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Period: 30,000 BCE to
Beginnings To Exploration
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1118
Templars
Founder of the Templars. Around 1118, a French Knight names Hugues de Payens created a military order with his family and acquaintances, known as the Knights Templar. The Templar Knights was a organization of committed Christians during the medieval era who carried out a mission to protect European sites in the Holy Land, while carrying out military operations. The knights original purpose was to protect pilgrims from danger, became defenders of the Crusade states in the Holy Land. -
1325
Aztecs
The Aztecs originated as a nomadic tribe in Northern Mexico,they arrived in Mesoamerica around the beginning of the 13th century. Aztecs were a dominant force in central Mexico, by developing a very detailed social, political, religious and commercial organization. They gained a infamous for bloodthirsty human sacrifices, such as heart ripped out while still conscious, decapitation, skinning which were done for spiritual rituals.4 social classes made up of Rulers, council, Nobles and Merchants. -
1347
The Black Death Rats/Fleas/Death
The Black Death was a devastating global epidemic caused by flea infested rats that reached Europe and Asia in the mid 1300s. The plague arrived to Europe in October 1347, when ships with rats with deadly fleas, from the Black sea docked in the Sicilian port of Messina. People who went to the docks when the ships arrived were met with a horrifying surprise. Most of the sailors aboard were dead and a handful were terribly ill. Over the next 5 years The Black Death killed almost 1/3 of Europe. -
1492
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was a determined European explorer who did four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain in the Santa Maria with the Pinta and the Nina ships alongside, between 1492-1504 to discover a direct route from Europe to India, but he never did. Instead he landed in the Americas, believing he landed in India. In Columbus first voyage he believed he could sail west across the Atlantic Ocean to reach India, believing it would be quick and save. -
1517
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was born Eisleben, Germany, in 1483. Martin Luther spent his early years as a anonymity as a scholar and monk. In 1517 Martin Luther created a document criticizing the Catholic church's corrupt practice of selling indulgences to get rid of any sin they have committed. Martin Luther's document known as the 95 theses. Martin believed that the bible is the central religious authority and believed humans reach salvation by their faith and not by their deeds. -
Roanoke
Roanoke is one of America's oldest and unsolved mysteries which is traced back to August 1587 when a group of 115 settlers arrived to Roanoke Island. It started with John White who was the governor of the new colony at the time, sailed back to England to gather a fresh load of supplies. Du to conflictual events John White couldn't return to Roanoke for a while. In August 1590 White returned to Roanoke. He found no trace of the colony or inhabitants and clues, except the word Croatoan carved. -
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English Colonial Societies
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Colonial America 1763
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Squanto
Squanto was a Native American of the Patuxet tribe born circa 1580 near Plymouth, Massachusetts. In 1614 Squanto was kidnapped by English explorer Thomas Hunt, who brought him to Spain and got sold to slavery. Squanto escaped and eventually found a way back to North America in 1619. Returned back to the Patuxet region, where he became a interpreter and guide for Pilgrim settlers at Plymouth in the 1620's due to his fluent english speaking ability.He died November 1622 in Chatham, Massachusetts. -
Plymouth Colony
In September 1620, about 100 men and women which the majority were members of the English Separatist Church set sail for the New World aboard the May Flower ship. The ship landed off the shores of Cape Cod, which is present day Massachusetts, months after arrival the first permanent settlement of Europeans in the New England was formed. After the Mayflower landing this influenced four other ships to land in the Plymouth colony which one had John Smith aboard who named the colony Plymouth colony. -
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was a English soldier and statesmen. He was elected to parliament in 1628 and 1640. Was a puritan who helped organize armed forces after the outbreak of the civil war in 1642, serving as the deputy commander of the "New Model Army" that defeated the main Royalist force Battle of Naseby in 1645. When Charles 1 passed away, Cromwell decided to serve in the Rump Parliament and was set to reform the legal system in part through the establishment of the Blue Laws. -
Quakers
Quaker missionaries first arrived in America in the mid-1650's. They practiced pacifism; any certain kind of violence is unjustifiable and that all disputes should be settled with peace. The Quakers played a key role in both the abolition and women's rights movements. Quakers didn't have official ministers or religious rituals and refused to use honorific titles "Fear the lord". Quakers were considered abolitionists. In 1758 Quakers in Philadelphia were ordered to stop buying and selling slaves. -
Indentured Servants
Indentured servitude was the main method of choice of plantation owners before the 1680's. This system encouraged both master and servant to to increase the working population of the Chesapeake colonies. For servicing the servants benefited would get their transportation across the Atlantic fully paid by their master. Servants also had written contracts which typically lasted for 5 years. The servants would be well taken cared of with land, money, a gun, clothes or food. Less popular by 1680's. -
King Louis XIV
King Louis XIV ruled as king of France for 72 years, from 1638-1718. In those 72 years King Louis XIV transformed the monarchy, marked a golden age of art and literature, authorized over the royal court of Versailles, and added specific territories and established his country as a dominant European power.In his last decade Louis XIV's rule, France was weakened by many long wars that drained his resources and mass departure of its protestant population, due to the revocation of Edict of Nantes. -
Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch Trials began during the spring of 1692, due to a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts have claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. This created a wave of hysteria which spread throughout the colonial Massachusetts. A court brought together in Salem to hear the cases; the first convicted witch, Bridget Bishop was hanged. 19 other women were accused and executed. More than 200 accused, until May 1693 it officially ended. -
Charter Colonies
Charter Colonies were written contracts between the British King and the American colonists about the share each should have in the government, they were not to be changed without the consent of both parties. All the Charter Colonies were located in New England where all the colonial government issues were discussed at town meetings. All the colonial charters guaranteed the American colonists vague rights and privileges. Charter Colonies consisted of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. -
New England/ Colonial Economies
The Geography and climate impacted the trade and economic activities of the New England Colonies. The New England towns along the coast, the colonists made their living by fishing, whaling, and shipbuilding. The types of fish they had included cod, herring, halibut, mackerel, bass and sturgeon.Whale oil was a very valuable source that could be used for lamps. Farming was difficult in the New England for crops such as wheat due to the poor soil. New England concentrated on manufacture and export. -
John Locke
John Locke was a English philosopher and political theorist and was one of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers; made several important contributions to the development of liberalism. His political theory of government by the consent of the governed as a means to protect life, liberty and property. That statement deeply influenced the United Sates founding documents like the Constitution. John's essays on religious tolerance provided an early model for the separation of church and state. -
Salutary Neglect
A long standing British Policy in the 13 colonies that allowed the colonist refused to follow the laws associated with trade. There was no effective enforcement, and it was expensive to send British troops to America.The Salutary Neglect policy was not documented. The Salutary Neglect was to ensure that the American Colonies would remain loyal to the British due to the expansion in Colonial America. The era of the Salutary Neglect lasted from 1690's to the 1760's; benefited colonists trade. -
George Washington/ French and Indian war
George Washington was a crucial figure in the French and Indian war. For Washington the French and Indian War in late 1753. He was selected as the British emissary to the French frontier establishment. Washington's war experiences did not only teach valuable lessons about command and politics and helped him re-examine his professional and personal goals. The war both provided Washington with valuable military experience and developed his perceptions, relationship between Colonials and British. -
Treaty of Paris-1763
The Treaty of Paris 1763 ended the French and Indian War/Seven Year's War between Great Britain and France, as well as their allies. The treaty made France give up all its territories in mainland North America, this reduced foreign threat to the British colonies.During the war, British forces won important overseas victories against France The British also had French Canada conquered, they also won battles in India and captured French Island colonies in the Caribbean made France want peace talks -
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The Revolutionary War 1763-1783
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Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765 was the first internal tax raised directly on the American Colonist by the British government. The Stamp Act imposed the tax on all paper documents in the colonies, this tax was forced due to the British Empire in deep debt from the Seven Year's War, using the colonies as a revenue source. Colonist argued that they were being taxed without any representation and believed it was unconstitutional. The colonists resorted violence. Parliament repealed Stamp Act in 1766. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshends Acts were a series of measures, passed by the the British Parliament in 1767, that taxed goods that were imported to the American colonists, that had no representation in Parliament. The Colonists saw this as abuse of power. The British sent troops to America to enforce the unpopular new laws, which created higher tensions between Great Britain and the American colonies. The Acts raised revenue for the British Parliament. This causes colonists decide to boycott British goods. -
Boston Tea Party/ Drunk Indians
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that occurred on December 16, 1773, at Griffin's Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. The American Colonists were frustrated and angry at Great Britain for imposing "taxation without representation". The drunk and disguised Indian colonists dumped 342 chest of British tea in the harbor. This rebellious act showed England that Americans will not take taxation without representation and tyranny. This created great tension between the 13 Colonies and England. -
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was one of the major leading figures of early American history. Benjamin Franklin was a author, publisher, statesman, scientist, diplomat and inventor. During the American Revolution, Benjamin served in the second continental congress and helped draft the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Franklin also negotiated the Treaty of Paris 1783 that lasted from (1775-83) that ended the Revolutionary War. He was also a delegate to the convention that produced the U.S. Constitution -
July 4th-Independence Day
The Fourth of July is also known as Independence Day or also July 4th. It has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941. The celebration of Independence Day tracks back to the 17th century and American Revolution. On July 2nd, 1776 the Continental Congress voted in favor for Independence. 2 days later after tweaking and revision delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From to 1776 to present day. -
Common Sense/ Thomas Paine
