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Lexington and Concord
On April 18 in 1775, Americans retreated because of the heavy British fire in Lexington but then attacked British soldiers who were destroying military supplies in Concord. The first shot was fired during this battle, known as the shot heard around the world, which paved the way to many more battles in the American Revolution. -
Battle at Bunker Hill
In 1775, British soldiers attacked the Massachusetts farmers that fortified Breed’s Hill, causing thousands of casualties. America considered this a victory because they inflicted heavy losses on the British soldiers. This battle led to delegates meeting for the Second Continental Congress. -
Olive Branch Petition
In 1775, delegates sent an Olive Branch Petition to King George III, consisting of the delegates pledging their loyalty and also consisting of the delegates asking the king to intervene with Parliament so that the rights of the colonists would be protected. Dismissing the Olive Branch Petition, King George III passed Parliament’s Prohibitory Act that declared that the colonists were in rebellion and later prohibited trade between the colonies and England. -
Common Sense
In 1776, Thomas Paine published a pamphlet, in forceful language, that argued for the colonies to become independent states and to severe all ties with the British monarchy. This pamphlet made a large impact on people’s opinion of declaring independence from England and encouraged many of the colonists to stand up and fight against the British Empire. -
Declaration of Independence
On July 4, 1776, five delegates formed a committee to write a statement that addressed the resolution of the colonies becoming independent. The Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and listed the grievances that the colonists had against England’s government and listed reasons that justified the revolution, which led to many battles between England and America. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and met soon after the revolution began. The Second Congress managed the colonial war effort and moved incrementally towards independence. -
Battle of Saratoga
This was a battle between England and America that would ultimately decide the fate of Britain's army and was known as the turning point in the war. The battles were fought for 18 days in Saratoga, New York. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, a failure except for the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, was an agreement between the original 13 states that established America as a confederation of sovereign states and was the first constitution. -
Battle of Yorktown
In 1781, near Yorktown, the last major battle during the Revolution was fought, Washington’s army, supported by the French military and naval forces, forced General Charles Cornwallis’ army to surrender. The news of the British surrender was a heavy blow towards the Tory party in Parliament, causing Tory ministers to resign. -
Treaty of Paris 1783
In 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed and stated that Britain would recognize the independence of the United States, the Mississippi would be known as the western boundary, the United States could have fishing rights off of the coast of Canada, and the United states would pay off their debts that they owed to the British merchants. This treaty led to the organization of governments in the United States. -
Shay’s Rebellion
In 1786, Daniel Shays led several farmers in an uprising because of the high state taxes, the imprisonment for debt, and because of the lack of paper money which revealed the weakness of the Articles of Confederation, but gave rise to the creation of a stronger government. -
Northwest Ordinance 1787
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which was a law that provided rules about annexing new states, stated that the territories that were annexed during the time of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 were not allowed to have slavery and could only have limited self-government. This was one of the only accomplishes that came about from the Articles of Confederation. -
Constitutional Convention Part 2
The ⅗ Compromise was when they decided each African American voter only counted as ⅗ of a person. -
Constitutional Convention Part 1
The states of New England (other than Rhode Island) sent a total of 55 delegates to meet in order to revise the Articles of confederation, however they ended up basically scrapping the Articles and crafted a new document; the Constitution. The issues touched on ranged from the new government structure all the way to a Bill of Rights. The New Jersey and Virginia plan were presented during the Convention, but the plans were combined to create the Great Compromise. -
Judiciary Act 1789
This act established a Supreme Court, the highest court, which consisted of one chief justice and five associate justices. The purpose of the Judiciary Act was to rule decisions made by the states constitutional or unconstitutional. -
Chisholm v. Georgia
