-
1492
Christopher Columbus “Founds” New World (1492)
Columbus led a total of four expeditions to the "New World," exploring various Caribbean islands, the Gulf of Mexico, and the South and Central American mainlands, -
1492
Columbian Exchange Begins
widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Americas, West Africa, and the Old World in the 15th and 16th. -
Period: 1492 to
European Exploration Era
European ships were traveled around the world to search for new trading routes and partners to feed burgeoning capitalism in Europe. -
1500
Spanish Encomienda System Begins
The Spanish colonists abused the encomienda system, essentially rendering it a system of slave labor. -
1500
Spanish Casta System Begins
In Spanish America racial categories were registered at local parishes upon baptism as required by the Spanish Crown. -
Period: 1500 to
Triangular Trade
trade among three ports or regions. -
Period: 1500 to
Middle Passage
The Middle Passage was the stage of the triangular trade in which millions of Africans were forcibly transported to the New World as part of the Atlantic slave trade. -
1520
Small Pox Begins Spreading to Native Americans
Smallpox is believed to have arrived in the Americas in 1520 on a Spanish ship sailing from Cuba, carried by an infected African slave. -
1521
Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortez Conquers the Aztec Empire
He used deadly force to conquer Mexico, fighting Tlaxacan and Cholula warriors before turning his attention on the ultimate prize: taking over the Aztec Empire. -
1534
England Splits from the Catholic Church
Henry VIII decided to separate the entire country of England from the Roman Catholic Church. Henry VIII established the Church of England after his split with the Pope. -
London Company Gains Charter for Set Up English Colony
The Virginia Company of London was a joint-stock company chartered by King James I in 1606 to establish a colony in North America. -
Jamestown, Virginia Colony Founded
In 1607, 104 English men and boys arrived in North America to start a settlement. On May 13 they picked Jamestown, Virginia for their settlement, which was named after their King, James I. -
Period: to
Colonial Era
The colonial history of the United States covers the history of European colonization of America from the early 16th century until the incorporation of the colonies into the United States of America. -
French found Quebec on the St. Lawrence River and Engage in the Fur Trade
while seeking routes through the continent, established relationships with Amerindians and continued to expand the trade of fur pelts for items considered 'common' by the Europeans. -
Tobacco introduced to Virginia Colony by John Rolfe
Rolfe began cultivating tobacco seeds grown in the West Indies; he probably obtained them from Trinidad or some other Caribbean location. -
First African Slaves Arrive in Jamestown, Virginia Colony
On August 20, 1619, “20 and odd” Angolans, kidnapped by the Portuguese, arrive in the British colony of Virginia and are then bought by English colonists. -
Virginia House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the first elected general assembly in the colonies, paving the way for the democratic society formed during the Revolution. -
Plymouth, Massachusetts Colony Founded
it became part of the Dominion of New England Genealogy in 1686; -
Mayflower Compact
the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. -
New Hampshire Founded
John Mason and Ferdinando Gorges were given a land grant by the Council for New England. -
Dutch New Amsterdam Becomes Capital of New Netherland
Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant surrenders New Amsterdam, the capital of New Netherland, to an English naval squadron under Colonel Richard Nicolls. -
“City Upon a Hill” John Winthrop
John Winthrop used this phrase to describe the Massachusetts Bay colony -
Maryland Founded
founded in 1632 as a safe haven for English Catholics fleeing anti-Catholic persecution in Europe. -
Roger Williams Founds Rhode Island
Rhode Island became a haven for Baptists, Quakers, Jews and other religious minorities. -
Delaware Founded
The Delaware Colony was founded in 1638 by Peter Minuit and New Sweden Company. -
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
It describe the government set up by the Connecticut River towns, setting its structure and powers. They wanted the government to have access to the open ocean for trading. -
Maryland Toleration Act
The act was meant to ensure freedom of religion for Christian settlers of diverse persuasions in the colony. -
North Carolina Founded
Carolina is derived from the Latin name Carolus, translated as "Charles." The state was named in honor Charles IX of France and then King Charles I and King Charles II of England. -
Iroquois Confederacy Formed
Iroquois confederacy consisted of the Mohawks, the Oneidas, the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and the Senecas. -
Navigation Acts and Mercantilism
The Navigation Acts were a series of laws passed by the British Parliament that imposed restrictions on colonial trade. -
South Carolina Founded
South Carolina, part of the original Province of Carolina, was founded in 1663 when King Charles II gave the land to eight noble men known as the Lords Proprietors. -
New York Funded
European discovery of New York was led by the Italian Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524 followed by the first land claim in 1609 by the Dutch. -
New Jersey Founded
The New Jersey Colony was originally named the Province of New Jersey, after the British island named Jersey. -
King Phillips War
King Philip's War was an armed conflict in 1675–1678 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England colonists -
