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Battle of Lexington & Concord
This battle was the start of the Revolutionary War. The British Commander overheard that the Patriots were holding supplies in Lexington and Concord. The minutemen were defeated at Lexington by the British. Then the minutemen later won at Concord and pushed British soldiers into Boston. -
Declaration of Independence
This was the document that declared America independent from Britain. The document addresses the reason as to why America is declaring independence. It also addresses the times colonists have tried to solve their problems by talking to the King. The people addresses in the document include the King, the Parliament, and the loyalists in America. -
Articles of Confederation
This was one of the first forms of US government. The Articles of Confederation were created to handle problems between the colonists and Britain. The Articles of Confederation gave the more power to the states resulting in a weak central government with a Unicameral Legislature. The weak central government ultimately resulted in the failure of the Articles of Confederation. -
Battle of Saratoga
This was the turning point of the war. The colonists had entered in an alliance with France and this battle showed the French that America could win the war. In result of this France supplied military aid to the colonists. -
Battle of Yorktown
This was the final battle of the Revolutionary War. America victory in this battle led to England surrendering. England then started creating peace negotiations leading to the Treaty of Paris, that ended the war. -
Northwest Ordinance
This made a government for the Northwest Territory. The bill of rights were guaranteed in new territories. There was also a tension between the South and North because of slavery disputes. -
Constitution
This document created a government by the people and protected the rights of individuals. The document fixed the problems of the Articles of Confederation by setting up a strong central government. The document addresses the ideas of separation of powers, checks and balances, and limited government. -
Bill of Rights
These are the first 10 amendments of the constitution that protected the rights of people from the government. The amendments guaranteed people the right to freedom or speech, religion, bear arms, and etc. The Bill of Rights was added to the constitution because of a compromise between the Federalists and Anti-federalists in order to have the Constitution ratified. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
This restricted the rights of foreigners in the US and put restrictions on citizenship and political speech. The acts placed restrictions on freedom of speech and made it illegal to go against any measure of the government. This included any writings opposing the President or Congress. The acts also made it hard for immigrants to become citizens and vote. -
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
Proclaimed that the Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional because they violated people's rights. This allowed states to nullify the acts and go against the violation of rights. -
Louisiana Purchase
This purchase was made by Thomas Jefferson which doubled the size of the US. The purchase set a precedent for future land acquisitions and added 15 new states. The purchase also secured control over the Mississippi River which was used as a market. -
Marbury v. Madison
The decision of this case gave the power of judicial review to the judicial branch of government. This strengthened the federal government by giving the judicial branch more power. The judicial branch could now decide if laws were constitutional of unconstitutional. -
War of 1812 Begins
Started by British reconstructions on american trade. The war was fought between the US, British, and their allies. The war ended in a tie but the native Americans ultimately lost. -
Battle of New Orleans
This was the final important battle of the War of 1812. America pushed the British Army and won. -
Missouri Compromise
The compromise was an attempt by Congress to fix sectionalism and other political problems with the expansion of slavery. The compromise admitted Missouri as a slave state and tried to balance the power of free and slave states. The compromise was repealed by Kansas-Nebraska Act. -
Monroe Doctrine
This was meant to be a warning to foreign countries for them to not recolonize Latin America. The document was created by President James Monroe. This became a reason for future Presidents' involvement in foreign affairs. -
Nullification Crisis
John C. Calhoun attempted to nullify a high protective tariff passed by the central government. Calhoun said that South Carolina was not going to pay the tariff while Andrew Jackson wanted the federal government to be stronger than the state government. They came to a compromise to lower the protective tariff and South Carolina was threatened to pay the tariff. This resulted in issues of states' rights to continue. -
Texas Annexation
Texas declared independence from Mexico after they outlawed slavery. 9 years later the US obtained the Republic of Texas. This caused the US to fear that there would be a war over a new state entering as a slave or non slave state and increased sectionalism. -
Oregon Treaty
This was one of the first accomplishments of Manifest Destiny. It was a treaty between the US and the British to settle border disputes. The treaty resulted in the newspaper headline "54'40 or Fight, that was meant to support was with British over territory. -