In 1776, Writer Thomas Paine publishes his pamphlet knows as the "Common Sense", which described his arguments that were in favor of the American Independence. It was originally published anonymously, the common Sense supported independence for the American colonies from Britain and is considered one of the most influential pamphlets in American history. This pamphlet helped unite average citizens and political leaders behind the idea of Independence and played a big role for American Revolution -
Battle of Saratoga
In the fall of 1777, the two Battles of Saratoga was a turning point in the American Revolution. On September 19th British General John Burgoyne achieved a small , but very costly victory over the American forces led by Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold. Burgoyne again attacked the Americans at Bemis Heights on October 7th, but this time he was defeated and forced to retreat. Surrendered 10 days later, and the American victory convinced the French government to recognize the and ally colonists. -
Battle of Yorktown
In 1781 General Washington, commanded a force made up 17,000 Continental and French troops. This begins the siege knows as the Battle of Yorktown against British General known as Lord Charles Cornwallis and a force of 9,000 British troops at Yorktown, Virginia. The French Nay fleet allied the US. After three weeks of non-stop bombardment day and night , from artillery and cannons, Cornwallis surrendered to Washington at Yorktown on October 17, 1781 this officially ended the War of Independence. -
Articles of Confederation/Problems
The Articles of Confederation was the first written Constitution of the United States. Originating from wartime urgency, but its process was slowed by the fears of the central authority and obtaining land claims by the states before it was ratified on March 1, 1781. Congress had certain powers to do stuff. The Articles made the central government lack the ability to levy taxes and regulate commerce, these issues led to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 for the creation of new federal laws. -
Articles of Confederation/Currency
The Articles of Confederation had the power to issue and regulate currency, and was addressed in a pair of sub-points of the Article XI in the Articles of Confederation. One of the rights the U.S. Congress had was "the sole and exclusive right and power of regulating the alloy and value of coin struck by their own authority, or by that of the respective states."Article XI demanded that any regulations involving coining of money required a super majority of nine states to become law. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shay's Rebellion was a series of violent attacks on courthouses and other government properties in Massachusetts, during the beginning of 1786, which ended up leading to a full blown military confrontation in 1787.The rebels were mostly made up of ex-Revolutionary war soldiers and farmers who opposed state economic policies causing poverty and property foreclosures.Rebellion's named after Daniel Shays a farmer and former soldier; fought in Bunker Hill. He led many of the rebellions. -
Northwest Ordinance
In 1787, Congress enacts the Northwest Ordinance, which structured settlements of the Northwest Territory and creating a policy for the addition of new states to the nation. Members of the congress knew that if their new confederation were to survive intact, it will have to resolve the state's competing for claims to western territory. In 1784 Thomas Jefferson proposed a method of containing these western territories into the United States. His plan turned turned territories in colonies. -
Three Branches
The three branches of the U.S. government are the legislative, executive and judicial branches. According to the doctrine of separation of powers, the U.S. Constitution distributed the power of the federal government among these three branches, and also built a system of checks and balances to ensure that no one branch could become too powerful. The Legislative has the power make laws. The Executive has power to enforce or carry the laws. The Judicial Branch has the power to interpret the laws. -
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The Constitution
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Election of 1788
In 1788 the first presidential election of the United States is held.Voters casting their ballots to choose state electors. Only White men who owned property were allowed to vote. George Washington won the election and was brought into office on April 30, 1789. In the election the United States used the Electoral College system, that was established by the U.S. Constitution, which today gives all American citizens over the age of 18 the right to vote for electors, who turn the vote to president. -
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New Republic
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Civic Duty
Civic Duties were implied duties, that one cannot exist without the other. Which meant for every given right there must be a corresponding duty. These legal duties exist to enable those who wish to enforce their civil rights to identify a defendant against who's actions may have been brought. Civil right can only be enforced against a person who owes the applicant a legal duty. Citizen must be fully aware of his civic duties and responsibilities. Should be concerned about your rights and duties. -
Massachusetts Constitution
The 1780 Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, drafted by John Adams, is the oldest functioning written constitution. It was used as a model for the United States Constitution, which was written in 1787 and became effective in 1789. The Massachusetts Constitution contains three parts. First was a Preamble, second was a Declaration of Rights of the inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the third The Frame of Government.Each section has their own specific job. -
George Washington
George Washington was commander in chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War from 1775-83, and he also served two terms as the first U.S.president, from 1789 to 1797. George Washington fought in the French and Indian War from 1754-63. During the American Revolution, he led colonial forces to victory over the British and became a national hero. In 1787 he was elected as president of the convention that wrote the U.S. Constitution. He later became president of US in 1789. -
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The American Industrial Revolution
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Bill of Rights
