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On December 6, 1606, the journey to the New World began on three ships: the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery. On May 13th, 1607, the 104 English men and boys on these three ships chose to settle at Jamestown, Virginia named after their King, James I. The members of the Virginia Company would work fervently throughout the summer and fall to create the first permanent English settlement in the New World. -
The origins of the slave trade in on American soil can be attributed to the first arrival of African slaves in Jamestown in 1619. John Rolfe, a Virginia colonist, would document the arrival of the ship and "20 and odd" Africans on board. The arrival of African Slaves in the colonies would begin a decades long slave trade in which millions of slaves would be taken from Africa and sent to American plantations and farms. This would mark the beginning of one of America's mortal sins, slavery. -
The Massachusetts Bay Colony is one of the oldest English Settlements in North America. Settled in 1630 by a group of around 1,000 puritan refugees from England, the settlement was their escape from religious persecution and many hoped to build a model religious community in the Americas. The Massachusetts Bay Colony had the first self government independent of the king and its own set of religious laws. This settlement is often attributed with creating a highly protestant influence in America. -
From 1692 to 1693, a mass hysteria known as the Salem Witch Trials erupted across New England, especially in Salem, Massachusetts. After many young girls experienced strange symptoms, many of them would accuse several local women of bewitching them. This mass hysteria would see an official court brought to New England and help shape modern American court and law. With much evidence being absent and "spectral", this would reshape how hearings and proceedings would work in courts in the Americas. -
After a large decline in protestant values throughout the colonies, many preachers and ministers would preach in an attempt to bring people back to church and closer to God. Key figures such as George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards were moderate evangelicals who preached, heavily influenced by the Puritan tradition in the colonies. They preached that not only did they have to know about God and his commandments, but they had to receive him meaningfully in their heart. -
In June of 1754, colonial delegates assembled in Albany, New York to discuss a treaty with Native Americans and create a plan of defense of the colonies against further French aggression. Exceeding the limited objectives of the Congress, the assembly adopted a plan developed by Benjamin Franklin for the government of the colonies which showed a need for unity among the colonies under the guidance of a central executive assembly. Although rejected, it was a useful guide for later. -
Conflict erupted on the North American continent after a series of incidents occurred in the upper Ohio River valley, which the French and British governments both claimed as their territory. This would begin a 9 year long conflict that would see battles all over the world. The American colonists would take a large part in the defense of the colonies from French attacks. Following the Albany Congress, it helped demonstrate the need for unity among the colonies. -
The Treaty of Paris of 1762 would end the long and costly French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years War, between Great Britain and France. France would cede all of its territories in mainland North America and end any foreign military threat to the British colonies. This opened up the possibility of new land in the west to American colonists. However, following the war, new restrictions, taxes, and the military would occupy American politics to help pay back the debt from the war. -
On October 7, 1763, King George III would issue the Proclamation of 1763. It prohibited colonists from moving west across the Appalachian Mountains and required those who had already moved west to move back to the eastern seaboard. This proclamation enraged the colonists who had hoped for expansion following their well deserved victory in the French and Indian War. This would mark the end of Benign Neglect and create an era of a return of direct intervention by Great Britain in its colonies. -
Tensions were running high in Boston in the late 1760s and early 1770s. More than 2,000 British soldiers occupied the city and enforced Britain's tax laws, like the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts. Protests, riots, and public speeches raged throughout the city. On March 5, 1770, colonists began to pelt British soldiers guarding the Customs House on Kings Street with stones and rocks. This escalated to beatings with sticks and clubs. British soldiers opened fire, killing 5 and wounding 6. -
Colonial legislatures empowered delegated to attend a Continental Congress that would set terms for a boycott of British goods. The Congress would first meet in Philadelphia on September 5 from all 13 colonies except Georgia. The Congress adopted the Articles of association which stated their resolve to embargo and boycott British goods if they did not repeal the Intolerable Acts. The actions of the Congress would provoke the British parliament and create a need for reconvention in 1775. -
With a full blown revolution occurring in Boston and outlying towns, British soldiers began to mount for a strike against rebel arms and ammunition depots in the town of Concord. After encountering large resistance in Lexington, they would march on to Concord if they would be surrounded and defeated, forced to retreat back to safety in Boston. The shots fired at Lexington would begin the American Revolution. The Second Continental Congress would now have to create a wartime government and army. -
After conflict erupted in Boston in 1775, the Second Continental Congress began working on creating a permanent army and government as well as establishing their sovereignty from Great Britain and the King. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams, the Congress would adopt the document on July 4, 1776. This would completely sever political connections to Great Britain and summarize the colonists' motives for seeking independence. However, there was still much work to do. -
