American History

columbus

Oct 12, 1492

Though Columbus was not the first European explorer to reach the Americas (having been preceded by the Norse expedition led by Leif Ericson in the 11th century[7]), Columbus's voyages led to the first lasting European contact with the Americas, inaugurating a period of European exploration, conquest, and colonization that lasted for several centuries. They had, therefore, an enormous impact in the historical development of the modern Western world. Columbus himself saw his accomplishments primar

Juan Ponce de León

Sep 21, 1513

Then, retracing his route, he sailed to Miami Bay via Cuba and from there returned to Puerto Rico, arriving Sept. 21, 1513. After partly pacifying Puerto Rico, which had been in revolt, he sailed to Spain, where the king commissioned him (Sept., 1514) to subdue the Carib of Guadeloupe and to conquer and colonize the "isle of Florida." In 1515 he led an unsuccessful expedition against the Carib and returned to Puerto Rico, where he resided until 1521. With two vessels, 200 men, 50 horses and othe

De Soto's Discovery of the Mississippi

May 8, 1541

was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European documented to have crossed the Mississippi River.

Jamestown

May 14, 1607

The settlement was located within the territory of a political entity known as Tsenacommacah, the state of the Powhatan Confederacy, with around 14,000 native inhabitants, and specifically was in part of the subdivision known as the Paspahegh tribe. The natives initially welcomed the colonists with dancing, feasting and tobacco ceremonies,[3] and they provided crucial provisions and support for the survival of the colonists, who were not agriculturally inclined. Relations with the newcomers sour

Peach Tree War

Sep 15, 1655

The Peach Tree War, also known as the Peach War, was a large scale attack by the Susquehannock Nation and allied Native Americans on several New Netherland settlements along the North River, centered on New Amsterdam and Pavonia on September 15, 1655.

Calendar

Sep 2, 1752

1752 Britain and the British colonies switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar (Sept. 2).

French and Indian War

Sep 13, 1759

French and Indian War: Final conflict in the ongoing struggle between the British and French for control of eastern North America. The British win a decisive victory over the French on the Plains of Abraham outside Quebec (Sept. 13, 1759)

Treaty of Paris

Feb 10, 1763

Treaty of Paris (signed Feb. 10, 1763), formally gain control of Canada and all the French possessions east of the Mississippi.

Boston Massacre

Mar 5, 1770

1770 Boston Massacre: British troops fire into a mob, killing five men and leading to intense public protests (March 5).

Boston Tea Party

Dec 16, 1773

1773 Boston Tea Party: Group of colonial patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians board three ships in Boston harbor and dump more than 300 crates of tea overboard as a protest against the British tea tax (Dec. 16).

First Continental Congress

Sep 5, 1774

1774 First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia, with 56 delegates representing every colony except Georgia. Delegates include Patrick Henry, George Washington, and Samuel Adams (Sept. 5)

American Revolution:

Apr 19, 1775

American Revolution: War of independence fought between Great Britain and the 13 British colonies on the eastern seaboard of North America. Battles of Lexington and Concord, Mass., between the British Army and colonial minutemen, mark the beginning of the war (April 19, 1775)

Declaration Independence

Jul 4, 1776

1776 Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia (July 4).

flag

Jun 4, 1777

Continental Congress approves the first official flag of the United States (June 14).

Shays's rebellion

Aug 1, 1786

1786 Shays's Rebellion erupts (Aug.); farmers from New Hampshire to South Carolina take up arms to protest high state taxes and stiff penalties for failure to pay.

George Washington

Feb 4, 1789

George Washington is unanimously elected president of the United States in a vote by state electors (Feb. 4). Read more: 1600–1799 | Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0902417.html#ixzz2ePfTjlZa

U.S. Supreme Court

Feb 2, 1790

1790 U.S. Supreme Court meets for the first time at the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City (Feb. 2)

Ten Amendments

Dec 15, 1791

1791 First ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, are ratified (Dec. 15).

Washington's second inauguration

Mar 4, 1793

793 Washington's second inauguration is held in Philadelphia (March 4).

John Adams

Mar 4, 1797

1797 John Adams is inaugurated as the second president in Philadelphia (March 4).

Thomas Jefferson

Mar 4, 1801

1801 Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third president in Washington, DC (March 4).

Lewis and Clark

May 14, 1804

1804 Lewis and Clark set out from St. Louis, Mo., on expedition to explore the West and find a route to the Pacific Ocean. (May 14).

James Madison

Mar 4, 1809

1809 James Madison is inaugurated as the fourth president (March 4).

War of 1812

Jun 18, 1812

War of 1812: U.S. declares war on Britain over British interference with American maritime shipping and westward expansion (June 18, 1812)

James Monroe

Mar 4, 1817

1817 James Monroe is inaugurated as the fifth president (March 4).

Florida

Feb 22, 1819

1819 Spain agrees to cede Florida to the United States (Feb. 22)

Missouri Compromise:

Mar 3, 1820

1820 Missouri Compromise: In an effort to maintain the balance between free and slave states, Maine (formerly part of Massachusetts) is admitted as a free state so that Missouri can be admitted as a slave state; except for Missouri, slavery is prohibited in the Louisiana Purchase lands north of latitude 36°30' (March 3)

James Monroe

Mar 5, 1821

1821 Monroe's second inauguration (March 5).

Andrew Jackson

Mar 4, 1829

1829 Andrew Jackson is inaugurated as seventh president (March 4).

Indian Removal Act

May 28, 1830

1830 President Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, which authorizes the forced removal of Native Americans living in the eastern part of the country to lands west of the Mississippi River (May 28).