In the 1793 case of Chisholm v. Georgia, the Supreme Count ruled that an individual had the right to sue a state in Federal Court. Before this decision, the states believed that they could not be sued unless they allowed the suit to be heard. This ruling lead to the establishment of the 11th amendment, which grants state sovereign immunity, the right to be immune from suites unless they allowed the suite in the first place and gave state protection from lawsuits. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The whiskey rebellion of 1794 started when Pennsylvanian farmers refused to pay an excise tax on the whiskey that they produced from their surplus corn. This rebellion was a test for the new US government and the US Constitution. George Washington federalized 15000 state militiamen and restored order without any bloodshed. The use of force by the federal government was not popular among many Americas. Thomas Jefferson was one the main critics. This rebellion helped the new government prove that -
XYZ Affair
When France began to seize American ships, president Adams sent three American envoys to France in order to negotiate with the French government. French delegates, known as X, Y, and Z, requested a bribe for the negotiation, which resulted in the American envoys returning home because they refused to agree to the bribes. The Federalists, including Hamilton, wanted war with France, while Adams still wanted to remain neutral and wanted to avoid war because he thought that the United States army an -
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien Act raised residency requirements and deported any alien whose home nation was at war with the United States. The Sedition Act stated that anyone who impeded policy or defamed officials could be fined or imprisoned. It was considered against the law to offend political parties (unconstitutional). The Kentucky and Virginia resolutions were where Virginia and Kentucky thought that the Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional. -
Second Great Awakening
During the Second Great Awakening, Baptists and Methodists greatly expanded and there were many arguments about conversion that occurred because of fear and emotion. The Second Great Awakening stimulated many new religious groups, such as the Mormon faith, which was created in 1830 by Joseph Smith. This Mormon faith produced polygamy, which caused conflict with the US government. -
Revolution of 1800
The revolution of 1800, otherwise known as the election of 1800, is significant because it led to the downfall of the federalist party and ushered in a new era of Democratic-Republican party rule with John Adams defeat by Thomas Jefferson. -
Marbury v. Madison
Laid out the basics for the power of judicial review and what powers the judicial branch had. One midnight judge named William Marbury sued to maintain his appointment.The case went to the Supreme Court and the court decided the Marbury appointment could be canceled because the Judiciary Act of 1789 was unconstitutional. -
Louisiana Purchase
In 1803 the United States purchased 828,000 miles of France’s claim to the territory of Louisiana. They paid around 15 million dollars for it, as well as canceling out some of France’s debt to them. -
Embargo Act 1807
During the Napoleonic wars, France and Britain both imposed trade restrictions in an attempt to weaken each others economy, and America’s neutrality was tested as its own economy suffered. The Embargo act was placed on both countries as a response to these issues, and of Britain’s frequent harassing of American ships. -
Nonintercourse Act 1809
This name was given to 6 different acts that dealt with commerce between the Native Americans and non-Indians, and prohibited the purchase of Native land without federal government approval. -
Fletcher v. Peck
Fletcher v. Peck was the first case that the Supreme Court decided that a state’s court ruling was unconstitutional. The case, in 1810, revolved around land fraud in Georgia and the state’s ability to invalidate a signed contract. This case was very important because it reaffirmed the Supreme Court’s authority granted by the Constitution. -
Macon’s Bill No. 2 1810
During the Napoleonic wars, this was America’s attempt to stop the attack of their vessels by British and French forces. It lifted the embargo for a short period and said if they were attacked by one country, they would end trade with them, unless they recognized the rights of the neutral American ships to go without harassment. -
War of 1812
This was an unexpected war between the United States and Great Britain because Great Britain kept on violating America’s neutral rights. The war caused division throughout the nation and led to strong opinions between the Federalist and Republican parties. -
Treaty of Ghent
Signed on December 24, 1814, in Ghent, Belgium, was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This treaty regained the status between two nations. The Battle of New Orleans was fought after the Treaty of Ghent was signed. -
Election of 1816
Phase used to describe the years following the War of 1812, when one party, the Jeffersonian Republicans, dominated politics, and a spirit of nationalism characterized public policy and James Monroe was elected president. -
Second Bank of United States
Served as the nation's federally authorized central bank during its 20-year charter from February 1817 to January 1836. -
McColluch v. Maryland
