-
Aug 3, 1492
Columbus “discovers” the new world for Spain.
Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, with three small ships, the Santa María, the Pinta, and the Niña and the expedition sighted land. -
Aug 13, 1521
Hernan Cortez defeats the Aztecs
He invaded Mexico and conquered the Aztec Empire. -
Jamestown is founded
America's first permanent English colony, in Virginia. -
The “Starving Time” in Jamestown Maryland is founded
The winter when food shortages, fractured leadership, and a siege by Powhatan Indian. -
Plymouth is founded
First colonial settlement in New England. The settlers were a group of about 100 Puritan Separatist Pilgrims, who sailed on the Mayflower -
The Mayflower Compact is signed
A document signed on the English ship Mayflower. It was the first framework of government written and enacted in the territory that is now the United States of America. -
1st Thanksgiving
Celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World. -
Navigation Acts
A series of laws passed by the English Parliament to regulate shipping and maritime commerce. -
New Ansterdam becomes New York
New Amsterdam's name was changed to New York, in honor of the Duke of York, who organized the mission. -
King Phillip’s War
An armed conflict between English colonists and the American Indians of New England. -
Bacon’s Rebellion
was an armed rebellion by Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley. -
Salem Witchcraft Trials
A series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. -
Stono Rebellion
A slave rebellion in the colony of South Carolina. -
French and Indian War
The colonies of British America against those of New France, each side supported by military units from the parent country and by American Indian allies. -
Ben Franklin proposed the Albany Plan of Union
A proposal introduced by Benjamin Franklin during the Albany Congress -
Treaty of 1763
It ended the French and Indian War or Seven Years' War between Great Britain and France, as well as their respective allies. -
Proclamation of 1763
Issued by King George III, following Great Britain's acquisition of French territory in North America. -
Jay’s Treaty is signed
Used to settle outstanding issues between the two countries that had been left unresolved since American independence. -
The Stamp act
An Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which imposed a direct tax on the British colonies in America and required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper. -
England passes the Quartering Act
One of a series of measures primarily aimed at raising revenue from the British colonies in America. The act required colonial governments to provide and pay for feeding and sheltering any troops stationed in their colony. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were a series of British acts of Parliament passed during 1767 and 1768 relating to the British colonies in America. They are named after Charles Townshend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer who proposed the program. -
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. The event was heavily publicized by leading Patriots such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams -
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 declaration also denounced taxation without representation and the maintenance of the British army in the colonies without their consent. -
The "shot heard around the world"
The shot heard round the world" is a phrase that refers to the opening shot of the Battle of Concord 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. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in the battle. -
Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense
Common Sense challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy. The plain language that Paine used spoke to the common people of America and was the first work to openly ask for independence from Great Britain. -
Rhode Island is founded
Rhode Island, a U.S. state in New England, is known for sandy shores and seaside Colonial towns. It's home to several large cities, including Newport, which is famed for sailing and Gilded Age mansions, such as The Breakers. -
Maryland is founded
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
In fact, independence was formally declared on July 2, 1776, a date that John Adams believed would be “the most memorable epocha in the history of America.” -
Battle of Saratoga
Introduction. The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, on November 15, 1777. However, ratification ofthe Articles of Confederation by all thirteen states did not occur until March 1, 1781 -
The Articles of Confederation are implemented
Introduction. The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, on November 15, 1777. However, ratification ofthe Articles of Confederation by all thirteen states did not occur until March 1, 1781 -
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 -
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 an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts in opposition to a debt crisis among the citizenry and the state government’s increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades -
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 to develop a more effective and unified constitution. -
The Northwest ordinance was established
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. -
Pennsylvania if founded
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state located in the Northeastern, Great Lakes, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. -
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.America when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it. -
The Constitution is ratified
the Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States of Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States, and ended on March 4, 1797. -
George Washington inaugurated as first president
Washington took office after the 1788–89 presidential election, the nation's first -
Whiskey Rebellion
A tax protest in the United States. -
Treaty of Greenville
United States and Indians of the Northwest Territory including the Wyandot and Delaware, which redefined the boundary between Indian lands and Whiteman's lands in the Northwest Territory. -
Pinckney’s Treaty
It was signed in San Lorenzo de El Escoria and established intentions of friendship between the United States and Spain. -
XYZ Affair
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
Adams became the second President of the United States. He was the first President who belonged to a political party - the Federalists. -
The Alien and Sedition Acts are passed
These laws included new powers to deport foreigners as well as making it harder for new immigrants to vote. -
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were passed
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 -
Quasi-War
A diplomatic incident between French and United States diplomats that resulted in undeclared war. -
Thomas Jefferson becomes the 3rd President
He was sworn into office on March 4, 1801; his was the first presidential inauguration held in Washington, D.C. -
The Louisiana Purchase
The United States bought 828,000 square miles of land from France. It doubled the size of the United States. -
The Supreme Court rules on Marbury v. Madison
Established the principle of judicial review, the power of the federal courts to declare legislative and executive acts unconstitutional. -
Chesapeake affair
A naval engagement that occurred off the coast of Norfolk. -
Embargo Act of 1807
A law passed by the United State Congress and signed by President Thomas Jefferson. It prohibited American ships from trading in all foreign ports. It stopped American ships from leaving their ports until Britain and France agreed to stop seizing them at sea. -
James Madison becomes 4th president
He made a major contribution to the ratification of the Constitution by writing The Federalist Papers, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. In later years, he was referred to as the “Father of the Constitution.” -
Congress declares war on England
The House adopted a resolution declaring war against Great Britain, from which the United States had won its independence -
Treaty of Ghent
A peace treaty ending the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States. -
Battle of New Orleans
War between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson.