Bacon’s Rebellion
Bacon's Rebellion was an armed rebellion by Virginia settlers that took place in 1676. It was led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor William Berkeley. -
Pueblo Revolt
known as Popé's Rebellion or Popay's Rebellion– was an uprising of most of the indigenous Pueblo people against the Spanish colonizers in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, larger than present-day New Mexico. -
Quaker William Penn Founds Pennsylvania
Persecuted in England for his Quaker faith, Penn came to America in 1682 and established Pennsylvania as a place where people could enjoy freedom of religion. -
Period: to
Enlightenment Era
was centered around the idea that reason is the primary source of authority and legitimacy -
Harvard College Founded in Massachusetts
Harvard University possesses the title of America's oldest learning institution, founded in 1636. -
John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government Published
Two Treatises of Government, major statement of the political philosophy of the English philosopher John Locke -
English Bill of Rights
The bill outlined specific constitutional and civil rights and ultimately gave Parliament power over the monarchy. -
Salem Witch Trials
a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts -
Period: to
Salutary Neglect Policy
Salutary neglect, policy of the British government from the early to mid-18th century regarding its North American colonies under which trade regulations for the colonies were laxly enforced and imperial supervision of internal colonial affairs was loose as long as the colonies remained loyal to the British government -
The Great Awakening
The Great Awakening was a religious revival that impacted the English colonies in America during the 1730s and 1740s. -
Georgia Founded as a Debtors Colony
started the colony as a debtor's refuge in 1732, as an alternative to English debtors' prison. -
Stono Rebellion
It was the largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies, with 25 colonists and 35 to 50 Africans killed. -
French and Indian War Begins
The French and Indian War was the North American conflict in a larger imperial war between Great Britain and France known as the Seven Years' War. -
Period: to
The Industrial Revolution
now also known as the First Industrial Revolution, was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Europe and the United States, in the period from about 1760 to sometime between 1820 and 1840. -
French and Indian War Ends
The war provided Great Britain enormous territorial gains in North America, but disputes over subsequent frontier policy and paying the war's expenses led to colonial discontent, and ultimately to the American Revolution. -
Proclamation Line of 1763
the proclamation line, separating the British colonies on the Atlantic coast from American Indian lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. -
Period: to
Revolutionary Era
The American Patriots in the Thirteen Colonies defeated the British in the American Revolutionary War. -
Period: to
Republican Motherhood
Republican Motherhood represents a belief that mothers were responsible for raising children to practice the principles of republicanism, thus making them perfect citizens of a new country. -
Period: to
Republican Motherhood
Republican Motherhood represents a belief that mothers were responsible for raising children to practice the principles of republicanism, thus making them perfect citizens of a new country. -
Sugar Act
in U.S. colonial history, British legislation aimed at ending the smuggling trade in sugar and molasses from the French and Dutch West Indies -
Stamp Act
an act regulating stamp duty (a tax on the legal recognition of documents). -
Quartering Act
the Quartering Act, outlining the locations and conditions in which British soldiers are to find room and board in the American colonies. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were a series of measures, passed by the British Parliament in 1767 -
Boston Massacre
British soldiers shot and killed several people while being harassed by a mob in Boston. -
Tea Act
The principal objective was to reduce the massive amount of tea held by the financially troubled British East India Company in its London warehouses and to help the financially struggling company survive. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. -
First Continental Congress
the First Continental Congress to organize colonial resistance to Parliament's Coercive Acts. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the 13 colonies -
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense Published
Advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. -
Continental Army Lead by General George Washington
Washington was selected over other candidates such as John Hancock based on his previous military experience and the hope that a leader from Virginia could help unite the colonies. -
Benjamin Franklin Becomes French Ambassador
Benjamin Franklin was appointed minister to France in 1778, -
Declaration of Independence
Declaration of Independence is the pronouncement adopted by the Second Continental Congress -
Adam Smith Publishes “The Wealth of Nations”
Smith published The Theory of Moral Sentiments. His book looked at human nature and ethics. -
Battle of Saratoga
It included two crucial battles, fought eighteen days apart, and was a decisive victory for the Continental Army and a crucial turning point in the Revolutionary War. -
Winter at Valley Forge
Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington -
Articles of Confederation
