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Aug 3, 1492
Christopher Columbus Discovers America
Columbus led his three ships (the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria) out of the Spanish port of Palos on August 3, 1492. His objective was to sail west until he reached Asia (the Indies) where the riches of gold, pearls and spice awaited. -
Sep 3, 1492
Columbian Exchange
Refers to the flow of goods between the Americas, Europe, and Africa that followed Columbus's widely advertised "discovery" of the New World. People, animals, plants, and disease passed from continent to continent affecting virtually all aspects of the environment in all three. -
Jun 7, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
Signed by Spain and Portugal, dividing the territories of the New World. Spain received the bulk of territory in the Americas, compensating Portugal with titles to lands in Africa and Asia. -
1512
Encomienda System is established
Under this conquistadors and other leaders (ecncomenderos) received grants of a number of Indians from whom they could exact “tribute” in the form of gold or labor. That in common arrows were supposed to protect and Christianize the Indians granted to them, but they most often use the system to effectively enslave the Indians and take their land. -
1525
The rise of Atlantic slave trade
The first record of a slave trade voyage form Africa to the Americas is for a ship that landed in Santo Domingo, on the island Española (Hispaniola), in 1525. -
1555
Tobacco arrive sin Europe
With tobacco, English settlers finally found a New World commodity that worked well in the mercantile system. Spanish explorers already great success with gold finds and the French created a vibrant market for furs in Europe. -
1565
St. Augustine is established
The name of the first permanent Spanish settlement in North America, establish 1565 in modern-day Florida. -
Jamestown is established
Established in 1607 and was the first permanent English settlement; located in Virginia and lead through the starving time by John Smith. It was the only successful after tobacco was established as a cash crop. -
Quebec is established
Samuel de Champlain founded quebec as a small trading ports in 1608. They maintained positive relationships with the Native Americans to ensure the survival of the colony. The colony was few in number and all male. -
The Pequot War
1637 Pequot tribe (controlled for trade) killed English fur trader; Connecticut and Massachusetts sent soldiers in retaliation. 500 Pequot men, women, and children were massacred. -
Bacon’ Rebellion
In 1675 Virginia settlers side supports from Berkeley in exterminating all of the colony’s Natives, Berkeley refused. Nathaniel bacon and his supporters began slaughtering natives in an efforts to take their land and protect frontier planters . -
King Philips War
1675 a massive Indian rebellion erupted against Puritan colonists. The negative rebellion was led by an Indian chief called King Philip. A year later after losing the ability to fight against deadly colonial weapons, the Indian resistance surrendered. The defeat forced Native Americans out of new England. -
Pueblo Revolt
Also known as Pope‘s, Rebellion this was an uprising of indigenous Pueblo people against Spanish colonizers of Santa Fe, New Mexico, after temps to force natives to convert and the destruction of native religious artifacts. Although the Spanish expelled from Santa Fe for 10 years after the rebellion there later returned. Spain begin to take an accommodating approach to Natives after the revolt. -
The Chickasaw Wars
The checks are wars or a fight between the Chicksaw (and British allies) and the Choctaws and Illini (and the French allies). The French wanted to take over the Mississippi River in the province of Louisiana but the chicks all live there and fight back although the chicks our victorious this success came at a great loss of life. -
Seven Years War
Name for the North American Arena for the imperial fight between England and France. As a result of the close relations with France via the for trade, many Native American sided against the British. Great Britain would end up victorious in its imperial battle with the French and Native Americans. -
Proclamation of 1763
After French allies were defeated, Native Americans fought to keep encroaching rich forces from taking more land. The British then signed the Proclamation of 1763 with Natives stating that they would not settle lands west of the Appellation Mountains. -
The Stamp Act is passed
The Stamp Act of 1765 made colonists truly aware of the impact of British taxation. The funds of the tax were intended to raise a build a new colonial army. All purchased paper had to have a stamp to prove the tax had been paid. -
Boston Massacre
Frustrated by the enforcement of the Quartering Act, a group of disgruntled Bostonians began to harass troops guarding the customs house by throwing rocks and frozen oysters. The guards fired into the crowd killing five and wounding six protesters. -
Boston Tea Party
As a new shipment of tea sat in Boston Harbor awaiting unloading, a group of colonists dressed as Native Americans boarded the ship, broke open the crates, and dumped the tea into the harbor. Colonists debated whether this act was justified protest or childish destruction of property. -
The Declaration of Independence is issued.
