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1492
The Discovery of America by Columbus
Christopher Columbus was commissioned by the Crown of Castille to make exploratory voyages in order to find a water route from Europe to Asia. Europe wanted another route to Asia where gold, pearls, and spices could be traded for. Instead Columbus found a different land completely. This land later became known as America. -
Settlement of Jamestown
Established in the colony of Virginia, Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It was named after King James I and founded by the London Company. -
The French and Indian War
Was part of the Seven Years War which involved multiple countries and was fought throughout much of the world. The part that was fought in North America was called the French and Indian War. This war was a conflict between Great Britain and France and who would have control over certain areas in North America. The war ended in 1763 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris which forced France to give up all their North American colonies. Britain gained all land east of the Mississippi River. -
Boston Tea Party
This event was a protest that occurred in the Boston Harbor in Massachusetts. The night of Dec.16, more than a hundred colonists boarded docked ships carrying English tea that would be taxed to the colonists. They were disguised in Native American garb and threw 342 chests of tea into the water. American colonists felt the taxes imposed by Great Britain were unfair because they had no representation in Parliament and the taxes on the colonists were used to gain revenue. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The very beginnings of the American Revolutionary War occurred during these battles. These were the first military engagements between the British soldiers and the militiamen of the American Colonists. The location of these towns was Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The British were headed to the colonies on orders to destroy military supplies the militiamen were storing. The colonists intercepted them in these battles and the Revolutionary War began. -
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is the document written by Thomas Jefferson and signed by 56 delegates of the Second Continental Congress that announced the Thirteen Colonies' independence and separation from Great Britain. This was the first step towards the forming of the United States of America. It was signed at what is now known as Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. -
Battle of Yorktown
In this battle, George Washington led a force of 17,000 French and Colonial troops against British General Lord Charles Cornwallis and 9,000 British troops in Yorktown, Virginia. By working with French allies, Washington was able to trap the British troops by both land and sea. He ordered 5,000 American troops to block the British by land and the French navy to block them by sea. After 3 weeks on non-stop bombardment, Cornwallis finally surrendered to Washington on October 17, 1781. -
Constitutional Convention
This convention took place in the Pennsylvania State House and its purpose was to revise the system of government under the Articles of Confederation. The convention ended on Sept. 17, 1787 and it resulted in the creation of the Constitution of the United States of America. By the end of the convention a new system of the American government had been created. -
The Invention of the Cotton Gin
This machine was invented by Eli Whitney and functions by quickly separating the seeds from the cotton fibers resulting in less production time. It revolutionized the way cotton was produced in that era. By the mid-19th century, cotton was America's leading export. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
These acts were passed by the Federalist Congress and signed into law by President John Adams. The laws included the power to deport foreigners, made it harder for immigrants to vote, and prohibited public opposition of the government. Before these laws, the years an immigrant would have to reside in the US before he was eligible to vote was 5 years, but after the laws it was raised to 14. Some states such as Virginia and Kentucky opposed the federal laws and declared them invalid in their state -
The Louisiana Purchase
This event was the acquirement of 828,000 square miles of land by the US from France during the term of Thomas Jefferson. The US paid an equivalent of $573 billion dollars in today's money for the land. The land was sold by Napoleon to the US in order to fund his military. Today, the land that was bought in the Louisiana Purchase consists of many states in the central US. -
War of 1812
This war was a conflict between the US and the United Kingdom. It resulted from a dispute by the US that Britain's naval blockade of the neutral trade to France was illegal under international law. Britain supported this blockade by impressing American sailors into the Royal Navy. This inflamed the US' already bad feelings towards Great Britain and after multiple battles the war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent. The US ratified the treaty on Feb. 17, 1815. -
The Missouri Compromise
This law enabled Maine to become a free state and Missouri a slave state, which maintained the balance of power between the North and South in the Senate. Slavery was then prohibited north of the 36º30' parallel. President James Monroe was the president who signed the legislation. -
Andrew Jackson's Election
The election of 1828 was considered a re-match between Republican President John Quincy Adams and Democrat Andrew Jackson. These two men had already faced each other once in the election of 1824 where John Adams had come out the victor. Andrew Jackson won both the Electoral and popular vote in 1828. -
The Trail of Tears
