-
Oct 12, 1492
1492: Columbus lands in the Caribbean
On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus went down to the Bahamas, then he went to Guanahani which is now San Salvador. -
Aug 13, 1521
1521: Cortes conquers the Aztec
Cortes wins the war against The Aztec Empire. The war started on February 1519 to August 1521. -
1607: The English found Jamestown Virginia
104 English men and boys arrived in North America and they started a settlement on May 13 in Jamestown Virginia named after their King James I. This was the first permanent English settlement in North America. -
1619: First Africans arrive in Virginia via Dutch traders.
The first African Slaves to Virginia happened on August 20, 1619, kidnapped by the Portuguese. -
1630: Massachusetts Bay Colony is established
In 1629 King Charles 1 of England granted Massachusetts Bay Company a charter to trade and the settlement began in 1630. -
1660: British Navigation Acts regulate American colonial trade
The Navigation Acts (1651, 1660) were acts of Parliament intended to promote the self-sufficiency of the British Empire by restricting colonial trade to England and decreasing dependence on foreign imported goods. -
1681: William Penn receives charter for Pennsylvania
William Penn founded Pennsylvania in 1681, King Charles II granted him a charter for over 45,000 square miles of land. -
1735: Libel trial of John Peter Zenger helps establish free press
This case of John Peter helped establish the first important victory for freedom of the press in the English Colonies of North America. -
1754: French and Indian War begins
The French and Indian War began in 1754 and ended in 1763, it was a 7-year war witH Great Britain and France. -
1763: Proclamation of 1763 bans colonists from settling west of the Proclamation Line
After Britain won the Seven Years' War and gained land in North America, it issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which prohibited American colonists from settling west of Appalachia. -
1764: Sugar Act imposes new taxes on trade; James Otis argued that taxation without representation violates colonist’s liberties
1764: Sugar Act imposes new taxes on trade; James Otis argued that taxation without representation violates colonist’s liberties -
1765: Stamp Act Congress issued Declaration of Rights and Grievances
The Stamp Act Congress passed a "Declaration of Rights and Grievances," which claimed that American colonists were equal to all other British citizens, protested taxation without representation, and stated that, without colonial representation in Parliament, Parliament could not tax colonists. -
1765: Parliament passed the Stamp Act, triggering protest throughout the colonies
The Stamp Act was designed to force colonists to use special stamped paper in the printing of newspapers, pamphlets, almanacs, and playing cards. -
1765: The Stamp Act Imposes taxes on printed materials’ Sons of Liberty
Specifically, the act required that starting in the fall of 1765, legal documents and printed materials must bear a tax stamp provided by commissioned distributors who would collect the tax in exchange for the stamp. -
1768: Colonial merchants begin nonimportation campaign, refuse to import British goods; Daughters of Liberty help by spinning cloth
The campaign was to refuse to import British goods and the daughters helped by spinning cloth. -
1770: British troops fire on colonists in Boston Massacre
On March 5, 1770, a crowd confronted eight British soldiers in the streets of the city. As the mob insulted and threatened them, the soldiers fired their muskets, killing five colonists. -
1770: British troops shoot colonists at Boston Massacre; most Townshend Acts are repealed
On April 12, 1770, the British government moves to mollify outraged colonists by repealing most of the clauses of the hated Townshend Act. -
1773: At Boston Tea Party’ colonists toss British tea in Boston Harbor
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that occurred on December 16, 1773, at Griffin's Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbor. -
1774: Britain imposes Coercive Acts; First Continental Congress meets, passes the Suffolk resolves, and issues Declaration of Rights and Grievances
The Declaration outlined colonial objections to the Intolerable Acts, listed a colonial bill of rights, and provided a detailed list of grievances. It was similar to the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, passed by the Stamp Act Congress a decade earlier. -
1775: First shots of the War are fired at Lexington and Concord
The first shots were fired just after dawn in Lexington, Massachusetts and colonial militia, a band of 500 men, were outnumbered and initially forced to retreat. -
1775: British battle colonial militia at Lexington and Concord: Second Continental Congress meets, Selecting George Washington to Head the Continental Army
In 1775, the Second Continental Congress convened after the American Revolutionary War (1775-83) had already begun. -
January 1776: Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense, arguing for independence
On January 9, 1776, writer Thomas Paine publishes his pamphlet “Common Sense,” setting forth his arguments in favor of American independence. -
1776: Declaration of Independence is signed
August 2, 1776, is one of the most important but least celebrated days in American history when 56 members of the Second Continental Congress started signing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. -
1781: The Articles of Confederation are ratified by the states
On March 1, 1781, the Articles of Confederation are finally ratified. The Articles were signed by Congress and sent to the individual states for ratification on November 15, 1777, after 16 months of debate. -
1781: Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, making the end of the Revolutionary War
On October 19, 1781, British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered his army of some 8,000 men to General George Washington at Yorktown, giving up any chance of winning the Revolutionary War. -
1783: Treaty of Paris ends Revolutionary War
The Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War between Great Britain and the United States, recognized American independence, and established borders for the new nation. -
1783: Treaty of Paris is signed, officially recognized the independence of the United States
The Treaty of Paris was signed by U.S. and British Representatives on September 3, 1783, ending the War of the American Revolution. Based on a a1782 preliminary treaty, the agreement recognized U.S. independence and granted the U.S. significant western territory. The 1783 Treaty was one of a series of treaties signed at Paris in 1783 that also established peace between Great Britain and the allied nations of France, Spain, and the Netherlands. -
1784: America ships being trading with China at the port of Canton
Since America couldn't trade with Britain they then started trading with China. -
1786: Shay’s Rebellion begins in Western Massachusetts
Farmers in western Massachusetts began to take direct action against debtors' courts. -
1787: Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia drafts the Constitution of the United States
The Constitutional Convention took place from May 14 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The point of the event was to decide how America was going to be governed. -
1788: Constitution is ratified by 11 of the 13 states and goes into effect
The constitution became now the official framework for governments and for the people in America. -
1789: George Washington is elected president of the United States (1789-1797)
January 7, 1789, was the first election and Washington won with ease.