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Establishment of Jamestown, Virginia
Life in Jamestown Jamestown was the first permanent British settlement in North America. The colony consisted of people with professions (artisans, craftsmen, laborers) and wealthy people who did not have a profession. Captain John Smith is an important person in this event due to his ability to lead the colony onwards after the population dropped from 214 to 60 in the first 8 months. After he left, they had to endure illness, starvation, and Indian attacks. They still managed to continue on afterwards. -
First Africans brought to Americas
The first Africans were brought to Jamestown to work as slaves and help aid in the production of lucrative crops such as tobacco. These slaves were mainly brought over from the continent of Africa. From here, slavery then became a large part of the economy due to the increased production from the large amount of labor. -
Pilgrims Land at Plymouth
The 100 people who searched for religious freedom in the New World, set sail from England on a ship known as the Mayflower in September of 1620. Later, in November, they landed on the shores of Cape Cod and sent out a scouting party that arrived at Plymouth Harbor. The pilgrims then established the first permanent settlement of Europeans in New England. -
Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch Trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. The trials led to the execution of 20 people, most of them being women. These trials were an example of an episode of the country's mass hysteria and religious extremism. The trials ended in May 1963. -
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French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was a war fought between the British colonies and the colonies of New France. Both sides had help from their parent countries as well as help from Native American allies. The batlle ended in British victory and led to the Treaty of Paris, which gave much of France's possessions in North America to England. -
Boston Massacre
A "street fight" between a group of colonists and a squad of British soldiers. The colonists harassed the soldiers by throwing objects at them, resulting in the British soldiers firing into the crowd. Many colonists died, resulting in several articles written by colonists about the event. At trial, only two of the seven soldiers were found to be guilty of manslaughter. The British soldiers then left Boston. This event could also be seen as a cause for the Revolutionary War. -
Boston Tea Party
A protest by the Sons of Liberty against the Tea Tax by the British. They dressed as Indians and boarded a ship full of tea by the East India Company. They proceeded to dump the tea into Boston Harbor, which is the event we now know as the Boston Tea Party. The British then retaliated by shutting down Boston Harbor, leading to the loss of jobs , income, and more tension withing the colonies. -
Declaration of Independence
Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson and declared the Thirteen Colonies' independece from Great Britain. It also explains the reasoning behind the declaration as well. The document was signed by all 56 delegates at the Continental Congress. All the delegates acknowledged the fact that they were comitting treason and could be hung if they did not prevail. -
End of Revolutionary War
The American Revolution America's fight for independence formally ended on Sept. 3, 1783 with the Treaty of Paris. The British formally recognized the independece of the United States. The Revolutionary War took 8 long years beginning on April 19, 1775. Several battles were won and lost throughout those years, but America prevailed in the end. Afterwards, America then had to establish its own government and survive onwards as a free country. -
Shay's Rebellion
The rebellion was caused by financial difficulties, lack of currency, and harsh government policies put in place to solve debt problems. Protesters included war veterans from the Revolution (mainly farmers) and they went on to shutdown courts and organized an armed force.This rebellion was proof that the government could not act appropriately in a time of crisis and led to debates over creating a new government. The rebellion ended on Feb. 27, 1787. -
Ratification of the US Constitution
After New Hampshire became the 9th state to ratify the Constitution, it was agreed that the government would begin to function under the Constituition beginning on March 4th, 1789. Most states ratified it due to the promise that a Bill of Rights would be added at a later date. The remaining states then ratified it afterwards. Because of this, the Constitution is the foundation of the government we have today. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion began after the federal government passed the "whiskey tax" to help pay the debts of the Revolutionary War. Many responded negatively to the tax, especially farmers who distilled and made a profir off of whiskey. A peaceful attempt to combat the tax was made in court, but soon violence erupted after it failed. Some events were the tarring and feathering of Robert Johnson (tax collector) and the burning of John Neville's home. A federal response in 1794 ended it. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark's expedition across America helped to map out what lay ahead in America's mission to expand from "sea to shining sea". They followed the Missouri River for a large part of their journey and crossed land formations such as the Continental Divide. They encountered two dozen Indian nations and made relationships with them, however they had tension with the Lakota nation. They arrived at the Pacific Ocean on Nov. 7, 1805. They helped map out a large portion of America. -
