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Period: Aug 31, 1450 to
Pre-America
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Aug 25, 1492
Columbus Discovers America
Columbus is trying find a faster route to India and sets sail the opposite direction that people usually sail. When he finally spots land, he assumes it is India b/c he didn't know that the big two continents of the Americas were in the middle of the ocean. That's why Indians are called Indians.... he thought he was in India!!! -
Aug 25, 1517
Protestant Reformation
Martin Luther was a catholic monk who wrote the 95 Thesis (reasons) why the Catholic church was not believing correctly and started the Protestant Reformation which resutled in Lutherans, Methodists, and all other denominations of Christianity! -
Jamestown Founded
The first successful English colony was settled in Virginia! This is important because it marked the beginning of America's settlement! -
Pilgrims land at Plymouth
The Mayflower ship delivers over 100 puritans called Pilgrims at Plymouth and Thanksgiving becomes a national holiday to celebrate it! This is important b/c these settlers came over for religious freedom! -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war. This war is important because it makes American colonists angry at England and also establishes George as a great colonel! -
Period: to
Revolutionary America
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The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre occurs as a mob harasses British soldiers who then fire their muskets pointblank into the crowd, killing three instantly, mortally wounding two others and injuring six. After the incident, the new Royal Governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson, at the insistence of Sam Adams, withdraws British troops out of Boston to nearby harbor islands. The captain of the British soldiers, Thomas Preston, is then arrested along with eight of his men and charged with murder. -
Boston Tea Party
December 16, 1773 - About 8000 Bostonians gather to hear Sam Adams tell them Royal Governor Hutchinson has repeated his command not to allow the ships out of the harbor until the tea taxes are paid. That night, the Boston Tea Party occurs as colonial activists disguise themselves as Mohawk Indians then board the ships and dump all 342 containers of tea into the harbor. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The first battles of the American Revolution were fired at Lexington and then the next day at Concord, Massachusettes. The British retreated. This was important because it make all the American colonies realize that war had officially started and there was no going back. -
Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson presents his document to Congress and they officially adopt it! This is important because it offically explains to England why America needs to be independent and today we celebrate it as the birth of our country. -
Constitution written
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Washington becomes 1st President
First president This was important becuase he set so many precedents (like only being elected twice and saying, "So help me God.) -
Period: to
A Growing America
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Louisiana Purchase
French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte agrees to sell 800,000 square miles of land to the United States for $15 million, this is known as the Louisiana Purchase. Important because it is what grows America to such a big country, gives us extra credence as a country, and it's a good deal! -
Missouri Compromise
When MO applied to be a state, someone introduced an amendment that would prohibit any further growth of slavery.
The bill passed in the House but failed to pass the Senate.The issue was resolved with a two-part compromise. The northern part of Massachusetts became Maine and was admitted to the Union as a free state at the same time that Missouri was admitted as a slave state, thereby maintaining a balance of 12 slave and 12 free states. Important b/c it later helps spark the Civil War -
Mexican/American War
Mexican-American War leads to annexation of what is now the southwestern United States. Important because it part of America growing and gaining states. -
Civil War
A war between the northern states vs. the southern states breaks out and lasts until 1861. The South thought that the Union was violating the rights of the states to say whether they wanted to be free or slave states. This is important because it defines the future of African Americans and also rights that humans are entitled to. It also unifies the country eventually into one of the strongest nations in the world. -
Abraham Lincoln Assassinated
Shot in Fords Theater by John Wilkes Booth. This was important because it caused so much stress and upheaval during one of the most intense times in American history. We almost fell a part as a nation. -
Period: to
Modern America
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World War I
Austria-Hungary's almost king gets killed so they declare war on Serbia. Russia is allied to Serbia so they (kind of) declare war on Austria-Hungary. Germany is allied to Austria Hungary so they declare war on Russia. France is allied to Russia so they get ready to fight. Germany invades Belgium. Britain declares war on Germany. We don't enter the war until 1917 but when we do, we basically make an impression that we are now the super power of the world and we will get involved. -
The Great Depression
The worse economic problems in our history occur on a tuesday now called Black Tuesday. Life becomes very hard for most Americans for about a decade. Kids drop out of school to help work, people lose houses, land, move, die. Our grandparents ate beans for a very long time. Important because to get out of the economic problems, some government growth occured and some individual freedoms were restricted. -
Pearl Harbor
We get attacked by the Japanese and decide to enter World War II. Again this makes America enter the global stage as one of the greatest nations on earth. We actually kick butt pretty good! -
MOON WALK!
Apollo 11 reaches the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin make the first moon landing. This is important because we were kind of having a race with Russia (who we were in the Cold War against) and it made us soooo proud of our country and also motivated scientists and engineers to keep working hard at figuring out how to get to outer space! -
9/11
Four hijacked airliners are used by terrorists to destroy the World Trade Center in New York, and damage the Pentagon in the worst terrorist act in world history. This was the first time we had been out-right attacked by outsiders on our main land for no apparant reason (since we weren't in war)... makes people re-think things America does and believes in.