Under the leadership of General George Washington and with aid and support from the French, the Continental Army was successful in defeating the British in North America with Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown in October of 1783. American delegates now traveled to Paris to create a new treaty with the British that would have them recognize American independence and establish boundaries that would allow for American western expansion. With independence now secure, it was time to build a nation. -
Shay's Rebellion was a violent insurrection in the Massachusetts countryside during 1786 and 1787. Under the Articles of Confederation, the federal government held no power to put it down, so the state of Massachusetts had to handle the insurrection itself. It highlighted the weaknesses inherent within the Articles of Confederation. With its weaknesses exposed, a constitutional convention would convene later in 1787 to discuss the creation of a new Constitution. -
The Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia between May and September of 1787 to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. Under the careful construction of James Madison, a new United States Constitution was put forth. It would take over a year to get the necessary 9 of 13 states to ratify the new constitution. On June 21, 1788, they would get the necessary votes and on March 4, 1789, the Constitution would be ratified. -
The Second Great Awakening occurred from 1790 to 1840 and was a time of great religious and spiritual revival in the Colonies. Like the first, it had a large emphasis on church attendance and encouraged many to open their hearts towards Gods. It encouraged charity and created organizations aimed at perfecting society as a whole through collaboration. Women would take a large part in charitable actions of organizations. This Second Great Awakening also aimed to undo the racial barriers present. -
Beginning in 1791, the Whiskey Rebellion was a revolt that took place due to a federal tax placed on Whiskey aimed at paying off the war debt of the states. A meeting at fort Redstone in July of 1791 would begin organized resistance. While President Washington tried to end any escalation by finding peaceful alternatives, Washington was forced to exercise executive powers to take control of state militias and put an end to the rebellion, This highlights the strength of the new Constitution. -
The Bill of Rights was amended to the Constitution in December of 1791. In order to retain support for the new Constitution and ensure that the rights of the individual would be secured, the Bill of Rights was added. It expressed the rights of the people that could not be infringed upon by state or federal governments. This pleased anti-federalists who were hesitant to support the Constitution because of the power it gave to the federal government. -
In response to John Adam's Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson authored the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions. They argued that the federal government had no authority to exercise power not granted by the constitution. The states also had the right and duty to determine the legitimacy of federal laws, especially those that are unlawful. This would be the foundation for the events of Marbury v. Madison in 1803 and the nullification crisis of 1830. -
In an effort to secure the entirety of the Mississippi River for trade, Thomas Jefferson would send a delegation to France to organize the purchase of New Orleans and West Florida for as much as 10 million dollars. Although denied, Emperor Napoleon offered the delegation the entire Louisiana territory for 15 million dollars. The news of the purchase elated Americans who had expansionist ambitions. The purchase nearly doubled the size of the country and created a precedent of American expansion. -
The Lewis and Clark Expeditions was an expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the United States following the Louisiana Purchase. Commissioned by Thomas Jefferson, the party set out in May of 1804. Tasked with documenting and mapping terrain and logging natural materials and wealth, the party traveled along the northern boundary of the United States to the Pacific. There, they would find the United States was a bi-coastal nation. This discovery was instrumental for the nation. -
The United States had been conducting trade with both France and Great Britain throughout the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. With Royal Navy ships seizing and capturing American goods bound for France, President Thomas jefferson would place an embargo that would limit American Trade with both Great Britain and France. This destroyed American trade and the economy, but it was soon replaced in 1810 and reopened trade with Britain and France. However, American ships continued to be seized and attacked. -
Macon's Bill No. 2 reopened trade with Great Britain, but this did not end hostility toward American merchants. With continual attacks against the American Economy, President James Madison signed a declaration of war in June of 1812. The war itself was mostly defensive and saw little action, especially with major conflict in Europe. The war became a stalemate and by 1814, with the war bringing little and being costly, both sides began pressing for peace. -
A meeting in Ghent, Belgium saw American and British delegates signing the Treaty of Ghent on Christmas Eve, 1814. With no clear victor, Great Britain agreed to relinquish claims to the Northwest Territory and both countries pledged to work toward ending the slave trade. Also, Great Britain pledged to stop unnecessary raiding of American merchant ships. This was significant in U.S. history as this was the second time they had stood up against the world power and successfully defended itself. -
In a battle between northern free states and southern slave states, the fate of Missouri laid in the hands of a divided Congress. This crisis would be resolved due to the careful planning of Henry Clay, who offered a compromise. Clay suggested that Missouri be admitted as a slave state if Maine, in the New England territory, be admitted as a free state. It also said that there could be no more slave states above the Missouri Compromise Line. This would, however, be a short lived compromise.