War of 1812
Great Britain and France were in conflict and attempted to hurt eachother by blocking trade with America for the other country. This hurt America and they soon cut off trade with Britain after Napoleon hinted at stopping trade. America suffered losses against British, Canadian, and Native American troops. At one point Washington DC was captured and burned. However, Americans managed to win in New York, Baltimore, and New Orleans. The war ended on Dec 24, 1814 with the Treaty of Ghent. -
Missouri Compromise
The compromise was put in place to help balance the amount of free and slave states within the United States. The rest of the country was divided along the parallel 36°30′ north and determined that any state above would be a free state and any state below the parallel would be a slave state. It ended after states such as California were put into question due to Califronia being half above and below the parallel. -
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears originated from the removal of the Choctaw nation to provide more land for white settlers after the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Several tribes were moved from their land and ordered to go the land designated as "Indian Territory" West of the Mississippi River. The Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, Creek, Seminole and Cherokee peoples were removed from their land and several perished from disease, exposure, and starvation along the way. Andrew Jackson enforced the act. -
Texan Independence
Battle of The Alamo The scuffle began when colonists in the Mexican province of Texas clashed with the centralist Mexican government. A decade of tension had occurred before all broke loose in October. After debating for independence,the army of US volunteers and Texians defeated the Mexican garrisons and took over Texas.However, after a loss at the Battle of the Alamo, the Americans retreated. Then, the army trained itself to fight back and won at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. -
Mexican-American War
Mexican-American War The Mexican-American War was ignited after the annexation of Texas as the 28th state in the US. The US initiated the conflict after invading and occupying several territories such as Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico and Alta California Territory. They also invaded Northeastern/western Mexico and captured Mexico City which resulted in a US victory. The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gave the territories of Santa Fe and Alta California to the US for $15 million dollars. -
Gold Rush in California
When gold was found in 1848 by James W. Marshall in Coloma, California, news spread quickly. Around 300,000 gold seekers travelled across America by either sailing ship or covered wagon with the dream to strike it rich. The gold rush also attracted people from Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The Gold Rush ended in 1855. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 dealt with the problem of free and slave states within the newly acquired Mexican Territory. The compromise proposed four ideas that would be put in place. Texas surrendered New Mexico and its claims above the Missouri Compromise Line. California was admitted as a free state. Utah and New Mexico were allowed to decide their status due to popular sovereignty. The slave trade was banned in Washington D.C. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
A bill was introduced by Stephen A. Douglas to ensure a transcontinental railroad that would benefit his constituents. He wanted to put the territory of Nebraska under civil control. When it was refused by the senators, it led to the Kansas Nebraska Act that supported popular soverignty, which let settlers decide whether or not a state would be a free state or a slave state. -
Abraham Lincoln's Election
Abraham Lincoln became the 16th president and also the first Republican president. He gained only 40% of the overall vote, but defeated the other three candidates. He gained a large amount of support in the North and little to none in the South. Due to his opposition to slavery, when he was elected, 7 states immediately seceded, leading to the Civil War. -
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Civil War
The Civil War was a fight to determine either the survival of the Union or independence for the Confederacy. After Lincoln's election, tensions began to rise. The first battle took place at Fort Sumter and several followed. The most famous battle being the Battle at Gettysburg. In the end, the Union managed to overpower the Confederacy due to their inudstrial strength, use of communication, and ability to resupply troops quickly. -
Completion of Transcontinental Railroad
The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad brought many benefits to the already growing country of America. The railroad helped unify the country by providing cheaper, quicker, and more flexible transportation from coast to coast. With the railroad people could travel greater distances in shorter periods of time and transport supplies quickly. -
End of Reconstruction
Reconstruction ended with the Compromise of 1887. This compromise emerged from the election of 1887 between the Democrats and Republicans. In the end the Republican candidate Hayes had won the election. The Democrats were outraged at first, but soon made a deal with Hayes. If he removed the troops from the South, he could become president, and that is exactly what happened.
