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John Rolfe
John Rolfe was a member of the group that traveled to Jamestown for profit and served as the recorder. He married Princess Pocahontas and believed that the marriage would benefit the colony and spread Christian ideals. John Rolfe died in 1622 after re-marrying and returning to Jamestown from England with Jane Peirce. -
House of Burgesses
Established by the Virginia Company, the House of Burgesses was an effort to make local government in Virginia more responsive to its colonists. On July 30,1619, the first legislative assembly held a meeting at the House of Burgesses in Jamestown. -
Mayflower Compact
Pilgrims that fled England in fear of prosecution created the contract. The Mayflower Compact was a social contract created by Pilgrims in alliance to the king and was created to establish regulations for the sake of survival. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Bacon's Rebellion was led by Nathaniel Bacon. Due to the high taxes, low prices of tobacco, and special privileges given to those close to the govener, Sir William Berkeley, the uprising began. Bacon had two successful expeditions and was arrested, after being released and not being able to hold attack, he set fire to the capital and controlled the colony but died in october 1676 and the rebellion collapsed. -
Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch Trials were a series of trials and prosecutions of colonists in Massachusetts being accused of witchcraft and being in league with the devil. Infant death and crop failure were signs of witchcraft, for example. Over 20 people were ultimately executed/ -
Zenger Trial
John Peter Zenger, a German immigrant who had become a journalist/publisher of the New York Weekly Journal, voiced his opinions onf the colonial govener, William Cosby. This resulted in his arrest and the Zenger Case which established that truth is a defense against charges of libal, free speech issues proclamed him “not guilty.” -
Stono Rebellion
The largest slave uprising began in the colony of South Carolina. The leader of the rebellion, Jemmy (or Cato), was a literate slave who led former soldiers. Due to this rebellion, the Negro Act of 1740 and a 10-year moratorium against importing slaves was established. -
Albany Plan
The Albany Plan was created to unify the government of the Thirteen Colonies. The plan was suggested by Benjamin Franklin and was an attempt to form a union. -
Fort Necessity
At Fort Necessity in Fayatte County, Pennsylvania, George Washington made his first surrender in battle. Due to the French and Indian tensions, this site was destroyed. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was an incident where British troops were stationed at the Province of Massachusetts Bay in order to protect crown-appointed officials as they attempted to enforce Parliamentary legislation. Due to the tension between the crowd and the troops, the soldiers fired into the crowd. -
Coercive Acts
The Coercive Acts was a name given to the series of punitive laws passed by British Parliament in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party. The Acts did not allow Massachusetts to self govern or have historic rights which caused an outrage. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence announced that the Thirteen Colonies that were in war with Great Britain were independence states. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, etc. composed the document and published it in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shay's rebellion in Massachusetts of 1786-87 was the first armed uprising in the nation and was due to the debt relief legislation, extremely high taxing, and debt. This post-Revolutionary clash threatened to plunge the U.S. Into a civil war. The rebellion was suppressed by military force and the Riot Act (which outlawed illegal assemblies) by John Adams. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion began once Alexander Hamilton decided to tax farmers furthermore to fund war debt. This outraged many war veterans and farmers, causing 500 armed men to attack General John Neville. -
The Cotton Gin
The Cotton Gin was invented by Eli Whitney which revolutionized the cotton industry. The Cotton Gin seperates the cotton fibers from their seeds. This invention also lead to the growth of slavery. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts included: The Naturalization Act, The Alien Friends Act, The Alien Enemies Act, and The Sedition Act. These bills were passed by the 5th United States Congress after the French Revolution and signed by John Adams. -
Marbury vs Madison
Marbury vs Madison was a case attempting to balsance the powers between executive and judicial branches of government. -
Lewis and Clark
The expedition across the western portion of the United States was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson. Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark's journey lasted from May 1804 to September of 1806. This expedition began to establish trade with Indian tribes, and to study plants, animals, and geography. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was a policy of the U.S. stating that efforts of the European nation attempting to colonize on either North or South American states would require intervention. This also stated that the U.S. would not interfere with European colonies also. The Monroe Doctrine was stated by President James Monroe. -
The Alamo
The Alamo was a 13 day siege that inspired Texians to join the army. The Mexican troops began an assault near San Antoni, Texas killing all of the Texian defenders. This caused the Texians to defeat the Mexican army in spite of revenge. -
