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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
When King John of England put his seal on the Magna Carta, it limited his power to abuse his subjects. The Magna Carta is known as the first democratic document ever. -
The Boston Massacre
A mob of American colonists gathered in front of the Customs House in Boston and began harassing a group of British soldiers. The red-coats panicked and fired their guns into the advancing crowd. Five Americans were killed and seven injured. Paul Revere made an inacurate etching of the scene, and although it was not true it made good propaganda. Causing other people to become furious with the British. -
Boston Tea Party
The colonists were angry with England for "taxing them without representation". In respons to this a group of colonists dressed up as Native Americans, climbed aboard some british ships, and dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. King George was furious. -
The Shot Heard Round The World
British troops marched to the city of Concord in order to seize a patriot stockpile of cannonballs and and gunpowder. Paul Revere and others rode through the night to sound the alarm; "The British are coming!" Minutemen and Farmers assembled in order to intercept the Redcoats. They met the British on the Lexington green . Soon the British began retreating under intense fire. This battle officialy began the American Revolution. -
Signing of Declaration of Independence
Approved by the Second Continental Congress. -
Washington Crosses the Deleware
General Washington and his men boarded fishing boats and crossed the icy Deleware River from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. Once on the other side, they suprised and beat the Hessians at Trenton. -
Washington Meets Lafayette
These two generals met in the colonial capital of Philadelphia. French General Marquis de Lafayette was 19 years old. -
Battle of Saratoga
General John Burgoyne of the British army attacked General Horatio Gates and his men at Bemis Heights, but was defeated and forced to retreat. Burgoyne surrendered ten days later. This victory convinced the French government to join the war on the American side. They sent Gunpowder, soldiers, and ships to America. -
Articles of Confederation
The Continental Congres adopted the Articles of Confederation as their first "constitution". The articles said that each state was allowed complete independence, its own laws, military, money, and taxes. The articles also stated that the overall goverment wasn't allowed to interfere with the activities of states in any way. -
Washington camps at Valley Forge
General Washington and his men stop at Vally Forge for the winter. It was a good military location, close to Philadelphia and on high ground. The army had very few resources and many men died, but the ones that made it became a strong, confident, team, ready to fight for their country. -
Battle of Yorktown
American troops led by George Washington, and French troops brought by Comte de Grasse met at Chesapeake Bay, then marched to Yorktown VA. General cornwallis of the british army and his troops were camped in Yorktown. The French/American army snuck into the town at night, and pinned the British against the York River. Having nowhere to go Cornwallis was forced to surrender on October 17, 1781. This didn't officialy end the war, but it ment the Revolution was nearing its end. -
The Treaty of Paris
Adams, Franklin, Jay, and Henry Laurens of the United atates met with Richard Oswald of Great britan to sign the Treaty of Paris. The treaty stated that the Revolution was officialy over, and all land west of the 13 colonies all the way to the Mississippi was "American". -
John J. Audubon
John Audobon was born in what is now Haiti, but grew up in France and later moved to America. He then became famous for his "Nature of America" paintings and became an important American artist. -
Constitutional Convention
55 delegates met at the Pennsylvania State House to create a new plan for the American government. They assessed 7 main principals, popular sovereignty, republicanism, federalism, seperation of powers, limited government, checks and balances, and individual rights. The final draft was finished and signed on September 17, 1787. -
George Washington becomes the first president
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Ratification of the Bill of Rights
Virginia became the tenth state to ratify the Bill of Rights, written by James Madison, making it a legal document.
1. Freedom of speech and Religion
2. Right to bear arms
3. No unpermitted housing of soldiers
4. Search and arrest warents, before investigating a house
5. Rights in criminal cases
6. Rights to a fair trial
7. Rights in civil cases
8. Fair bails, fines, and punishments
9. Rights retaned by the people
10. Power retained by the states and people -
Cotton Gin
Important inventor Eli Whitney's revolutionary cotton gin was granted a patent. The machine made it much easier to seperate cotton seeds from fiber. Cotton farming in the South became profitable again. Yet so did owning slaves. -
John Adams becomes president
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The Alien Enemies Act
The Alien Enemies Act allowed the president to deport or arrest any male citizen of a hostile nation during times of war. -
The Sedition Act
President John Adams passed the Sedition act witch made it lligal to criticize the government in any way. -
The Naturalization Act
President John Adams passed the the Naturalization Act which increased the number of years necessary for immigrants to become United States citizens to 14. -
The Alien Friends Act
Alien Friends Act this act allowed the president to arrest or deport any aliens considered "dangerous to the safety of the United States" whenever he wanted. -
Thomas Jefferson becomes president
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The Louisiana Purchase
Thomas Jefferson illigaly bought the $15 million Louisiana Purchase (828,000,000 square miles) from France. Doubling the size of the United States. The territory covered land from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico. -
Corps of Discovery
Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the Corps of Discovery set out to explore the vast lands west of the Mississippi River. On their expedition they mapped and recorded the conditions, temperatures, and topography of the new teritory, as well as the animals and plants that live there. They also established friendly relationships with the Native Americans. -
Slave Trade
The slave trade, captured slaves in africa being shiped to the U.S, was officialy abolished when Congres signed the Slave Trade Act. It didn't outlaw slavery, but it “prohibited the importation of slaves into any port or place within the jurisdiction of the United States…from any foreign kingdom, place, or country.” -
