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Oct 12, 1492
Christopher Colombus discovers the Americas
This is the date Colombus landed in the Bahamas. He thought it was part of Asia, India in particular. -
Period: Jun 30, 1520 to Aug 13, 1521
Aztec-Spanish War
Started with the Aztecs attacking the Spainiards in order to protect their city, Tenochtitlan. Cortes laid seige to the city and it finally capitualed over a year later. -
Defeat of the Spanish Armada
England used ships that were more manuverable and quick than the spainish ships, and at one point sent flaming ships ships into the spanish armada to force them into a panic that made them break formation, allowing the English ships to attack. When the Armada was retreating, there was a giant storm that damaged and destroyed even more of their ships, making the English Victory even greater. -
Jamestown Settlement
First permanent English colony settled in the New World, in Virginia. -
Mayflower Compact
This is the date when the first group of pilgrims, on the Mayflower, made their way across the Atlantic to the New World. On this particular day, they signed an document stating that they would have a majority rule, and a basic 'government' when they arrived at their destination. This document was the Mayflower Compact -
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First Winter for Pilgrims
This Winter, the pilgrims were trying to settle in to the new colony, and ended up losing about half of their people in this one winter alone. -
First Thanksgiving
After a hard winter, then a bountiful harvest, the pilgrims had their first thanksgiving with the Indians. -
Birth of Maryland
Maryland was created in order to make money for the English. It was a haven for Catholics. -
Roger Williams exiled to Rhode Island
Roger Williams was found guilty of preaching 'new and dangerous' ideas, and was exiled from New England to Rhode Island. -
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High Smuggling rates
During this period there was a gap in the coverage of the Trade and Navigation Acts due to the English Civil War, that caused the smugglers of the NA colonies to do their job easily. This led to anxiety when the English resumed patroling the sea because the colonists were getting used to freedoms. -
Birth of Pennsylvania
The king of England paid of a mans debt by giving his son, William Penn, land in the New World. William advertised and persuaded people to come to his new land. Ended up having a lot of diversity and religious and political freedom. -
Birth of North Carolina
When the unwanted people of Virginia started moving south into Carolina, the people of Carolina did not want them, and decided to give them part of their land. -
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Seven Years War
This war started with French and English hostility over the Ohio region of land. Afterwards, England was in debt, and decided that since the war was for the colonists, the colonists should pay off the debts through taxes. The colonists did not like this, and the animostiy led to on to the revolution. -
English debt in 1763
Before the Seven years War started, England had a debt of 70 milion pounds. After it, It was 145 million pounds. -
Proclamation Act of 1763
This act stated that the colonists could not migrate beyond the App mountains. This was created to prevent further hostility between the Native Americans and the Colonists. The colonists were not happy at all about it. -
Sugar Act
British merchants were having trouble selling sugar and molasses because the colonists were getting cheaper sugar from different countries. This hurt the British government also because they had a tax on the sugar and molasses. In an effort to rectify this problem, the Sugar Act reduced the tax on British tea, making it cheaper than the other countris', but also had the navy strictly enforce it. Even though the colonists had cheaper sugar, they opposed the tax and enforcement. -
Quartering Act
Act passed by British Parliament that said that Colonists must house and feed British soldiers. -
Stamp Act of 1765
This was an Act placed on the colonists by British Parliament that placed a tax on all paper goods, from legal documents to playing cards. -
Townshend Acts
These were a group of Acts that were implemented following the Seven Years War, when Britain was in great debt. These acts were placed to make the colonists pay for the war, and also to pay for the governors and Judges to take them off the Colonial payroll, and into British control. -
Boston Massacre
When tensions grew untill they snapped between British soldiers and Bostoners, a group of soldiers shot and killed 5 colonists on a gunfight. -
Gaspee Affair
A group of rebels known as the Sons of Liberty, baited a overzealous captian and ship known as the Gaspee that was a British trade enforcer into shallow water where it ran aground. Later a group of the Sons surrounded the Gaspee, boarded and looted it, and then burned it to the waterline. -
Tea Act
The British East India Co had a surplus of tea, so the British Parliament passed this act stating that the only tea colonists could buy was this tea, and it was sold at a very low price. -
Boston Tea Party
As a reaction to the Tea Act, All of the colonies refused the new imported tea. Boston in particular, took it very seriously, and in the middle of the night a group of people dressed as Indians, boarded the ships carrying the tea, and dumped it overboard into the Boston Harbor. -
Shot Heard 'Round the World
This signified the begining of the American Revolution. This was the first shot fired. It was in Lexington Concord. -
Second Continental Congress
This was a convention of delagates form the thirteen colonies soon after the Revolutionary War began.This Convention adopted the Declaration of Independence and managed the war efforts. -
Signing of the Declaration of Independence
This marks the date that we 'declared independence' from Great Britain, and started thinking of ourselves as an actual other country. -
Ratification of the Article of Confederation
This is the United States first attempt at government, which pretty much fails miserably. It is later replaced by the US Constitution. The Article gave Congress almost no power, and the states acted as 13 different countries, rather than a single country. -
Signing of the Treaty of Paris
This is the treaty that concluded the Revolutionary War, and listed the terms for both Britain and the United States. This also marked the birth of an independent country to other countries. -
Shay's Rebellion
A rebellion of farmers led by Daniel Shays that sent a message to the forefathers that they needed a stronger government. -
Ratification of the US Constitution
This marks a great change from the old and ineffective Article of Confederation to a new era, when we actually start acting as a single country. -
Washington as President
This is the day that President Washington was sworn in as new president. -
Constitution went into effect
Even though the Constitution was created and ratified 2 years earlier, it did not go into effect until this time. -
Judiciary Act of 1789
This Act was designed to create a supreme court, and a federal court system. -
Bank of US
Hamilton won the arguement for a National Bank, and the Bank of the US was started with a 20 year charter. -
Whiskey Rebellion
When a couple hundred people that were angry about the whiskey taxes got together, they formed the Whiskey Rebellion. As soon as it started, Washington sent 13,000 soldiers to stop them. This demonstrated to the people that his new Constitution actually made people obey the laws, rather than pick and choos like the Articles did. -
John Adams Becomes President
John Adams won the electoral vote 71 to 68. Jefferson came in as runner-up and thus became Vice-President. -
Jefferson as President
This time arounds, Jefferson won the election 73 to 65 against Adams. -
Judiciary Act of 1801
This created 16 new federal court districts. -
Marbury vs Madison
This was the first major Supreme Court Case. It also started using judicial review. This is the power for the Supreme Court to call laws unconstitutional, and strike them down. -
Start of the War of 1812
This is the month that Congress declared war on Britain, starting the war, -
Treaty of Ghent
This was an armistice, and both sides stopped fighting, but noone actually gained anything. -
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Hartford Convention
Delagates from all over came together to discuss what to do about the war. When they went to Washington to say what they had come up with, Jackson had just won the Battle of New Orleans, and the war had just ended, so they looked foolish. -
Battle of New Orleans
This is the battle where Jackson won a very major battle. The Treaty of Ghent ended the war before this battle, but the americans hadn't seen it yet. -
James Monroe for President
This also marked the beginning of the era of good feelings, -
Rush-Bagot Agreement
This agreement is between the US and Britain, limiting the naval power on the Great Lakes. -
Panic of 1819
This is when the economy starts going bad. This ends up ruining the Bank of the United States, and also marks the end of the Era of Good Feelings.