After the American Declaration of Independence in 1776, the Founding Fathers turned to the development of the states' and then federal Constitution. At first the Bill of Rights was not seen as important, the Constitution's supporters seen it as crucially important due to it able to protect citizens rights.Bill of Rights officially part of the Constitution in December 1791. The Bill Of Rights consisted of 10 amendments, that each protected the rights of citizens, such as, religion, bear arms etc. -
Fugitive Slave Acts
The Fugitive Slave Acts were a pair of federal laws that allowed the capture and return of runaway slaves not beyond the territory of the United States. They were enacted by the Congress in 1793. The first Fugitive Slave Act approved local governments to seize and return runaway slaves to their owners and forced penalties on anyone who helped the fugitive slaves escape. Due to this the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was enacted, which added harsher punishments to the captured slaves. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion was a uprising in 1794, of farmers and distillers in western Pennsylvania in protest of a whiskey tax that was enacted by the federal government .After years of tax collectors being attacked, the region erupted in confrontation that made President Washington respond by sending troops to end the rebellion, that people feared that could of become a full-blown revolution. It all started from protests against the tax, arguing that the tax was unfair to small producers. -
Cotton Gin
In 1794 U.S. born inventor Eli Whitney developed the cotton gin, a machine that revolutionized the production of cotton by speeding up the process of removing seeds from cotton fiber. By the mid 19th century cotton had become America's leading export. Even tho its success Whitney didn't make much money out of it due to patent-infringement issues. The cotton gin made it reasonable for Southern planters to maintain and expand slavery even as a growing number of Americans wanted it to be abolished. -
Washington's Farewell Address
Washington's Farewell Address was when the nation's first president voluntarily stepped down from power, establishing the two-term tradition which is still used today. Washington's farewell warning was a document discussing is knowledge of events that have happened in the past and not wanting to go down the same road again. He warned the U.S.should stay away from interfering with duties of other countries. He warned about dividing into political parties, he feared can cause absolute power. -
XYZ Affair
The XYZ Affair was a diplomatic incident between France and the United States during the late 18th century that ended leading to an undeclared sea war. In 1794 United States and England signed the Jay Treaty, which solved long standing issues between both nations. French mad about United States signing Jay Treaty, so France decided to seize American merchant ships. John Adams sent 3 diplomats to promote peace with France, but instead met 3 French agents who asked for bribes and a loan to France. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts were a series of four laws passed by the U.S. Congress in 1798, amid the widespread fear that war with France was incoming.The four laws of the Alien and Sedition Acts that have remained controversial to this day; restricted the activities of foreign residents in the country and limited freedom of speech and of the press. The Sedition Acts increased residency requirements for U.S. citizenship to 14 years from five. It also permitted government to arrest and deport. -
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The Age of Jefferson
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Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase of 1803, brought into the United States approximately 828,000 square miles of territory from France, it doubled the size of the young republic. The Louisiana Purchase stretched from the Mississippi River in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west and from the Gulf of Mexico in the south to the Canadian border in the north. 15 states were eventually created from the land deal, which is considered one of Thomas Jefferson's most important achievements in presidency. -
Steamboats
John Fitch was the first inventor to build a steamboat in the United States, which was a 45 foot boat which successfully traveled on the Delaware River in August 22, 1787. He later built a larger vessel that carried passengers and shipped goods between Philadelphia and Burlington, New Jersey. Between 1785 and 1796 Fitch developed 4 different steamboats that successfully hit the waters and lakes, which was from using steam for water locomotion. Were a big part of the Industrial Revolution. -
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Shawnee Indian, political leader and a war chief, he participated in a border warfare that severely damaged the Ohio Valley in the late 18th century. He also took part in a series of raids of Kentucky and Tennessee frontier settlements in the 1780's, and emerged as a prominent chief by the 1800. He took his brother's religious following into a political movement in Prophetstown. Tecumseh fought with pro-British forces in the War of 1812 until his death in the Battle of the Thames. -
Fort McHenry/Star Spangled Banner
In 1814 , Francis Scott Key writes a poem which later becomes the national anthem of the United States in 1931 known as the "Star Spangled Banner."The poem was originally titled "The Defence of Fort McHenry," it was written after Francis Scott Key witnessed Fort McHenry being bombarded by the British during the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the sight of the lone U.S. flag still flying over Fort McHenry at daybreak, which reflected in the now famous words of the "Star Spangled Banner." -
Battle of New Orleans
On December 24. 1814 England and the United States signed the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium that effectively ended the War of 1812. The News was slow to cross across the nation. Due to that in January 8, 1815, the two sides clashed in what is remembered as one the conflict's biggest and most decisive engagements. In the bloody Battle of New Orleans, leaded by future President Andrew Jackson and a diverse ragtag of militia fighters. The victory provided and rose Andrew Jackson to national stardom. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an effort by Congress to defuse the sectional and political rivalries triggered by the request of Missouri late in 1819 for the admission as a state in which slavery would be permitted. At the time, the United States contained 22 states, evenly divided between slave and free. Admission of Missouri as a slave state would upset that balance, it would also set importance for congressional acceptance in the expansion of slavery. The debate of Missouri was prohibited. -
