American History Timeline

  • 1492

    Columbus lands in the Americas

    Columbus lands in the Americas
    Columbus leaves Spain and sails west to find India and China, but he lands in the Americas. Opens up exploration and settlement in America
  • Founding of Jamestown

    Founding of Jamestown
    Settlers from England came to the New World to explore and gain resources. The first English colony in the New World was the beginning of all New World exploration for England.
  • Pilgrims land in Plymouth

    Pilgrims land in Plymouth
    The puritans leave England to come to the New World. This is the begining of the puritans and the new england colonies in the new world.
  • French and Indian War

    French and Indian War
    The French and british colonies fight. British colonies need land and take land to Missisippi River.
  • Albany Plan of Union

    Albany Plan of Union
    Ben Branklin wants to unite the colonies. The colonies declines and stayed split up making it harder to fight the French
  • Treaty of Paris

    Treaty of Paris
    The British defeat the French. Colonies gain land to Missisippi and the French are kicked out of New World.
  • Proclomation of 1763

    Proclomation of 1763
    The English stop the colonies from going past the Appilacians. The English will overpopulate without their needed land.
  • Stamp Act

    Stamp Act
    The British place a tax on all pieces of paper in America, this leads to outrage by Colonists.
  • Quartering Act

    Quartering Act
    It brings in British troops and forces colonists to house them, this is bringing in British troops to control and force the colonists to play their taxes.
  • Townshend Act

    Townshend Act
    It was an act to tax popular items in the colonies, the colonies didn't like this because Britain was gaining more control.
  • Boston Massacre

    Boston Massacre
    British troops killed rioting colonists on the streets of Boston.This was am event leading to the Revelutionary war
  • Tea Act of 1773

    Tea Act of 1773
    The Tea Act was a law that stated that the colonist could only buy tea from the East Indies Trading Company, this tea was taxed so the colonists were outraged.
  • Boston Tea Party

    Boston Tea Party
    Many people dressed up as Natives and stormed the harbor. They cut open and threw tea into the harbor, showing that they wanted nothing to do with the British Crown and there taxes.
  • Intorerable Acts

    Intorerable Acts
    They were acts passed by the British government to punish the colonies. This was one of the leading causes to the revolution
  • First Continental Congress

    First Continental Congress
    This was the first meeting of a congress for the 13 colonies and they made steps against war.
  • Second Continental Congress

    Second Continental Congress
    The second continental congress created the continental army lead by George Washington
  • Olive Branch Penitition

    Olive Branch Penitition
    A petition from America to Britain wanting to not fight and this was a last ditch effort to stop war between the colonies and their motherland
  • Common Sense

    Common Sense
    This was a phamphlet written by Thomas Paine that stated that a tiny island across the sea should not own or control the continent and this shows that the Americans are willing to fight.
  • Period: to

    American Revolution

    A revolution between Britain and America that led to the create of a new nation America when they became independent.
  • Battle of Lexington

    Battle of Lexington
    A battle between the colonist and the British. The British killed 7 and it was the first actual battle in the revolutionary war
  • Battle of Concord

    Battle of Concord
    A battle between the minutemen and the British that forced the British back to Boston and on the way they lost 300 men.
  • Declaration of Indepence

    Declaration of Indepence
    This was a signed document by some well respected American people showing Britain that they were independent and they were willing to fight.
  • Treaty of Paris

    Treaty of Paris
    This was the meeting of people that decided what America and others would get out of this war
  • Shay's Rebellion

    Shay's Rebellion
    This was a rebellion in new England by war veterans struggling with taxes. one of the major factors that led to the writing of the new Constitution.
  • Congress ratifies U.S Constitution

    Congress ratifies U.S Constitution
    This is when the congress came together and ratified the constitution setting the laws we use today into place.
  • Whiskey Rebellion

    Whiskey Rebellion
    It was a violent tax protest and it showed the instability in this new country.
  • XYZ affair

    XYZ affair
    The XYZ affair was.a disagreement between the French and the Americans in there alliance against Britain. This was important because it could lead to a war between America and France.
  • War of 11812

    War of 11812
    The War of 1812 was a war between the British and the Americans. It was important because the two countries tied showing that America was a powerful country that should be respected.