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1492
Columbus discovers the new world of Spain
Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, with three small ships, the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina -
1519
Hernan Cortes defeats the Aztecs
Hernan Cortés invaded Mexico in 1519 and conquered the Aztec Empire. -
Jamestown is founded
They established Jamestown, Virginia, on May 14, 1607, the first permanent British settlement in North America -
Starvation of Jamestown
Food shortages, Fractured leadership -
The Mayflower is signed
Mayflower Compact, document signed on the English ship Mayflower on November 21 [November 11, Old Style], 1620, prior to its landing at Plymouth, Massachusetts. -
Plymouth is founded
The settlers were a group of about 100 Puritan Separatist Pilgrims, who sailed on the Mayflower and settled on what is now Cape Cod bay, Massachusetts. -
1st Thanksgiving
First Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in October 1621 -
Navigation Acts
Were a series of laws passed my the English Parliament to regulate shipping and maritime commerce. -
New Amsterdam becomes New York
Changed to New York in Honor of the Duke of York -
Bacon's Rebellion
Was an armed rebellion that took place 1676-1677 by Virginia settlers -
King Philip War
Was an armed conflict between English colonist and the American Indians of New England in the 17th century -
Salem Witchcraft Trails
Series of hearing and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft -
Stono Rebellion
Slave Rebellion -
French and Indian War
Pitted the colonies of British America against those of New France -
Ben Franklin proposed the Albany Plan of Union
Called for formation of a permanent federation of colonies -
Treaty of 1763
Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement, after Great Britain's victory over France and Spain during the Seven Years' War. -
Proclamation of 1763
Proclamation of 1763 was issued by King George III on October 7, 1763, following Great Britain's acquisition of French territory in North America after the end of the Seven Years' War. -
England passes the Quartering Act
On March 24, 1765, the British Parliament passed the Quartering Act, one of a series of measures primarily aimed at raising revenue from the British colonies in America. -
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. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre, known to the British as the Incident on King Street, was a confrontation on March 5, 1770 in which British soldiers shot and killed several people while being harassed by a mob in Boston. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. -
The 1st Continental Congress convenes
The First Continental Congress, convened in response to the Acts by the colonial Committees of Correspondence, met in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774. -
The “shot heard ‘round the world”
"The shot heard round the world" is a phrase that refers to the opening shot of the Battle of Concord in 1775, which began the American Revolutionary War and led to the creation of the United States of America. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War -
Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense
Thomas Paine publishes his pamphlet “Common Sense,” setting forth his arguments in favor of American independence -
Rhode Island is founded
Rhode Island, a U.S. state in New England, is known for sandy shores and seaside Colonial towns. -
Maryland is found
Maryland is a Mid-Atlantic state that's defined by its abundant waterways and coastlines on the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. -
Declaration of Independence is signed
The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence occurred primarily on August 2, 1776 at the Pennsylvania State House, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battles of Saratoga marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War -
The Articles of Confederation are implemented
The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, on November 15, 1777. -
Battle of Yorktown
The siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, German Battle or the siege of Little York, ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virginia, -
Treaty of 1783
The Treaty of Paris, signed in Paris by representatives of King George III of Great Britain and representatives of the United States of America on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion was a series of violent attacks on courthouses and other government properties in Massachusetts that began in 1786 and led to a full-blown military confrontation in 1787. -
Constitutional/Philadelphia Convention gathers
With strong encouragement from six of the states, Congress called a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation into a more powerful document. Each state appointed delegates to attend a meeting in Philadelphia -
Pennsylvania is founded
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state located in the Northeastern, Great Lakes, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States -
The Northwest Ordinance was established
The Northwest Ordinance, adopted July 13, 1787, by the Confederation Congress, chartered a government for the Northwest Territory, provided a method for admitting new states to the Union from the territory, and listed a bill of rights guaranteed in the territory. -
Connecticut is founded
Connecticut is a U.S. state in southern New England that has a mix of coastal cities and rural areas dotted with small towns -
The Constitution is ratified
the Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States of America when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it. -
George Washington inaugurated as first president
Washington took office after the 1788–89 presidential election, the nation's first quadrennial presidential election, in which he was elected unanimously. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion was a 1794 uprising of farmers and distillers in western Pennsylvania in protest of a whiskey tax enacted by the federal government. -
Jay’s Treaty is signed
Jay's Treaty, officially titled “Treaty of Amity Commerce and Navigation, between His Britannic Majesty; and The United States of America -
Treaty of Greenville
formally titled Treaty with the Wyandots, etc., was a 1795 treaty between the United States and Indians of the Northwest Territory including the Wyandot and Delaware, -
Pinckney’s Treaty
Pinckney's Treaty, also commonly known as the Treaty of San Lorenzo or the Treaty of Madrid, was signed in San Lorenzo de El Escorial on October 27, 1795 and established intentions of friendship between the United States and Spain. -
XYZ Affair
The XYZ Affair was a diplomatic incident between French and United States diplomats that resulted in a limited, undeclared war known as the Quasi-War. -
John Adams becomes 2nd President
When George Washington refused a third term in 1797, Adams was elected President (1797-1801). In 1797, Adams became the second President of the United States. -
Quasi-War
The Quasi-War (1798-1800) was an undeclared naval war between the United States and France during the Presidency of John Adams -
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were passed
The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were political statements drafted in 1798 and 1799, in which the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures took the position that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional. -
The Alien and Sedition Acts are passed
A series of laws known collectively as the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by the Federalist Congress in 1798 and signed into law by President Adams -
Thomas Jefferson becomes the 3rd President
Jefferson was sworn into office on March 4, 1801; his was the first presidential inauguration held in Washington, D.C. (George Washington was inaugurated in New York in 1789 -
The Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from France in 1803. -
The Supreme Court rules on Marbury v. Madison-
The U.S. Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison (1803) established the principle of judicial review—the power of the federal courts to declare legislative and executive acts unconstitutional. -
Embargo Act of 1807
The Embargo Act of 1807 was a law passed by the United State Congress and signed by President Thomas Jefferson on December 22, 1807. -
Chesapeake Affair-
The Chesapeake–Leopard affair was a naval engagement that occurred off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, on June 22, 1807, between the British warship HMS Leopard and the American frigate USS Chesapeake -
James Madison becomes 4th president
James Madison, America's fourth President (1809-1817), made a major contribution to the ratification of the Constitution by writing The Federalist Papers, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. -
Congress declares war on England
On this day in 1812, the House adopted a resolution declaring war against Great Britain, from which the United States had won its independence in 1783. -
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent (8 Stat. 218) was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. -
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between British troops led by General Edward Pakenham and American forces led by General Andrew Jackson.