Railroads
Railroads were one of the most important inventions of the Industrial Revolution. With the way they were constructed and operated, they brought great social, economic and political change to a country that was just 50 years old. Over the next 50 years, United States would come to see bridges and other structures on which trains would travel across the country on.These railroads would impact the Civil War. Transporting soldiers faster and more efficient, carry goods and supplies back and forth, -
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Cultural Changes
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Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was the first president to be a born citizen of the United States.Van Buren quickly rose in New York politics, winning a U.S. Senate seat in 1821 and had authority over a wise state political organization. Van Buren helped form the new Democratic Party from a alliance of Jeffersonian Republicans who supported the military hero and president Andrew Jackson. He was one of Jackson's favorite, Van Buren won the White House in 1836 but he caused financial panic and was not reelected. -
Monroe Doctrine
On December 2, 1823, President James Monroe used his annual message of Congress for a forced authority. That the American continents are from now on are not to be considered as subjects of colonization by any European powers. Also statements from George Washington's Farewell Address warned about getting involved with foreign duties. The Secretary of State John Quincy Adams had played the most important role in developing the wording of the declaration, and he influenced Doctrine's overall shape. -
Corrupt Bargain
In the election of 1824, four candidates were running for presidency. This election was close but Andrew Jackson won the popular vote against John Quincy Adams by seven crucial points. But that did not go in favor for Jackson, as none of the candidates received the greater number of votes in the electoral college. The final decision now came down to the House of Representatives. Henry Clay secured the spot for Adams by signing a coalition. Jackson supporters name it "The Corrupt Bargain". -
John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun was a famous U.S. spokesman and statesman for the slave plantation system in the South before the Civil War broke out. He was a young congress man from South Carolina, he helped guide the United States into war with Great Britain and established the Second Bank. Calhoun also served as a U.S. secretary of war and vice president, secretary of state. He was was a candidate for presidency in 1824, not elected he ended becoming vice president twice. Lost both times to Andrew Jackson. -
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Age of Jackson
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Temperance Movement
Temperance Movement was lead by women who witnessed the superiority of the effects of alcohol on their husbands. During this time period alcohol was blames for health issues, crime and society issues. in the 1800's temperance associations were established in New York and Massachusetts. Temperance was a big deal that even people of different religions found it an critical issue. Even Temperance groups were set up around the 1830's to help people get rid of their bad drinking habits. -
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was a American poet, writer, editor and critic, he was best known for strong imagery short stories and poems that captured interest and imagination of readers all around the world. His creativity of storytelling and tales of horror and mystery created the modern detective story. Many of his works have included "The fall of the House of Usher and "The Tell-Tale Heart" are known as literary classics. Poe self published his first book, which is called "Tamerlane and Other Poems." -
Second Party System
In 1828 was a turning point in the American Party System. But the Democratic Party wasn't formed until 1828, nevertheless, the Democratic thinking was circulating into the culture around the 1800. Andrew Jackson was the first Democratic president, his followers referred themselves as Democrats. Henry Clay was the creator of the Whigs; a secondary party, they were acquired from Republican ideals. The Whigs were Jackson's biggest opponents made up of anything that was considered democratic. -
Death of Jackson's Wife
During Andrew Jackson's campaign for presidency. Rachel Jackson fell very ill. As the campaign continued forward Rachel's condition got worse. The medical disease she got was hard to determine, but many believed it was a murmur or a heart attack. Rachel died on December 22, 1828, almost a month after Jackson won the election. Rachel had symptoms of sickness around 1826 but Jackson believed it was caused by the stress from the political backlash he and his wife received during the election. -
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was born in poverty, he later became a a wealthy lawyer from Tennessee. Jackson commanded U.S. forces against Britain. His great leadership in conflict made him a national and military hero. Andrew Jackson lost to Quincy Adams in the 1824 presidential election. He later returned to win the election in 1828 for redemption becoming the 7th president of the U.S.Jackson became the new leader of the new Democratic Party. He also believed in the common sense and hated The National Bank. -
Mormons
Mormons are a religious group that was founded by Joseph Smith. Mormons embraced concepts of Christianity as well as surprising facts made by their founder. They primarily belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, they have more than 15 million members worldwide. Had their own book called the "Book of Mormon' which confirms information found in the Holy Bible. They considered themselves Christian. Many people discriminated them. -
Abolitionist
The Abolitionist movement was a political and social for the rapid emancipation for all slaves and end racial discrimination and segregation. Support for emancipation separated abolitionist from the more average anti slavery supporters, who have argued for gradual emancipation, and from Free Soil activist who looked to restrict slavery to existing areas and prevent it from spreading. Radical abolitionism was fueled by religious intense of the Second Great Awakening, which caused emancipation. -