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The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was signed into law on May 28th, 1830 by President Andrew Jackson. The purpose of the law was to remove all American Indians living in existing states and territories and moving them to unsettled reservations in the west. All native Americans east of the Mississippi would be resettled. In a process known as resettlement, tens of thousands of native families would be rounded up by U.S. Army soldiers moved west in an event known as the Trail of Tears. -
In an act of defiance by state governments to laws created by the federal government, South Carolina would adopt an Ordinance of Nullification, declaring the tariffs imposed by President Andrew Jackson on foreign products to be null and void in the state. It drew from James Madison's argument in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, but took it one step further in nullification. When Jackson used military force to subdue South Carolina, this rose questions about the president's power. -
As American settlers began to migrate to the Mexican state of Texas, the Mexican government began placing limitations on their representation and political power. In an act of defiance, Texas rebels, led by Sam Houston, would fight back against the Mexican army. In harsh fighting, the Texan rebels were able to subdue the Mexican army forces and on March 2, 1836, claimed Independence from Mexico and created the Republic of Texas. This would set up further conflict when they entered the union. -
Following Texas' admission into the Union, the U.S. army purposefully stationed soldiers in a contested border area in southern Texas. This sparked skirmishes and war was officially declared in April of 1846. In a large-scale series of land battles, the U.S. army successfully subdued and defeated Santa Anna's army and sieged Mexico City. The swift and hasty victory by the United States would elevate them as a greater military power. It would also further imperial ambitions. -
On January 24, 1848, gold was discovered by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought almost 300,000 people to California in one of the largest mass migrations in U.S. history at the time. This gold rush would help further settlement of the west and the development of towns and cities on the west coast. It would also further racial violence towards those of Mexican, Asian, or native descent. -
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo would end the war between the United States and Mexico. Mexico would cede over half of its territory including California, the Utah and New Mexico territories for a small sum of 15 million dollars. It also established the Rio Grande River as the southern border of the United States. This would secure the rest of the continent from the east coast to the west coast. This was the first step in complete subduing of the continent. -
As populations in the west grew rapidly, especially in California, political outrage emerged over the issue of free versus slave states. In order to satisfy both anti and pro-slavery congressman, Henry Clay and other whig political leaders drafted a compromise. The Compromise of 1850 allowed California to enter the union as a free state, ended the slave trade in Washington D.C., created a Fugitive Slave Act, and allowed for popular sovereignty in new states wishing to enter the union. -
Harriet Beecher Stowe published her novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in April of 1852. This was the first time that anyone had portrayed, openly, the struggles of slavery and the humany of enslaved people. By humanising enslaved people's and enlightening people on the horrors of slavery, it grew attention to abolitionist cause. It quickly became one of the best selling novels in the United States and one of the most hated books in the South. It stood as a marker of freedom to those still in bondage. -
Titled "An Act to Organize the Territories of Nebraska and Kansas," this act repealed the MIssouri Compromise and reopened the idea of slavery to the Nebraska and Kansas Territories. Popular sovereignty would be the deciding factor on whether each state would be slave or free. Thousands of pro and anti slavery persons would migrate to both territories to sway the vote. This opened both territories , especially Kansas, to be open to violence between the two groups. Thus began "bleeding Kansas." -
With the vote in Kansas leaning more towards outlawing slavery, a large force of pro-slavery settlers, led by Mississippi's Douglas County Sheriff, Samuel Jones, attacked and ransacked Lawrence, Kansas. They burned abolitionist homes and meeting halls. They stuffed ballot boxes with hundreds of fake pro-slavery votes. This act sparked violence in Kansas that would last until its admission into the Union in 1861. -
