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Oct 12, 1492
Columbus lands in Caribbean
Columbus thought he had landed in the West Indies. He was sailing under the Spanish Crown. -
Jun 30, 1520
Noche Triste
Translated to sad night, this was the night when the Aztecs attacked the Spanish and drove them from Tenochtitlan. -
Aug 13, 1521
The Fall of Tenochtitlan
Cotes laid seige to this Aztec city, and it fell. -
Jamestown
The colonists landed at and settled Jamestown. It was the first successful colony. -
Virginia House of Burgesses
It was the first representative house of government formed in the New World. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was created when a group of 102 people (half being Separatists) came to the New World and formed the Plymouth colony. It was an agreement, signed by 41 men, to submit to majority rule. -
Pennsylvania Founded
William Penn established the colony of Pennsylvania. It was known for its religious and political freedom and its lack of slavery, -
Proclamation Act of 1763
This forbade colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. -
Sugar or Revenue Act of 1764
Intended to help Britain pay off debts from the French and Indian War and to help pay for the colnies, this act taxed sugar and molasses. -
Currency Act of 1764
This act said that colonial assemblies could not print their own money and that taxes has to be paid in species. -
Stamp Act
This called for all types of documents to have a stamp, thereby taxing these documents. -
Quartering Act of 1765
This act said that colonists could be forced to house British soldiers and that the colonial assemblies would pay for it. -
Townshend Acts
This act taxed tea, lead, paper, glass, and paint. It was meant so that British governors could be on Britain's payroll. -
Townshend Acts Repealed
The Townshend Acts were repealed with the exception of the tea tax. They were repealed as a result of the protests including nonimportation agreements. -
Boston Massacre
Provoked by the colonists, British soldiers shot and killed a few colonists. -
Gaspee Affair
The Gaspee, a British trade ship, ran aground near Rhode Island. The colonists attacked and burned the ship as they thought the British were going overboard on trying to enforce the Trade and Navigation Acts. the trial was held in England, but they could not find any witnesses. -
Tea Act of 1773
British East India Company was given a monopoly over tea, lowering the price of tea. It put a three pence tax on tea. This was meant to save the company from going bankrupt, but it put many colonists out of business. -
Boston Tea Party
Angry colonists, dressed as Mohawks, dumped 10,000 pounds of tea into the ocean as a means of protesting the Tea Act. -
Boston Port Act
Part of the Intolerable or Coercive Acts, this act closed the Boston port until the tea, destroyed in the Boston Tea Party, was paid for. -
Massachusetts Government Act
As a part of the Intolerable or Coercive Acts, this act shut down Massachusetts elected assembly and set up an appointed assembly. It also banned town meetings and the Committees of Correspondence. -
Administration of Government Act / Murder Act
Part of the Intolerable or Coercive Acts, this stated that England could move trials to Nova Scotia. -
Quebec Act
This act extended jurisdiction of Quebec into the Ohio River Valley. -
First Continental Congress
Called by the Committees of Correspondence, the Continental Congress issued a Declaration of Rights and created the Association. -
Battle of Lexington
It was the first battle of the Revolution, followed by the battle at Concord. -
Second Continental Congress
It met in Philadelphia and drafted the Declaration of Independence. -
Virginian Proposal
Richard Henry Lee brought a proposal from Virginia that said that the colonies should be free and independent states. The Continental Congress had wanted the proposal to come from outside New England. -
Declaration of Independence
It was signed on this date! -
Articles of Confederation Adopted
The Articles were adopted by Congress on this date, but they did not go into effect until the 13 states had ratified them. -
Articles of the Confederation Go Into Effect
The Articles of Confederation went into effect when the last of the 13 colonies had ratified it. -
Treaty of Paris of 1783
It ended the American Revolution, recognized America as an independent nation, extended America's borders, and promissed to have British soldiers leave American posts. -
Jay's Treaty
With the U.S. represented by John Jay, this treaty said that the U.S. would pay their debts owed from the Revolutionary War, and Britain would remove her soldiers form the Northwest forts in America. -
John Adams' Inauguration
John Adams was inauguarated. He won the election with 71 electoral votes. -
Convention of 1800
This settled the Undeclared war between the U.S. and France. It voided the alliance with France and created a commercial treaty with them. -
Louisiana Given to Spain
France gives Louisiana to Spain in a secret treaty. This leads the U.S. to send envoys to France. -
Erskine Agreement
This agreement between Britain and the U.S. said that both nations would repeal their trade restrictions in place against the other nation. -
Macon's Bill #2
This act replaced the nonimportation agreement. It said that based on whoever dropped their trade restrictions first, Britain or France, the U.S. would drop their trade restrictions against that country yet keep them against the countrey that did not. -
Nonimportation Act Enforcred
When France agreed to drop the Continental Orders yet Britain still refused to drop the Orders of Council, we place an embargo soley on Britain. -
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was declared on this date. It was between England and the U.S. -
Battle of Lake Erie
This is considered the most significant naval battle of the War of 1812. Led by Olive Hazard Perry, we lost 80 % of our men in this battle, yet we still emerged victorious. -
Battle of Bladensburg
This battle occurred during the war of 1812. American forces retreated, making it a British victory. -
Star Spangled Banner
Written by Francis Scott Key, what later became our national anthem was published on this day. -
Treaty of Ghent
This treaty ended the War of 1812. It was pretty much just an agreement to stop fighting. Land did not change hands. -
Battle of New Orleans
This battle was a victory for the U.S., and Jackson emerged a hero. It took place after the Treaty of Ghent had been signed. -
Adams Onis Treaty
Also known as the Florida Purchase Treaty and the Transcontinental Treaty, this treaty said that Spain would give Florida and their calim in Oregon to the U.S., the U.S. would take on 5 million dollars of Spain's debt, set the 42nd parallel as northern border of Spanish claim, and it set the border between Texas and Louisiana. -
Monroe Doctrine
Given in James Monroe's inaugual address to Congress, this document said that there should be no European colonization in the west, any attempt at colonization is a threat to the U.S., and that the U.S. will not interfere with existing colonies or European affairs.