Articles of Confederation was an agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America that served as its first constitution. -
Period: to
Abolition Movement
The abolitionist movement was the social and political effort to end slavery everywhere. -
Battle of Yorktown
at Yorktown, Virginia, was a decisive victory by a combined force of American Continental Army troops led by General George Washington -
Treaty of Paris of 1783
The Treaty of Paris was signed by U.S. and British Representatives -
Shays’ Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts and Worcester in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry and in opposition to the state government's -
Federalist Papers
Federalist Papers is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay -
Constitutional Convention/ Philadelphia Convention
the Convention had been officially called to revise the existing Articles of Confederation, many delegates had much bigger plans. -
U.S. Constitution
The Constitution, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government. -
The Great Compromise
an agreement that large and small states reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 -
The 3/5ths Compromise
Three-fifths Compromise was a compromise reached among state delegates during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention. -
The French Revolution Begins
rioters stormed the Bastille fortress in an attempt to secure gunpowder and weapons; many consider this event, now commemorated in France as a national holiday, as the start of the French Revolution. -
Bill of Rights Added to U.S. Constitution
James Madison wrote the amendments, which list specific prohibitions on governmental power, in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties. -
Washington Elected 1st President
the commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, is unanimously elected the first president of the United States by all 69 presidential electors who cast their votes. -
Washington Creates Presidential Cabinet
Washington held his first full cabinet meeting on November 26, 1791, with Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of War Henry Knox, and Attorney General Edmund Randolph -
Washington D.C. Becomes New US Capita
Congress declared the city of Washington in the District of Columbia, the permanent capital of the United States. -
Period: to
The Second Great Awakening
During this revival, meetings were held in small towns and large cities throughout the country, and the unique frontier institution known as the camp meeting began. -
Whiskey Rebellion
a tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington -
Alexander Hamilton Gets Congress to Approve National Bank
Hamilton proposed a national bank. Congress approved the idea in 1791. It could lend the government money and pay off state debts. -
Cotton Gin and Interchangeable Parts Invented by Eli Whitney
the cotton gin, a machine that revolutionized the production of cotton by greatly speeding up the process of removing seeds from cotton fiber. -
Washington’s Farewell Address
George Washington advised American citizens to view themselves as a cohesive unit and avoid political parties and issued a special warning to be wary of attachments and entanglements with other nations. -
First Two-Party System Created (Dem-Rep vs Federalist)
Hamilton's group became the Federalists, while Jefferson's faction adopted the name "Democratic Republicans." -
John Adams (Federalist) Elected 2nd President
Before his presidency, he was a leader of the American Revolution that He was the only president elected under the banner of the Federalist Party. -
XYZ Affair
diplomatic incident between French and United States diplomats that resulted in a limited, undeclared war known as the Quasi-War. U.S. and French negotiators restored peace with the Convention of 1800, also known as the Treaty of Mortefontaine. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
a series of four laws passed by the U.S. Congress in 1798 amid widespread fear that war with France was imminent. -
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
political statements drafted in 1798 and 1799 in which the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures took the position that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional. -
The Market Revolution Begins
in the United States was a drastic change in the manual-labor system originating in the South (and soon moving to the North) and later spreading to the entire world. -
Election of 1800 and the Start of the Jeffersonian Era
Vice President Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic-Republican Party defeated incumbent President John Adams of the Federalist Party. -
Cult of Domesticity Begins
The idea of this domesticity was practiced in 1820, however, the ideology was not recognized and truly followed until the 1840s and 1850. -
Period: to
Manifest Destiny
a widely held cultural belief in the 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America. -
Thomas Jefferson (Democratic Republican) Elected 3rd President
His overriding goal as president was the promotion of political democracy and the physical expansion of the country to provide land for a nation of citizen -farmers. -
Steam Locomotive Invented in Great Britain
Richard Trevithick built the first steam locomotive in 1802. -
Marbury v. Madison
established the principle of judicial review—the power of the federal courts to declare legislative and executive acts unconstitutional. The unanimous opinion was written by Chief Justice John Marshall. -
Louisiana Purchase
the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from France in 1803. -
James Madison (Democratic Republican) Elected 4th President