The state of Maryland made a law that taxed bank notes for banks not based in Maryland but doing business in Maryland. This law only targeted one bank, the Second Bank of the United States. This Supreme Court Case was important because it stated that congress has implied powers to make laws that are not expressly defined in the Constitution. It also states that the states can’t make laws that impede Federal Law. -
Dartmouth College v. Woodward
Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward, was a landmark United States Supreme Court case dealing with the application of the Contract Clause of the United States Constitution to private corporations. -
Johnson v. McIntosh
The Supreme Court case of Johnson v. McIntosh upheld the idea that federal lands could not be sold by the people, in this case Native Americans that lived on them, because only the Federal government could sell these lands. Johnson had purchased land from the Painkeshaw Indians and McIntosh purchased the land by a land grant. The court decided that Native Americans could not sell the land that they lived on because it really belonged to the government and aided in westward expansion. -
Gibbons v. Ogden
Aaron Ogden tried to sue Thomas Gibbons to stop him from operating boats on the rivers of New York. This case is important because it determined that Congress had the right to regulate interstate commerce based on the commerce clause in the Constitution. -
Election of 1824
There was no majority winner in the Presidential Election of 1824. Andrew Jackson had the most votes and John Adams was second. That left the decision of who would become president to the speaker of the house (Henry Clay). Clay chose Adams and Adams made Clay Secretary of State. Jackson complained about the corrupt of the election process calling it the "CORRUPT BARGAIN". This election was important because it was the only election to every go the house to decide the president. -
Election of 1828
This election is known as the dirtiest election ever. Both Andrew Jackson and incumbent John Adams attacked each other’s character throughout the election. There were charges of murder, adultery, and many other offenses. This election also brought about the two party system that we still have today. -
Indian Removal Act 1830
This law allowed the Federal Government to negotiate with Indians to buy their land for land west of the Mississippi or to remove them from their land. This act led to the death of many Native American throughout the southern US. The term trail of tears was coined during the forcible removal of the Native Americans. -
Nullification Crisis 1832
South Carolina declared the tariff of 1828 unconstitutional. Andrew Jackson issued a proclamation to South Carolina. -
Texas Independence
Texas’ independence resulted in the establishment of the Republic of Texas and resolved conflicts between the government of Mexico and the Texan colonists. It was finally after the Mexican American War that led to the annexation of Texas to the United States. -
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
In 1842, the territory that was being disputed was split between British Canada and Maine, settling the boundary disputes of the Minnesota territory, giving the United States the iron-rich Mesabi range. -
Election of 1844
Henry Clay and Martin Van Buren ran for president hoping to cloud the impending issue of annexing Texas. However, President Tyler used this situation to advance his feeble hope for a second term. Lacking support from either party, he attempted to build support by backing the annexation of Texas. This was the first time that a candidate who had received little notice before the convention was able to secure a safe spot in the election. -
Mexican-American War
The Mexican-American War was a dispute over the Mexican-American border and also the United States wanted to purchase California and New Mexico. Mexico lost the war and it resulted in the United States gaining New Mexico and Southern California. -
Wilmot Proviso
In 1846, David Wilmot proposed that slavery should be forbidden in the new territories that were acquired from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, but his his proposition for a new bill was never passed. The Wilmot Proviso gave rise to political conflict between the Southern and Northern states that would ultimately lead to the Civil War. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 1848
The Mexican- American war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, settling the border disputes between Mexico, Texas, and the United States, and ended with United States gaining the California and New Mexico territories, which expanded the territory of the United States all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This treaty increased conflict between the Northern states, who did not want slavery to spread, and the Southern states, who wanted slavery in the newly acquired territories. -
Gadsden Purchase
In 1854, Mexico sold thousands of acres of land to the United States for $10 million, known as present-day Arizona and New Mexico. This strip of land that was added to the Southwest was used for the building of railroads. -
Ostend Manifesto
In 1854, Franklin Pierce sent American diplomats to Ostend, Belgium to secretly try to negotiate buying Cuba from Spain. This negotiation was leaked to the United States and provoked angry feelings from the anti slavery Congress members and Pierce was forced to drop the negotiation. -
