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English Colony at Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown, Virginia was the first permanent English settlement established in the New World. It was founded by the London Comapny in 1607 for the purpose of making profits. -
First Africans brought to the Americas
From the Triangular Slave Trade, slaves captured In Africa would be stuffed into large cargo ships and taken to the New World. Unfortunately, these people were treated as cargo and faced horrible living conditions, many not even surviving the lengthy journey. -
Pilgrims land at Plymouth
In September 1620, hundreds of travelers boarded the Mayflower on a journey that would take them more than two months. Amongst these pioneers existed immigrants, adventurers, speculators, and those seeking religious freedom. -
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Salem Witch Trials
Starting in early 1692, hysteria about witches began to run rampant through the town of Salem. Over the next months, until the end of the year, over 150 men, women, and children became accused and convicted of practicing witchcraft and dealing with the devil. -
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French-Indian War
Also known as the Seven Years' War, the French and Indian War lived to be a war between Great Britain and the French, who gained aid by the local Indians, in the New World. They fought over disputed claims of land in the New World and this war did not end until the peace conference in 1763, where British became the victor of the war. Britian gained Canada from France and Spain from Florida. -
Boston Massacre
When a "patriot" mob began to harass British soldiers by throwing objects at them, reinforcements were called in to quell the growing mob. After their continued attacking, the British soldiers fired into the crowd killing three on spot and wouding 8 more. -
Boston Tea Party
As an act of defiance against the new laws of taxation against hte colonists, a group called the Sons of Liberty stormed the Boston harbor and threw 342 chest of tea from three seperate boats into the harbor. -
Declaration of Independence
After facing unfair taxation and oppresion by the British empire, the colonists formally decide to declare independence from Great Britian and form the United States of America. The document sent to the King of England, written by Thomas Jefferson, listed the grievances committed by the crown and the colonists' reasons for seperation. -
Revolutionary War Ends ( Treaty of Paris)
Revolutionary WarThrough the Treaty of Paris of 1783, the United States became formally recognized as a free nation and victor of the Revolutionary War. A five-man group of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Laurens were appointed to negotiate a treaty between America and the English crown. -
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Shay's Rebellion
From 1786 to 1787, American farmers protested tax collections and judegments of debt. These farmers became indebted after leaving their lands to fight in the Revolutionary War and desired an extension to the due date of their debts. They took up arms and the protest became violent, however, Gen. Benjamin Lincoln stopped the rebels and restored order. -
Constitution Ratified
The Constitution of AmericaDue to the failure of the Articles of Confederation, a new layout of government needed to be decided upon and implemented. Our founding fathers created the Constitution of America, which lives to be the framework of our government today. Once New Hampshire ratified the Constitution on 21 June 1788, the Constitution recieved enough ratifications to be implemented. -
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Whiskey Rebellion
America faced huge debt from the Revolutionary War and decided on enforcing taxes in oreder to lessen the financial burden. Citizens in the West immediately showed thier displeasure with the, they believed to be, unfair tax by not paying it. As time progressed, the farmers grew violent and forced George Washington to form a militia force of 12,950 men to quell the rebels. They reached their desired effect and arrested 150 men who were soon after tried for treason. -
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Lewis and Clark Expedition
After the Louisiana Purchase Thomas Jefferson made with France in 1803, Lewis and Clark were commissioned by the president himself to set out and explore the land that America had just acquired. After traveling for a little over two years, the men returned to civilized America where they joyfully reported all of their wondrous findings. -
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War of 1812
As some call it, the "Second War of Independence," America declared war on Great Britain in 1812, later known as the War of 1812. James Madison encouraged Congress to decare war due to the British activites against the American people and their endeavors to expand. Figting officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent on 16 Feburary 1815. -
Missouri Compromise
In the 1800s, Slavery was a heavily debated topic in America. When Missouri petitioned for admission to the Union in 1819 as a slave state, they threatened the balance of slave states and free states. To counter this, Congress brought in Maine as a free state and drew an imaginary line across the Louisiana Territory, establishing a boundry between slave and free regions. This act of congress became later known as the Missouri Compromise. -
Texan Independence
After American people outnumbered the Mexican people in Mexico owned Texas, they sought release from the Mexico. After a series of battles know as the Texan Revolution, Texas gained its independence from Mexico in mid-April after declaring its independence on 2 March 1836. -
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Trail of Tears
Indian land proved to be desirable for colonists who found precious metals on it and found the land to be very farmable. After a series of treaties and forced regulations with the Indian people, President Andrew Jackson forced the Cherokee people to migrate from their ancestral lands to present-day Oklahoma. The migration was a trip of more than 1,200 miles long, a trip that killed thousands of Cherokee Indians. -
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Mexican American War
Under the cause of Manifest Destiny, the American people provoked an attack from the unprepared Mexico, an attack that would end up having Mexico lose more than one-third of their territory. Under President James K. Polk, America desired to spread the US from "Sea to Sea," a desire which Mexico got in the way of. As a result, America played victim to a provoked Mexico attack and crushed the divided Mexico and took a large portion of its land. -
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Californian Gold Rush
As westward expansion grew to be more appealing, a definitive event that brought thousands of Eastern Americans west exists as the California Gold Rush of 1849. More than 100,000 Americans migrated to California in hopes of finding even a tiny sliver of the precious metal. -
Compromise of 1850
After all of the land gained from the Mexican-American War, the issue of slavery remained at large for this new territory. In a series of five bills, the Compromise intiated California as a free state, left the question of slavery in Utah and New Mexico to popular sovereignty, redesigned the boundries between Texas and New Mexico, ended the slave trade in Washington, D.C., and made it easier for slave owners to regain their runaway slaves. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
This particular act overturned the Missouri Compromise and brought about the idea of Popular Sovereignty to states that wished to be entered into the Union that existed to be above the previously set latitude boundry between slave and free states. This act led to a period of violence called Bleeding Kansas and laid the foundation for the American Civil War. -
Abraham Lincoln elected President
This Day in History On the 6 November 1860, the Republican party won the presidency for the first time with the Electoral victory of Abraha Lincoln. Lincoln only obtained 40% of the popular vote but beat his opponents in electoral colleges. Unfortunately, Lincoln's victory led to the secession of seven southern states from the Union. -
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Civil War
With America divided between Anti-Slavery and Pro-Slavery factions, tensions break loose with seven southern states seceding from the Union. This act led to bloodiest conflict in American history leading to the death of over 600,000 people. In the end, the Union prevailed and defeated the Confederacy, which led to the complete abolishment of slavery. -
Transcontinental Railroad completed
After a several years of work on the Union Pacific railroad and the Central Pacific railroad, the long awaited Transcontinental Railroad found completion on 10 May 1869 with the presidents of each railroad meeting in Promontory, Utah to drive in the final spikes for the rail line. The completion of this rail line allowed America to transport goods and passengers across the US much faster than should they used previous convential means. -
Reconstruction Ends
Reconstruction was the period after the Civil War where the Union attempted to 'reconstruct' the Union and help the newly freed slaves gain rights and liberties. Unfortunetly, Southern States did not like the idea of having their former slaves become their equals and did all they could to stop African-Americans from gaining equality. Reconstruction ended as a failure with former slaves still facing large inequality and oppression from Whites.