The Democratic-Republican candidate James Madison defeated Federalist candidate Charles Cotesworth Pinckney decisively. -
War Hawks in Congress Support War Against British
members of Congress who put pressure on President James Madison to declare war against Britain in 1812 -
War of 1812 Begins
President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain, marking the beginning of the War of 1812. -
British Impressment of US Sailors
It was a practice that directly affected the U.S. and was even one of the causes of the War of 1812. The British navy consistently suffered manpower shortages due to the low pay and a lack of qualified seamen. -
Francis Scott Key Writes the Star Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814 during the War of 1812. -
Treaty of Ghent
the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain. -
Federalist Party Collapses
the first political party in the United States. -
Period: to
Era of Good Feelings
The “era” proved to be a temporary lull in personal and political leadership clashes while new issues were emerging. -
Tariff of 1816
also known as the Dallas Tariff, is notable as the first tariff passed by Congress with an explicit function of protecting U.S. manufactured items from overseas competition. -
James Monroe (Democratic Republican) Elected 5th President
With little Federalist opposition, he easily won re-election in 1820. -
Adam- Onis Treaty/ Spain Ceded Florida to U.S
Minister Onís and Secretary Adams reached an agreement whereby Spain ceded East Florida to the United States and renounced all claim to West Florida. Spain received no compensation, but the United States agreed to assume liability for $5 million in damage done by American citizens who rebelled against Spain. -
Compromise of 1820
an effort to preserve the balance of power in Congress between slave and free states, the Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. -
Universal Male Suffrage Begins to Rise
a form of voting rights in which all adult male citizens -
Monroe Doctrine
a United States policy that opposed European colonialism in the Americas. -
Henry Clay’s “American System”
American System was an economic plan that played an important role in American policy during the first half of the 19th century. -
Erie Canal Built
A fleet of boats, led by Governor Dewitt Clinton aboard the Seneca Chief sailed from Buffalo to New York City in record time—just ten days. -
John Quincy Adams (Democratic Republican) Elected 6th President
In 1809, Adams was appointed as the U.S. ambassador to Russia by President James Madison, a member of the Democratic-Republican Party -
Lowell, Massachusetts Textile Mill Employs Women
incorporated as the Town of Lowell in 1826, by 1840, the textile mills employed almost 8,000 workers — mostly women between the ages of 15 and 35. -
Andrew Jackson (Democrat) Elected 7th President
an American soldier and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 -
Second Two-Party System Created (Democrats vs Whigs)
the Democratic Party, led by Andrew Jackson, and the Whig Party, assembled by Henry Clay from the National Republicans and from other opponents of Jackson. -
Indian Removal Act
The law authorized the president to negotiate with southern Native American tribes for their removal to federal territory west of the Mississippi River in exchange for white settlement of their ancestral lands. -
Congress Passes Preemption Acts
Congress passed a series of laws reforming U.S. policy on acquiring public lands. -
Abolition Movement Begins
It officially emerged around 1830. Abolitionism started in states like New York and Massachusetts and quickly spread to other Northern states. -
Trail of Tears Begins
Andrew Jackson's Indian removal policy, the Cherokee nation was forced to give up its lands east of the Mississippi River and to migrate to an area in present-day Oklahoma. -
William Lloyd Garrison Publishes Abolitionist Newspaper “The Liberator”
a weekly abolitionist newspaper, printed and published in Boston by William Lloyd Garrison and, through 1839, by Isaac Knapp. -
Andrew Jackson Vetos National Bank
President Andrew Jackson announces that the government will no longer use the Second Bank of the United States, the country's national bank, on September 10, 1833. -
Nullification Crisis
Nullification crisis, in U.S. history, confrontation between the state of South Carolina and the federal government in 1832–33 over the former's attempt to declare null and void within the state the federal Tariffs of 1828 and 1832. -
Texas Revolution and Independence from Mexico
The Texas Revolution was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos in putting up armed resistance to the centralist government of Mexico. -
Horace Mann Advocates for Public Schools
American educator, the first great American advocate of public education, who believed that, in a democratic society, education should be free and universal, nonsectarian, democratic in method, and reliant on well -
Increased Irish and German Immigration to the North
over seven and a half million immigrants came to the United States more than the entire population of the country in 1810. -
Federal Support Given to Samuel Morse to Construct Telegraph Lines
the federal government subsidized and controlled the nation's first telegraph wire—a Washington to Baltimore line built by Samuel Morse. -
Dorothea Dix Advocates for Mentally Ill and Prison Reform
Her efforts on behalf of the mentally ill and prisoners helped create dozens of new institutions across the United States and in Europe and changed people's perceptions of these populations. -
James K. Polk Elected US President (Democrat)
Democrat James K. Polk defeated Whig Henry Clay in a close contest turning on the controversial issues -