Under the authorship of Thomas Jefferson, they issue the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Declaration formally announced a political severing of all ties between the colonies and Great Britain. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris (1783) formally ended the American Revolution. The United States won its independence from Great Britain and gained control of land stretching west to the Mississippi River. -
Election of 1800
Jefferson and Burr received the same amount of electoral votes. The issue was described in the House of Representatives, where each state had 1 vote. Hamilton helped secure the victory for Jefferson. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase (1803) was a land deal between the United States and France, in which the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. -
War of 1812
British refusal to lift trade restrictions and continued impressment which pushed Madison to ask Congress for a declaration of War. The war was small and disappointing. -
The Panic of 1819
The Second Bank of the United States caused a financial crisis by restricting credit for state banks in an attempt to curb inflation, but the amount of currency in circulation dropped dangerously low. Many western farmers were the victim of the recession and financial crisis, as banks followed the order of the Bank of the United States and foreclosed upon their farms. -
Missouri Compromise
This compromise was proposed by Henry Clay: Missouri admitted as a slave state, Maine admitted as a free state (maintained balance in Senate) -Also, set the rule that slavery would not be allowed above the 36’ 30’ line (except Missouri). -
Monroe Doctorine is issued
With the help of John Quincy Adams, Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine, which set the basis for foreign policy from that point forward. The Monroe Doctrine declared that the Western Hemisphere was closed for European colonization. -
The Elction of 1824
The election of 1824 pitted four Democratic-Republican candidates against one another for the presidency: John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, William Crawford, and Andrew Jackson. In the end Jackson won the most popular votes, but there was no majority in the Electoral College because the vote was split four ways. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Proposed in 1854 by Stephen A. Douglas. The Act said Nebraska and Kansas would enter the Union
with the principles of popular sovereignty. The
Act nullified the Missouri Compromise by allowing
slavery in the “forever free” territories of the LA Purchase. -
Dred Scott
Dred Scott, a slave, sued for his freedom after being taken by his master to a free state. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court. In 1857, the Court ruled against Scott, claiming that slaves were property and could
be taken anywhere. -
John Brown’s Raid
John Brown of Kansas wanted to help start a slave uprising to end slavery once and for all. He planned to seize weapons at an armory in Harper’s Ferry, VA and give weapons to slaves.
His plan failes and he executed after being captured. The event pushed the divided nation even further apart. -
Lincoln Suspends Habeas Corpus
Lincoln suspended the Constitutional writ of habeas corpus.
Which means “to have the body”. Under this writ, persons charged with a crime are guaranteed the right to be brought before a judge and told of the crimes against them. During the Civil War, Lincoln imprisoned thousands of Confederate supporters without trial denying them their basic civil liberties as outlined in the Bill of Rights. -
Johnson is Impeached
Republican Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act of
1867 that required Presidents to secure consent of Senate
before removing cabinet members.Johnson dismissed Secretary of War Stanton (right) despite the Tenure of Office Act. Congress immediately voted to impeach Johnson for violating Tenure of Office Act. After promising to stop obstructing Republican policies, Johnson acquitted by 1 vote in Senate. -
Force Acts passed
Congress sought to abolish the KKK with the Force Acts
of 1870 and 1871, which authorized the use of federal
troops to subdue violence and enforce the Fourteenth
and Fifteenth Amendments. The Force Acts were somewhat successful at limiting the Klan’s activities but failed to abolish the group. -
Compromise of 1877
In order to avoid conflict over the election of 1876, Northern Republicans and Southern Democrats came to an agreement called the Compromise of 1877. Republican Hayes would be “given” the Presidency by 1 electoral vote. In return, all remaining federal troops were removed from the Southern states, effectively ending Reconstruction. -
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began in protest of a second round of wage cuts within a span of four years and spread across the nation. Hayes authorized the use of federal troops to suppress the protest. Over 100 workers died in conflicts with troops and gained nothing in return. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
With rising pressure from nativists, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Actin 1882. Act prohibited Chinese immigration to the US and limited the rights of the Chinese immigrants already living in the country. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy (seven-eights white and one eighth African American) refused to give up his seat on a “whites-only” rail car in Louisiana. He then sued claiming his civil rights had been violated. The Supreme Court ruled that because a car was provided for African-American passengers, the state of Louisiana had not violated the 14th Amendment. Justices used the doctrine “separate but equal” to justify their decision. -
Dawes Severalty Act passed
The Dawes Severalty Act signed into law by Cleveland in 1887. The Natives land was redistributed. Natives received 160 acres/ family and had to prove they were effective farmers.
Natives could only sell land with certificate of competency.
If Natives failed at farming, the federal government took back the land, often selling to white settlers. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act passed
Opposition formed to the unfair business practices of the trusts.
