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Jamestown
The settlement in the colony of Virginia was the first permanent settlement in the Americas. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The first military engagements in the American Revolutionary War. Militia fired the first shots on British troops at Lexington, while more militia troops engaged the King's troops at Concord. This resulted in a colonial victory, and sparked the American Revolutionary War. -
Declaration of Independence
A statement/document that was adopted by the Continental Congress that stated that the 13 American colonies were free from King George III's rule. This also stated that they were 13 sovereign states and formed their own nation, The United States of America. -
British Surrender at Yorktown, Virginia
British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered his troops at Yorktown, Virginia. This surrender followed a embarrassing loss at the Battle of Yorktown, where the British were readily defeated by French and American troops. This marked the end of the American Revolutionary War. The colonies were free! -
Constitutional Convention
U.S delegates and leaders met in Philadelphia, PA to discuss issues with the Articles of Confederation, and to draft a new constitution. The convention lasted for 23 days, and the delegates were stuck in a hot room all day, arguing and dissagreeing most of the time. -
Louisana Purchase
President Thomas Jefferson bought the Lousiana Purchase from Napoleon Bonaparte for a total of $15,000,000. It nearly doubled the size of the United States and began the call for westward expansion. -
Reconstruction
The era after the civil war were they cleaned up the mess made during the war, legally and rebuilding. -
Dred Scott Decision
The slave Dred Scott went to court to sue for his freedom as his owner brought him to a free state to live. The case went to the Supreme Court and the ruling sent outrage through the northern states, and joy through the southern- That blacks were never intended to be citizens under then U.S Constituion, that as long as their owners owned them, they were legally considered property. -
American Civil War
The American Civil War began on April 12, 1861 when Confederate States of America soldiers fired upon the Union fort, Fort Sumter. For 4 more years, the U.S was almost literally split in two, and they waged war on each other, eventually leaving the south in ruins. The North won, and the nation was once again united. -
Emancipation Proclaimation
President Abraham Lincoln issued a presidential proclamation and order that stated that all slaves in the United States in America were free. This outraged the south but they couldn't do anything about it because they had just been beat in the civil war.
