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Sep 7, 1400
Reconquista
The union between Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon lead to a religious crusade. During the Reconquista, many Jews and Moors were driven out of Spain. This lead to the Iberian peninsula to be ruled under a single Christan power. Men loyal to the crown became conquistadors who lead many successful voyages and explorations. -
Sep 7, 1450
Johann Gutenberg
Johann Gutenberg was the German who invented the printing press. Because of him, may could now earn to read the bible by themselves. This lead to people having different interpurtations of the bible resulting in new religions. -
Sep 7, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
Instead of Spain and Portugal going to war, Pope Alexander VI negotiated a settlement that garaunteed everything west of the line drawn and all new lands discovered to go to Spain. Because of this treaty, Brazilians speak Portugese. This treaty mostly failed due to other countries tring to get in to the New World. -
Sep 7, 1497
John Cabot and Sebastian Cabot
The first records of the English visiting North America was by a fisherman, John Cabot. He was attmpting to find the northwest passage to Asia. His son tried to succeed him after his death, but at the time, England's interest was focused on religous problems. Their voyages did establish English claim in American territory. -
Sep 7, 1500
Encomienda System
In exchange for protection and religious guidance, the Indians were forced to work for the Spanish. The Indians were abused and exploited which led to Fra Bartolome de las Casas to fight for Indian rights. The encomienda system also resulted in the conversion of many Indians into the Catholic faith. -
Sep 7, 1517
Protestant Reformation: King Henry VII and Elizabeth I
The Church of England started after Heny VII divorced his wife because of her failure to produce a male heir without the consent of the Pope. The Protestant Reformation began aftr a German monk, Martin Luther, questioned the Pope and others who claimed they were closer to God. -
Roanoke
Sir Walter Ralegh founded Virginia, named after Queen Elizabeth I, or the Virgin Queen. Ralegh tried twice to establish the colony of Roanoke, but was unsuccessful. During the second attempt, the Spanish Armada made sure no English ships made it to America, so supplies to the colonists never arrived resulting in the desertion of the colony. No one knows for sure what happened to the lost colony of Roanoke. -
Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt interviewed and collected accounts from sailors returning from their voyages. His books peruaded the English to take interest in forming colonies in the New World. -
Slave Trade
Slaves were brought from Africa by the Porteguese into the Americas. They were forced to work o plantations. More than 1o.7 million African slaves were brought to the New World. This form of unfree labor will be established in the American colonies. -
Jamestown, Virginia
The first colonists in Jamestown were in search for instant wealth. They lived in a disease-ridden enviornment with no fresh drinking water. At the time, they were mainly concerned with a suprise attack from the Spanish. -
Virginia
Settlers came to get rich fast. They were in search of instant wealth. Some came because the joint-stock company provided financing. They did not come in family units. They grew tabacco.John Smith tried to maintain order in the colon. Later, the House of Burgesses was created to maintain order with the colonists. -
Quebec
Quebec was founded by Samuel de Champlain. Unlike the English or Spanish, the French cooperated and made friends with the natives. They viewed them as buisness partners. The natives and the French both exported furs and pelts of with each others. They sometimes lived amongst the natives and studied their culture. The founding of Quebec also lead French explorers to venture further and establish settlements in Lousianna. -
Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay
The Pilgrims were originally supposed to go to Virginia, but instead landed in Plymouth. They created the Mayflower Compact. They were in search of religous freedom and tolerance.As the colony grew, they spilled over to Massachusetts Bay. Squanto helped the Pilgrims out in learning how to live off the land. -
Maryland
Maryland was founded by Sir. George Calvert as a refuge for Catholics. It required tolerance between Catholics and Proestans, but the Protesants ended up taking control in 1655. -
Rhode Island
Roger Williams founded Rhode Island. Anne Hutchinson followed because she was excommunicated from her prior colony, bringing along some of her fellow followers. They later obtained a royal charter in 1663 which they used as Providence Plantations. The colonists of Rhode Island built up a profitable economay based on their agricultural goods. -
Connecticut
Colonists left Massachusetts and went to Conneticut where they founded Hartford, Windsor, and Wethersfield. The colony's most prominent minister, Thomas Hooker, defined a Congregational church polity. Puritans read all of his works. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut described the government set up by the river towns and set structure and power to members in the society. -
Carolinas
Anthony Ashley Cooper created North and South Carolina for reasons of commerical venture. People came in family units from Barbados to regain land and wealth. -
New York
Peter Stuyvestant, Duke of York, established this colony as a way of commericial venture. This colony attrated many people from all over making it really diverse with many different languages. -
Bacon's Rebellion
It occured in Jamestown, Virginia, against the goerner , William Berkely. This wa because Berkely failed to maintain and address the demands of the colonists regarding their safety against the native americans. It resulted in the death of 23 people. -
Pennsylvania
William Penn, a Quaker, founded Pennsylvania as a place of liberty. freedom form persectution, and no taxation without representation. This colony's economy prospered with its prodect of wheat which was in high demand. -
English Bill of Rights
