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1492
Age of Discovery
Columbus' discovery of the Americas led to the colonial era when native american societies were shaped by the exchange of commodities, people, diseases and ideas. -
1500
The Columbian Exchange
The Columbian Exchange was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases and ideas between the Americas and the Old World. This was the first contact between Europeans and Native Americans. Exposure to new diseases led to the death of many Indigenous People. -
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America -
House of Burgesses
First representative assembly in America, colonial self government. They meet for the first time in Virginia. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Bacon slaughtered Native Americans to take their land when Berkley refused to remove them. This was the first example for Colonial America where citizens rebelled against and unjust government. Ended after Bacon's sudden death. -
Pueblo Revolt
Pope led an uprising at Santa Fe to attempt the conversion of Natives to Catholicism. Pueblo people were divided and the Spanish abandoned the capital of Santa Fe. -
Salem Witch Trials
In Salem, Massachusetts people were accused of witchcraft and charges were brought against them. This showed the dangers of religious extremism because people were hung. -
The Beaver Wars
Iroquois (Dutch and English) v. Algonquian (French). French were motivated to gain Iroquois as an ally to protect trade interests against Britain. Native societies involved were affected drastically by the wars. -
The Chickasaw Wars
British v France; French wanted to takeover the Mississippi River. Chickasaw lived there and fought back. -
The First Great Awakening
First Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival that swept America in the 1730s and 1740s. An evangelical and revitalization movement, impacted on Americans. -
Stono Rebellion
The Stono Rebellion was a slave rebellion that began in 1739, in the colony of South Carolina. It was the largest slave uprising. -
French and Indian War
Britain and France had colonies in North America. The British wanted to settle in the Ohio River Valley and trade with Native Americans. The French built forts to protect their trade with the Indians. George Washington led an army against the French. -
Proclamation of 1763
Natives continued to fight the British to keep them from taking land. The Proclamation stated that the British could not settle anywhere west of the Appalachian mountains. This showed the first colonial resentment towards new British laws. -
Boston Massacre
A crowd of colonists protested against British customs agents and the presence of British troops in Boston. Violence flared and five colonists were killed. Was a result of taxes imposed by the British. -
Boston Tea Party
Group of colonists disguised as Indians board three ships in Boston harbor and dump tea overboard as a protest against British tea tax. -
American Revolution
War of independence between Great Britain and 13 British colonies in North America. Battles of Lexington and Concord, between the British Army and colonial army; the beginning of the war. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress, states the reasons the British colonies of North America got independence in July of 1776. -
Articles of Confederation
Under the Articles of Confederation; the individual states had the most power. Some weaknesses of the articles included: federal government could declare war on other foreign affairs, they had no power to collect taxes. -
Land Ordinance
Land on Old Northwest would be equally divided into townships, guidelines for funding educations, and it ended legal disputes of land. -
Shay's Rebellion
Farmers in Massachusetts were upset at the government for calling in debts owed and seizing their land. Daniel Shay led charge to violent protest on taxes, foreclosures, and imprisonments. The Articles could not collect taxes. The rebellion highlighted weakness of the Articles of Confederation. -
Constitutional Convention
Revision of the articles of confederation. The leader of the meeting was George Washington. They met int Philadelphia. -
Washington as President
He was unanimously elected by electoral college; he set the precedent for a presidential cabinet. First president of the US and one of the Founding Fathers. -
Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States. The movement began around 1790, rose among Baptist and Methodist churches whose preachers led the movement. -
Whiskey Rebellion
Farmers became outraged at the new tax on Whiskey. The farmers revolted against tax collectors in the areas and Washington responded by sending in federal troops to stop the protest. -
Abolition
