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1492
The Discovery of America by Columbus
In 1492, Columbus set sail across the Atlantic Ocean with his three ships, the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, in order to reach Asia for riches like gold and pearls. Little did he know that he would accidentally reach shore at the Americas because Europe had not yet discovered the American continent up to this point.
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The Settlement of Jamestown
In 1607, 104 English men and boys settled in Jamestown, Virginia. The town was named after King James I. The site was surrounded by three sides of water and was a good defense against Spanish attacks. The president and council of Virginia was as follows: Edward Maria Winfield, Bartholomew Gosnold, Christopher Newport, John Martin, John Ratcliffe, George Kendall, and John Smith.
[Link text](https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/a-short-history-of-jamestown.htm -
The French and Indian War: 1754-1763
The French and Indian War started in 1754 when the British colonies were mad that France had expanded into the Ohio River Valley. The turning point of this war was when the future prime minister, William Pitt, financed the British and they defeated the French in Louisbourg, Fort Frontenac, and Quebec. The war ended with a peace conference in 1763 when the British gained Canada and Florida from France and Spain collectively.
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The Boston Tea Party
On December 16, 1773, the American Colonists threw barrels of tea over a British ship. The British Parliament kept raising taxes on items such as paper and stamps and this angered the colonists. This rage showed even more when Britain restricted tea-buying of the colonists to their tea only and raised the taxes on that higher. This resulted into what we know today as the Boston Tea Party.
[Link text]https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-tea-party -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
On April 19, 1775, trained British soldiers marched into Lexington to take away weapons from the rebel colonists. There waiting for the British, were 77 militia men on the colonists' side who were warned that "the Redcoats are coming". A shot was fired and a battle began in Lexington, 8 colonists died. When the British marched to Concord, colonists met them on a bridge and the British were defeated.
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The Declaration of Independence
On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence for the United States of America was signed by men who were tasked at the Continental Congress with writing a revolutionary document, stating the colonist's reasons for separating from King George of Britain's unfair treatment. This document led to full-out war in the American Revolution and eventually led to United States independence later down the road.
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The Battle of Yorktown
In the fall of 1781, the American Revolution came to an end at Yorktown, Virginia. The general of the patriots waited at the trenches of the city for the British attack. After gruesome battling, the Americans got into the British fort and defeated the "redcoats". A couple days later, the peace treaty was signed, ending the war and making independence official. Link text -
The Constitutional Convention
After the Articles of Confederation were ratified for a short period of time, the Constitutional Convention met for the first time in May of 1787. These meetings were held to discuss the weak central government of the United States and their were disagreements of whether the government was giving to much power to states or not. Through these meetings, the Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. Link text -
The Invention of the Cotton Gin
In 1794, Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin which was made through interchangeable parts and started the second wave of industrialization throughout America. This expanded the idea of slavery throughout the Southern States and really pushed cotton production. Although so much success, Eli Whitney didn't make much money because of patent-infringement.
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The Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by congress when President John Adams was in term. These acts put laws concerning immigration in the United States. Laws such as not being able to vote if one hasn't been a citizen for less than 14 years and also powers to deport immigrants who have come into the United States illegally.
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Invention of Electric Light
Although mistaken for Thomas Edison and his advancement of the light bulb, Humphry Davy invented the first electric light in 1802. He experimented solely with electricity and batteries. His experiments led to the discovery that electric light can be made when touching a battery and a piece of carbon together. Light today is now seen all over the world, especially big cities.
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The Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 was a huge bargain for the United States. At this time, France had owned the Louisiana Territory and the United States was looking for a way to buy it off them in order to have trade routes open in the New Orleans Port into the Mississippi River. Because France was in war and needed money for funding, the United States bought the territory for $15,000,000 that gave them 820,000,000 square miles of land. Link text -
The War of 1812: 1812-1815
After the American Revolution and the Treaty of Paris, the United States weren't done with the games that the British were playing. In 1812, Great Britain decided to restrict U.S. Trade once again and this infuriated Americans because they thought they were free. The British handed the United States many defeats, but the Americans withstood opposition in New York, Baltimore, and New Orleans and the war ended in 1815 by the Treaty of Ghent.
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The Missouri Compromise
In 1819, Missouri was trying to be added into the United States after the Louisiana Purchase, but people on the North and South sides of the country were struggling whether to induct it in as a free state or a slave state. In 1820, they compromised that Missouri would be a slave state and Maine would be a free state, making the slave to free ratio 12:12. Link text -
Andrew Jackson's Election
The 1828 Election was one of the most significant elections in US History because in 1824, the National Republican and Democratic Republic parties were introduced. John Quincy Adams was on the National side and Andrew Jackson was on the Democratic side. So in 1828, the first official political campaigns began of what we know today as Republicans vs Democrats. Link text -
The Trail of Tears: 1831-1850
The Trail of Tears today was known as one of the most devastating time periods of US History. In the Early 1830s, Native Americans occupied plenty of land that was apart of the Southern States and the Americans did not agree that they were taking up so much land where they could grow cotton. Therefore, the US Government forced the Native Americans to leave their homes to "Indian Territory" across the Mississippi.
