American History

By zoeyK
  • Period: to

    1600s

  • 1607 - Jamestown Founded

    James town was America's first permanent English settlement.
  • Important firsts

    This year marked the first legislative assembly, the arrival of the first enslaved Africans, and the arrival of the first families in Jamestown.
  • Plymouth Colony

    The Pilgrims settled at Plymouth, creating a colony based on religious beliefs.
  • Puritan Migration

    Puritans came to Massachusetts in the first large wave of immigrants, bringing strong religious values and new ideas about community.
  • Anne Hutchinson Banished

    Anne Hutchinson was banished for her religious beliefs and later helped found Rhode Island, which supported religious freedom.
  • King William’s War

    This war began long-lasting conflicts between Native Americans, colonists, the British, and the French.
  • Salem Witch Trials

    The trials show how fear and mass hysteria can cause people to make dangerous and unfair decisions.
  • Period: to

    1700s

  • French and Indian war

    The war between Britain and France left Britain in serious debt which led to new taxes on the American colonies.
  • Stamp act

    Colonists were taxed without having any power in the government which increased anger toward British rule.
  • The Boston massacre

    Violence between British soldiers and colonists showed how unsettled and dangerous the problem had become.
  • Boston tea party

    Colonists objected to unfair taxes by destroying British tea which openly challenged British authority.
  • Lexington and Concord

    Known as “the shot heard round the world,” these battles marked the start of the Revolutionary War.
  • Declaration of independence signed

    The 13 colonies officially declared independence from Great Britain.
  • U.S. constitution

    A new system of government was created based on laws and shared power in the United States.
  • Period: to

    1800s

  • The Louisiana Purchase

    President Thomas Jefferson authorized the purchase of the Louisiana territory from France and almost doubled the size of the United States.
  • The War of 1812

    The war between Britain and America lasted for two and half years.
  • The Underground Railroad

    A network of secret routes help slaves escape for freedom in the North.
  • Samuel Morse sends his first telegraph message

    This changes the face of communication and allows information to spread more quickly than ever before.
  • Abraham Lincoln was elected President

    Not long after his election the Confederate States secede from the Union which started the Civil War.
  • South Carolina Secedes

    The first state to secede or leave the United States. Instead of being a part of the USA they decided to have their own country. Several other states left the Union within a few months after South Carolina.
  • The Confederation is formed

    The states formed a country called the Confederate States of America and their president was Jefferson Davis.
  • The Civil War Begins

    When the Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter, conflict began.
  • Emancipation Proclamation

    On January 1st, 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued an executive order which set the slaves free.
  • Battle of Gettysburg

    The largest Civil War Battles and turning point of the war led to a Union victory.
  • The Civil War Ends

    At The Appomattox Court House in Virginia, Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen.Ulysses S. Grant.
  • President Lincoln is assassinated

    5 days after Robert E. Lee surrendered from the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
  • Period: to

    1900s

  • The Model T is built by Henry Ford

    To revolutionize the America industry and make cars affordable, the Ford Model T used mass production through the assembly line.
  • The Stock Market Crashed

    The Stock Market Crash of 1929 caused the Great Depression and also caused worldwide economic collapse, unemployment, and huge changes in government economic policy.
  • Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

    The Attack on Pearl Harbor led the United States to enter World War II, shifting the course of the war and global history after the strike on Pearl Harbor.
  • The United States drops two atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan

    The Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended World War II and introduced nuclear weapons, permanently changing global warfare and international politics.
  • Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama

    Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat became a key catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement and the Montgomery Bus Boycott which helped challenge segregation laws in the United States.
  • Man on the Moon!

    Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon and marked the first human step on another world.
  • The Berlin Wall is torn down

    The Fall of the Berlin Wall symbolizes the end of the Cold War and the reunification of East and West Germany which made a big shift toward the collapse of communist control in Eastern Europe.
  • Period: to

    2000 - Present

  • Bin Laden Hunt

    The bin Laden hunt led to the U.S. invading Afghanistan and expanding the War on Terror.
  • 9/11

    On September 11, 2001, the Twin Towers of New York got hit. This led to major changes in the U.S. security and sparked the War on Terror.
  • Hurricane Katrina

    Hurricane Katrina matters because It exposed major weaknesses in disaster preparedness and led to reforms in emergency response and infrastructure planning.
  • Social Media

    Social media changed the way people communicate, connect throughout the world, and share info. Although, at the same time it was raising concerns about misinformation and risk of privacy.
  • Great Recession

    The Great Recession caused widespread job losses, housing market collapse, and global economic hardship, leading to major financial reforms.
  • The death of Bin Laden

    The death of Bin Laden marked a major milestone in the War on Terror and symbolized justice for the 9/11 attacks.
  • Smartphones

    The majority adoption of smartphones shows how quickly technology became central to daily life, changing communication, learning, and access to information.
  • COVID-19

    The pandemic of Coronavirus caused a global health crisis that disrupted daily life, economies, and education, and reshaped public health and work habits worldwide.

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