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1607 | Jamestown
The first permanent English settlement. (Settled in Virginia)
King James I gave land to the Virginia Company of London. The Company formed a Joint-Stock Corporation and pooled the resources of many investors to send a group of (unskilled) men to the New World to discover riches.
The settlers did not discover riches and struggled due to disease and starvation. Everything was new to these settlers and the Natives helped and taught them how to survive. -
1685 | The European Enlightenment
People questioned everything and authority. They used observations and science to study all aspects of life. Four Fundamental Principles:
* Lawlike order of the natural world
* The power of human reason
* The “natural rights” of individuals - right to self-govern
* Progressive improvement of society These ideas spread to America because the colonies were experiencing the same things as them. -
1756 | Seven Years' War
A war fought between the British and French to see who had what land in the Ohio Valley. After the war left the British and the Colonies split in different opinions. The Colonies believed they had greatly contributed to the war and thought the British would finally see them as equals. The British believed the colonies were cowards for using different fighting tactics and did not sacrifice much. -
1762 | Revenue Act
After the 7 Years' War, the British were left with a huge debt. The British changed their policies and charged more for taxes, but Britain had little power in the colonies. This act forced customs officers to take up their posts in colonies instead of hiring underpaid assistants to do their work. These underpaid assistants would not enforce the new policies and took bribes for money. -
1763 | Proclamation of 1763
After the 7 Years' War, the British gained land from the West that was originally the French's. The British did not want the colonists to settle in the new land. They could not risk a war with the Native Americans because they were still in a lot of debt. So they established a border between the "old" and "newly gained" land that the colonists could not cross. The colonists were angry because one of the main reasons they fought in the war was to gain more land they could live on. -
1763 | Treaty of Paris
This treaty ended the Seven Years' War and gave the French's land to the British. -
1764 | Currency Act of 1764
British wanted to create a new currency. They wanted to take control of the Colonies' economy amd raise revenue. They banned American colonies from producing and issuing paper money. -
1764 | Sugar Act of 1764
The British were taxing sugar and molasses (sugar syrup) at a high rate. The people were smuggling these products to avoid paying the taxes. This act lowered the tax to the same amount that the people were smuggling the products for. The British hoped that the people would pay the tax because of the same price, but the people continued to smuggle regardless because of their hatred towards the British. They smuggled as a way of going against the crown. -
1765 | Stamp Act of 1765
The law required a stamp on all items that were important and legally recognized. These stamps would be taxed. This act affected the wealthy and people who printed and sold a lot because of their large amount of important paperwork. -
1765 | Quartering Act of 1765
The colonists did not want to build homes for the soldiers. This act forced citizens to house and take care of British troops in public houses or in their own homes. Colonists felt that they didn't have any privacy in their homes. They also feared the fact that the soldiers could report them for any reason if they wanted to. -
1767 | Townshend Act of 1767
The British needed more money to pay off their debts. They began to tax imported goods, such as tea, glass, lead paper, and painters' colors. These items were often used and in response, people began to boycott the items.
The Daughters of Liberty were a group that boycotted taxed goods and manufactured their own products. -
1770 | The Boston Massacre
What started as a protest, ended with several dead. The people were protesting against the acts. This battle proved that it was going to be difficult to reconciliation between the crown and colonies would be difficult. -
1773 | The Boston Tea Party
Men from the Sons of Liberty prevented East India Company ships from delivering their cargoes of tea. Dressed up as Indians, the men threw $1.5 million worth of tea into the harbor. The King became enraged at the loss of profit and passed the four Coercive (Intolerable) Acts. -
1774 | Coercive (Intolerable) Acts
Acts to punish MA, make them pay for the tea, and submit to imperial authority.- Boston Port Bill - Closed Boston Habor to shipping, resulting in a supply and demand issue and skyrocketing prices
- Massachusetts Government Act - Prohibited most town meetings to prevent people from gathering to commit another Boston Tea Party
- New Quartering Act - Ordered housing buildings for British Troops
- Justice Act - Allowed trials for capital crimes to be transferred to other colonies or to Britain
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1774 | First Continental Congress
As a response to the Coercive acts, delegates gathered in Philadelphia and issued a declaration of rights. They also agreed to boycott trade with Britain. 1775 - William Pitt asked Lord North to give up its power to tax the colonies and to recognize the Congress as a lawful body. In return, the Congress will acknowledge parliamentary supremacy and figure out a way for permanent revenue to help with Britain's debt, but they were rejected. -
1775 | The Battles of Lexington and Concord
General Thomas Gage used loyalist intel to send soldiers to capture colonial leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington and supplies at Concord. Paul Revere set out to warn Patriots that the British coming. When the British arrived, the two leaders and supplies were already gone. The British outnumbered the 70 militiamen. A shot was fired from an unknown side and the British opened fire. "Shot heard all around the world"
This was the start of the Revolution -
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American Revolution
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1775 | The Second Continental Congress
Patriot leaders gathered and John Adams suggested that the Congress should create a continental army. George Washington was appointed leader of the army. Most of the Congress still hoped to reconcile with the king, despite the bloodshed. John Dickinson won approval for the Olive Branch Petition, which attempted reconciliation with the King. The King rejected it and declared that the colonies were in an open rebellion and that they were going to war. -
1775 | Battle of Bunker Hill
The Colonists laid siege in Boston to try to get the British troops to surrender. General Thomas Gage sent troops onto the nearby hills to occupy the land before the Colonists did. The British appeared to be losing, so they started to destroy homes. They hoped to use the smoke as a weapon. This was the first major battle of the American Revolution. The King signed a Proclamation of Rebellion and declared that the Colonists were committing treason and must be defeated. -
1776 | Declaration of Independence
Congress, Thomas Jefferson, and many others wrote and approved the Declaration of Independence. The document claimed that the King was a tyrant, that all men are created equal, that every citizen has natural rights, and that if their rights were threatened by their government, then they have the right to overthrow the government. This changed not only the Colonies but the whole world too. This document changed government globally. -
1776 | The American Crisis
