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Jan 1, 1492
Spanish Settlement in the New World
Spanish conquistadors, who were primarily poor nobles from the impoverished west and south of Spain, were able to conquer the huge empires of the New World with the help of superior military technology. It was significant because it opened the New World to European settlers. Hundreds of new villages were established throughout the United States, primarily in the south from Florida through Texas and into California. Some Spaniards took control of existing Indian villages as encomenderos. -
Jan 1, 1493
Spanish Mission System
The Spanish mission was a frontier institution that sought to incorporate indigenous people into the Spanish colonial empire. It was significant because Native Americans who were traditionally nomads, could now get a religious education and they were also introduced to agriculture with european crops including wine. -
Jan 1, 1512
Encomienda System
The encomienda system was created by the Spanish to control and regulate American Indian labor and behavior during the colonization of the Americas. It was significant because it was supposed to be a way for the mother country to make sure that the Natives of the land which it was settling were to be taken in by colonists, educated, and civilized. However, the colonists could take from Natives and abuse their products and goods. -
Joint Stock Companies
Joint-stock companies were similar to modern corporations that sell stock to investors in order to pool resources like capital, or money, together for new product development, research, etc. All of this was done with the goal to make a profit and reward investors with increased share prices of their stock. They was significant because many of the early settlements in the United States were established by joint stock companies. For example, Jamestown was funded by the Virginia Company. -
European Expansion into North America
The Europeans & North Americans affected one another through cultural exchange. From the earliest contact with natives, Europeans learned about their rich deposits of gold and silver, which made them want to explore the Americas even more. The first and most profound result of exchange was disease including: influenza, measles, chicken pox, mumps, and above all small pox. These led to a demographic catastrophe and caused the Indian's population to further decrease. -
Virginia Company
The Virginia Company was a joint stock company that was approved by King James I to create new settlements in the colony of Virginia. A joint stock company is a business organization with which investors pooled money in order to purchase stock in a company. It was significant because it founded the first colony, Jamestown. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact, signed by 41 English colonists on the ship Mayflower on November 11, 1620, was the first written framework of government established in what is now the United States. It was significant because it was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. The compact was referred to by John Adams as the foundation of the Constitution of the United States. -
Pequot War
The Pequot War was an armed conflict between the Pequot tribe and an alliance consisting of the English colonists of the Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, and Saybrook colonies and their Native American allies which occurred between 1634 and 1638. The Pequots lost the war. It was significant because the Indian's were basically wiped out and there was no more violence between the Native Americans and the colonists in the northern colonies. -
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
The Fundamental Orders were adopted by the Connecticut Colony council on January 15, 1639. The orders describe the government set up by the Connecticut River towns, setting its structure and powers. It was significant because it was the first written and detailed Constitution in America, and was a major stepping stone on the way to modern democracy. -
King Phillip's War
King Philip’s War marked the last major effort by the Native Americans of southern New England to drive out the English settlers. It was significant because it was America's first major conflict with Native Americans, and it resulted in the destruction of both colonial and native communities. The war marked the end of a fragile peace between settlers and Native Americans that would never be reestablished. -
Albany Plan
The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies, suggested by Benjamin Franklin. It was significant because it would allow all colonials to function as one and it would dictate the taxes, colonial defense, and certain laws. The main significance is that this proposal was the first move toward unified government. -
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French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was the North American theater of the worldwide Seven Years' War. The war was fought between the colonies of British America and New France, with both sides supported by military units from their parent countries of Great Britain and France, as well as Native American allies. The main historical significance of the French and Indian War is that it helped bring about the American Revolution. -
Peace of Paris
This was a treaty signed by Britain, France, and Spain that ended their involvement in the Seven Years' War. The significance of the Peace Treaty of Paris 1783 was that it ended the American Revolutionary War, the British acknowledged the independence of the United States, the colonial empire of Great Britain was destroyed in North America, and U.S. boundaries were established. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was an act of the British Parliament in 1756 that exacted revenue from the American colonies by imposing a stamp duty on newspapers and legal and commercial documents. The Stamp Act was passed along with the others to raise money for the wars with England. This was the final straw for the colonists who were already grumbling and ready to protest the taxes they were already paying. This act tipped the balance over in deciding to go to war for independence. -