Frederick Douglass writes autobiography “Narrative of the Life of an American Slave”
First published in 1881 and revised in 1892, three years before his death, the book covers events both during and after the Civil War. -
Texas Annexation by the United States
With the support of President-elect Polk, Tyler managed to get the joint resolution passed on March 1, 1845, and Texas was admitted into the United States on December 29. -
Irish Potato Famine Begins
The Irish Potato Famine, also known as the Great Hunger, began in 1845 when a fungus-like organism called Phytophthora infestans (or P. infestans) spread rapidly throughout Ireland. -
Frederick Douglass Publishes Autobiography “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave”
In 1855 Douglass published his second autobiography, My Bondage and My Freedom. The final autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, was published in 1881. -
Oregon Territory Divided Between British and U.S.
Originally claimed by several countries (see Oregon Country), the region was divided between the UK and the US in 1846. -
Mexican American War Begins
the United States Congress declared war on Mexico after a request from President James K. Polk. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was an unsuccessful 1846 proposal in the United States Congress to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican–American War. -
Seneca Falls Convention
The Seneca Falls Convention was the first women's rights convention in the United States. Held in July 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, the meeting launched the women's suffrage movement, which more than seven decades later ensured women the right to vote. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: Mexican American War Ends
This treaty, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the war between the United States and Mexico. -
Mexican Cession
The “Mexican Cession” refers to lands surrendered, or ceded, to the United States by Mexico at the end of the Mexican War. -
Free Soil Movement Begins
The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. -
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. -
Fugitive Slave Law Passed in Compromise of 1850
Passed on September 18, 1850 by Congress, The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was part of the Compromise of 1850. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five separate bills passed by the United States Congress in September 1850 that defused a political confrontation between slave and free states on the status of territories acquired in the Mexican–American War. -
Harriet Tubman Begins Using Underground Railroad
On September 17, 1849, Harriet, Ben and Henry escaped their Maryland plantation. She soon returned to the south to lead her niece and her niece's children to Philadelphia via the Underground Railroad. -
Harriet Beecher Stowe Publishes “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”
For the newspaper serialization of her novel, Stowe was paid $400. Uncle Tom's Cabin was published in book form on March 20, 1852, by John P. Jewett with an initial print run of 5,000 copies. -
Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase, or Treaty, was an agreement between the United States and Mexico, finalized in 1854, in which the United States agreed to pay Mexico $10 million for a 29,670 square mile portion of Mexico that later became part of Arizona and New Mexico. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was an 1854 bill that mandated “popular sovereignty”–allowing settlers of a territory to decide whether slavery would be allowed within a new state's borders. -
Bleeding Kansas Begins
Bleeding Kansas is the term used to describe the period of violence during the settling of the Kansas territory -
Republican Party Created
March 20, 1854, Ripon, WI -
Caning of Senator Sumner
The Caning of Charles Sumner, or the Brooks–Sumner Affair, occurred on May 22, 1856, in the United States Senate, when Representative Preston Brooks, a pro-slavery Democrat from South Carolina, -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393, often referred to as the Dred Scott decision, was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court in which the Court held that the US Constitution was not meant to -
John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry, Virginia
On the evening of October 16, 1859 John Brown, a staunch abolitionist, and a group of his supporters left their farmhouse hide-out en route to Harpers Ferry. -
Republican Abraham Lincoln Wins Presidential Election of 1860
Lincoln’s political experience and speeches spoke for themselves, but one of his main campaign goals was to keep the Republican party unified. He didn’t want his party to reveal any of the discord of the Democrats and hoped to divide the Democratic votes. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina militia -
Lincoln Suspends Habeas Corpus
On April 27, 1861, Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus between Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia -
Seven Southern States Secede from the Union, Forming the Confederate States of America
The Confederacy was formed on February 8, 1861, by the seven secessionist slave states: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. -
Democrat Jefferson Davis Elected President of the Confederate
Jefferson Davis is elected president of the Confederate States of America. He ran without opposition, and the election simply confirmed -
Period: to
The Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States from 1861 to 1865, fought between northern states loyal to the Union and southern states that had seceded to form the Confederate States of America. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of government land or the public domain, typically called a homestead. -
Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. -
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is a speech that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War -
Battle of Vicksburg
With the loss of Pemberton's army and a Union victory at Port Hudson five days later, the Union controlled the entire Mississippi River, and the Confederacy was split in half. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was a significant Union victory considered by many to be the turning point of the Civil War. -
President Andrew Johnson Becomes President
Andrew Johnson became President of the United States upon the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, and ended on March 4, 1869. -
Sharecropping Begins in the South
Sharecropping became widespread in the South as a response to economic upheaval caused by the end of slavery during and after Reconstruction. -
Ku Klux Klan Formed
Founded in 1865, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) extended into almost every southern state by 1870 and became a vehicle for white southern -
Gen. Lee Surrenders to Gen. Grant at Appomattox Court House
In Appomattox Court House, Virginia, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders his 28,000 troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the American Civil War. -
President Abraham Lincoln Assassinated by John Wilkes Booth
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was assassinated by well-known stage actor John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, while attending the play Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Shot in the head as he watched the play, Lincoln died the following day at 7:22 am, in the Petersen -
Johnson Pardons the South
In 1865 President Andrew Johnson implemented a plan of Reconstruction that gave the white South a free hand in regulating the transition from slavery to freedom and offered no role to blacks in the politics of the South. -
Radical Republicans Champion for Black Civil Rights in Congress
The Radical Republicans were a faction of American politicians within the Republican Party of the United States from around 1854 (before the American Civil War) until the end of Reconstruction in 1877. -
13th Amendment
the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States and provides that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States -
Freedmens Bureau Created
The United States Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, commonly known as the Freedmen's Bureau, was created by Congress in 1865 to assist in the political and social reconstruction of post-war Southern states and to help formerly enslaved people make the transition from slavery to freedom and citizenship. -
Black Codes First Passed in the South
Black codes were restrictive laws designed to limit the freedom of African Americans and ensure their availability as a cheap labor force -
“Scalawags and Carpetbaggers”
Scalawag, after the American Civil War, a pejorative term for a white Southerner who supported the federal plan of Reconstruction or who joined with black freedmen and the so-called carpetbaggers in support of Republican Party policies. -
Period: to
Reconstruction Era
The Reconstruction era, the period in American history that lasted from 1863 to 1877 following the American Civil War -
Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson
The impeachment of Andrew Johnson was initiated on February 24, 1868, when the United States House of Representatives resolved to impeach Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, for "high crimes and misdemeanors," which were detailed in 11 articles of impeachment. -
14th Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. -
Transcontinental Railroad Completed
One hundred and fifty years ago on May 10, 1869, university founder Leland Stanford drove the last spike that marked the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. -
Nativism Spreads
Nativism is the political policy of promoting the interests of native inhabitants against those of immigrants, including the support of immigration-restriction -
Standard Oil Company Founded by John D. Rockefeller
Born into modest circumstances in upstate New York, he entered the then-fledgling oil business in 1863 by investing in a Cleveland, Ohio refinery. -
15th Amendment
The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government and each state from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." -
Hiram Rhode Revels Becomes First African American in Congress (Senate)
On February 25, 1870, Revels, on a party-line vote of 48 to 8, with Republicans voting in favor and Democrats voting against, became the first African American to be seated in the United States Senate -
Industrialization Begins to Boom
The Industrial Revolution marked a period of development in the latter half of the 18th century that transformed largely rural, agrarian societies in Europe -
Social Darwinism Theory Gains Popularity
Social Darwinists held that the life of humans in society was a struggle for existence ruled by “survival of the fittest,” a phrase proposed by the British philosopher and scientist Herbert Spencer. -
The “New South” wants Industrialization
With the industrialization of the South came economic change, migration, immigration and population growth. Light industry moved offshore but has been replaced to a degree by auto manufacturing, tourism and energy production. -
Jim Crow Laws Begin in South