Panic of 1857
In 1857, the midwest was hit with a large drop in prices and an increase in unemployment in the Northern cities, while the Southern states were less affected because their cotton prices remained high. This financial panic gave several southerners the ideas that the southern economy was superior to the northern economy. -
Election of 1860
In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected as the first president from the Republican Party. The election of Abraham Lincoln caused people to get upset because they thought that he did not agree with slavery and they thought that they no longer had say in the government. -
South Carolina secedes
South Carolina was the first to secede because they thought that if slavery was abolished, it would be an infringement on their rights to be able to govern themselves. The state thought that the federal government did not have the right to abolish slavery because the Constitution did not give them that power. South Carolina believed that the government did not have their best interest in mind because if slavery was abolished, they would lose the one thing that powered their economy. -
Fort Sumter
During the Civil War, Fort Sumter in South Carolina was cut off from necessary supplies and reinforcements because of the southern control of the harbor. Lincoln decided not to defend or give up Fort Sumter, but rather he to tell South Carolina that they had the choice to either permit the fort to hold out or to open fire, which resulted in the beginning of the war. -
Antietam
The Union army discovered a copy of Lee’s battle plan and invaded the Confederate army at Antietam Creek. This battle was the bloodiest day in the entire war and over 22,000 people were hurt or killed. After the battle, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves because of the Union victory. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln had already freed all of the slaves in the states that were at war with the United States, but he delayed broadcasting the news until he knew that he had the conservative northerners on his side. He also urged bordering sates to figure out a plan to emancipate the slaves and to give compensation to the slaves’ owners. The Union was now “fighting against slavery”, but the proclamation did not immediately free the slaves. -
Wade-Davis Bill
This bill required 50% of the people who could vote in the Confederate states to take the “iron clad” oath, stating that they did not voluntarily contribute to the rebellion. The states also had to revise their constitutions and safeguard the freedmen’s liberties before any state officials were elected. -
Freedmen’s Bureau
From 1865-1869, Congress implemented the Freedmen’s Bureau, which gave shelter, education, employment, food, and medical aid to not only homeless whites, but also to the freed African Americans. May of the northern abolitionists decided to risk their lives in order to help the freedmen in the south. -
The 13th Amendment
The Constitution stood in the way of slaves being able to be free because there were several phrases stated within the Constitution that made slavery legal. Finally, Congress had enough votes to pass the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and servitude in the United States. -
Alaska Purchase
Congress agreed to purchase Alaska in 1867 in appreciation of Russia’s help in the Civil War and because of Seward’s enthusiastic lobbying. The United States intensified its relationships with foreign countries as a result of the country industrializing during the 19th century. -
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
In 1867, Congress decided to pass the Tenure of Office Act, which Andrew Johnson vetoed, and it stated that the president could not remove a federal official or a military commander unless they had the Senate’s approval because they wanted to keep the Radical Republicans in the cabinet. Johnson thought that the law was unconstitutional so he dismissed Stanton and the House charged him with 11 “high crimes and misdemeanors.” -
The 14th Amendment
This amendment gave the freed slaves the same rights and security as the rest of the United States. If the southern states decided to deny their freedmen to vote, they would be punished. -
The 15th Amendment
This amendment made it illegal to deny a person the right to vote because their color, race, or if they had previously been an indentured servant or slave. Republicans found it necessary to secure the voting rights of African Americans as soon as possible if they wanted to keep control of the White House because giving the black the right to vote would result in 500,000 more votes. -
The Panic of 1873
uring this panic, there was an economic disaster, which resulted in thousands of people in the north becoming both homeless and jobless. There was a widespread of business failures because of the over speculation done by the financiers and because of industries overbuilding. To end the panic, debtors demanded that the United States use Greenback paper money that wasn’t backed by gold to make the money supply stable. Grant ended up agreeing to this. -
The Compromise of 1877
In order for Hayes to become president he had to end the federal support in the southern states for the Republicans, which would contribute to the end of Reconstruction, and he also had to agree to the building of the transcontinental railroad in the south. -