The movement to end slavery. Every state north of Maryland passed laws to abolish slavery. The importing of slaves ended in 1808. -
Election of 1800
Jefferson and Burr receive the same amount of electoral votes. Hamilton helped secure the victory for Jefferson, Burr was Vice President. Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel and resulted in the death of Hamilton. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition of the Louisiana territory by the United States from France in 1803. The purchase doubled the size of the US. -
Marbury v. Madison
Supreme Court decision expands power of Court by establishing its right to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. -
War of 1812
"Second war of independence", A war between the U.S. and Great Britain caused by American outrage over impressment of American sailors by the British, British seizure of American ships, and British aid to the Indians attacking the Americans on the western frontier. -
Era of Good Feelings
James Monroe elected in 1816, his presidency is known as the Era of Good Feelings. Sense of independence and national pride. Industrialization, good economy, nationalism because victory of war of 1812, etc. -
Missouri Compromise
Louisiana Purchase left the lingering question if slavery would be permissible in the newly-attained states. The intent of the Missouri Compromise was to keep the balance of slave states and free states in congress. Main was free and Missouri was slave. -
Monroe Doctrine
Strong warning to European powers. Enforced noncolonization and nonintervention. Europe was angered by Monroe's doctrine; It was a “self-defense” doctrine – concerned with security of the US. -
First Wave Immigration
Influx of Irish and German immigrants in 1830s-1860s. Germans moved west and Irish stayed in cities. Those who did not approve of immigration became known as nativists. -
Nullification Crisis
South Carolina adopted the ordinance to nullify the tariff acts and label them unconstitutional. -
Trail of Tears
More than 15,000 Cherokee Indians are forced to march from Georgia to Oklahoma. About 4,000 die from starvation and disease. -
Annexation of Texas
Remember the Alamo: Santa Anna's forces attacked the Alamo killing all Americans living there. Texas was declared the Republic of Texas. Texas wanted to remain its own country but Jackson and Van Buren opposed this idea. Texas was annexed as a state in 1845 -
Mexican-American War
Texas became the center of conflict for the nation of Mexico during the 1830s. Texas became slave state in 1845. Mexico was upset with the US over Texas and boundary dispute over the Rio Grande. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War in 1848. -
Rise of Big Business
Monopolies (complete control over product or service.) Corporations bought companies out of competition and drove them out of business. Trusts were formed for companies to assign stovks to a board who would combine them into one. Ex; John D Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P Morgans, Cornelius Vanderbilt, etc. -
Compromise of 1850
After the war with Mexico there was more free states which made the south upset. The Compromise of 1850 issued: California as a free state, Utah and New Mexico open to slavery on popular vote, Slave trade abolished in D.C, and Enforcement of the fugitive state law. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas and Nebraska could enter the Union under popular sovereignty. The Kansas-Nebraska act nullifies the Missouri Compromise by allowing slavery in the forever free territories of the Louisiana Purchase. The North and South wanted to outnumber each other. -
Confederate States of America
Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana secede from the Union. Confederate States of America is established. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
First battle of the Civil War. Between the Union and Confederates over control of the Coastal Front. -
Civil War
Conflict between the North (the Union) and the South (the Confederacy) over the expansion of slavery into western states. Civil War began with the Battle at Fort Sumter -
Battle of Bull Run
Union hoped to attack South quickly and deal the Confederates a mortal blow. Anaconda plan was devised; union blockade, take Mississippi river, march through Georgetown, and capture Richmond. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Final attempt for the South to invade the North. Considered the turning point of the civil war because Lee's forces retreat allowing the North to regain control of the war. -
13th Amendment
Abolished Slavery -
Lincoln's Assassination
Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in Washington, DC, and is succeeded by his vice president, Andrew Johnson. -
American Expansion.