Jim Crow law, any of the laws that enforced racial segregation in the U.S. South from the end of Reconstruction to the mid-20th century. -
Boss Tweed rise at Tammany Hall
the main local political machine of the Democratic Party, and played a major role in controlling New York City and New York State politics and helping immigrants, most notably the Irish, rise in American politics from the 1790s to the 1960s. -
Telephone Invented by Alexander Graham Bell
American inventor, scientist, and teacher of the deaf whose foremost accomplishments were the invention of the telephone (1876) and the refinement of the phonograph -
Reconstruction Ends
The Reconstruction era, the period in American history that lasted from 1863 to 1877 following the American Civil War, marked a significant chapter in the history of civil rights in the United States. -
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Gilded Age
The Gilded Age was an era of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern United States and the Western United States. -
Light Bulb Invented by Thomas Edison
Still life of the first electric light bulb, invented by Thomas Alva Edison in 1879 and patented on January 27, 1880. -
3rd Wave of Immigration: “New Immigrants”
The period between about 1881 and 1920 brought more than 23 million new immigrants from all parts of the world, but mostly from Europe, to the United States. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers. -
Pendleton Act
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act is a United States federal law passed by the 47th United States Congress and signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur on January 16, 1883. -
Haymarket Massacre
The Haymarket massacre was the aftermath of a bombing that took place at a labor demonstration on May 4, 1886, at Haymarket Square in Chicago. -
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act of 1887 regulated land rights on tribal territories within the United States. -
Interstate Commerce Act
The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 is a United States federal law that was designed to regulate the railroad industry, particularly its monopolistic practices. -
Andrew Carnegie’s Book “Gospel of Wealth"
"Wealth", more commonly known as "The Gospel of Wealth", is an article written by Andrew Carnegie in June of 1889 that describes the responsibility -
Chicago’s Hull House started by Jane Addams
Hull House was a settlement house in Chicago, Illinois, United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was the first Federal act that outlawed monopolistic business practices. -
How the Other Half Lives
Studies among the Tenements of New York (1890) is an early publication of photojournalism by Jacob Riis, documenting squalid living conditions in New York City slums in the 1880s. -
Influence of Sea Power Upon History
a history of naval warfare published in 1890 by Alfred Thayer Mahan. Its policies were quickly adopted by most major navies, ultimately leading to the World War I naval arms race. -
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion was an uprising against foreigners that occurred in China about 1900, begun by peasants but eventually supported by the government. -
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Progressive Era
a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States of America that spanned the 1890s to the 1920s. -
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Imperialism
Imperialism is a policy or ideology of extending the rule over peoples and other countries, for extending political and economic access, power and control, often through employing hard power, especially military force, but also soft power. -
Carnegie Steel Company Founded by Andrew Carnegie
Over the next few decades, he created a steel empire, maximizing profits and minimizing inefficiencies through ownership of factories, raw materials and transportation infrastructure involved in steel making. -
Homestead Steel Labor Strike
The Homestead strike, also known as the Homestead steel strike or Homestead massacre, was an industrial lockout and strike which began on July 1, 1892, culminating in a battle between strikers and private security agents on July 6, 1892. -
Pullman Labor Strike
The Pullman Strike was a nationwide railroad strike in the United States that lasted from May 11 to July 20, 1894, and a turning point for US labor law. -
Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court Case
Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. -
Annexation of Hawaii
the Joint Resolution passed and the Hawaiian islands were officially annexed by the United States. -
Spanish American War
The Spanish–American War was an armed conflict between Spain and the United States in 1898. -
Open Door Policy
The Open Door policy was a statement of principles initiated by the United States in 1899 and 1900. -
Roosevelt’s Big Stick Diplomacy/ Roosevelt Corollary
Big stick ideology, big stick diplomacy, or big stick policy refers to President Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy: "speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." -
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Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr., often referred to as Teddy Roosevelt or his initials T. R., was an American statesman, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer, who served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909 -
Panama Canal U.S. Construction Begins
Following the failure of a French construction team in the 1880s, the United States commenced building a canal across a 50-mile stretch of the Panama isthmus in 1904. -
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
