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Although Native Americans previously inhabited the Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus discovered and claimed this part of the world for Spain.
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St. Augustine was a Spanish colony that became the first continuously occupied settlement in the United States.
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Jamestown, Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Western Hemisphere. This settlement was an example for settlements and colonies to follow.
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The Mayflower Compact signing by the Pilgrims represents one of the first examples of self-government in the English colonies.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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This rebellion occurred to protest the elite's treatment of the poor colonial individuals. It failed, and forced said elite to consolidate their power.
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The First Great Awakening was a Christian revival that called for a return to strict piety and religious loyalty.
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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.
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Pontiac's Rebellion occurred in the Ohio River Valley in response to the colonists taking Native American lands and Britain not stopping them.
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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.
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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.
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Thomas Paine's Common Sense advocated for colonial independence form Britain. It was widely received as inspirational and moving.
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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.
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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.
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This convention was originally called to revise the Articles of Confederation, but actually began the process of writing a new Constitution instead.
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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.
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The Proclamation of Neutrality was issued stating that the United States would not get involved in the war between France and England.
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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.
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Washington warned against political parties and permanent alliances in his farewell address.
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Confrontation between U.S. and French diplomats that ended on a sour note.
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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.
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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.
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Thomas Jefferson negotiated the Louisiana Purchase from France, nearly doubling the territorial size of the United States.
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Marbury v. Madison in the Supreme Court established judicial review, which gave the federal courts the power to declare something as unconstitutional.
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This battle was fought between the Shawnee Indians and American forces, becoming the precursor to the War of 1812 following an American victory.
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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.
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Known as the end of the Federalist party, delegates in New England met to discuss their reservations over the War of 1812.
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This man-made waterway connected the Great Lakes to the Hudson River, bettering transportation standards in the United States during this time period.
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This is characterized as the first financial panic in American history, leading to the economy collapse through 1821.
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This treaty signed between the United States and Spain led to the gaining of Florida territory by the U.S.
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The Monroe Doctrine stated that Europeans could no longer colonize the Western Hemisphere, and was successful.
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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.
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The Indian Removal Act was passed by President Andrew Jackson to remove Native Cherokee Indians from their lands.
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This rebellion took place in order to challenge the idea of slavery. Nat Turner and others killed at least 50 people in this raid
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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.
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The Supreme Court ruled that the law in which prohibited non-Native Americans for entering their lands without a licence was unconstitutional.
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South Caroline claimed to have the right to declare federal law unconstitutional.
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This act, passed under Andrew Jackson, required government land to be paid for in gold or silver.
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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.
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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.
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Lasting until about 1843, an economic depression hit in 1837 that led to high unemployment, low wages, and low spirits.
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The Wilmot Proviso was put forth to prohibit slavery in land acquired by the Mexican Cession. It was unsuccessful.
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This war between Mexico and the United States ended with Mexico giving away the Mexican Cession, helping America attain Manifest Destiny.
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The Seneca Falls Convention was held to discuss the rights of women during this time period. It was led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
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The Compromise of 1850, which was preferred over the Wilmot Proviso, established popular sovereignty within the lands acquired by the Mexican Cession.
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This voyage played a key role in opening Japan to the West.
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South Carolina seceded from the United States before the full outbreak of the Civil War.
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This act promised 160 acres of land to any family willing to settle the Western Frontier.
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This turning point in the Civil War is what allowed for Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
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Colorado militia attacked and killed over 100 Native Americans.
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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.
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This amendment outlawed slavery in the entire United States of America.
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Andrew Johnson became the first President to be impeached following his trial.
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This amendment granted citizenship to EVERYONE born within the United States, and granted them equal protection under the law.
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The amendment gave African American men the right to vote in any and all elections.
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This Supreme Court decision stated that the government did have the right to regulate private industry.
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This compromise ended the disputed presidential election of 1876, crowning Rutherford B. Hayes the victor.
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The Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese immigrants from entering the United States. It excluded an entire ethnic group.
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This case overturned the previous decision under Munn v. Illinois that the state government had the right to regulate with interstate commerce.
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This was a work by Jacob Riis that depicted the horrendous conditions of the lower class in America in the 1880's.
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The Populist Party, although did not accomplish much themselves, set the stage for the Progressives to pass reform in later decades.
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The Homestead Strike was a protest turned bloodbath at a Carnegie Steel factory when a unionist strike was put down by security.
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This strike was a protest that was intended to disrupt railroads. It was ended with an injunction
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The annexation of Hawaii into the United States.
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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.
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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.
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The Open Door Policy was a way to implement open trade with China between the years of 1899 and 1900.
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Teddy Roosevelt became president, working to break up monopolies and trusts.
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The Square Deal President Roosevelt's desire to end corporate domination through monopolies and conserve America's natural resources.
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The Wright Brothers successfully invented and flew the first plane.
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The Panama Canal was built as a means to shorten the distance that ships would have to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
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The Pure Food and Drug act created standards that medications and meats were required to meet before being sold on the market.
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The Payne-Aldrich Tariff raised taxes on certain goods entering the U.S.
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The NAACP was founded to preserve and fight for the rights of the colored citizens of America.
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The 16th amendment established federal income tax.
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This amendment granted citizens the right of direct election of senators.
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The beginning of World War I was in 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
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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.
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The Red Scare was a period in the 1920's characterized with the extreme fear of communism infiltrating the United States.
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The United States rejected to join the League of Nations at the conclusion of WWI.
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The nineteenth amendment gave women the right to vote in elections.
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This act limited the amount of immigrants that were allowed to enter into the United States.
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The Scopes Trial was over whether or not it was constitutional to teach evolution in a high school setting.
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This pact, once signed, stated that war would not be used to settle differences.
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The stock market crashed, leaving the United States in a terrible economic recession.
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The 21st amendment repealed the 18th, ending Prohibition in the U.S.
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FDR founded the FDIC as one of the agencies under the New Deal
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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.
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President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act, which set old-age benefits for citizens of the United States.
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This put belligerent nations under "cash and carry" trades.
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The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, prompting the U.S. to enter into WWII.
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This executive order sent Japanese Americans to internment camps.
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WWII was a bloody war in which Germany attempted to take over Europe. The Holocaust was apart of this deadly war.