William H. Seward bought Alaska from Russia for $7 million; this was known as Seward's Folly. -
14th Amendment
Granted citizenship and legal rights to former slaves. -
Completion of Transcontinental Railroad & Native Americans
Thousands migrates westward in search of gold and silver. Native Americans were forced onto reservations and settlers pushed the buffalo into brink of extinction threatening Plains Indian's way of life. -
The Gilded Age
An era of serious social problems masked by a thin layer of gold. Similar to progressive era: address social problems and political corruption often ignored during the gilded age. -
15th Amendment
African American men right to vote -
Monetary Policy
In 1873, the US switched to the Gold Standard which decreased money supply. Farmers did not support this and wanted to go back to the bi-metallic standard (silver AND gold) because it would influx the dollar amount. -
Battle of Little Bighorn
“Custer's Last Stand”. The battle took place between the U.S. and northern tribe Indians, including the Sioux. Indian Chief Sitting Bull was killed. Natives were fleeing and Settlers were massacring them as they fled. -
Corrupt Bargain of 1877
Democrats and Republicans working out a deal to recognize Hayes as President. James Garfield and William Mickinley were then assassinated years later. -
Compromise of 1877
The North (Republicans) would get one electoral vote to Hayes. The South (Democrats) would get all remaining federal troops removed from Southern States ending Reconstruction. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Prohibited Chinese immigration. First time a specific group was forbidden from entering the US (quotas). -
Women's Suffrage
Woman Suffrage Association is founded, by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The right of women to vote in elections. -
Panic of 1893
Major corps went bankrupt, 16,000 businesses dissappeared, triggered stock market crash and unemployment. Coxey's army was then formed to draw attention to living conditions of the unemployed. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy concluded that his Civil Rights were being violated. The "Separate but Equal" doctrine was used to justify segregation. The south was permitted to discriminate on basis of color in all public places. -
Spanish-American War
Cubans rebel against Spanish ruling which grabbed the attention of the US. US wanted to go against Spanish for economic reasons and sympathy for Cuba. USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor igniting the war. -
US Enters World War I
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary ignited WWI. Unrestricted submarine warfare, by the Germans in 1917, caused Woodrow Wilson to ask Congress to declare war on Germany on April 2nd. War began in 1914. -
Spanish Flu
Deadliest in modern history, infected 500 million people worldwide. One-third of the planet's population at the time–20 million to 50 million victims. -
End of WWI
Germany signed an armistice (an agreement for peace and no more fighting) that had been prepared by Britain and France. Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I by President Wilson. -
Roaring 1920s
New Cultural and Social activism and movements began to emerge. Jazz music began to make its appearance as well as Progressives who attempted to gain equality and justice for people. -
The Red Scare
After the Bolshevik Revolution during WWI, the US feared communism in America. Fear of communism led to strikes, disorder, and quotas on immigration. -
The Great Depression
Stock Market Crash triggered other econ. weaknesses and plunged the US into depression. A severe economic recession in the 1930s the affected the world's industrialized nations, and other countries that exported raw materials with them. -
The "New Deal"
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's attempt to end the Great Depression. Promised the programs would help different segments of the economy recover by addressing specific needs and weaknesses. Programs included: Civilian Conservation Corps, Public Works Administration, and Agricultural Adjustments Act. -
World War II
U.S Remains neutral in conflict. Germany and Italy declare war on the United States; U.S. declares war on both countries. Allies invade North Africa and Italy. Allies invade France on D-Day. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin meet at Yalta, USSR to discuss postwar occupation of Germany. -
US Declares War
America wanted to remain neutral during WWII to avoid conflict. Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor caused US to enter the war; FDR asks congress to declare war the next day. -
The Cold War
Rivalry between the communist Soviet Union and its allies against the United States after World War II. NATO helped prevent the Cold War from leading to nuclear warfare. -
Korean War
Conflict between Communist and non-Communist forces in Korean Peninsula. North Korean communists invade South Korea. President Truman, without approval of Congress, sends American troops to battle. -
The Vietnam War