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877
This strike occurred during a depression when the railroad companies were cutting wages so they could reduce the costs. The decrease in wages caused 500,000 workers to go on strike and 2/3 of the United State’s rail trackage was shut down. Hayes wanted to protect the mail so he sent in federal troops to end the strike, resulting in over a hundred people getting killed. As a result of this strike, several employers decided to improve the working conditions and the pay. -
James Garfield’s assassination
Garfield, who had only been in office for a couple of weeks, was walking on a train during summer when he was shot in the back by an office seeker. After 11 weeks with the gunshot wound, Garfield died and Chest A. Arthur became president. -
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act of 1887 was an act that aimed to separate Native Americans because this would stop them from becoming “civilized and law-abiding citizens.” The Native Americans were moved to reservations, but these reservations were failures because disease and poverty decreased the population of Native Americans to about 200,000 people. -
Wounded Knee Massacre
In 1890, 200 Native Americans were killed by the United States’ Army, which caused tension between the two groups. The Native Americans were slaughtered because they were practicing their religion and performing the Ghost Dance, which had been outlawed. -
The Homestead Strike
The manager of Andrew Carnegie’s Homestead Steel plant, Henry Clay Frick, ended a strike made up of workers from the plant by making the decision to cut the wages by almost 20%. The walkout lasted for five months and Frick ended it by using weapons, private guards, and strikebreakers. This failure of a strike caused the union movement in the steel industry to move backwards. -
Spanish-American War
The result of this war between the United States and Spain ended Spanish colonial rule in America and caused the United States to acquire new territories in the western Pacific and in Latin America. This war started because of the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain. -
U.S.S. Maine
In 1898, the United States battleship, the Maine, exploded and killed 260 Americans that were on board in Havana, Cuba. Yellow journalism played a large role in this event because the press was accusing Spain of purposely blowing up the battleship, causing greater tension between the United States and Spain and causing the United States to send a war message to Spain. -
Teller Amendment
After America declared war on the United States, Congress passed a resolution that discussed the Teller Amendment, stating that the United States did not want to take political control of Cuba, but instead, wanted the people of Cuba to control their own government. The United States defeated the Spanish in Cuba eventually leading to Spain asking the United States for terms of peace. -
Open Door Policy (1899)
Hay created policies toward China because he realized that the Chinese Empire was weakening because of China failing to modernize and because of political corruption, so he introduced the Open Door policy, a diplomatic triumph, allowing other nations to be able to have equal trading rights in China. This would eventually lead to Boxer’s Rebellion, caused by the rise in nationalism, and would later strongly influence the relationship between the United States and Japan. -
Boxer Rebellion(1900)
In China, while nationalism and xenophobia were on the rise, a society of Chinese nationalists attacked several foreign settlements, killing Christian missionaries. The United States intervened and stopped the rebellion of the Boxers, further weakening the imperial regime of China because the country was forced to pay a large sum in indemnities. -
Election of 1900
This election was between McKinley, a Republican, and William Jennings Bryan, a democratic nominee, where Bryan attacked Imperialism with a negatived viewpoint. President McKinley got reelected because most of the Americans thought that acquiring new territories was an accomplishment. -
Platt Amendment
In 1903, an amendment was passed that required Cuba to allow the U.S. to have naval bases in Cuba, to never have “excessive public debt”, to never sign a treaty with a foreign country that would compromise its independence, and to allow the United States to intervene. This amendment would allow the United States to have oversight and control of Cuba’s foreign policy for many years. -
Panama Canal
The United States had plans to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama but Columbia rejected the plan because Panama was a part of the federation and country of Columbia. The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty allowed the U.S. to build the Panama Canal and also provided for perpetual control of a zone five-miles wide on either side of the Panama Canal. -
Roosevelt Corollary
In 1904, Roosevelt declared that the United States could intervene in Latin America whenever necessary, known as the Roosevelt Corollary, because the United States did not want Europe to intervene in Latin America, a violation of the Monroe Doctrine. The interventions that were a result of the Roosevelt Corollary created a poor relationship between the United States and the region of Latin America. -
