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Period: 1492 to
US History Timeline
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Oct 12, 1492
The Discovery of America by Columbus
Christopher Columbus' voyage on discovering America started in August of 1492 with 87 men and three ships. He was sent to discover a direct water route west from Europe to Asia instead of having ships sailing around Africa. No land was found until October 12, 1492. While Columbus believed he was in Asia, it actually was an island in the Caribbean. He continued sailing from island to island until January of 1493 when he sailed back to Europe to report his findings. -
The Settlement of Jamestown
In 1607, 104 men and boys arrived in North America to begin a settlement. On May 13, 1607 they picked Jamestown, Virginia naming it after their king. Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America. The site also fit very well with the settler's needs. The settlement was surrounded by water on 3 sides, was far inland, which made defense very easy against attacks, and the water was deep enough for boats to be anchored. -
The French & Indian War
In March 1744 to October 1748 was the warm-up to the French & Indian War between France & England as they fought for domination over North America. In 1752-1753 agitation grew as France and England competed over land and trading claims. Finally, in May 28, 1754 was the first battle where Washington defeated the French with a surprise attack. For ten years there were battles, capturing forts, and having losses on both sides. When the war finally ended on October 31, 1763. -
The Boston Tea Party
On December 16, 1773 the Boston Tea Party occurred at Griffin's Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Tea Party was a political protest against the series of taxes on American to help Britain pay off it's deep debts. Men and boys disguised in Native American garb, snuck on and boarded docked ships that were in the wharf and threw 342 chests of tea into the water. The Boston Tea Party was the first big event of defiance against the British rule over the colonists. -
The Battle of Lexington & Concord
The battles of Lexington & Concord were the start of the American Revolutionary War (1775-83). Before the battles had occurred tension had been growing over the course of several years between residents of the American Colonies and the British authorities. The eve of the 19th, hundreds of British troops marched to Concord to seize an arms cache. Paul Revere and other riders raised the alarm and colonial men moved to intercept the British. On April 19, the battles of Lexington & Concord occurred. -
The Declaration of Independence
In April 1775, the Americans began fighting for their rights as subjects of the British crown. By the next summer, the Revolutionary War began and escalated quickly. The movement for independence from Britain grew and representatives were faced to vote about the issue. In June 1776, five men such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin became tasked with drafting a statement of the thirteen colonies' intentions. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. -
The Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown is the most important battle of the Revolutionary War. In 1781, George Washington, commanded a force of 17,000 French & Continental troops and laid siege on Yorktown against Charles Cornwallis. Washington had his troops encircle Yorktown and Cornwallis effectively blocking them from escape. For three weeks of non-stop bombardment, both day and night, Cornwallis surrendered to Washington at Yorktown on October 17, 1781. -
The Constitutional Convention
Four years after winning their independence from England, state delegates gathered together in Philadelphia to compose a new U.S. constitution. May 25, 1787, delegates gathered in the State House of Pennsylvania for the Convention. The assembly immediately discarded the idea of amending the Articles of Confederation and draw up a new plan of government. During three months of debate, they devised a federal system characterized by an intricate system of checks and balance. -
The Invention of the Cotton Gin
The Cotton Gin came about by the inventor Eli Whitney when he received a license of the cotton gin. A cotton gin is a machine that sped up the process of removing seeds from cotton fiber. In the mid-19th century, cotton was America's leading export. Despite, the success Eli made little money due to legal issues. Also, his invention offered Southern planters excuses as why they could maintain and expand slavery even though a growing number of Americans supported that slavery should be destroyed. -
The Alien & Sedition Acts
The Acts are four laws that were passed in 1798 when fear of war with France was imminent. The first las was the Naturalization Act, which extended the time immigrants had to live in the Untied States to become citizens. Another law, was made where all male citizens could be arrested that were from an enemy nation. The third law, authorized the president to deport any non-citizen that was suspected of treason. The fourth act, was aimed at those who spoke out against the Federalists. -
The Louisiana Purchase
During the 17th century, France explored the Mississippi River Valley and had established settlements in the region. By the 18th century France had more control of the United States than any European power. In 1762, during the French/Indian War, France gave Louisiana to Spain. There was little progression for over three decades for Louisiana. In the end, in April 1803 the French let the United States purchase all of the Louisiana Territory which the United States agreed to do. -
The War of 1812
In the War of 1812, the United States took on the greatest Naval power in the world, Great Britain. The cause of the war was due to British attempts of restricting the U.S.' trade. During the war the nation's capital, Washington D.C., burned in August of 1814. But American troops were able to push back against British invasions and boosted the nation's confidence. The ratification of the Treaty of the Ghent on February 17, 1815, ended the war. -
The Missouri Compromise
What led up to the Missouri Compromise was the growing tensions between pro-slavery and anti-slavery. In the end the tensions grew to where Missouri's 1819 request for admission to the Union as a slave state, threatened to upset the very delicate balance of slaves states and free states. To try and keep the peace, Congress created a compromise. They granted Missouri's request but also admitting Maine as a free state. -
Andrew Jackson's Election