The US assisted South Vietnam because they were democratic and wanted to stop communism from spreading. The US issued the Golf of Tonkin resolution to get more involved in Vietnam. -
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution tuned the island of Cuba communist under the regime of Fidel Castro. Neighboring US was afraid of Castro and communism since they were so close together. -
1960 Election
John F Kennedy was elected President in 1960. Everyone could watch the debate on television now and people saw the Kennedy looked more confident and promising. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Bay of Pigs invasion on island of Cuba failed. The US set missiles in Turkey pointing towards USSR. The world was on brink of nuclear war for 13 days! -
Assassination of John F Kennedy
President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Lyndon B Johnson then undertook the country as president of the US. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
JFK's assassination led to the passage of Civil Rights legislation; President Lyndon B Johnson had a plan to improve lives of struggling Americans; "Great Society." Civil Rights Act declared public accomadations for everyone; NO DISCRIMINATION. -
1968 Year of Turmoil
Tet Offensive; Vietcong forces surprise attack on US troops. MLK and JFK assassinated. Protesting of Civil Rights and Vietnam opposition at the Democratic National Convention. -
SALT
President Nixon issued the Strategic Arms Limitation Treat and it reduced nuclear weapons in exchange for grain in USSR. SALT II was then issued when USSR invaded Afghan. in 1979. US thought Soviets wanted to take over oil transportation. -
Bakke v. Regents
Affirmative action issue allowing race to be a deciding factor in college admissions; specific quotas for each racial group. Supreme Court declared to end quota system used in college admissions. -
The Watergate Scandal
Nixon was worried about losing his chances for reelection and broke into Democratic National Headquarters. Nixon attempted to cover up the break-in and distance himself from the burglars. -
Reaganomics
President Ronald Reagan who was elected President in 1980 issued an economic policy to lower taxes, smaller government, and stronger military. "Reaganomics" or Trickle-Down Economics benefited the wealthy and penalized the poor. -
George H.W Bush
Bush was remembered mostly for guiding America through the Persian Gulf War. Saddam Hussein and Iraqi army invade its neighboring countries; US sends troops to fight Iraqi army and liberate Kuwait. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Reagan encouraged USSR leader Gorbachev to end Soviet control of its satellite nations. Reunification of communist East and capitalist West Germany. -
1990 Recession
Three causes of the 1990s recession were due to: the end of the Cold War, reduction in defense spending, and refusal to lower interest rates. Two effects were: 4.5 million Americans lost their jobs, and after college, it was difficult to find a job. -
The End of the Cold War
President Reagan authorized steps to end the Cold War. Reagan spent money on defense; in the process Soviets attempted to keep up and went bankrupt while trying to compete. Russia and other countries declared independence from the USSR leading to its dismantling. Gorbachev resigns as leader. -
Persian Gulf War
U.S. leads coalition in military operation “Desert Storm” to drive Iraqis out of Kuwait. Iraq accepts terms of UN, marking an end of the war. -
Fear of Terrorism
The Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was destroyed by a bomb that killed 168 people. Timothy McVeigh and two others were convicted. America began having fears of terrorism. -
Clinton's Impeachment
42nd President of the U.S. Bill Clinton was to be impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice. On the other hand; the American economy grew while Clinton was president and the US enjoyed a massive budget surplus. -
Sci-Fi Becomes a Reality
Advances in biotechnology, mass communications, and computers brought the world together. Advances in medicine: organ transplant, artificial life support, and advanced drug therapy. -
Terrorist Attacks
Terrorist groups attacked twin towers in NYC during President Bush's administration. As a result, Bush issued a doctrine that would essentially would go to war with terrorists making no distinction of them and their nations. A.K.A "War on Terror" -
Financial Fartstorm of 2008
The federal reserves policy kept interest rates low since 2001. The mixture or public and private activities shifted towards short-term economy. -
2008 Election
Barack Obama and John McCain are finally chosen as presidential nominees for Democratic and Republican parties. Barack Obama becomes the first African-American to be elected President. -
Boston Marathon Bombing
Two bombs explode near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring hundreds in a terrorism attack by two associated with radical Islam. -
Election Scandal
35 Russian diplomats expelled from Washington by President Obama after national security report that Russia had been behind a hacking scandal to influence national presidential election resulting in Donald Trump's victory.
