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1492
Columbian exchange
the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World in the 15th and 16th centuries, related to European colonization and trade after Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage. -
1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
a 1494 agreement between Portugal and Spain, declaring that newly discovered lands to the west of an imaginary line in the Atlantic Ocean would belong to Spain and newly discovered lands to the east of the line would belong to Portugal. -
Joint-Stock Company
Short-term partnership between multiple investors to fund a commercial enterprise; such arrangements were used to fund England's early colonial vestures -
the Chesapeake colonies
English authority made the Church of England the official state religion in -
jamestown
Established in 1607 and was the first permanent English settlement; located in Virginia and led through the starving time by John Smith. -
Salutary Neglect
the period in which the colonies were free to live as they pleased and trade with various countries -
Holy Experiment
the term given to William Penn's plan to create Pennsylvania as a safe haven for many religions -
Mayflower Compact
Agreement to form a majoritarian government in Plymouth, signed aboard the Mayflower; created a foundation for self-government in the colony -
Half-way Covenant
This was a Puritan church document. In 1662, it allowed partial membership rights to persons not yet converted into the Puritan church. It lessened the difference between the "elect" members of the church from the regular members. -
navigation acts
A series of British regulations which taxed goods imported by the colonies from places other than Britain, or otherwise sought to control and regulate colonial trade. -
bacon's rebellion
1676 Virginian rebellion of frontiersmen (wretched bachelors) sparked by governor Berkeley's refusal to retaliate for a series of brutal Indian attacks on frontier settlements -
King Philip's War
It was war between the Native American tribes of New England and British colonists that took place from 1675-1676. The war was the result of tension caused by encroaching settlers. -
Salem Witch Trials
1692 outbreak of witchcraft accusations in a Puritan village marked by an atmosphere of fear, hysteria and stress from encroaching settlers without Puritanical viewpoints -
Anglicization of the British colonies
Process of colonies "acting British;" was influenced by political communities based on English models, commercial ties, trans-Atlantic print culture, religious toleration, and spread of Enlightenment -
Articles of Confederation
This document was the nation's first constitution. The document was limited because states held most of the power ( -
Shays's Rebellion
A 1786 rebellion in which an army of 1,500 disgruntled and angry farmers led by Daniel Shays marched to Springfield, Massachusetts, and forcibly restrained the state court from foreclosing mortgages on their farms. -
virginia plan
A plan at the constitutional convention to base representation in the legislature on population thus benefiting the larger states -
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
This created the Northwest Territory (area north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania), established conditions for self-government and statehood, included a Bill of Rights, and permanently prohibited slavery. -
consitution
The foundation of our country's national government; was drafted in Philadelphia in 1787; this document establishes a government with direct authority over all citizens, it defines the powers of the national government, and it establishes protection for the rights of states and of every individual -
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
These were were put into practice in 1798 by Jefferson and James Madison. These resolutions were secretly made to get the rights back taken away by the Alien and Sedition Acts -
first wave immigration
The Irish came in multitudes during the Potato Famine, a time when Ireland's main food source completely became rotten. Because the Irish did not come the U.S. with enough money to buy land, they mostly remained in the northeastern port cities. -
Indian removal act
authorized Andrew Jackson to negotiate land-exchange treaties with tribes living east of the Mississippi -
Abolition
Organized effort to end slavery; began in the north in the 1700s and became a major political issue in the 1830s -
Nat Turner rebellion
American slave who started the largest slave rebellion in Virginia; slaughtered white civilians during the uprising and terrified plantation owners in the south -
brook farm
Transcendentalist Utopian experiment, put into practice by transcendentalist former Unitarian minister George Ripley at a farm in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, at that time nine miles from Boston. -
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
treaty between the US and Britain that set the Oregon boundary line at the 49' -
Seneca Falls Convention
Organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Lucretia Mott, first women's rights convention in American History; issued "Declaration of Sentiments," which declared "all men and women are created equal" -
National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry
Better known as "The Grange," a social and educational organization through which farmers attempted to combat the power of the railroads in the late 19th century -
Fort Sumter
Site of the opening engagement of the Civil War.South Carolina had seceded from the Union, and had demanded that all federal property in the state be surrendered to state authorities. -
anaconda plan
Union war plan by Winfield Scott, called for blockade of southern coast, capture of Richmond, capture Mississippi River, and to take an army through heart of south -
cornerstone speech