The Continental Army was facing back-to-back defeats. This resulted in the army having low morale and motivation to keep fighting. Thomas Paine wrote American Crisis in an attempt to boost the army's morale. The pamphlet encouraged the people to stay persistent during battle. It also reminded them of the reason they chose to fight for their independence. Paine also gave details on what would happen if the army were to succeed. The list of reasons to fight motivated the army. -
1777 | Battle of Saratoga
General John Burgoyne and his army planned to move south to meet up with two other British armies and face the Continental Army together. They refilled on food and supplies, and to wait for the other two British armies at Saratoga. As they rested, the Continental Army surrounded them and forced them to surrender along with their soldiers and supplies. The win helped convince the French to help the colonists and help train the Continental soldiers and provide troops and funds for the war. -
1777 | Articles of Confederation
The Americans were free of the British’s rule. They needed to develop a new form of government for their nation. This new form of government had laws that were based on American’s experiences and served as a reflection. Congress tried its best to make the laws pleasing to the people and would be the opposite of what the British had them endure. The Articles of Confederation gave most of the power to the states and left the central government weak. -
1777 | Valley Forge
Washington concluded that his army needed a break before their next battle and they stayed in Valley Forge to take shelter for the winter. Many soldiers died from disease and starvation. Before staying at Valley Forge, the soldiers were not properly trained for battle nor did they have the motivation to fight due to the large number of losses. With the help of other generals, the soldiers were trained and were given the confidence to keep fighting for their independence. -
1781 | Battle of Yorktown
British General Cornwallis retreated to the coast of Yorktown where he was protected on all sides with the expected help of the Royal Navy. However, the Navy had already been defeated by the French. The Continental Army surrounded Yorktown on land while the French navy surrounded by sea. The battle ended with the British surrendering and marked the end of the Revolutionary War. -
1783 | Treaty of Paris
The British formally recognized American independence. They granted the US the British land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mississippi River. This treaty ended the Revolutionary War. -
1786 | Shays’ Rebellion
The Continental Army was mostly made up of farmers who had to leave their land to fight. Due to being away and not producing any crops, the farmers did not have the funds to pay off their debts and taxes. This resulted in their farms being taken away and a revolt occurred. The angry people took control of courthouses so they could prevent more farms from being taken away. This rebellion served as a wake-up call to the government. They did not have enough power to deal with the outraged people. -
1787 | Northwest Ordinance
After the war, the US gained a large amount of new land. The Northwest Ordinance was passed as a way to establish new states in the newly gained territory. The Ordinance also banned slavery in the new states and set aside funds to build and support schools. -
1787 | Constitutional Compromise
Congress decided to make a new constitution. There were many arguments about how the power should be split between the people and the government. Shays’ Rebellion served as a way to help Congress realize that the nation needed a government with a strong central government. They needed to depart from their fears and anxiety about having a strong central government. The development of the new Constitution came with a new representation of the people, including slaves. -
1788 | Bill of Rights
Federalists got together and wrote the 10 non-negotiable Amendments to keep personal rights safe. This eased the fear of Antifederalists' fear of a strong national government and addressed the balance of power between the national and state governments. -
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George Washington
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1789 | Judiciary Act of 1789
During George Washington's presidency, he established many governmental systems. One of which was a 3-tier federal court system with the Supreme Court and two lower-level courts. If a court could not decide on the result of a case, then it would be moved to the next tier. The Supreme Court would have a Chief Justice and five associate justices who were appointed for life. Their positions were to be above and free of politics. The government did not want to have people beg for their positions. -
1794 | The Whiskey Rebellion
Farmers refused to pay the whiskey tax until the army began enforcing it. Farmers with military experience gathered and protested against Hamilton’s tax on whiskey. They would also attack tax collectors. Washington open fired on the surrounding land as a warning that they were capable of a battle. The revolters left. This revolt tested the Constitution and proved that it was well-written and showed strength. -
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John Adams
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1798 | Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
Many states were upset at the new laws. They declared the acts to be unconstitutional and void by the states. The states argued that they had the right to judge the constitutionality of the law.
This was a bad idea because who would decide what law is constitutional or not? If this plan goes through, then the states could end up with completely different laws. -
1798 | The Naturalization, Alien, and Sedition Acts of 1798
Adam's passed a series of laws to silence the critics and limit the rights of individuals. Republicans argued that these acts violated their right of freedom of speech and press.
These laws were put in place to limit the hate towards Adams so he could win another presidency. -
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Thomas Jefferson
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1803 | The Louisiana Purchase
Jefferson sent Robert Livingston to negotiate the purchase of New Orleans in order to keep the Mississippi River open to Western Farmers. The French offered $15 million for the entire territory of Louisiana. Jefferson had a tough time during his consideration because he followed the Constitution very closely. This decision was very important to the nation and Jefferson questioned his interpretation of the constitution. In the end, Jefferson accepted the offer. -
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James Madison
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James Monroe
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John Quincy Adams
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Andrew Jackson
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Martin Van Buren
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William Henry Harrison
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John Tyler
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James K. Polk
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Zachary Taylor
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Millard Fillmore
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Franklin Pierce
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James Buchanan
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Abraham Lincoln
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Andrew Johnson
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Ulysses S. Grant
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