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1492
Columbus discovers America
Christopher Columbus, sailing on the Santa Maria, discovers the Bahamas archipelago and the island now known as Hispaniola. He later visited points further south but never actually touched land on the continent of North America. -
Settlement of Jamestown founded
104 men and boys choose Jamestown, Virginia for the location of what will be the first permanent English settlement in America. This location is chosen because it is easily defendable from potential Spanish attacks. -
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French and Indian War
The French and Indian War begins in 1754, over whether the upper Ohio River Valley is part of the British empire or the French Empire. -
Boston Tea Party
One night in late 1773, a group of 60 men organized and led by Samuel Adams destroy 92,000 pounds of British tea from East India by dumping it into the Boston Harbor. The men do this as a means of retaliation for the British tax on tea. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
British Lt. Colonel Francis Smith and 700 British regulars depart Boston and march toward Concord. The objective: to capture and destroy military stores hidden there by the Massachusetts Militia. However, their plans are foiled when anti-British intelligence inform the colonists of their intentions. The militia is assembled and upon the arrival of the British troops, someone fires a shot, marking the beginning of the War for Independence. -
Declaration of Independence voted on
Congress unanimously votes that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.” However, the declaration is adopted and read to the people on July 4th, causing this day to be recognized instead. -
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Battle of Yorktown
The British surrender forecasts the end of British rule in the colonies and the birth of a new nation. -
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Constitutional Convention
The goal of this event is to decide how America is going to be governed. -
Cotton gin invented
Eli Whitney patents the cotton gin, a machine that will revolutionize the production of cotton. -
Alien and Sedition Acts passed
The Alien and Sedition Acts are four acts passed because the US stood on the brink of war with France, and the Federalists fear that aliens living in the US would sympathize with the French during a war. -
Louisiana Purchase
828,000 square miles of land is purchased from France at less than 3 cents an acre, doubling the size of the United States. -
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War of 1812
Between the United States and Britain over British violations of US maritime rights. -
Missouri Compromise
The law is passed in an attempt to address growing sectional tensions over the issue of slavery. By passing the law, the U.S. admits Missouri to the Union as a state that allows slavery, and Maine as a free state. It also bans slavery from the remaining Louisiana Purchase lands located north of the 36º 30’ parallel. -
Andrew Jackson elected
This election marks the beginning of the development of a two-party system similar to our modern system, presidential elections more closely resembling modern political campaigning, and the strengthening of the executive branch. -
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Trail of Tears
American Indian tribes from the South and Southeast are forced to migrate westward. -
Panic of 1837
A financial crisis in the United States that will cause an economic depression that will last until 1843. -
Invention of the Telegraph
The first message by telegraph, "What hath God wrought?" is sent. -
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Mexican-American War
A border dispute that resulted in the addition of what is now Texas and part of California to the Union. -
Compromise of 1850
Also known as the Fugitive Slave Law, it compelled free states to assist in the capture of runaway slaves and admitted California to the Union. -
Firing on Fort Sumter
Confederate forces attack the military garrison at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, starting the United States Civil War. -
Emancipation Proclamation
President Lincoln declares that all slaves "are, and henceforward shall be free." -
Organization of Standard Oil Trust
The Standard Oil Trust is formed by John D. Rockefeller. From 1870 to 1911 it will control almost all oil production, processing, marketing, and transportation in the US. -
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13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments passed
The 13th Amendment abolishes slavery. The 14th Amendment awards citizenship to anyone born in the United States. The 15th Amendment allows Black Americans to vote. -
Assasination of Abraham Lincoln
President Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending the play Our American Cousin with his wife. 12 days later, Booth is killed. -
Surrender at Appomattox
General Robert E. Lee surrenders his army to General Ulysses S. Grant, ending the bloodiest conflict in US history. -
Andrew Johnson's impeachment
The primary charge against Johnson is his violation of the Tenure of Office Act. His trial lasts two months and results in acquittal on three of eleven charges and adjoining without a verdict. -
Invention of the telephone
Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for the first telephone. -
The lightbulb is invented
Thomas Edison builds the first electric light. -
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Pullman and Homestead strikes
Two examples of workers' attempts to push back against what they perceive to be unfair management. -
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Spanish-American War
Chiefly caused by Cuba's struggle for independence and the sinking of the USS Maine. -
First flight by powered aircraft
Wilbur and Orville Wright make four brief flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. They have built the first successful airplane. -
Theodore Roosevelt elected as president
He became president on September 14, 1901, when President McKinley was assassinated, but is not elected until 1904.