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1513
Spanish Exploration of North America
Juan Ponce de Leon explored Florida to find the Fountain of Youth. He established a Spanish tie with Florida. Ponfilo Narvaez sailed on a 600 men expedition only to be shipwrecked by powerful hurricanes. Only four survived including Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca who arrived in Mexico. Francisco Coronado explored Arizona and New Mexico in search for gold. He was greeted by hostile Indians and was forced to flee to Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. He found no gold. -
1517
Protestant Reformation
Martin Luther, a German Monk, questioned the Roman Catholic Church by writing his 95 Theses. Because of the impact of these, Protestantism arose and began to grow in popularity. -
1524
French Exploration of North America
The French, still trying to find a route to Asia, hired Giovanni de Verrazano to explore the Atlantic. Through his exploration, the French mapped out land between North Carolina and Newfoundland. Jacques Cartier explored the Saint Lawrence River. He established long lasting relations and trade between the French and Indians. -
Jamestown
Virginia company sent 105 men to find riches, Asia shortcut, and build settlements. It was an immediate disaster. There was an uneasy alliance with the Powhatans. The community had no sense of responsibility. The lack of food and drinking water almost wiped out the colony. -
Bacon's Rebellion
The relations between the English settlers and the Native Indians was also tense. Constant attacks against settlers led Nathaniel Bacon to create his own militia. He asked for permission to attack but Governor Berkeley objected. This did not stop Bacon. He attacked the Natives and Civil War broke out. Because of Bacon's use of indentured slaves, more people turned to slave labor and slavery was seen more as permanent. -
Spanish Colonies North of Mexico
The controlled Santa Fe. They led the Pueblo. This showed the Spanish the struggle they would face trying to control this area. Seeing how French colonies were growing, the Spanish established San Antonio to defer them from Texas. They also established forts in California. -
Ongoing British wars
The historic rivalry between the British and the French took toll on their colonies. The Indians allied with the French. During King William's War and Queen Anne's War, the Iroquois became entangled in their mess which caused them to distance themselves. Britain became dominant over the Caribbean after the War of Jenkin's ear. -
Salem Witch Trials
Superstition and fear of Indian attacks led people find someone guilty of whatever the community found unsettling. Jealousy of the poor towards the prosperous also contributed to the sudden trials. In the end 20 would be executed including a dog. -
Slavery and Plantations
The growth of plantations caused slavery to become a dominant institution. At this time slaves were permanent even when they were racially mixed. Most slaves were sent to South America and the Caribbean. Olaudah Equinox described his voyage to the New World as containing great suffering. The slaves were treated horribly. This led to them fighting for freedom in the Stono Rebellion. This only tightened control over slaves. -
French and Indian War
The French and British fought for control over the Ohio Valley. The war gave the British dominance over North America as the French lost all of French Canada and the land east of the Mississippi. The war left England deep in debt. -
Pontiac's Rebellion
Because the British dominated North America, there was no way for the Indians to have some sort of advantage over them. So Pontiac led a rebellion to eliminate White man from the Ohio Valley. British officers ordered death to all Indians and gave them chicken pox blankets. Pontiac signed a peace treaty. -
Boston Masacre
British soldiers killed five colonists. Crisps Attucks, a freed slave, was the first to die. The Committees of Correspondence formed to encourage resistance to British rule. -
Shay's Rebellion
After the war, former soldiers in Massachusetts faced hardships and demanded economic help from the state legislature. When they refused, armed farmers led by Daniel Shay shut down the court. They aimed to overthrow the state government but the state militia stopped them. The rebellion caused the elite to become scared and ask for stronger national government. -
Constitutinal Convention
Every state attended the convention except Rhode Island. James Madison wrote the Virginia Plan which included two house legislature that depended on population of states contrary to the New Jersey plan that had equal representation. The Great Compromise created House of Representatives and Senate. The Electoral College was created and the rules for the president were set. -
Adopting the Constitution
The constitution needed to be signed and ratified so James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote the Federalists Paper in order to achieve ratification. Antifederalists were afraid of the power the national government could achieve so the Bill of Rights were adopted. -
The First Election
George Washington was unanimously elected as President. John Adams was his vice- president. Washington chose Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of Treasury, Henry Knox as Secretary of War, and Edmund Randolph as Attorney General. -