Slave Rebellions
Slave rebellions were a continuous source of fear in the American South, since black slaves accounted for more than 1/3 of the region's population in the 18th century. Laws dictating where and when slaves could gather together were enforced to prevent violent uprisings and calm paranoia.The first slave revolt in the United States happened in Gloucester, Virginia in 1663. It has been estimated that there were at least 250 slave rebellions in America before slavery was abolished in 1865. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
In August 22, 1831, a slave known as Nat Turner had led more than 50 slaves in a bloody revolt in Southampton, Virginia, which led to the killing of nearly 60 white people, most of the victims were women and children. Local authorities stopped the rebellion by dawn of the next day. They managed to capture and kill most of the rebels, although Turner managed to avoid being captured for 60 days, and then later hanged in November 11, 1831, This rebellion spread panic and fear across the region. -
Sam Houston
Sam Houston was a congressman, lawyer and a senator in Tennessee. Sam moved to Texas in 1832, he ended up joining the growing conflicts between U.S.settlers and the Mexican government and also became the commander of the local army. In April 21, 1836, Houston and his men defeated Mexican General Santa Anna at San Jacinto to secure Texas independence. Sam was voted for president in 1836 and in 1841 as well, he also served as senator after Texas be came part of the United States in 1845. -
Whig Party
In 1834 political opponents of President Andrew Jackson organized a new political party to oppose Jacksonian Democrats nationally and in the United States. The Whigs were guided by their most famous leader, Henry Clay, they called themselves the Whigs. They nicknamed Andrew Jackson as "King Andrew". The Whigs were immediately criticized by the Jacksonian Democrats as a party dedicated to the interests of wealth and high social class. They supported diverse economic groups in all sections. -
Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett was famously known as a frontiers man, folk hero, congressman and a defender of the Alamo, Crockett was one of the most celebrated figures in American history. Crockett enlisted in the Tennessee militia, which he participated in a massacre of Indians at the Tallusahatchee in Northern Alabama. Davy was elected to Congress in 1827 and 1829 as a Democrat. He argued with Andrew Jackson over some issues was defeated in 1831. He decided to leave Tennessee and move to east Texas. -
Iron Plow
In 1837 John Deere invented the Steel Plow. The Steel Plow was used for farming to break up tough soil without soil getting stuck to it. Was invented when the Middle-West was being settled. The soil was different than that of the East and wood plows kept breaking. John Deere invented it in Grand Detour, Illinois where he was settled. It was invented because wood plows couldn't plow the rich soil of the Middle-West without breaking. John Deere convinced that a wood board and made of steel was it. -
Seneca Falls Convention
The first woman's right convention was hosted in the Seneca Falls, with around 200 women attending. Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were abolitionist. Elizabeth modeled the Declaration of Sentiments and Grievances after the Declaration of Independence. The declaration supported on women to petition for the Injustices women suffered in the United States. Elizabeth wrote in her document that all men and women were created equal, and also created the first woman's suffrage movement. -
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was a huge opportunity for the settlers from the east to migrate into the frontier. The Oregon Trail reached from Missouri and finished in Willamette Valley also known as the gold fields of California. The Oregon Trail traveled through the Great Plain and the risky Continental Divide. In total about 400,000 pioneers traveled the trail between the years 1840 and 1860. Diseases and wagon accidents were very common while in the trip. There were different trails used to hunt. -
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Westward Expansion
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Telegraph
Samuel Morse developed the telegraph in the 1840's. The telegraph revolutionized long distance communication. The way it worked was by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations. In 1844, Samuel Morse sent his first telegraph message, from Washington D.C. to Baltimore, Maryland.In 1866, a telegraph line was laid across the Atlantic Ocean from U.S. all the way to Europe. Due to the invention of the telegraph in early 19th century the electric telegraph was developed. -
Battle of San Jacinto
In 1845, Texas had became a part of the Union, by declaring Independence by Mexico. The Battle of San Jacinto took place in 1836 nearby present day Houston, Texas. The victory of San Jacinto they were able to capture many Mexican soldiers including the Mexican leader, Santa Anna, Santa Anna was forced to sign a treaty that recognized Texas as a independent country and he retreated across the Rio Grande River. The general that lead the Texas frontier and claimed independence was Sam Houston. -
Mexican American War
The Mexican American War lasted from 1846 to 1848. This war marked the first U.S.armed battle, it was mainly fought on foreign soil. It marked a politically divided and military unprepared Mexico against a expanded administration of U.S. President James K Polk, who believed that the United States should have "Manifest Destiny", which was to spread across the continent to the Pacific Ocean. A border problem along the Rio Grande lead to fighting which led to U.S. victories and gaining Mexico land. -
Wilmot Proviso
Because of the Mexican American War, the Wilmot Proviso was created as a way to eliminated slavery in the new lands acquired after the war with Mexico.Pennsylvania Congressman, David Wilmot proposed his amendment due to fear of the addition of pro-slave territories. Due to the senate being dominated by southern states, it was blocked. This action gave light to the growing controversy that involved slavery in the United States. Later on the Republican Party was created in 1854. -