In 1824, John Quincy Adams won the presidency by accepting what was known as the 'corrupt bargain.' The corrupt bargain was a deal where a man swung votes to the first candidate that agreed to make him Secretary of State. Andrew Jackson, was furious and launched a campaign againsAdam. By the presidential election of 1828, tensions were high due to the discussion of political integrity and for other personal reasons. In the end many people decided that Adam's view was a sever breach of privacy. -
The Invention of the Telegraph
The telegraph was developed in the 1830s by Samuel Morse and other inventors. The telegraph worked by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations. As well as helping invent the telegraph, Mr. Morse developed a code that had assigned set of dots and dashes to each letter of the alphabet. -
The Panic of 1837
The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis that occurred in the United Sates that lasted until the mid-1840's. Profits, prices, and wages went down while unemployment went up. -
The Trail of Tears
In the 1830's around 125,000 Native Americans lived on millions of acres across several states. However, by the end of the 1830's the government forced them to leave their homelands and to walk to their new 'home'. Due to white settlers who wanted to grow cotton on their lands. -
The Mexican-American War
The Mexican-American War was the first armed conflict that fought on foreign ground. It started as a border skirmish along the Rio Grande and was followed by several U.S. victories. In the end, Mexico lost one-third of its territory, including California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was drafted by Henry Clay. The Compromise was an attempt to smooth out the confrontation between the slave states and the free states. The Compromise allowed California to be admitted as a free state and the admission of New Mexico and Utah Territory with slavery was left to the decision of the people. -
The Firing on Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is an island fortification that is in South Carolina. It was originally a coastal garrison. Later Robert Anderson occupied the unfinished fort in December 1860. When President Lincoln announced plans to resupply the fort, Confederate Beauergard bombarded Fort Sumter on on April 12. After a 34-hour exchange of fire, Anderson and his soldiers surrendered the fort on April 13. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
At the beginning of the Civil War, President Lincoln carefully examined the conflict as a need to preserve a union rather than the abolition of slavery. Although he personally found slavery awful he knew that neither sides would support abolition as a war aim. By 1862, thousands of slaves fled and joined the invading Northern armies. Soon Lincoln decided that abolishing slavery was the correct path. On September 22, he issued a preliminary proclamation declaring that all slaves were free. -
The Organization of Standard Oil Trust
The Standard Oil Trust was formed in 1863 by John Rockefeller. He built the company through 1868 and it became the largest oil refinery firm in the world. In 1870, Rockefeller decided to buy all the competition and formed them into one big company. -
13th, 145th, 15th Amendments
13th: 1865
Is a constitution that abolished and continues to prohibit slavery to this day. 14th: 1868
Is that all people born or naturalized in the United States are American Citizens including those of color. 15th: 1870
Prohibits each government from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's race, color, or even because of servitude. -
Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse
At Appomattox Court House, General Robert Lee surrendered his army to General Grant. When only days earlier his goal was to rally remnants of his troops and resume fighting. But the Battle at the Appomattox Court House, that lasted only a few hours, brought the Civil War to an end. -
Abraham Lincoln's Assassination
On the 14 of April of 1865, John Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, assassinated President Lincoln at the Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. The attack came five days after General Robert Lee surrendered his massive army at Appomattox House which ended the Civil War. -
Andrew Johnson's Impeachment
The impeachment of Johnson occurred in 1868 when the House of Representatives decided to impeach Johnson due to his high crimes and misdemeanors. -
Invention of the Telephone
The start of the telephone was when Bell was asked to help perfect a harmonic telegraph. But Bell was more keen on developing a device that would transmit voices. After some negotiation the investors allowed Bell to work on both technologies. In the end, the telephone won out and on March 7, 1876 he made his first successful telephone call. -
Invention of the Electric Light
In 1878, Edison started working on creating a safe electric light to replace the gaslight. With the help of financial backers, Edison set up an Electric Light Company and began research. He made a breakthrough in October of 1879 with a bulb that used platinum filament and in the summer of 1880 they discovered a carbonized bamboo as a viable alternative to the filament, which was the key to a long lasting lightbulb. -
The Pullman & Homestead Strikes
Homestead Strike:
Was a violent labor dispute between a steel company and many of the workers. The strike was pitted agains the company's management, the strikebreakers (replacements), and many others. A gun battle resulted which ended in several people killed or injured. Pullman Strike:
The Pullman Strike occurred in Chicago and spread across the country. It followed the economic depression where the creator of the Pullman sleeping car increased working hours, cut wages, and cut jobs. -
The Spanish-American War
The Spanish-American War occurred in 1898. It was a conflict between the United States and Spain when Spain's colonial rule ended in the Americas. Spain declared war on the United States on April 24. The United States quickly followed and declared war on Spain on the 25th. The armies went everywhere from the Manila Bay to the Santiago harbor. In the end, the war ended when Spain surrendered on July 17th. -
Theodore Roosevelt Becomes President
Theodore Roosevelt unexpectedly became the 26th president after the assassination of William McKinley. Being the youngest president at that time he brought a great energy to the White House and won a second term in 1904. Roosevelt soon became known as a 'trust buster' for his efforts to break up industrial combinations. He was also a dedicated conservationist and set aside 200 million acres for national forests, reserves, and wildlife refuges while he was president. -
Invention of the Airplane
The airplane was invented by Wilbur and Orville Wright who were American inventors and pioneers of aviation. In 1903 the brothers created the very first powered, sustained, and controlled airplane flight. First time, flying Wilbur flew the plane for 59 seconds at 852 feet. Later they passed a new milestone by building a fully practical airplane.
