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Jamestown Settlement
Chartered by King James I in 1606, the ships that were soon to be know as the Virginia Company departed that year in December. By late April of 1607, the ships reached the Virginian coast. And, on May 13th the ships arrived at what was to be the Jamestown Settlement. Captain John Smith was, in 1608, one of the presidents of the small settlement. His reign was so substantial that when he was forced to return to England- due to a gunpowder wound- the community suffered greatly. -
Mayflower Compact
Pilgrim leader William Bradford, whilst onboard the Mayflower discovered that many of those aboard the ship felt no obligation to respect the rules of Pilgrims. He therefore, with aid of other male heads of Pilgrims and non-Pilgrims, took liberty to write up a compact which every male had to sign prior to arriving on shore. This compact enabled "just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices." -
Louisiana Purchase
Although the treaty was dated April 30th, it wasn't until May 2nd that it was signed. The pact was between the U.S. and France, which allowed the trade of $11,250,00 in order for the U.S. to acquire the Louisiana territory. -
Trail of tears
*Note: The date is not exact.
The Trail of Tears began in 1830 due to the Indian Removal Act. This act called for the forced removal of American Indians. The path the Indians were forced to follow was a dangerous and baleful one on which many died. -
Start of the California Gold Rush
The Gold Rush commenced when James Marshall, a carpenter who was building a sawmill for one John Sutter, discovered a few gold pieces from the American River. This aroused interest in anyone to whom mining was relevant. Everyone wanted to "strike it rich" by discovering their own share of gold. -
End of the California Gold Rush
Although the Gold Rush hasn't actually ended- due to the fact that to this day, people still search for gold in California. -
Assassination of Lincoln
President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at a play at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. -
Prohibition
Due to a wave of religious revivalism which began, among other things, a perfectionist movement. It began in the 1820s and lasted through '30s. In 1838, the first instance of Prohibition was visible in Massachusetts by means of a temperance law. Two years later, though, the law was repealed but it set precedent for similar laws. After WWI, president Woodrow Wilson enacted a temporary law to save grain for the sole purpose of food production. -
The Cold War
Somewhere between February 4th and 11th at the Yalta Conference, the Cold War began. This "war" was between Russia and the U.S. Although, it wasn't necessarily a war, because no weapons were fired, and no fighting commenced. -
McCarthyism
McCarthy began his infamous reign on February 9th by stating at the opening of his campaign that he had a list of over 200 names of Communists in the State Department. This, of course, was a completely fictious statement. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
As the Cold War began to exact its end across Eastern Europe, the spokesman for Eastern Germany announced an alteration in relations with the West. At midnight that day, the Berlin Wall would be torn down so that there was no longer a barrier between the East and West. Germans were now at liberty to cross the boarder. -
End of the Cold War
*Note: Date is not absolute.
When the Soviet Union ended, so did the Cold War.
