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1492
Christopher Columbus "discovers" America
Although Native Americans previously inhabited the Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus discovered and claimed this part of the world for Spain. -
1565
St. Augustine was established
St. Augustine was a Spanish colony that became the first continuously occupied settlement in the United States. -
Founding of Jamestown
Jamestown, Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Western Hemisphere. This settlement was an example for settlements and colonies to follow. -
Signing of the Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact signing by the Pilgrims represents one of the first examples of self-government in the English colonies. -
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut established a representative government with a legislature elected by popular vote. It was the first written constitution in American history. -
Maryland Toleration Act
This act declared that Maryland would tolerate Catholicism as well as other Christian religions. Although it was still narrow-minded in nature, it did help move the colonies towards complete religious freedom. -
Navigation Acts Implemented
The Navigation Acts regulated trade in order to benefit the British economy, restricting trade between England. This signaled the beginning of tension between the colonies and Great Britain. -
King Phillip's War
King Philip's War began when the Massachusetts government tried to assert court jurisdiction over the local Indians. A series of battles ensued between the colonists and the Wompanoags, led by Metacom (King Philip), and showed the mistrust between English settlers and Native Americans. -
Bacon's Rebellion
This rebellion occurred to protest the elite's treatment of the poor colonial individuals. It failed, and forced said elite to consolidate their power. -
Period: to
First Great Awakening
The First Great Awakening was a Christian revival that called for a return to strict piety and religious loyalty. -
Royal Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was a response by the British to Native American uprisings in the Ohio River Valley. It stated that colonies could no longer settle the area west of the Appalachian Mountains. -
Pontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac's Rebellion occurred in the Ohio River Valley in response to the colonists taking Native American lands and Britain not stopping them. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was a tax put on sugar and molasses implemented by British to raise money and give customs agents stature and power. It was the first of a series of taxes put in place by the British government. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a protest in response to "taxation without representation." American protesters dumped incredible amounts of British imported tea into Boston Harbor. -
The book, Common Sense, was published.
Thomas Paine's Common Sense advocated for colonial independence form Britain. It was widely received as inspirational and moving. -
Declaration of Independence signed into effect.
This document declared the independence of the thirteen Unites States of America from Britain. It is one of the most important documents in American history. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shay's Rebellion was a protest in Massachusetts that occurred over what citizens believed to be unfair taxing rates. It had to be put down by a private militia due to the weak national government under the Articles of Confederation. -
Constitutional Convention
This convention was originally called to revise the Articles of Confederation, but actually began the process of writing a new Constitution instead. -
Articles of Confederation overturned
The Articles of Confederation created a national government that was too weak to fully do its job. It was replaced by a government run under the Constitution, which was much stronger. -
Proclamation of Neutrality
The Proclamation of Neutrality was issued stating that the United States would not get involved in the war between France and England. -
Whiskey Rebellion
This rebellion in Pennsylvania occurred over unfair rates in taxing citizens. It was put down quickly under the new, strong national government under the Constitution. -
Washington's Farewell Address
Washington warned against political parties and permanent alliances in his farewell address. -
XYZ Affair
Confrontation between U.S. and French diplomats that ended on a sour note. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts gave the government the power to deport illegal foreign immigrants and made it more difficult for new immigrants to actually vote. -
Revolution of 1800
The presidential election of 1800 was deemed this by Thomas Jefferson as it was the first time in the nation's history to experience a shift in political party power. -
Louisiana Purchase
Thomas Jefferson negotiated the Louisiana Purchase from France, nearly doubling the territorial size of the United States. -
Marbury v. Madison
Marbury v. Madison in the Supreme Court established judicial review, which gave the federal courts the power to declare something as unconstitutional. -
Battle of Tippecanoe
This battle was fought between the Shawnee Indians and American forces, becoming the precursor to the War of 1812 following an American victory. -
War of 1812
The War of 1812 occurred over America's desire to defend neutrality following the impressment of American sailors by the British. It ended with the Treaty of Ghent, and effectively removed the English from North America. -
Hartford Convention
Known as the end of the Federalist party, delegates in New England met to discuss their reservations over the War of 1812. -
Erie Canal built.
This man-made waterway connected the Great Lakes to the Hudson River, bettering transportation standards in the United States during this time period. -
Panic of 1819
This is characterized as the first financial panic in American history, leading to the economy collapse through 1821. -
Adams-Onis Treaty signed.
This treaty signed between the United States and Spain led to the gaining of Florida territory by the U.S. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine stated that Europeans could no longer colonize the Western Hemisphere, and was successful. -
Corrupt Bargain
The "corrupt bargain" refers to the 1824 election ending with the victory of John Quincy Adams with Henry Clay as the new Secretary of State. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was passed by President Andrew Jackson to remove Native Cherokee Indians from their lands. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
This rebellion took place in order to challenge the idea of slavery. Nat Turner and others killed at least 50 people in this raid -
Trail of Tears
Beginning in 1831 and coming to an end in 1877, the Trail of Tears was the consequence of the Indian Removal Act in which 60,000 Native American were forcibly removed from their lands. -
Worcester v. Georgia
The Supreme Court ruled that the law in which prohibited non-Native Americans for entering their lands without a licence was unconstitutional. -
Nullification Crisis
South Caroline claimed to have the right to declare federal law unconstitutional. -
Specie Circular
This act, passed under Andrew Jackson, required government land to be paid for in gold or silver. -
Lone Star Republic formed.