In 1890, the Senate passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act began a trend towards the federal government limiting the power of corporations. -
Wounded Knee Massacre
As Natives fled after Sitting Bull’s murder, troops were sent out to capture them. At Wounded Knee Creek, troops slaughtered over 100 Native men, women and children. The Wounded Knee Massacre effectively ended the Native attempts to push
back the white settlers. -
Pullman Strike of 1894
In May 1894, workers began a strike protesting wage cuts and layoffs. The strike grew violent with many protesters destroying rail lines and equipment. 12,000 federal troops were sent to stop the protesters. When troops arrived, riots broke out which led to the deaths of 30 people. -
Niagara Movement
Begins in 1906 in a meeting at Niagara Falls, Canada in opposition to Booker T. Washington’s philosophy of accepting segregation. The focus was to encourage of black pride, and uncompromising demand for full political and civil equality. -
Meat inspection Act
The Meat Inspection Act passed in 1906 made it so that meat sold must inspected. The meat must be marked by Federal inspectors and graded. This cleaned up the meat industry. -
Food and Drug Act
The Food and Drug Act in made it so federal inspection was necessary for all packaged foods and drugs. Labels was put on medicine as well as food. Contents of food and drug packages must be listed. All additives/chemicals must be listed on labels. -
Sedition Act passed
The law was extended on May 16, 1918, by the Sedition Act of 1918, actually a set of amendments to the Espionage Act, which prohibited many forms of speech, including "any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States. -
The Red Scare
After World War I, labor unions began relentlessly to strike for higher wages Many suspected these strikes were organized by communists. The fear that the US would face a similar fate as Russia (now communist Soviet Union), led to a period in US history called the Red Scare. These fears were further heightened by a series of bombings and attacks against public officials and buildings thought to be the work of communists. -
18th Amendment is passed
Prohibition, also known as “The Noble Experiment,” is the
period from 1919 to 1933, during which the sale,
manufacture, and transportation of alcohol for
consumption were banned nationally. -
Pearl Harbor Attack
On December 7, 1941 Japanese kamikaze pilots attack Pearl Harbor Navy Base in Hawaii where 2,500 people died. This would cause Franklin D. Roosevelt to ask congress to declare war on Japan. -
Truman Doctrine
President Truman pleaded to Congress in 1947 to financially assist Greece and Turkey to deter them from falling under Soviet control. Truman’s promise to aid nations struggling against communist movements (setting a new course for American foreign policy). -
Marshall Plan passed
After WWII, European countries were in dire need for food, fuel and medical supplies. Secretary of State George Marshall proposed a plan to help Europe financially recover, called the Marshall Plan. This aid helped facilitate good relationships between Western Europe and the US and also helped reduce the influence of communism on the continent. -
Communists Takeover China
In 1949 Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil War. US had supported anti-communist forces in China during the war, but refused to intervened militarily. Americans were shocked at the
communist victory in China, this seen as a failure of the containment policy. -
Brown v. Board of Education
In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. The ruling overturned Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), concluding that “separate but equal” violated the principles of the Constitution. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
In response to the March on Washington and the death of JFK,
President Johnson backed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Act outlawed discrimination of African Americans and women in the
government job sector, voting requirements and racial separation in public schools. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Signed into law in August 1965 by President Johnson. The Act expanded on the 15th Amendment. Prohibited tactics that disenfranchised African American voters including literacy tests.
This led to passage of 24th amendment to Constitution that formally outlawed the poll tax. The Act also called for mandated federal oversight of elections in several states (and counties) with a history of voter intimidation. -
The Watergate Scandal
In 1972, Nixon ran for re-election. He was paranoid that he would lose the race. Workers from his campaign were caught breaking in to the Democratic National Headquarters located in the Watergate complex in Washington DC. They were looking to steal the Democrats’ “game plan” for the election. -
Iran-Contra Scandal
During Reagan’s second term, a scandal involving the sale of weapons tarnished his administration. In an attempt to free 7 American hostages from Iran, Reagan’s administration offered to sell Iran weapons for the hostage’s release. This money would in turn be used to fund the rebellion of anti-Communist fighters (called “Contras”) in the Latin American country of Nicaragua. Both the sale of arms to Iran and the funding of the Nicaraguan Contras violated acts of Congress. -
The Challeneger Disaster
Reagan had to soothe Americans when, on January 28, 1986, the NASA space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after takeoff. It killed all seven astronauts aboard, including the firstteacher to serve as an astronaut, Christa McAuliffe -
Fall of the Belin Wall
Reagan famously encouraged Soviet leader Gorbachev to end Soviet control of its satellite nations. On October 1989, the Berlin Wall was torn down Reunification of communist East Germany and capitalist West Germany. -
Operation Desert Storm
1991, the code name for the US-led United Nation military operation in which international armed forces, including British and US troops, attacked Iraq in the Gulf War. It began on 16 January 1991 and lasted 100 days. -
Cold War Ends
On Christmas Day in 1991, Gorbachev resigns as leader of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union is dissolved into 15 individual republics including Russia, the Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
The collapse signified the over 50 year standoff between the US and the Soviet. -
START II signed
START I signed in 1991 (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), drastically reduced number of warheads. in both countries START II signed in 1993 further reduced number of warheads, with added promise of US aid for Russian economy. -
September 11, 2001
The September 11 attacks were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States. 19 Islamist terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed
two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.