War of 1812
President James Madison signs a declaration of War on Great Britain. By going so the United States took on the greatest naval power in the world, Great Britain. -
Chase of the Constitution
Off the shore of N.Y. the American frigate U.S.S Constitution was surounded by the British fleet. Althought the situation was grim ther was no wind and none of the ships would attack. Over the course of three days the Americans "Kedged" their vessle away. Then, when the wind finaly picked up they were able to narrowly escape. -
"Old Ironsides"
The U.S.S. Constitution approached Guerriere, a British frigate. When the two ships were side by side the Americans fired a broadside. After a few minutes, Guerriere’s masts were blown to splinters and the ship sunk. During the battle, a sailor claimed a British cannonball bounceed right off the Constitution's frame and shouted, "Huzza! Her sides are made of iron!" -
The Treaty of Ghent
After the American's victory at Lake Champlain the peace negotiations in Belgium ended with the Treaty of Ghent . After it was signed the War of 1812 was officialy over. The rights of neutral American vessels and treatment of U.S. sailors were never mentioned. Althought the Great lakes were never again considered "British", the waters now belonged to the United States. -
Battle of New Orleans
Some 5,000 Britishs soldiers marched against New Orleans, hoping to seperate the Mississippi from the rest of the U.S. They were never able to penetrate the port thanks to General Andrew Jackson and his 4,500-man army of minutemen, Indians, farmers, and pirates. Durring the Battle there were nearly 2,000 British casualtys, yet only 8 American. The battle was the last of the War. -
Misouri Compromise
In 1819 Missouri asked for admission to the Union as a slave state, this would add more slave states than free to the Union, and ruin the balance. To keep the peace, Congress organised a two-part compromise, It gave Missouri what it wanted and carved the free state of Main from Massachusettes. -
Imigration into Mexico
Stephen F. Austin settles 300 U.S. colonists in Tejas Mexico. Eventualy, this area would become the state of Texas, and Kick-start the American Mexican War. -
Ashley's Mountain Men
Missouri's Lieutenant Governor William Ashley placed an advertisement in the state's Gazette, seeking 100 young men to become fur traders on the Upper Missouri. Later, they were to roam the vast lands west of the Mississippi River, living and traping like Indians. He asked that they attend a yearly rendezvous, where they could trade furs and collect suplies, Ashleys "Mountain Men" soon discovered many new things about the mysterious west. -
Erie Canal
DeWitt Clinton's 360-mile-long, 40-foot -wide Erie Canal was finaly finished. It was opened for the first time with a chain of cannon shots and a parade of boats. People everywhere could now make the trip from Lake Erie to the Atlantic Ocean in in less than 10 days. It was an engineering feat. -
Indian Removal
The act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson, it authorizing the president to grant unsettled lands west of the Mississippi to Native tribes in exchange for existing Indian lands. In truth nearly 125,000 Native Americans were forced to trudge West, away from their homelands on the "Trail of Tears." -
Martin Van Buren becomes president
Martin Van Buren was elected the 8th president. He was the first president who was born a citizen of the United States. -
Little Women
Louisa May Alcott’s book 'Little Women' was published for the first time. The story soon became a bestseller and a children's classic. -
William Henry Harrison becomes president
William Henry Harrison was elected 9th president of the U.S. He was the first president to die in office. -
John Tyler becomes president
John Tyler became 10th president of the United States. He was the first Vice President to take-over after the death of a President. -
The Telegraph
Inventor Samual Morse sent the first Telegraph message from Washington D.C. to Baltimore City, it said "What Hath God Wrought!". This Invention would soon revolutionize comunication in the U.S. -
James K. Polk becomes president
James K. Polk was elected the 11th president of the United States. While he was in office, America grew by more than one-third and extended all the way across the continent. -
Mexican American War
Mexican cavalry attacked a force of U.S. soldiers in the disputed zone of Mexico, this battle officialy began the Mexican American War. -
California Gold Rush
Workers at Sutter's Mill near Coloma Mexico discovered gold flakes in the American River. This set off the Gold Rush. Thousands of young Americans from the east or flooded the area, hoping to strike it rich. Many of these "49ers" never did, but they are responsible for the early settlement of the west coast. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
With the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo the American Mexican War was officialy over. As a result of the treaty, the United States gained over 500,000 square miles of Mexican land. -
Seneca Falls Convention
At Seneca Falls, N.Y. Elizabeth Candy Stanton and Lucrieta Mott held the first ever, U.S. woman’s rights convention, It lasted 2 days and nearly 300 people attended. By the end they had written a declaration, it's preamble: WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT: THAT ALL MEN AND WOMEN ARE CREATED EQUAL.This convention truely began woman rights movements in America. -
Chicago & Rock Island
On this day the first railroad train traveled from the East coast to the Mississippi River. It was a huge event when the Chicago & Rock Island's #10 pulled into Rock Island, Illinois. This was a revolution for transportation in the United States. Now goods and people could travel from the midwest to the east coast in a matter of weeks. Although many rejoiced by the new line, steamboat companies were not and it wasn't soon before many riverboats were out of business. -
The Treaty of Fort Laramie
When the Fort Laramie Treaty was signed, it relocated bands of Lakota Indians from their homes in Montana to the Black Hills in present day South Dakota. The Lakota's original land was then open for U.S. settlement and the Native Americans were to live on the designated Great Soux Reservation. -
Battle of the Little Bighorn
During this battle, Lt. Col. George Custer and his cavalry troops were defeated by Native American chief Sitting Bull and his "Non Treaty" Indians. These were Lakota and Cheyenne people who did not want to move away from their long-held tribal lands in the West to the Great Sioux Reservation of South Dakota. Custer and most of his troops lost their lives in this 2-day battle.
