-
Oct 12, 1492
Columbus discovers the New World
Columbus was trying to sail to India. Instead he bumped into an island in the Caribbean Sea and discovered the New World. He and his soldiers made the Arawaks that he met there into slaves, stole their gold, took over their land, and killed most of them. -
Period: to
Creation of the 13 Colonies
The 13 colonies were founded by England. These colonies included plantations in the South and shipping in New England. People came from England to make money in the new colonies, for religious freedom, to own their land, and many more reasons. The colonies were owned by England and had to follow English laws, but they had some freedom with the way that they lived -
Period: to
French and Indian War
1754-1763England and France fought a war in North America called the French and Indian war. The English won the war but it was very expensive. The English needed more money so they decided to ask the 13 colonies to pay taxes since they defended the colonists from the French in the war. -
Stamp Act
The English created the Stamp Act in 1765. This meant that for every piece of paper that the colonists used, it had to have a stamp on it, and the colonists had to pay a tax to the English. Back then, there were not computers so everything was put on paper. This meant that the colonists had to pay lots of tax to the English. The colonists did not like this and they protested saying that it was not fair. -
Townshend Acts
The English got rid of the Stamp Act and created the Townsend Act. This put a tax on many things such as glass, lead, paint, and tea. The colonists became angry again and protested. They said “no taxation with representation”. This means that the colonists were not given any choice about the taxes and were just being told that they had to pay so it was not fair. -
Boston Massacre
The colonists continued to protest and things became tense. The English sent soldiers to the 13 colonies to make sure that they listened to the laws. Some colonists got into a fight with some soldiers in Boston and five colonists were killed. This was called the Boston Massacre. The colonists were so angry that protests began all over the 13 colonies. -
Period: to
Revolutionary War
England did not want the colonies to stop being an English colony so they went to the war. The war was 8 years long and lasted from 1775 to 1783 . This war was called the Revolutionary War. At first, the English were winning the war, but over time the general George Washington led the colonial army to victory. The colonists beat the English. The 13 colonists were free to be their own country. -
Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson was given the task to write the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence is a piece of paper that states that all humans have the right to life, liberty (freedom), and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration of Independence said that England did not allow the colonists to have the rights that they should have, so the colonists should leave England and become their own country. -
Creation of the United States Consititution
The Constitution is adopted. The Constitution are the blueprints for the United States government. The Constitution explains the three branches of the U.S. government, who is in each branch, and what responsibilities each branch has. Additionally the Constitution explains which rights that the citizens of the United States has that can not be taken away by the government. -
Louisiana Purchase
In 1803, America bought a large piece of land from the French. This land was called the Louisiana purchase. By purchasing the land, America doubled in size. America was able to create many more states but they had to take the land from the Native Americans in order to make new states. -
Period: to
War of 1812
1812England,, was still upset at America. England began to kidnap American sailors and force them to work on English ships. After a while, England and America begin to argue and go to war. This is called the war of 1812. The war lasts 3 years. At the end of the war, neither side had won or lost. During the war Francis Scott Key wrote the famous soung The Star Spangled Banner. However, America became more respected as a country because it was able to last two wars with the powerful country -
Compromise of 1850
The compromise of 1850 attempted to resole the growing conflict between northern and southern states. Under the Fugitive Slave Act, the compromise allowed for runaway slaves to be captured in abolitionist states in the north and brought back to the south. Also, new states were allowed to choose whether they wished to become a free or slave state. This led to bloody conflicts as people fought in the new territories over whether to make it a free or slave states. The northern and southern stat