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The Panic of 1837: 1837-1843
The Panic of 1837 was a terrible event that took place because of a financial crisis in America. After the War of 1812, some people thought it was necessary to have a national bank, but most opposed it. Andrew Jackson especially opposed it because he lost a bunch of money from the bank through investment. Because of this, in 1832, Andrew Jackson withdrew federal funding from the national bank which led to the Panic of 1837.
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The Invention of the Telegraph
Invented by Samuel Morse in 1844, the telegraph was a new way of communication revolutionizing long-range communication. The telegraph, like the telephone today, reached their destination through telegraph lines and complex messages. On May 24, 1844, Morse sent the first telegraph, but instead of using everyday English, it would be in Morse code, a new way of language because English was impossible on the telegraph. Link text -
The Mexican-American War
The Mexican-American War from 1846 to 1848 was caused because of the United State's desire to expand west to the Pacific Ocean. James K. Polk and the rest of the United States thought it was "manifest destiny", or God's duty, to do so. Therefore, the United States triumphed over the unprepared Mexico in 1848, giving them land such as California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico.
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The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 settled disputes concerning the discussion of slavery. It was disputing over whether California should enter the country as a slave state or a free state. California wanted to become a free state, but this would upset the balance. Therefore, the compromise made California a free state, but the Fugitive Slave Act was amended. Also, Utah became a territorial government and so did New Mexico.
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The Firing on Fort Sumter
The Firing on Fort Sumter took place on April 12, 1861. The main causes of this is that 7 southern states seceded from the Union and thought it would be best to be their own country then to be with a government that didn't respect their state rights. In February, 6 more states seceded and as a whole, they became the Confederation. On April 12, the Confederacy attacked Fort Sumter and gained victory with 500 troops.
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The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by Abraham Lincoln, declared that all slaves in the southern states would be freed and that they would no longer serve the confederacy. Although, no slaves were actually freed from this, it was a true turning point in the war and brought hope and promise to spark a desire to fight harder to win over the southern states in the north.
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The Organization of the Standard Oil Trust
John D. Rockefeller organized the Standard Oil Trust in order to start the largest oil refinery company in the world. This oil trust had become a huge part in the industrial world and gave way to he transportation, production, refining, and marketing of petroleum products. Although successful, the trust closed down in 1911 due to gasoline losing its worth.
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13th, 14th, 15th Amendments: 1865-1870
The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, also called the Civil War Amendments, came in the era of the Andrew Johnson Administration. These amendments to the Constitution ensured equality for all African Americans. The 13th amendment in 1865 abolished slavery, the 14th amendment in 1868 required states to provide equal protection to all, and the 15th amendment in 1870 gave voting rights to all.
[https://www.historyonthenet.com/authentichistory/1865-1897/1-reconstruction/1-johnson/cwamendments.html) -
Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse
On April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army officially surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant and the Union Army. This marked the end of the Civil War, a war that started from slavery and ended slavery. Robert E. Lee planned to battle at the Appomattox Courthouse, but the north succeeded and the Civil War was brought to a close.
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Abraham Lincoln's Assassination
It has been 5 days since the General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant and as celebration, Abraham Lincoln attended a play in Washington D.C. at Ford's Theater. No one expected anything to happen, but that it was a happy night. Out of nowhere, John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor who rooted for the confederacy, shot Abraham Lincoln from point-blank range. Abraham Lincoln died that night across the street.
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Andrew Johnson's Impeachment
Andrew Johnson was named the president of the United States of America after Lincoln's assassination. He was the one that started the reconstruction era to grant equality to all colors and races. Republicans against this, passed an act that told Johnson to never fire people in positions approved by the Senate. After removing someone from their office, Johnson was impeached.
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The Invention of the Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell is credited as the inventor of the telephone because he was the first to patent it. Alexander Graham Bell was highly respected for his work of making "the Talking Telegraph", or a telephone, and he was among the most popular of trying to patent it. Elisha Gray, a professor at Oberlin College, applied for a patent the same day, but was too late, so Bell was given the patent and started the wave of telephones.
[Link text](http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/telephone.html -
The Pullman and Homestead Strike: 1892-1894
On June 30, 1892, the Homestead Strike occurred. This strike pitted the Carnegie Steel Company. Carnegie tried to break the union that really hurt citizens in labor, being underpaid for long hours. Henry Clay Frick, one of Carnegie's managers, would lock the workers out of his plant. This resulted in much bloodshed and deaths. Pullman, similarly, was a strike against forced labor for low pay. This led to consolidation.
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The Spanish-American War
The Spanish government was abusing the Cubans. The United States needed to go to war against Spain in 1898 to stop this abuse. The Americans wanted to have military powers and economic relations with Cuba. Also, they wanted to expand and have more territory. Theodore Roosevelt pushed war with Spain and this war led to the end of Spanish colonial rule and US territory in the western Pacific and Latin Americas.
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Theodore Roosevelt Becomes President
After the assassination of William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt stepped into office. This is a really historic achievement in this nation due to how young Roosevelt was. Roosevelt was the nation's youngest president at 43 years of age. Also, this was a good pick up for the United States because he already had the nation's trust for being a war hero in the Spanish-American War.
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The Invention of the Airplane
One of the more iconic inventions of US and World History is the invention of the airplane. In 1903, the Orville and Wilbur Wright were recognized as the pioneers and inventors of aviation. They marked the first distance flight with actual humans in an airplane on December 17, 1903. Today, airplanes everyday are used to transport people everywhere fast.
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