It sets out rules for freedom of speech in Parliment, representation, and other rights. This lead to many different political theologist like John Locke and Jean Jaques Rousseau. -
Jonathan Edwards
Edwards was an accomplished minister, philosopher, and theoligian. He is considered one of America's greatest intellectuals. He is from teh Puritan heritage. -
George Whitefield
George Whitefield was an Angelican preacher who helped spread the Great Awakening in the American colonies. He preached about a series of rivavls that helped spread the Great Awakening. -
First Great Awakening
A period in the colonies and England in which preachers preached about chrisitanity. It a unified Christian movement. The listenes of these preachings were called New Lights. This is where many new preachers such as Jonathan Edwards and Whitefield gained recognition. -
Georgia
This colony was founded to discourage Spanish expansion by James Ogethrope in 1733. This colony banned the use of slaves and rum. It did not atrack many settlers because of these reasons. -
Seven Years War
Britain, the colonies, and Native Ameican rallied against the French, their colonies, and their native american allies.This lead to struggle among Britain,
spain, and France for worldwide control of colonial markets and raw material. The Peace of Paris is the traty that ended this British victory. -
Sugar Act
Revised dutes on sugar, coffee, tea, wine, other imports. The significance ws that sugar got cheaper for the colonists but it also raised concern on british inent. -
Parlimentary Supremacy
The colonists felt that they had no representation in Parliment because they could not vote for anyone. The significance is that they felt that they were being unfairly taxed because they weren't being fairly represented. -
Stamp Act
Printed documents issued only on special stamped paper purchased from stamp distributors. This lead to outrage over taxation. -
Stamp Act Congress
It was a metting held in New York City in which some representatives spoke about what had to be done about the Stamp Act. The significance was that the colonists went into a boycott in which they stopped buying British goods. -
Declaratory Act
Parliment declares it sovereignty over the colonies "in all cases whatsoever" This lead to anger by the colonists. -
Townshend Revenue Acts
New duties on glass, paper, lead, paints, tea, customs collections tightned in America. This lead to the colonists protesting, the nonimportation of British goods, and attacks on British policy published in newspapers. -
Boston Massacre
A mob gathered around British soldiers, who in confusion, killed 5 Americans. This lead to outrage in the colonists. Propoganda showed up in the newspapers. The victims were seen as martyrs. -
Tea Act
Parliment gives East India Company right to sell ta directly to some Americans; some duties on tea reduced. This lead to the Boston Tea Party in which the Sons of Liberty destroyed a shipment of tea sent from the Eas India Company. -
Boston Tea Party
Political protest lead by the Sons of Liberty in which they dress up as Indians and destroyed a shipment of tea sent by the East India Company. The significance is that other protesters followed the example in 3 other colonies. The Coercive Acts came into place and the colonists came up with the Continental Congress. -
Intolerable Acts
Closes ports of Boston, restructures Massachusetts government, restricts town meetings, troops quartered in Boston, British officials accused of crimes and sent back to England or Canada for trial. The significance of this event is that it lead to the First Continental Congress. -
First Continetal Congress
A gathering of 55 electives from 12 colonies, gathered around Philedelphia to discuss what had to be done about the intolerable acts. The significance was that people were shunned due to buying British goods because they were violating the assiciation. -
Common Sense
A pamphlet that spoke about theological and historical justification an was written by Thomas Paine. This esulted in the persuasion of many American colonits to have a seperate independent nation. -
Shot Heard Around the World
British troops crossing over from Concord came across an American militia in which 8 Americans were shot dead. The significance is that more militias were formed and gathered around British troops when they would cross over through the colonies. -
Lexington
British troops were trying to cross over to Concord, when a group of unexperieced American militia confronted them. In a confusion. shots were fired and 8 died. The significance of this even was that it motivated some of the colonists to join the fight. -
Concord
The British saw no threat at Concord, so they decided to retreat. This is significant because this is the turning pont in which the British no longer saw the colonists as just a mob. They started seeing them as a more organized mitlitia. -
Second Continental Congress
Representatives met and made the Continental Army and appointed George Washington to be the sepreme commander.The significance is that the colonists joined the fight and joined the army. -
Prohibitory Act
Declares British intention to coerce Americans into submission;embargo on British goods;American shipments siezed. The significance is that this only lead the Continental Congress to strive more for independence. -
Quartering Act
Colonists must supply British troops with housing/food ect... This lead to outrage in the colonists who viewed it as unfair. -
Trenton
The Americans won this battle. The Americans started using different war tactics on them. This gave the American troops the motivation that they so badly needed. -
Germantown/Valley Forge
The Americans lost this battle due to confusion. The Americans felt defeated after this loss. Thousands of Americans died at Valley Forge because of disease. -
Second Battle at Saratoga
This was an American win. The British surrendered to the Americans. This is the significant event in which the French decided to form an alliance with the Americans. -
Kings Mountain
This is when British general, Cornwallis was killed during battle. It was significant because the British retreated and did not continue his plans of invading the Americans. -
Yorktown
The British finally surrender. It is significant because the Americans finally gained their indpendence and it was the last battle that was fought.