Quartering Act
Quartering Act is a name given to a minimum of two acts of British Parliament in the local governments of the American colonies to provide the British soldiers with any needed accommodations or housing. This was significant because it frustrated American colonists more, as they were forced to quarter British troops in their homes against their will. -
Marburg V. Madison
This was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court formed the basis for the exercise of judicial review in the United States under Article III of the Constitution. The assertion of the Supreme Court as the sole interpreter of the Constitution becomes the lasting significance of the case. The idea that no other branch except the judicial can determine if actions or laws meet the standard of Constitutionality has become a foundation for the gov't. -
Embargo Act
The Embargo Act of 1807 imposed a general embargo that made any and all exports from the United States illegal. It was sponsored by President Thomas Jefferson and enacted by Congress. The goal was to force Britain and France to respect American rights during the Napoleonic Wars. It was significant because it increased capital and labor in the New England textile and other manufacturing industries. -
War of 1812
A war between Britain and the United States, fought between 1812 and 1815. The War of 1812 has also been called the second American war for independence. It was significant because if the U.S. lost then Britain would colonize it again but by defeating the strongest nation in the world for the second time, the U.S. proved that it had a right to exist and be its own country. -
Adams Onis Treaty
The Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819, also known as the Transcontinental Treaty, the Florida Purchase Treaty, or the Florida Treaty, was a treaty between the United States and Spain in 1819 that ceded Florida to the U.S. and defined the boundary between the U.S. and New Spain. It was significant because it was one of the critical events that defined the U.S.-Mexico border. -
Gibbons V. Ogden
This was a landmark decision in which the Supreme Court held that the power to regulate interstate commerce granted to Congress. It was significant because This it was one of the first instances of the national government claiming authority over a state government. States, especially in the South, became fearful that the federal government would make similar rulings that undermined state decisions about issues like slavery and taxation. -
Annexation of Texas
The Texas annexation was the 1845 incorporation of the Republic of Texas into the United States of America, which was admitted to the Union as the 28th state. Long term benefits to the United States for Texas annexation were significant. The annexation led quickly to war with Mexico in 1846. The victorious United States came away with control of the American Southwest and California through the Treaty of Guadalupe in 1848. -
Free Soil Party
This was a former political party that opposed the extension of slavery in territories not yet admitted into statehood. It was significant because it played a role in who won the Presidency in 1848, taking enough votes away from the Democrats in New York to give the state, and thus the election, to Whig candidate, Zachary Taylor. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
An anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. The novel is significant because it helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War. -
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Social Gospel
This was a belief that Christian faith practiced as a call not just to personal conversion but to social reform. It was significant because it prompted leaders to push for business and labor reforms. -
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Sioux Wars
The Great Sioux War of 1876, also known as the Black Hills War, was a series of battles and negotiations which occurred between 1876 and 1877 involving the Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne against the United States. It was significant because settlers gained free land rights. Sioux lost 5,000 years of culture, language and hope. -
Compromise of 1877
The Compromise of 1877 was a purported informal, unwritten deal that settled the intensely disputed 1876 U.S. presidential election, pulled federal troops out of state politics in the South, and it was significant because it ended the Reconstruction Era. -
Pendleton Act
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act is a United States federal law, enacted in 1883, which established that positions within the federal government should be awarded on the basis of merit instead of political affiliation. It was significant because it provided selection of government employees competitive exams, rather than ties to politicians or political affiliation. It also made it illegal to fire or demote government employees for political reasons -
Haymarket Riot
The Haymarket affair (also known as the Haymarket massacre or Haymarket riot) was the aftermath of a bombing that took place at a labor demonstration on Tuesday May 4, 1886, at Haymarket Square in Chicago. It was significant because it stood as an example of anarchy against the government. Also, the trials that followed proved the injustices of the judicial system as well as how powerful the media was at the time. -
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Progressive Era
The Progressive Era was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States, from the 1890s to 1920s. Among the legacy of the Progressive Era is the 17th Amendment to the Constitution which provides for direct election of Senators. Senators were previously elected by State legislators. Additionally, the referendum, initiative and recall, still practiced in many states, was the result of Progressive policies. -
Populism
