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Jamestown Colony Established
Jamestown was the first colony to be established by the British. It was set up in Virginia. -
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Salutary Neglect
This time period is from when Britain first established the Jamestown Colony, to when the Peace of Paris was signed in 1763 to end the French Indian war. During this time, Britain did not pay much attention to the colonies, and left them to their own devices. -
Settlement of the Plymouth Colony
This was settled by Seperatists and Puritan pilgrims from England. They struggled through the first winter, but eventually flourished. -
Maryland Act of Toleration
This act was passed to allow toleration for all types of Christians in Maryland. -
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The Navigation Laws
These laws limited the trading capabilities of the colonies, creating a negative feeling towards Britain. -
NC and SC split
The proprietors of each colony had a dispute, which caused the seperation of the Carolina colony into North and South. -
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The French and Indian War
The start is the attack on Fort Necessity, the end is the signing of the Treaty of Paris. This war was over the land west of the Appalaichan Mountains, and it was between the French with Indian allies, and the British colonists. -
The Sugar Act
This act put a tax on sugar and molasses. -
Stamp Act passed
This was an act passed by Parliament that put taxes on all printed goods, even playing cards. -
Townshend Acts
These acts were passed to tax imports on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre happened when a mob of protestors against British soldiers in Boston got so threatening to the soldiers, that they opened fir into the crowd, killing five Americans. -
The Gaspee Affair
Leuitenant William Duddington, an enforcer of British trade law, was baited into shallows by a local heading to Providence. He wrecked, and locals from the area ganged up and captured him and his crew, and burned his boat. Parliament was outraged, but nothing could be done because the judges in America didn't like him either. -
Tea Act passed
The Tea act was designed to make all tea be shipped by the floundering East India Company. This undercut the local merchants though, and was widely unfavored in the colonies. -
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First Continental Congress
Their task was first to make the British understand their greivances, which they vowed to meet the following year if those greivances were not cured. -
The Battle of Lexington Concord
When General Gage of Britain went to seize an arsenal and arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams, he was met by "a countryside in arms." -
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The American Revolution
The start is the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The end is the signing of the Treaty of Paris. This is a conflict between Britain and its American Colonies. The Americans wanted freedom, the British wanted control over the colonies. -
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Second Continental Congress
During this time, the Declaration of Independence was created, and the Articles of Confederation on March 1. The meetings took place in different locations, and over different periods of time, but together they made the Second Continental Congress. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
The British attacked at Bunker Hill, and even though they took it, they had severe losses. -
Olive Branch Petition approved by the Continental Congress
This was a petition that tried to make amends to England for previous acts taken, but it was rejected by the King. -
Thomas Paine writes "Common Sense"
This was a pamphlet that enforced the idea of revolution against Britain. -
The Declaration of Independence
The Continental Congress declared indepence from Britain on this day. The paper form of this declared independence was scribed by Thomas Jefferson, and was called the Declaration of Independence. -
The Battle of Saratoga
This was the battle that showed the French that the Americans had a chance, and ultimately led to their alliance. -
The Ratification of the Articles of Confederation
These were the Articles that were created to be a loose form of government, they limited the taxation and commercial regulation. All of the states ratified this. -
Treaty of Paris signed
This is the document that ended the Revolutionary war. -
The Land Ordinance of 1785
Congress surveyed off vast majorities of eastern territories to raise money for the US. -
The Annapolis Convention meets
This was a meeting of delegates from 5 states who wanted to change the Articles of Confederation. They made a request to have a more broad meeting held, which was the Philidelphia Convention. -
Shay's Rebellion
Daniel Shay, a veteran from the revolution, grew disgruntled about excessive taxes, so he led a rebellion to take an arsenal in Springfield. He was stopped by American militia at the arsenal, and was sentenced to death for treason. -
The Nortwest Ordinance
This Ordinance opened up the land east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio to settlement. -
The Connecticut (Great) Compromise
This was a plan created during the Constitutional Convention that evened out the plans from the large and small states. This created the bicameral legislature with different types of representation. -
The Constitution of the United States is adopted.
The Constitution was the revisement of the Articles of Confederation, and is the supreme law of the US. -
The Orders in Council
These orders issued by Britain required all trade to go through their ports. This created ill feelings within the colonies. -
The Battle of Tippecanoe
In this battle, Governor William Henry Harrison led the Americans into battle against the native american's under Tecumseh. Overall the Americans won, as they burned Prophetstown the next day. This created suspicion that the British were coaxing the natives into uprising. -
Declaration of War (War of 1812)
This is the day that Congress declared war against Britain. The House vote ratio was 79:49, and the Senate ratio was 19:13. -
The British take Fort Michilimackinac
This fort was taken in the war, before the defenders even knew that there was a war. The British victory managed to cause many of the unaffiliated natives in the area to join the cause of the British. -
The British take Fort Dearborn
This is also called the massacre of Fort Dearborn. The Americans were leaving the fort to retreat from the Native Americans, and they were set upon by the Natives, and many men, women and children were killed. -
The Battle of Lake Erie
This was a conflict on Lake Erie, between 9 American ships, and 6 British ships. Oliver Perry led the Americans into a victory. During the battle, his flagship the "Lawrence" was destroyed by the British. He iconically took the flag and transfered it over to the "Niagra". After he did that, the battle started to go in the favor of the Americans. -
The Battle of the Thames
In this battle, 1300 British and Native Americans fought 3760 American militia. The significant Native American leader Tecumseh was slain in the fighting. The Americans achieved victory, and marched on to Moraviantown, a Native settlement that they burnt. -
The Battle of Horseshoe Bend
In this battle, Andrew Jackson led 2000 American Infantry to achieve victory over the 1000 Red Stick warriors, who were part of the Creek Indian tribe. This broke up the Natives' power in the southwest. -
The Battle of Bladensburg
In this battle, 90000 American militia were summoned to fight the large British army. Only 7000 militia actually went, so they retreated, because the British had them vastly outnumbered. This led to the British burning of Washington DC. -
The Battle of Plattsburg
In this conflict, British troops attacked Plattsburgh, a lakeside town, by water and land. Thomas Macdonough fended off the water attack, and Alexander Macomb fought the land battle. -
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The Hartford Convention
New English Federalsists made this convention to attempt to reform the current government. Their attempts failed to work. -
The Battle of New Orleans
This battle was a major victory for the Americans. They fought a larger British force, and roundly beat them. The British attacked with 11000, but they attacked the entrenched Americans directly resulting in a huge loss. Little did either side realize, the Treaty of Ghent had already been signed. -
The Signing of the Treaty of Ghent
This treaty ended the War of 1812. This treaty favored neither side, and gave bac conquered territories to both. -
Rush-Bagot Treaty
This treaty created the unfortified border between the US and Canada. It is the largest of such borders in the world. -
The Boundaries Convention of 1818
This convention created the 49th parallel as the boundary from the Great Lakes to the Rockies. -
The Emancipation Proclomation
Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect this day. Its purpose was to raise the morale in the North by making slavery the cause of the war rather tha unification. Lincoln also wanted to gain anti-slavery foreign countries' support with this proclomation.