Indian Resistance
Joseph Grants vows to stop white settlement. General Anthony Wayne went against his resistance and defeated the Indians at Battle of Fallen Timbers. The treaty of Greenville ended the resistance -
The Effects of Cotton
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin which increased its production in the South. Because cotton sucks all the nutrients from the soil, new plantation grounds were needed. Growers moved West and took their slaves with them. Over 1 million slaves were forced West. This migration often broke up families. When they reached new plantations, they formed new communities with a strong sense of faith and hope. -
John Adams and Administatrion
John Adams became the second president of the United States. He grew the navy as a response to the seizing of American ships by the French which angered the Democratic Republicans. He passed the Alien and Sedition Acts which gave power to deport immigrants. -
Second Great Awakening
The religious revival began in Cane Ridge, Kentucky where outdoor campground meetings would be held. Baptists and Methodists became Protestant denominations. Christianity was also preached in plantations. Masters taught to be obedient whereas slaves wanted freedom. Many slaves attended white churches and sat in the back. Others held services with their own preacher who traveled between Sundays to different plantations. This freedom was revoked over fear of revolt. Catholics saw the first bishop. -
Louisiana Purchase
When the land West of the Mississippi was ceded to the French, Jefferson saw a great chance to gain more access to New Orleans a very essential port. Robert Livingston and James Monroe were sent to buy it from Napoleon. Jefferson offered 15 million dollars to which Napoleon agreed. Although there was uncertainty of whether it was constitutional, it was a good deal. It doubled the size of the country. -
Lewis and Clarke
They were sent to explore the land east of the Mississippi River. On the way they met Sacagawea, a Shoshone who joined the expedition in North Dakota. She was sixteen, the wife of a fur trader, and the sister of the Chief. She bore two children which became guardian of when she died in 1812. -
Missouri Compromise
There was a debate on incorporating Missouri as a state. The main problem was to whether consider it a slave state or an abolition state. The addition would tilt the balance in power either side. When Missouri was to be passed as a slave state, the North decided to incorporate Maine as a free state to balance once again. -
Slave revolts
Denmark Vesey revolted in Charleston, South Carolina. Nat Turner revolted in Virginia. He killed about 60 whites and 120 slaves. The revolts spread fear in the South. -
Mexico and Texas
A colony of Americans grew in Texas. The Mexicans gave them certain requirements but they were ignored. Soon the Mexicans began to realize too many Americans were migrating to the area so they ended migration while enforcing strict Mexican law. Americans called for Independence. Mexican soldiers slaughter Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Travis at the Alamo. The capture of Santa Ana, Mexican General, led to Texan independence. United states did not add Texas as a state over fear of war. -
Election of 1824
Andrew Jackson won popular vote that election but no candidate won the majority electoral college vote. The runoff was between Jackson and Quincy Adams. Henry Clay chose Adams. Soon after Adams appoints Clay as Secretary of State. Jackson calls corruption. -
Nullification Crisis
John C. Calhoun from South Carolina was a rival of Jackson and a supporter for state rights. He believed the states have the right to nullify federal laws. South Carolina voted to nullify the Tariff of Abominations because it would devastate southern economy. Jackson became angry and threatened to use federal force -
Indian Removal Act
The 5 civilized tribes were forced to move to Oklahoma. The Cherokee, who were settled farmers and had an alphabet and newspaper, challenged the act. Chief Justice Marshall listened to the Cherokees but Jackson ignored the supreme court. In 1837 the last of Cherokee were removed in the trail of tears. -
Immigration to America
A healthy birthrate caused the population of America to quickly grow. Immigrants from Ireland, Germany, and China also added 23 million people to the nation. The Chinese went to California to set railroad tracks. The Irish, mostly poor Catholics, migrated to Boston and New York City. The Germans settled in the Midwest and farmed. -
The Birth of Common Schools
Mount Holyoke College was the first college for women. Horace Mann established state board of education which held certain school standards in Massachusetts. This action was greatly opposed by Jackson and the Catholics. McGuffey's Reader was a handbook that focused on speaking skills, hard work, patriotism, and morality. -
California
California was ignored by the Spanish until the 1700's. Franciscan friars built missions along the coast. When Mexico declared independence, landowners and ranchers moved to California. Antonio Maria Oslo opposed manifest destiny. Still, Americans began to eye the area in the 1840's -
Manifest Destiny
