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Aug 3, 1492
Columbus' 1st voyage (1492)
columbus sailed from spain to find an all water route to asia. Colombus landed on an island in the bahamas and named it San Salvador -
The year Jamestown was settled
They established Jamestown, Virginia, on May 14, 1607, the first permanent British settlement in North America. Though determined, these settlers did not know what severe challenges they would face. -
End of the French and Indian war (1763)
The French and Indian War began in 1754 and ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The war provided Great Britain enormous territorial gains in North America, but disputes over subsequent frontier policy and paying the war's expenses led to colonial discontent, and ultimately to the American Revolution. -
Boston Massacre
Boston Massacre. The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770 when British soldiers in Boston opened fire on a group of American colonists killing five men. Prior to the Boston Massacre the British had instituted a number of new taxes on the American colonies including taxes on tea, glass, paper, paint, and lead. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775 in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy (present-day Arlington), and Cambridge. -
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence, 1776. By issuing the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. The Declaration summarized the colonists' motivations for seeking independence. -
The battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was one of the most important battles of the American Revolutionary War. It took place in 1781 and ended with American and French forces, led by George Washington and Comte de Rochambeau respectively, decisively defeating a British army commanded by Lord Cornwallis. -
The signing of the constitution
The Signing of the United States Constitution occurred on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, representing 12 states (all but Rhode Island, which declined to send delegates), endorsed the Constitution created during the four-month- ... -
The invention of the cotton gin
Invention of Cotton Gin. The cotton gin is a machine that is used to pull cotton fibers from the cotton seed. Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793 or 1794. At that time, Whitney was in the employ of Catherine Greene, the widow of General Nathaniel Greene. -
President Washingtons inauguration
The presidency of George Washington began on April 30, 1789, when Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States, and ended on March 4, 1797. -
Buying of the 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. -
Lewis and Clark expedition begins
The Lewis and Clark Expedition from May 1804 to September 1806, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the first American expedition to cross the western portion of the United States. -
The Battle of Fort McHenry
In August 1814, British forces marched on Washington, defeated U.S. forces, and burned the Capitol. Then, on September 13-14, the British attacked Fort McHenry. The failure of the bombardment and sight of the American flag inspired Francis Scott Key to compose "The Star-Spangled Banner." -
The battle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was fought between the Republic of Texas and Mexico from February 23, 1836 to March 6, 1836. It took place at a fort in San Antonio, Texas called the Alamo. The Mexicans won the battle, killing all of the Texan soldiers inside the fort. -
The 13th amendment
13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution declared that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." -
President lincoln’s assassination
The Assassination of President Lincoln. Shortly after 10 p.m. on April 14, 1865, actor John Wilkes Booth entered the presidential box at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C., and fatally shot President Abraham Lincoln. As Lincoln slumped forward in his seat, Booth leapt onto the stage and escaped through the back door.