This event refers to the mass relocation of thousands of Native American peoples between 1830 and 1850. These Native Americans were forcibly removed by government authorities following the Indian Removal Act of 1830. They were moved from their native lands in the Southeastern United States to west of the Mississippi River. Thousands of Indians died during the forced relocations. -
Invention of the Telegraph
The electrical telegraph allowed messages to be transmitted by electric currents sent through wires. The wires would control needles that would point to specific letters and numbers on a mounted plate. In 1835 Samuel F.B. Morse created a system of dots and dashes that could be used to represent the numbers and letters. This code still bears his name and is known as Morse Code. -
The Panic of 1837
1837-1844 were years of financial difficulty in US. It was the beginning of a major recession in US history. Thousands of workers were unemployed, profits declined, many banks closed, and the price of cotton dramatically decreased. -
The Mexican-American War
This was a war between the United States of America and Mexico from 1846-1848. In 1845, Texas became the 28th state in the US, but Mexico still considered Texas a part of Mexico and did not recognize the Republic of Texas. The US president at the time was James K. Polk, who sent troops down to the controversial area. When Mexican troops attacked US forces, Polk requested that Congress declare war. The war ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and Mexico giving the US a major portion of land -
The Compromise of 1850
Was a series of five separate bills passed by the US Congress that ended disputes between slave and free states. The sections of states argued about the status of the territories that were gained by the Mexican-American War. The compromise resulted in: Texas yielding some of its claims to land (New Mexico territory and land north of 36º30'), California became a free state, the slave trade was banned in D.C., and Utah and New Mexico territories were allowed to decide whether to allow slavery. -
The Firing at Fort Sumter
The attack near Charleston, South Carolina by the Confederate States Army on the United States Army that began the American Civil War. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
The executive order made by US President Abraham Lincoln that allowed slaves in 10 states the ability to become free once they had escaped the control of the Confederate government. It did not end slavery nor did it apply to slaves in Union controlled areas or to slave states not in rebellion. Once free, slaves would be allowed to join the US Army forces for pay. More than 3.5 million slaves had their federal legal status changed because of the Emancipation Proclamation. -
The Organization of Standard Oil Trust
The Standard Oil Trust was founded by John D. Rockefeller and he built it up until it became the largest oil refinery firm in the world. Rockefeller bought all the other competition and in 1870 named it the Standard Oil Company. -
Abraham Lincoln's Assassination
The assassination occurred while Lincoln and his wife were attending a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. It was only 5 days after the Confederate Army surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse. The assassin was John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor and Confederate sympathizer. He and some of his colleagues had been planning to kidnap Lincoln, but soon they came up with an even worse plan. Lincoln was declared dead the next morning and it was not until April 26th that Union troops captured Booth. -
Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse
The surrender of Confederate General Lee to Union General Grant was the final action in the American Civil War. In one last battle in central Virginia, General Lee became surrounded by Union troops and was forced to surrender. Both Generals signed the documents that surrendered the Confederate Army to the Federal Army of the Potomac. -
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
The US House of Representatives resolved to impeach Andrew Johnson on 11 articles of impeachment. Their primary charge against Johnson was the violation of the Tenure of Office Act. -
13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments
13th Amendment: Prohibits slavery in the United States (1865)
14th Amendment: States that anyone born in the United States is a citizen of the US and the state which he or she lives in. (1868)
15th Amendment: Guaranteed African American men the right to vote. (1870) -
Invention of the Electric Light, Telephone, and Airplane
Electric Light: Was created by Thomas Edison in 1879.
Telephone: Invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876.
Airplane: Created by Wright Bothers in 1903. -
Pullman and Homestead Strikes
The Pullman and Homestead Strikes were both strikes by American labor workers that both turned violent. Labor unions at that time felt they were being treated unfairly and often went on strike. Some of the factors in these two strikes included: wages being dropped, jobs cut, hours increased, unskilled workers being hired, and company housing prices staying the same. -
Spanish-American War
Was a conflict between the United States and Spain over the Independence of Cuba. Cuba wished to receive its independence and revolted against Spain. The US backed these revolts and after the US ship the USS Maine mysteriously sunk in Havana Harbor, the US entered the war. William McKinley was the US president at the time. -
Theodore Roosevelt Becomes President
Roosevelt became the 26th president after serving as vice president for only 194 days when President William McKinley was assassinated. He won another four-year term in 1904 and during his presidency the Food and Drug Administration was founded.