Newspaper editor John L. O'Sullivan coined the term manifest destiny. The goal was to spread throughout the North American continent and spread the Protestant faith . God blessed the mission. -
Seneca Falls Convention
This convention marked the beginning of the Women's Rights movement. They began the convention by reading the Declaration of Independence. Sarah Grime stressed equality for men and women. Lucretia Most and Elizabeth Cady Stanton pushed for abolition and equality. The movement as a whole focused on education, property rights, and the right to obtain divorce. -
Compromise of 1850
California becomes a free state; New Mexico and Utah become territories. Fugitive Slave Act was passed to help retrieve runaways slaves. This forced agents to work with slave catchers yet many still assisted the slaves. There was great opposition in the North and South. -
Harper's Ferry
John Brown an extreme abolitionist tried to lead a slave instruction in Virginia. The attack was quickly put down and Brown became a martyr for the cause of ending slavery. Northerners realized violence would be necessary for abolition. Southern used it against abolition saying they were violent. -
Election and Secession
Lincoln won the election of 1860. South Carolina seceded in December of that year. The Confederates States of America (Florida, Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana) was formed. Although many Northerners wanted the seceded states to be left alone, Lincoln said they did not have the right and were in rebellion. He also promised to mot let slavery spread. The bombardment of Ft. Sumter marked the beginning of Civil War. Many thought the war would be short. -
First Battle of Bull Run ( Battle of First Manasas)
On July 21,1861 the Battle of Bull Run took place. Not knowing the truth of war, citizens held picnics near the battle grounds. It was a Southern victory. The North realized the war would not be easy to win. -
Women's Role in the Civil War
Many women kept the home front in the South, others became nurses. Elizabeth Blackwell's Sanitary Commission treated wounded soldiers in the North. Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, helped obtain medical supplies. -
Gettysburg
The battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the war. Pickets charge was responsible for many Southern deaths. Lee retreats, but General Meade does not pursue. The free blacks captured during battle were taken and sold to slavery. -
Freedman's Bureau
This was established by Lincoln to aid former slaves. It gave assistance in understanding the contracts they were signing. It provided, medical care, education, temporary shelter, provisions, clothing, and helped them buy land. -
Presidential Reconstruction
Andrew Jackson worked with the union because he despised the " master class." He issued pardons to ex-confederate soldiers. The Southern government developed the Black codes to limit the power and freedom of dormer slaves. -
Comanche
They lived in the Southwestern of the United States. They were fierce warriors who relied on buffalo for food and clothing. They developed a cattle trade with the New Mexicans. Soon, the American government forced them into a farming lifestyle because they considered the Indians to no longer be sovereign. Medicine Lodge Creek Treaty gave the Comanche a reservation with occasional hunting. Misinterpretation caused conflict and the Comanche were reduced to just reservations. -
Election of 1876
Democrats gave Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency. He ended reconstruction and removed federal troops from the South. This caused African Americans to disappear from Senate. Jim Crow laws segregated whites from blacks. Supreme Court agreed with Plessy v.s. Ferguson. -
New Technology
Alexander Graham Bell developed the first telephone and made communication easier. Thomas Edison invented the stock printer, phonograph, and the electric light bulb. Westinghouse and Tesla developed alternating electrical current over great distances. Ford build the first common car. The Wright brothers successfully flew a plane. -
Cowboys
Cowboys were known for their rowdy lifestyle as they would often celebrate at the end of their trails by visiting saloons in places like Dodge City, Kansas. Cowboys were of varied backgrounds. They were former slaves, former Confederates, Indians, or of Mexican descent. -
Dawes Act
This Act transformed the communal way of life of the Indians to an individual way of life. One hundred sixty acres of land WA given to each family. This land could then be sold in 25 years. -
More Immigration
In the late 1800's, most immigrants were either Jewish or Catholic. They decided to migrate because of poverty and religious persecution especially in Russia. Italians escaped because of poverty and violence. When migrants arrived they moved to their own ethnic groups where they spoke their own languages and followed their own cultural rules. The Chinese were banned from migrating into the United States until after WWII. -
The Victorian Middle Class
Department stores and Christmas decorations grew in popularity. Buildings pointed to prosperity. Urban development created better sewer systems and improved transportation. Many people were very faithful as the Protestant faith was the most prevalent.