Gentlemen’s Agreement
In 1908, President Roosevelt and Japan arranged a compromise that consisted of the Japanese government restricting Japanese workers from immigrating to the United States if the United States, in return, persuaded California to get rid of its discriminatory laws. This agreement led to a more peaceful relationship between these two imperialistic countries. This act was a part of Wilson’s idea of righting past wrongs and led to more Conciliation treaties. -
Election of 1908
In this election, William Taft, a Republican, and William Bryan were candidates and this election was mainly held to see who could lead the country the best. Taft won the election because Bryan made the mistake of wanting socialization of railroads. -
Founding of the NAACP
The NAACP, also known as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was founded by W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, and several others for the purpose of ensuring that colored people would receive political, social, economic, and educational equality. The NAACP started to spread and this spread resulted in some states lifting their discriminatory laws against African Americans. -
Mexican Civil War (Revolution)
The Mexican Civil War was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, and lasted for the better part of a decade until around 1917. The revolution changed from a revolt against the established order to a multi-sided civil war. -
Election of 1912
This election was between Woodrow Wilson, a democratic candidate, and Roosevelt, a member of the Progressive Party, in which Roosevelt won the election because he supported women’s rights and supporting tariffs. -
Jones Act
In 1916, Wilson passed this act which granted the Philippines full territorial status, a bill of rights, and as soon as a strong government was established, Philippine independence. -
The Red Summer
The Red Summer was a series of race riots that occurred in over 30 cities and several African Americans were tried and convicted. The result from these riots was an increase in federal oversight of individual rights. -
The Red Scare
During the Red Scare, in 1919, there was widespread fears of socialism because Communists were taking over Russia and people suddenly turned into anti-Communists. This scare increased the hatred and suspicion aimed towards Communists. -
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance, 1920 through 1930, was a time when African Americans started embracing their heritage through music and poetry. Even though there were developing ideas of black nationalism, African Americans were still segregated from a lot of the nation. -
Election of 1932
This election was between Herbert Hoover and FDR but Roosevelt won because he said that he would try to make change for Americans. This was during the Great Depression and the wall street crash so the economy was in desperate need of help. -
New Deal
After the Great Depression, the United States ratified several economic programs during Franklin Roosevelt’s first term as president. These programs, known as the New Deal, were focused around the ideas of reform, recovery, and relief in order to restore the economy to its natural levels. -
Attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
America dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima resulting in immediate deaths there as well as people still dying in the area from radiation poisoning. Japan’s leader announced surrendering from WWII after this. -
Truman Doctrine
Truman, to contain Soviet aggression and Communism, created a policy known as the Truman Doctrine in response to the uprisings led by Communists against the Greek government, and in response to the Soviet trying to control Turkey’s Dardanelles. The Truman Doctrine was created to govern United State’s foreign policies, which eventually led the Soviets to let up on their hopes of Communist ideology spreading across the world. -
Creation of NATO 1949
- The “NATO” is a national security organization that formed as a pact between 12 countries in 1949. It set up a mutual defense between the countries and agreed that if anybody attacked a single country that was a part of NATO, they attacked the entire organization. It became both defensive and offensive in through their military.
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Fall of China to Communism (1949)
Mainland China was taken over by communist by 1949, and the only place left to go for Chiang and his forced was Taiwan. Chiang continued to get support from the US, however Mao Ze-Dong already ruled Beijing, bringing to fruition the “People’s Republic of China”. Mao Ze-Dongs’ leadership of which was only recognized by the US 30 years later. Stalin and Mao signed the Sino-Soviet pact in 1950. -
Korean War (1950-1953)
This conflict marked the first military action of the Cold War when North Korean troops invaded the Soviet occupied South Korean territory, and U.S forces soon intervened on South Korea’s behalf. More than being about the specific country of Korea, it was thought of as a war against the concept of communism itself. -
Election of 1952
Occurred when the Cold War tension between the US and Soviet Russia was escalating. Dwight D. Eisenhower won by a landslide.