Andrew Jackson

Mar 4, 1833

1833 Jackson's second inauguration (March 4).

Alamo

Mar 1, 1836

1836 Texas declares its independence from Mexico (March 1).

William Henry Harrison

Mar 4, 1841

1841 William Henry Harrison is inaugurated as the ninth president (March 4).

Oregon Treaty

Jun 15, 1846

1846 Oregon Treaty fixes U.S.-Canadian border at 49th parallel; U.S. acquires Oregon territory (June 15).

Gold

Jan 24, 1848

1848 Gold is discovered at Sutter's Mill in California (Jan. 24

President Taylor

Jul 9, 1850

1850 President Taylor dies (July 9) and is succeeded by his vice president, Millard Fillmore.

James Buchanan

Mar 4, 1857

1857 James Buchanan is inaugurated as the 15th president (March 4).

Abolitionist John Brown

Oct 16, 1859

1859 Abolitionist John Brown and 21 followers capture federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Va. (now W. Va.), in an attempt to spark a slave revolt (Oct. 16).

Abraham Lincoln

Nov 6, 1860

1860 Abraham Lincoln is elected president (Nov. 6

Civil war

Apr 12, 1861

Civil War: Conflict between the North (the Union) and the South (the Confederacy) over the expansion of slavery into western states. Confederates attack Ft. Sumter in Charleston, S.C., marking the start of the war (April 12, 1861).

Lincoln is assassinated

Apr 14, 1865

1865 Lincoln is assassinated (April 14) by John Wilkes Booth in Washington, DC, and is succeeded by his vice president, Andrew Johnson

Fifteenth Amendment

Feb 3, 1870

1870 Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, giving blacks the right to vote (Feb. 3).

Ulysses S. Grant

Mar 4, 1873

1873 Grant's second inauguration (March 4).

Sioux Indians

Jun 25, 1876

1876 Lt. Col. George A. Custer's regiment is wiped out by Sioux Indians under Sitting Bull at the Little Big Horn River, Mont. (June 25).

Rutherford B. Hayes

Mar 5, 1877

1877 Rutherford B. Hayes is inaugurated as the 19th president (March 5)

James A. Garfield

Mar 4, 1881

1881 James A. Garfield is inaugurated as the 20th president (March 4)

Chester Alan Arthur

Sep 19, 1881

Garfield's vice president, Chester Alan Arthur, succeeds him in office.

Grover Cleveland

Mar 4, 1885

1885 Grover Cleveland is inaugurated as the 22nd president (March 4).

Statue of Liberty

Oct 28, 1886

1886 Statue of Liberty is dedicated (Oct. 28).

Benjamin Harrison

Mar 4, 1889

889 Benjamin Harrison is inaugurated as the 23rd president (March 4).

Ellis Island

Jan 1, 1892

1892 Ellis Island becomes chief immigration station of the U.S. (Jan. 1)

William McKinley

Mar 4, 1897

1897 William McKinley is inaugurated as the 25th president (March 4).

Spanish-American War

Feb 15, 1898

1898 Spanish-American War: USS Maine is blown up in Havana harbor (Feb. 15),

U.S. annexes

Jul 7, 1898

1898 U.S. annexes Hawaii by an act of Congress (July 7)

Treaty of Paris

Dec 10, 1898

Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Spanish-American War (Dec. 10)

Mckinley

Mar 4, 1901

1901 McKinley's second inauguration (March 4)

Wright brothers

Dec 17, 1903

Wright brothers make the first controlled, sustained flight in heavier-than-air aircraft at Kitty Hawk, N.C. (Dec. 17).

Theodore Roosevelt

Mar 4, 1905

1905 Theodore Roosevelt's second inauguration (March 4).

San Francisco earthquake

Apr 18, 1906

1906 San Francisco earthquake leaves 500 dead or missing and destroys about 4 sq mi of the city (April 18)

William Howard Taft

Mar 4, 1909

1909 William Howard Taft is inaugurated as the 27th president (March 4).

Woodrow Wilson

Mar 4, 1913

1913 Woodrow Wilson is inaugurated as the 28th president (March 4)

Panama Canal

Aug 15, 1914

1914 Panama Canal opens to traffic (Aug. 15).

telephone

Jan 25, 1915

1915 First long distance telephone service, between New York and San Francisco, is demonstrated (Jan. 25).

Wilson's

Mar 4, 1917

1917 Wilson's second inauguration (March 5).

Eighteenth Amendment

Jan 16, 1919

. Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and transportation of liquor (Jan. 16).