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Jamestown was Founded
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First African Slaves
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House of Burgesses
After his arrival in Jamestown in 1619, Governor George Yeardley immediately gave notice that the Virginia colony would establish a legislative assembly. This assembly, the General Assembly, first met on July 30, 1619. -
Mayflower Compact
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Plymouth Colony
Before disembarking from their ship, the Mayflower, 41 male passengers sign the Mayflower Compact, an agreement that forms the basis of the colony's government. -
King Philips' War
King Philip's War was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between a group of indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. -
Bacon's Rebellion
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Pueblo Rebellion
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Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Founded in 1682, Philadelphia is one of the country's first cities and is home to many significant firsts that shaped America's early government. -
Salem Witch Trials
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. -
North and South Carolina become royal colonies
The North Carolina and South Carolina was originally established by independent British colonists. This meant that the government of the colonies was done by these independent colonists. But people didn’t like their government and by 1729, the British king purchased the colonies from the colonists. These colonies now became a possession of the crown and directly came under the British rule. -
Stono Rebellion
A band of slaves march down the road, carrying banners that proclaim "Liberty!". They shout out the same word. -
Iron Act
The British parliament passed the Iron Act in 1750. This act eliminated the taxes paid by Britain on the iron imported from its American colonies. It also said that the American colonies should not use iron for production and export it in raw form to Britain. -
French and Indian War
Final conflict in the ongoing struggle between the British and French for control of eastern North America -
Sugar Act
In 1764, the British Parliament passed the Sugar Act. Back in 1733, the parliament had passed the Molasses Act. This act imposed new taxes on molasses but the act was never strictly enforced. -
Stamp Act
An act of the British Parliament in 1765 that exacted revenue from the American colonies by imposing a stamp duty on newspapers and legal and commercial documents. -
Townshend Acts lead to riots and protests
As part of its efforts to impose taxes and raise more money from the colonies, the British government imposed a number of new taxes in 1767. These were collectively known as the Townshend Acts. Through these acts, the government imposed new duties on glass, tea, lead, paper and other items imported to the American colonies. This angered the colonists and American merchants started boycotting British goods. The greatest unrest took place in Boston which was one of the main economic centers. -
Boston Massacre
British troops fired into a mob, killing five men and leading to intense public protests. -
British Parliament passes the Tea Act
In 1773, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act. This Act didn’t impose any new taxes but it granted complete monopoly over the tea trade in the Americas to the British East India Company. -
Boston Tea Party takes place
The Boston Tea Party was a protest launched by an organization known as Sons of Liberty. This organization was formed by the thirteen American colonies to protest against the economic policies of Britain towards the colonies. -
Louisiana Purchase
United States payed $15 million to receive the territory which extends west from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. Napoleon, the leader of France, was in financial trouble due to war and was willing to give that huge chunk of land for a very little price. Jefferson wanted to expand America and eagerly bought the land. This transaction, although was unconstitutional, is forgotten about and is overlooked today. -
Lewis and Clark Depart
Lewis and Clark set out to explore the unknown territories of the Louisiana purchase. -
War of 1812
U.S. declared war on Britain over Britian's interference and prevetion of American shipping to Europe and over their interference of America's westward expansion. Many important events took place during this war. For one, Washington D.C. got captured by the British and the White House and Capital Building were set on fire. Another event that happened was Francis Scott Key wrote the Star-Spangled Banner as he watched Britian's attack on Fort McHenry at Baltimore. -
Spain Secession
Spain cedes Florida to America. -
First Public Railroad System
Construction began on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. This is the first public railroad in the U.S. It was a key factor in America's westward expansion and it made trade much easier and less expensive. This threw America into the Industrial Revolution as well as changed the face of this once primitive land. -
Mexican War
Mexican War took place in America's effort to gain California and other territory in Southwest. -
Gold Rush
Gold is discovered at Sutter's Mill in California. After news spread that gold had been discovered there, thousands of Americans dropped everything they had and moved to California. By 1849, it was the peak of the Gold Rush, thus, creating the name forty-niners for the many miners that searched for gold there. This event greatly increased America's westward expansion. -
Gadsden Purchase
Gadsden purchase was made for $10,000,000 from Mexico. -
Civil War
The Civil War was the conflict between the North (the Union) and the South (the Confederacy) over the expansion of slavery into western states and over the preservation of the Union. This war was had a higher fatality rate out of all of the wars fought in America combined. This sad event shaped our government for the better and opened the eyes of Americans to the brutality of slavery. -
Confederacy is Formed
11 states had seceded from the U.S. and the Confederate states were formed. Jefferson Davis was elected as president of them a day later.