The Jungle is a 1906 novel by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was the first of a series of significant consumer protection laws which was enacted by Congress in the 20th century and led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration. -
Ford Model-T
Henry Ford wanted the Model T to be affordable, simple to operate, and durable. -
NAACP started by W.E.B. Du Bois
In 1909, Du Bois was among the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and from 1910 to 1934 served it as director of publicity and research, a member of the board of directors, and founder and editor of The Crisis, its monthly magazine. -
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William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th president of the United States and the tenth Chief Justice of the United States, the only person to have held both offices -
16th Amendment
The Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution allows Congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states on the basis of population. -
Federal Reserve Act
The Federal Reserve Act was passed by the 63rd United States Congress and signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on December 23, 1913. -
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Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921 -
17th Amendment
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution established the direct election of United States senators in each state. -
Assissination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. -
Trench Warfare, Poison Gas, and Machine Guns
Gas was especially effective against troops in trenches and bunkers that protected them from other weapons. Most chemical weapons attacked an individual's -
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World War I
World War I was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The sinking of the Cunard ocean liner RMS Lusitania occurred on Friday, 7 May 1915 during the First World War, as Germany waged submarine warfare against the United Kingdom which had implemented a naval blockade of Germany. -
National Parks System
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the federal government of the United States that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. -
Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmermann Telegram was a secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January 1917 that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico if the United States entered World War I against Germany. -
U.S. entry into WWI
Along with news of the Zimmerman telegram threatening an alliance between Germany and Mexico, Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany. -
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution across the territory of the Russian Empire, commencing with the abolition of the monarchy in 1917 and concluding in 1922 with the Bolshevik establishment of the Soviet Union at the end of the Civil War. -
Battle of Argonne Forest
The Meuse–Argonne offensive was a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire Western Front. -
Germany Declares an Armistice
the infusion of American troops and resources into the western front finally tipped the scale in the Allies' favor. Germany signed an armistice agreement with the Allies on November 11, 1918. -
Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points
The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was the most important of the peace treaties that brought World War I to an end. -
18th Amendment
The Eighteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States. -
19th Amendment (1920)
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. -
President Harding’s Return to Normalcy
"Return to normalcy" was United States presidential candidate Warren G. Harding's campaign slogan for the election of 1920. -
Red Scare
A Red Scare is the promotion of a widespread fear of a potential rise of communism or anarchism by a society or state. -
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater and politics centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. -
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Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties was a decade of economic growth and widespread prosperity, driven by recovery from wartime devastation and deferred spending, a boom in construction, and the rapid growth of consumer goods such as automobiles and electricity in North America and Europe and a few other developed countries -
Teapot Dome Scandal
The Teapot Dome scandal was a bribery scandal involving the administration of United States President Warren G. Harding from 1921 to 1923. -
Joseph Stalin Leads Soviet Union
He served as both General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922–1952) and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (1941–1953). -
Scopes “Monkey” Trial
The Scopes Trial, formally known as The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes and commonly referred to as the Scopes Monkey Trial, was an American legal case in July 1925 in which a high school -
Charles Lindbergh’s Trans-Atlantic Flight
As Charles Lindbergh piloted the Spirit of St. Louis down the dirt runway of Roosevelt Field in New York on May 20, 1927, many doubted he would successfully cross the Atlantic Ocean. -
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre
The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre was the 1929 murder of seven members and associates of Chicago's North Side Gang that occurred on Saint Valentine's Day. -
Stock Market Crashes “Black Tuesday”
The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929.