Mexican Cession (Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo)
This was the land gained from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo after the Mexican-American War. The territory gained added about 7 states to the Union and increased sectionalism. The territory gained also caused more disputes on the expansion of slavery and the land was gained to finish the idea of Manifest Destiny. -
Compromise of 1850
The compromise allowed for states to decide to be a slave state or a free state. The compromise introduced the principle of popular sovereignty and the Fugitive Slave Law. The law required northerners to bring back runaway slaves from the south. The compromise admitted California as a free state and abolished the slave trade in Washington D.C. -
Uncle Tom’s Cabin in published
This was a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe on anti-slavery. This novel caused more tension on people's perspective of slavery in America. The novel helped start the Civil War and caused people in the North to become more aware of slavery. The novel ultimately made slavery less popular and cause northerners to oppose it. -
Kansas - Nebraska Act
This act repealed the Missouri Compromise. The act proposed my Stephan Douglass allowed people in Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether there would be slavery within their borders. -
Bleeding (Bloody) Kansas
During the voting of anti-slavery and pro-slavery supporters there was a violent conflict which resulted in what is known as Bleeding (Bloody) Kansas. This was a border war of many conflicts between Missouri and Kansas about the issue slavery. These conflicts resulted in Kansas entering the Union as a free state. -
John Brown’s Raid at Harper’s Ferry
This was the event where John Brown attempted an armed slave revolt that included taking over Harper's Ferry, Virginia. The US Marines defeated John Brown and his group and John Brown was put on trail. Brown was charged with treason, murder and a slave rebellion and hung for his crimes -
Battle of Fort Sumter
This was the battle that started the Civil war and it caused many states to leave the Union. -
Battle of Bull Run
This was the first significant battle of the Civil War which ended in a victory for the Confederacy. This surprised people because the Union had an advantage at the beginning of the battle and thought the war would end quickly. -
Battle of Antietam
This battle was know as the single bloodiest day in American history and ended in a tactical draw. General Robert E. Lee led the Confederacy and General G. McClellan led the Union. The battle caused the creation of the Emancipation Proclamation and Lee retreated to Virginia. -
Emancipation Proclamation
This document created by Abraham Lincoln intended to free all slaves by proclaiming "all persons held as a slave are now free". The slaves were not officially free but they could now fight for their freedom. -
Gettysburg Address
This was a speech given by Abraham Lincoln at the ceremony dedicated to soldiers that died during the Battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln proclaimed that the purpose of the Civil War was not to just preserve the Union but also to bring equality to all US citizens. -
Battle of Vicksburg
This battle accomplished Andrew Johnson's Anaconda Plan to capture the Mississippi River. -
Battle of Gettysburg
This was known as the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. During day 3 of the battle 50,000 men died. The battle resulted in the Union winning and stopping General Robert E. Lee second invasion. -
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Presidential Reconstruction
This idea created by President Lincoln and continued by President Johnson goal was to get the South to rejoin the Union. The main goal of this plan was peace and unification. To get this plan to work as quickly as possible they only required 10% of a state to swear an oath to the Union. -
Sherman’s March to the Sea
This was a significant victory for the Union where Sherman captured Atlanta which was important to the Confederacy. The purpose was to scare people of Georgia to leave the Confederacy. -
13th Amendment Passed
This amendment officially abolished slavery. It also outlawed involuntary servitude except as a punishment for a crime. -
Freedman’s Bureau
An organization to help poor whites and former slaves in the South after the Civil War. The group which was made up of Radical Republican set up schools and helped poor whites and former slaves gain land. The group also helped negotiation and labor contracts and etc. The group was set up to protect all freedmen. -
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Congressional Reconstruction
This plan created by Congress was meant to harshly punish the South for leaving the Union. They blamed the South for starting the Civil War by leaving the Union -
14th Amendment Passes
This amendment proclaimed that all former slaves were to have equal rights and protection. This was to make sure the freedmen had equal rights and opportunities. -
15th Amendment Passes
This amendment gave black men the right to vote. The South used black codes, literacy tests, poll taxes, and the Grandfather Cause to find a way to prohibit black men from voting. -
Plessy V. Ferguson
The decision of this court case established the idea of "separate but equal". This basically established the use of there being colored things that blacks could use and white things that only whites could use. This included books, restrooms, water fountains, and etc.