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was a nickname given to the Indian Removal Policy enforced by President Andrew Jackson. The Cherokee nation were forced to move to the present-day Oklahoma, the nation suffering from starvation, disease, etc. -
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny was a 19th century belief that American settlers and people were destined to expand to expand westward. Many issues rose with this belief such as slavery, territory boundaries, etc. -
Seneca Falls
The Seneca Falls Convention was a women's rights convention by Lucretia Mott held for two days in Seneca Falls, New York. This Convention featured guest speakers, presentations, the Declaration of Sentiments, etc. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 settled a four year disagreement between territories of the slave states of the South and free states of the North during the Mexican-American War. The compromise was drafted by Whig Senator Henry Clay Democrat Stephen Douglas, avoiding civil war and conflict. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was an anti-slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The novel was the best selling book of the 19th century and helped fuel abolitionists. -
Dred Scott Case
Preceding the American Civil War, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision against Dred Scott v. Sanford who was a slave who lived with his owner in a free state befor returning to the slave state of Missouri. Scott argued that he was entitled to emancipation due to his time spent in the free state. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney disagreed. This case caused North-South tensions and heightened abolitionists. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War in order to free slaves in ten states. This Proclamation was issued to keep the Union together and shift the focus of the Civil War. -
KKK Force Acts
The KKK Force Acts were created in response to the Ku Klux Klan which targeted blacks. These Acts proteced blacks' voting rights and equal protection of law. -
Spanish American War
The Spanish American War was between Spain and the U.S., intervening the Cuban War of Independence. Revolt and fight for independence ultimately resulted in the Treaty of Paris. -
Zimmerman Telegram
Foreign Secretary of the German Empire, Arthur Zimmermann to the German ambassador in Mexico, Heinrich von Eckardt. sent the Zimmerman Telegram in hopes of the rebirth of submarine warfare by Germany, which Germany thought would make the neutral U.S. into war on the side of its Allies. -
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement of "Negro literature" mostly around Harlem, New York. This movement inspired others from Paris and the Carribean. -
Black Tuesday
Black Tuesday, also known as the Stock Market Crash, marked the beginning of the Great Depression. This was due to the losses of billions of dollars in shares that were traded. -
Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise by the Japanese Navy against the U.S. Navy at Hawaii. This led to the U.S. entering World War 2.The attack was to prevent the U.S. from interfering with the Japanese's actions against the U.K. and other territories. -
Hiroshima Bombing
The Hiroshima Bombing was during World War 2 using massive nuclear weapons. The bomb devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki causing death from radiation, flash burns, etc. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was a policy signed by President Harry Truman which stated that the U.S. would help Greece and Turkey economically and militarily to prevent from falling into Communism. -
Brown vs Board
The Brown vs. Board of Education was a United States Supreme Courts case in which laws were established to seperate black and white students in public schools. This was a major part in the civil rights movement. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Congress aproved of the expansion of the Vietnam War. President Lyndon B. Johnson feared the public would not support this, however, rebel forces controlled nearly half of South Vietnan. This public law gave president Johnson the powere to take whatever actions he deemed necessary to defent Southeast Asia. -
Tet Offensive
Tet Offensive was launched by Viet Cong, attacking South Vietnam, the U.S., and its allies. The agreement before the attack was to cease fire during the Tet Lunar New Year, and in result of not doing so, many soldiers died. -
Watergate
The burglary at Watergate lead to the resignation of Richard Nixon and his administration. The breaking in and entering of the headquarters of the Democratic National Commiteee in Washington D.C. lead to convictions of the senate and amendment changes. -
Challenger Explosion
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into flight and killed 7 crew members. This explosion resulted in a 32 month hiatus and found it was NASA's fault for the accident. -
Iran-Contra Affair
The Iran-Contra Affair was a political scandal and secret arrangment in November 1986, attempting to gain profit by selling arms to Iran. President Ronald Reagan and VP Bush was not linked to the crime however, it has been said that they were involved in the matter. This affair was to commit to aid the contras in war and to secure the release of American hostages by pro-iranian groups. The result of this affair were a number of criminal convictions. -
9/11
On September 11, 2001, militants of the Islamic group al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden hijacked four ailiners and targeted the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon outside of Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. The result was extensive death and destruction, terrorism. This was due to the retaliation for America's support of Israel and involvement in the Persion Gulf War.