Texas became independent from Mexico, and the United States could not come to an agreement on whether or not to annex it due to disagreements over slavery. -
Battle of the Alamo
An overall failure, leading to the deaths of every Texan occupying this stronghold. It did give Texans the inspiration they needed to ultimately win their independence, though. -
Panic of 1837
Lasting until about 1843, an economic depression hit in 1837 that led to high unemployment, low wages, and low spirits. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was put forth to prohibit slavery in land acquired by the Mexican Cession. It was unsuccessful. -
Mexican-American War
This war between Mexico and the United States ended with Mexico giving away the Mexican Cession, helping America attain Manifest Destiny. -
Seneca Falls Convention
The Seneca Falls Convention was held to discuss the rights of women during this time period. It was led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850, which was preferred over the Wilmot Proviso, established popular sovereignty within the lands acquired by the Mexican Cession. -
Commodore Matthew Perry visits Japan
This voyage played a key role in opening Japan to the West. -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina seceded from the United States before the full outbreak of the Civil War. -
Homestead Act
This act promised 160 acres of land to any family willing to settle the Western Frontier. -
Battle of Antietam
This turning point in the Civil War is what allowed for Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Sand Creek Massacre
Colorado militia attacked and killed over 100 Native Americans. -
American Civil War
The war between North and South in which the North was fighting to preserve the Union and the South was attempting to create a new Confederacy. -
13th Amendment
This amendment outlawed slavery in the entire United States of America. -
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson became the first President to be impeached following his trial. -
14th Amendment
This amendment granted citizenship to EVERYONE born within the United States, and granted them equal protection under the law. -
15th Amendment
The amendment gave African American men the right to vote in any and all elections. -
Munn v. Illionis
This Supreme Court decision stated that the government did have the right to regulate private industry. -
Compromise of 1877
This compromise ended the disputed presidential election of 1876, crowning Rutherford B. Hayes the victor. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese immigrants from entering the United States. It excluded an entire ethnic group. -
Wabash v. Illinois
This case overturned the previous decision under Munn v. Illinois that the state government had the right to regulate with interstate commerce. -
How the Other Half Lives Published
This was a work by Jacob Riis that depicted the horrendous conditions of the lower class in America in the 1880's. -
Creation of Populist Party
The Populist Party, although did not accomplish much themselves, set the stage for the Progressives to pass reform in later decades. -
Homestead Strike
The Homestead Strike was a protest turned bloodbath at a Carnegie Steel factory when a unionist strike was put down by security. -
Pullman Strike
This strike was a protest that was intended to disrupt railroads. It was ended with an injunction -
Annexation of Hawaii
The annexation of Hawaii into the United States. -
Spanish-American War
The Spanish-American War, ending with an American victory,was caused due to the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor in Cuba. -
Philippine-American War
The Philippine-American War began when America was inhabiting the island following the Spanish-American War, forcing the natives to rise up and fight for their home. -
Open Door Polcy
The Open Door Policy was a way to implement open trade with China between the years of 1899 and 1900. -
Teddy Roosevelt becomes president
Teddy Roosevelt became president, working to break up monopolies and trusts. -
Square Deal
The Square Deal President Roosevelt's desire to end corporate domination through monopolies and conserve America's natural resources. -
Wright Brothers' plane
The Wright Brothers successfully invented and flew the first plane. -
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal was built as a means to shorten the distance that ships would have to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug act created standards that medications and meats were required to meet before being sold on the market. -
Payne-Aldrich Tariff
The Payne-Aldrich Tariff raised taxes on certain goods entering the U.S. -
NAACP Founded
The NAACP was founded to preserve and fight for the rights of the colored citizens of America. -
16th Amendment
The 16th amendment established federal income tax. -
17th Amendment
This amendment granted citizens the right of direct election of senators. -
World War I Begins
The beginning of World War I was in 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. -
America enters WWI
In the beginning, America wished to not get involved with the European war. After the sinking of American ships and the Zimmerman telegram, the U.S. joined to fight for peace. -
The Red Scare
The Red Scare was a period in the 1920's characterized with the extreme fear of communism infiltrating the United States. -
Rejects League of Nations
The United States rejected to join the League of Nations at the conclusion of WWI. -
19th Amendment
The nineteenth amendment gave women the right to vote in elections. -
Immigration Act of 1924
This act limited the amount of immigrants that were allowed to enter into the United States. -
Scopes Trial
The Scopes Trial was over whether or not it was constitutional to teach evolution in a high school setting. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact
This pact, once signed, stated that war would not be used to settle differences. -
Great Depression
The stock market crashed, leaving the United States in a terrible economic recession. -
21st Amendment
The 21st amendment repealed the 18th, ending Prohibition in the U.S. -
FDIC Founding
FDR founded the FDIC as one of the agencies under the New Deal -
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic reforms set in place by FDR to attempt to bring the nation out of the Great Depression. -
Social Security Act
President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act, which set old-age benefits for citizens of the United States. -
Neutrality Act of 1939
This put belligerent nations under "cash and carry" trades. -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, prompting the U.S. to enter into WWII. -
Executive Order #9066
This executive order sent Japanese Americans to internment camps. -
WWII
WWII was a bloody war in which Germany attempted to take over Europe. The Holocaust was apart of this deadly war.