A speech delivered by Confederate Vice President, Alexander Stephens in Savannah, Georgia -
Bull Run
This was the location of the first battle of the Civil War. Prior to this battle, both the Union and the Confederates were expecting a short war. -
Antietam
Civil War battle in which the North succeeded in halting Lee's Confederate forces in Maryland; was the bloodiest single-day battle of the war resulting in 25,000 casualties -
Battle of Atlanta
Culminating battle in Sherman's Atlanta Campaign; followed by Sherman's March to the Sea during which Union troops moved south from Atlanta destroying railroads and other important infrastructure -
Second Inaugural Address
Beginning of Reconstruction Era; was meant to help heal and restore the country after four years of civil war; discusses rebuilding of a split nation -
transcontinental railroad
Completed in 1869 at Promontory, Utah, linked the eastern railroad system with California's railroad system, revolutionizing transportation in the west -
battle of bighorn
Colonel George A. Custer and 260 of his men were killed by Sioux Indians led by Sitting Bull at this battle in southern Montana. "Custer's Last Stand" became enshrined in American mythology as a symbol of the brutality of the Indian wars -
Bland-Allison Act
Authorized coinage of a limited number of silver dollars and "silver certificate" paper money; first of several government subsidies to silver producers in depression periods -
Chinese Exclusion
Denied any additional Chinese laborers to enter the country while allowing students and merchants to immigrate; American workers felt threatened by the job competition -
wounded knee massacre
massacre of Sioux Indians by American cavalry at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota; sent to suppress the Ghost Dance, soldiers caught up with fleeing Lakotas and killed as many as 300 -
omaha platform
Populist Party platform for the 1892 election (Populist candidate James Weaver running for president) called for free coinage of silver and paper money -
Woman’s right movement
A general movement that began long before the 1920s but culminated in the 19th Amendment in this country with granting the right to vote to women of all races and social classes -
stock market crash of 1929
Signaled the beginning of a world wide Depression; the result of speculation of stocks and commodities, an investing "fever," in America, overproduction of goods and under consumption of American goods -
Volstead Act
Bill passed by Congress to enforce the language of the 18th Amendment; this bill made the manufacture and distribution of alcohol illegal within the borders of the United States -
Pearl Harbor
United States military base on Hawaii was bombed by Japan, bringing the United States into World War II -
Manhattan project
Code name for the secret United States project set up in 1942 to develop atomic bombs for use in World War II -
D-Day
this was the code name for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France, on June 6, 1944. It remains the largest amphibious (water to land) assault in history with over 156,000 men crossing the English Channel in 6,939 vessels. -
hiroshima
Japanese city that was hit with the first atomic bomb by the united states, about 80,000 people were killed -
national security act
Passed in 1947 in response to perceived threats from the Soviet Union after WWII. It established the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Council. -
Cuban missile crisis
International crisis in October 1962, the closest approach to nuclear war at any time between the US and the USSR; when the US discovered Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, President John F. Kennedy demanded their removal and announced a naval blockade of the island; -
March on Washington
Held in 1963 to show support for the Civil Rights Bill in Congress; Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I have a dream..." speech; 250,000 people attended the rally -
civil rights act of 1964
This act made racial, religious, and sex discrimination by employers illegal and gave the government the power to enforce all laws governing civil rights, including desegregation of schools and public places. -
Watergate scandal
A break-in at the Democratic National Committee offices in the Watergate complex in Washington was carried out under the direction of White House employees. Disclosure of the White House involvement in the break-in and subsequent cover-up forced President Nixon to resign in 1974 to avoid impeachment. -
Roe v. Wade
US supreme Court ruled that there is a fundamental right to privacy, which includes a woman's decision to have an abortion. -
War power act
Limits the ability of the president to commit troops to combat (48 hours to tell Congress when and why the troops were sent, they have 60-90 hours to bring them home if they disagree) -
Iran-contra affair
US political scandal in which the National Security Council became involved in secret weapons transactions and other activities that either were prohibited by the U.S. Congress or violated the stated public policy of the government -
Tiananmen Square
The location of a huge demonstration for democratic rights that occurred in 1989; brutally put down by Chinese government -
Operation desert storm
the code name for the US-led UN operation to liberate Kuwait from Iraq during the Persian Gulf War. The British also helped attack Iraq. -
Clinton impeachment
The first president of the united states to get impeached. He was caught lying underneath the oath. -
9/11
The day of when the twin towers fell to terrorism. two hijacked planes hit both twin towers and killed many -
Hurricane Katrina
the second largest hurricane in the Atlantic ocean. costed the U.S. 108 billion dollars in damages -
Election of 2008
First African American president Barack Obama was elected of the United States. he defeated John McCain who belonged to the republic party while Obama was democratic.