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor had a successful military campaign that considered him a war hero in the United States. Zachary Taylor managed to defeat the Mexican army in the Battle of Palo Alto close to present day Brownsville, Texas. Zachary Taylor had been sent by President James Polk to protect the Rio Grande River as the border of Mexico and U.S.. Zachary Taylor invaded into Mexican territory and led a war for almost 10 months, he was able to gain control of some Northern Mexican states. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, was signed in February 2, 1848, it officially ended the Mexican American War in favor of the United States. The war began two years earlier, May 1846, due to a territorial dispute involving Texas. The treaty claimed an additional 525,000 square miles to the United States territory, it included the land that makes up all of present day Nevada, California, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona and Colorado. United States made the Rio Grande the Southern boundary. -
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Sectionalism
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Runaways
Slaves that escaped the South and Headed to the North for freedom. Many runaways had long distances of travel which was done on foot, before they were able to reach safety in a free state or Canada. Many runaway slaves who escaped slavery were captured. They were returned to their owners and were severely punished punished to state a example for what will happen to other slaves that were attempting to escape. Despite the dangers many runaways managed to find their way North into free states. -
Compromise of 1850
The divisions over slavery in territory acquired during the Mexican American War, were able to be resolved in the Compromise of 1850. The Compromise is made up of laws allowing California to be a free state, created New Mexico and Utah territories with the concern of slavery for each to be determined by popular sovereignty, they settled in Texas, New Mexico areas arguing in former people favor, ending slave trade in Washington D.C.. Making it easier for Southerners to recover fugitive slaves. -
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a group of people, that offered aid and shelter to the escaped slaves from the South. It developed as a process of several different secret efforts.It started in the late 18th century until the Civil War, at which point its efforts continued to weaken the Confederacy in a less-secretive fashion. It became know due to when a slave known as Tice Davids escaped to Kentucky into Ohio and his owner believed it was a underground railroad that helped Davids to his freedom. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a bill passed in 1854 that allowed popular sovereignty, which allowed settlers of a territory to decide whether or not slavery would be permitted within a new state's borders. It was pit forward by Stephen A. Douglas who was Abraham Lincoln's opponent in the Lincoln-Douglas debates, the bill overturned the Missouri Compromise's ability of latitude as a boundary between free and slave territories.This influenced violence between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces. -
Crittenden Compromise
In December 1860, the day before the Civil War, Kentucky's Senator John J. Crittenden had introduced legislation that was aimed to resolve the threatening secession crisis within the South. It became known as the Crittenden Compromise, which included six proposed constitutional amendments and four proposed Congressional resolutions that Crittenden had hoped would appeal to Southern states and help the nation avoid the civil war.The Compromise would of let the slave states keep their slaves. -
Clara Barton
Clara Barton is one of the most famously known heroes of the Civil War. Clara began her influential career as an educator, but she found her true career path tending wounded soldiers constantly in bloody Civil War battlefields. When the Civil War ended, worked to identify deceased and missing soldiers. Clara Barton was the one that founded the American Red Cross. Her life has been dedicated to the care of others. Barton gave a huge impact in care giving and disaster relief through out the World. -
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is an island fort, that is located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. It was originally constructed in 1829 as a coastal garrison. Fort Sumter is most famously known for being the site of the first shots of the Civil War from 1861-1865. In December 1860 following South Carolina's succession from the Union, a standoff initiated. President Abraham Lincoln had plans to resupply the fort but it was bombarded and took over by Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard on April 12, 1861 -
Trent Affair
The Trent Affair was a diplomatic crisis that had tooken place between the United States and Great Britain from November all the way to December 1861. During the U.S. Civil War, the crisis had erupted after the captain of the USS San Jacinto commanded the arrest of two of the Confederate envoys sailing to Europe in a British mail ship, in order for the South to get support from the British in the Civil War. But the Britis did not take sides and the British outraged that their ships seizure. -
Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee was a legendary general of the Confederate Army during the Civil War through 1861-1865. Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia, which he would then lead for the rest of the war.He achieved great success during Fredericksburg and the Peninsula Campaign and at Second Bull Run in Manassas, but his greatest victory was the Battle of Chancellorsville. In Spring of 1863 Lee invaded the North but ended defeated in the Battle of Gettysburg. Lee surrendered in April 1865. -
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The Civil War
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Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was a escaped slave who became a well known activist, public speaker and a author. He also became a leader in the abolitionist movement, which he looked to end the practice of slavery, before and after the Civil War. After the Civil War and Emancipation Proclamation of 1862, Frederick Douglass continued to push for equality and human rights until his death in 1859. He wrote Douglass 1845 autobiography, which was narrative of his life as an American slave in Maryland. -
