battle of New Orleans
The Americans were led by Maj. General Andrew Jackson into a great victory with heavy losses on Britian's side. -
Indiana becomes State
Many settlers had been settling in lands of modern day Indiana. This resulted in much conflict between the Native Americans, but after many battles Americans became victorious. This led to the establishment of Indiana of white settlers making it the 19th state of the US. -
Era of Good Feelings
When James Monroe became president, he sought national unity by combining several political factors. In this era was the end of the European wars which allowed America to foster trade ties with the European nations. Americans enjoyed the peace during this time. -
Panic of 1819
This was a widespread economic crisis that hit the US. When settlers were moving West throughout the decade, they had made loans in order to build farms and houses but were unable to pay the off. This and other factors contributed to the Panic of 1819 and America did not fully recover until 1824.