Populism is a belief in the power of regular people and their right to have control over their government rather than a small group of political insiders or a wealthy elite. The populists were significant because they were key particularly to transforming the democratic party in upholding the policies that we see today. -
Spanish American War
A war between Spain and the United States, fought in 1898. The war began as an intervention by the United States on behalf of Cuba. It was significant because Spain lost almost all it's overseas territories and the U. S. gained them. Spain also faded as a world power while the U. S. became a world power. -
Roosevelt Corollary
The Roosevelt Corollary was an addition to the Monroe Doctrine articulated by President Theodore Roosevelt in his State of the Union address in 1904 after the Venezuela Crisis of 1902–03. The Roosevelt corollary is important because it added to the Monroe Doctrine in matters of foreign military actions. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. It was significant because it ended the war. -
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Red Scare
The rounding up and deportation of several hundred immigrants of radical political views by the federal government in 1919 and 1920. This “scare” was caused by fears of subversion by communists in the United States after the Russian Revolution. The Red Scare played a big part of history for America and Russia in the 1920's. This was a time of fear and caution. America was scared to end up like Russia with an overthrown government. -
49th Parallel
The 49th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 49 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. It was significant because it was the boundary between British and American regions of Pacific Northwest . -
Communism
Communism is a socioeconomic political philosophy that postulates the importance of humans in economic productivity as a factor of production under state ownership as a welfare state in a classless society for social economic justice and equality. It is opposed in confrontation through each historical era to reduce the gap between capitalist who own the resources for productivity and the workers in conflicts. -
Fascism
This was a way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government. The centralization of power inherent in this ideology, combined with the dominance of the military, made it an ideal vehicle for leaders like Franco, Hitler, and Mussolini to propel their own agendas, regardless of their true political belief. -
Truman Doctrine
This was the principle that the US should give support to countries or peoples threatened by Soviet forces or communist insurrection. First expressed in 1947 by US President Truman in a speech to Congress seeking aid for Greece and Turkey, the doctrine was seen by the communists as an open declaration of the Cold War. It was created to fight the spread of Communism, as the government was afraid that if a few small, weak countries became Communist, then it would lead to a Domino effect. -
Marshall Plan
A program by which the United States gave large amounts of economic aid to European countries to help them rebuild after the devastation of World War II. It was proposed by the United States secretary of state, General George C. Marshall. It was significant because it contributed greatly to the rapid removal of the Western European chemical, engineering, and steel industries. -
Bay of Pigs
Bay of Pigs Invasion, 1961, an unsuccessful invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles, supported by the U.S. government. On Apr. 17, 1961, an armed force of about 1,500 Cuban exiles landed in the Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) on the south coast of Cuba. It was significant because Cuban exiles and anti-Castro forces in Cuba became united. -
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Iran Contra Affair
The name given to a series of secret and illegal actions by US government officials under President Ronald Reagan. In 1985, officials in the National Security Council sold military weapons to Iran so it would help in freeing US prisoners in Lebanon.
It was significant because it helped cement the image of President Reagan as the "Teflon President" because it could not be proved that he knew anything about it. -
2000 Election
American presidential election held on Nov. 7, 2000, in which Republican George W. Bush narrowly lost the popular vote to Democrat Al Gore but defeated Gore in the electoral college. It was significant because Gore lost his home State of TN, a state that his family money should have given to him in wrapping papers. When Gore lost TN, the DNC call in some chips to turn the tide in FL with endless recount. Gore was told he would win but being a wealthy wimp, he threw a tantrum. -
Bush Doctrine
The Bush Doctrine refers to various related foreign policy principles of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. Charles Krauthammer first used the phrase in June 2001 to describe the Bush Administration's "...unilaterally withdrawing from the ABM treaty and rejecting the Kyoto protocol." President Bush argued that the new policy was necessary to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction among rogue states and terrorist groups. -
Iraq Invasion
A protracted military conflict in Iraq that began in 2003 with an attack by a coalition of forces led by the United States and that resulted in the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime. US combat troops were withdrawn in 2010. It is significant because it was the beginning of a war with Iraq. -
2008 Election
Senator Barack Obama won the 2008 Presidential Election. His victory came at the end of the longest, and most interesting election in American history. The 2008 election was the first election in 50 years, in which there was no incumbent President or Vice President from either party competing for the Presidential nomination. The absence of any incumbent encouraged a large number of candidates from both parties to run.