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, is also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing. The Battle of Shiloh had tooken place from April 6 to April 7, 1862, it was one of the major early battles of the American Civil War. The began due to the Confederates launching a surprise attack on the Union forces lead under General Ulysses S. Grant in Southwestern Tennessee.After initial success, the Confederates were unable to hold their positions and were forced to retreat, resulting in a Union Victory. 23,000 dead. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam, which is also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, it took place in September 22, 1862, at Antietam Creek close to Sharpsburg, Maryland. It marked Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against the Union General George McClellan's Army of the Potomac and this was the climax of Lee's attempt to invade the North. The outcome of this battle would be critical to shaping America's future, and also remains the deadliest one in American military history. -
Conscription Act
During the Civil War, the U.S Congress had passed a conscription act that produces the first war draft for the U.S. citizens in American history.The act was able to cal for registration of all males in between the ages of 20 and 45, it also included aliens with intentions of becoming citizens, by April There could be exemptions from the draft for $300 or also could be by finding a substitute draftee. This clause led to very bloody riots In New York, City, protesters were outraged the exemptions. -
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant commanded the victorious Union army in the Civil War during 1861-1865.In the summer of 1861 Abraham Lincoln promoted Grant to a brigadier general. Grant's first major victory came in February of 1862, when his troops had captured Fort Donelson in Tennessee. In July of 1863, Grant's forces had captured Vicksburg, Mississippi, which was a Confederate stronghold. Grant was earning a reputation as a determined and firm leader. Made Robert E. Lee surrender on April 9, 1865. -
Black Codes
Black Codes were restrictive laws that were designed to limit the freedom of African Americans and ensure their availability as a cheap labor force after slavery had been abolished during the Civil War. Though the Union victory had given 4 million slaves their freedom, the faith of black's was still in question after the war. Under the Black Codes many states required blacks to sign yearly labor contracts. If they refused, they risked being arrested, fined and forced to unpaid labor. -
Freedmen's Bureau
The Freedmen's Bureau, was known as the Bureau of Refugees. Freedmen and Abandoned lands, it was in 1865 by the Congress to help millions of poor whites and black slaves in the South during the aftermath of the Civil War. The Freedmen's Bureau provided housing, medical aid and food, established schools and offered legal assistance. It also attempted to settle former slaves on abandoned or confiscated during the Civil War. Bureau was prevented from fully carrying out its programs due to funds. -
Scalawags
Scalawags were known as the enemies of the White Southern Republicans. Scalawags mad up the biggest group of delegates to the Radical Reconstruction era legislatures. Some Scalawags were planters who had thought that whites should recognize black's political and civil rights while still keeping control of economic and political life. Some were former Whigs who saw the Republicans as the successors to their old party. Majority of Scalawags were non slave holding farmers loyal to the Union. -
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Reconstruction
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Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866, they extended into almost every southern state by the 1870, the cult became a vehicle for the white southern resistance to the Republican Party's Reconstruction era policies that were aimed at establishing political and equality for blacks. The cult carried an underground campaign of violence and intimidation directed at black and white republican leaders. They wanted to reestablish white supremacy and the only way was to fullill Democratic victories. -
Sharecropping
Sharecropping is a type of farming in which the families rent small plots of land from a landowner in return for portions of their crops, which had to be given to the landowner at the end of every year. There are different types of sharecropping that have been practiced worldwide for centuries, but in the rural South, it was commonly practiced by former slaves. Due to abolition of slaves and the devastation of the Civil War, conflicts arose during the Reconstruction era between white landowners. -
Compromise of 1877
As a agreement the congressional commission had debated over the presidential outcome in early 1877, the allies of the Republican party candidate Rutherford Hayes met in secret with his everyday southern democrats in order to negotiate the acceptance of Hayes's election. Democrats had agreed to not block Hayes' victory on the condition that the Republicans withdraw all federal troops from the South, therefore making stronger Democratic control over the region.Which became the Compromise of 1877. -
Jim Crow
The Jim Crow laws were a collection of local statues and state that legalized racial segregation. They were named after an insulting song lyric regarding African Americans, these laws which have been existing for about 100 years, from the Civil War era until 1968 were meant to return Southern states to an occurring class structure by dividing black Americans. Black individuals and communities that had attempted to refuse the Jim Crow laws had often met with with violence and death. -
Tenements
By the 19th century more and more people began compacting into America's cities, which included thousands of newly arrived immigrants seeking a better life than the one they have left behind. In New York where the population doubles every decade from 1800-1880 buildings that were once for single family residences were rapidly divided into multiple living spaces to provide sufficient space for this rapid growing population. These became known as Tenements: narrow, low-rise apartment buildings. -
New Mexico
New Mexico was first colonized by Spain, which is the land that is now known as New Mexico. New Mexico became U.S. territory due to the Gadsden Purchase in 1853. New Mexico did not officially become a U.S. state until 1912. New Mexico was used as as a nuclear testing site, where the first atomic bomb was tested, which was tested at the Trinity Bomb site, that was near Alamagordo, on July 16, 1945. In 1947 New Mexico also became a hot topic of speculation about extraterrestrial life