On the evening of October 16, 1859, John Brown, a radial and violent abolitionist, and a small band of anti-slavery zealots would raid a federal arms depot in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. In an attempt to secure weapons and continue south to create a slave uprising, he was put down by U.S. Army forces under the command of Robert E. Lee. This attack electrified the South, who were already fearful of rebellion of the millions of enslaved people they held in bondage. -
The election of 1860 would be an election that would forever seal the fate of slavery in the United States. The Republican nominee, Abraham Lincoln, would face off against the Democratic nominee, John C. Breckinridge. Even though Lincoln's name did not appear on the ballot in the South, Lincoln won both the electoral and popular vote. This was the last straw for the south. Knowing Lincoln's position on slavery, many southern states began drafting ordinances of secession, beginning with SC. -
In an act of defiance, the newly formed Confederacy began to secure federal forts and arms depots in the South. One such fort was Fort Sumter off of the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. When Union troops requested to send aid to the troops currently in the fort, the request was denied and the fort was sieged. It ended with the surrender of the fort by the United States Army. With this conflict came the beginning of the American Civil War. Lincoln was determined to subdue the South. -
After a long stalemate in the East, General Robert E. Lee would begin to advance north into Pennsylvania. Union General George McClellan would meet Lee at Antietam. What followed was the bloodiest day in American history, with over 22,000 men killed or wounded. Lee would be pushed back into Virginia and Lincoln would claim a victory for the Union. Following the victory, Lincoln was ready to give the war a new meaning by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, showing his means to end slavery. -
After a series of defensive victories at Chancellorsville, Lee was running out of resources. In an effort to deliver a fatal blow to the North, he once again entered Pennsylvania with hopes of threatening New York and Washington D.C.. He met Union General Burnside at the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In a 3 day engagement, Lee would be routed and defeated. With such a large victory, Lincoln would travel to the battlefield and deliver his Gettysburg Address, restating the purpose of the war. -
With a collapsing homefront and running out of men and resources, Lee began a retreat to an arms depot at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Major General Ulysses S. Grant would eventually catch up to him and, with no option, was forced to surrender. This marked the unofficial end of the Civil War and the Collapse of the federacy. Confederate President Jackson Davis was captured 2 weeks later and just after that, the last Confederate generals surrendered. Armed conflict would end in May 1865. -
In the wake of the Civil War and during the early stages of reconstruction, Congress would pass the Civil Rights Act of 1866. it vowed to protect the civil rights of persons of African descent born or brought to the United States. Although vetoed by President Andrew Johnson, Lincoln's successor, it was overrode and put into law on April 9, 1866. In order to protect this act from future Democratic attacks following reconstruction, Republicans would move forward to make it an amendment. -
Seeing President Johnson's leniency towards ex-confederates and the south, Congress moved forward with enacting a stricter, military Reconstruction in the South. In March 1867, Congress overrode Johnson's veto and passed the Reconstruction Act into law. It divided the ex-Confederate states into five military districts and placed them under martial law, governed by Union generals. It also stated that each state Constitution would make secession illegal and adopt the 13th and 14th amendments. -
Seeing his power as executive constantly overturned, President Andrew Johnson began working to remove prominent Republican official from office. In defiance of the Tenure of Office Act, passed by Congress in 1867, he formally dismissed Secretary of War Edwin Stanton without the approval of the Senate. He also attacked the congressional policies of reconstruction in the South. While not completely voted out of power, Johnson was impeached by the House and left powerless for the rest of his term. -
The 14th amendment had been 2 years in the making, but it was officially ratified in July of 1688. It further extended and capsulated the rights stated in the Bill of Rights to all people regardless of race or former condition of servitude. This was a remarkable step towards complete assimilation of racial minorities into society. With this, however, came defiance and violence. Many refused to see themselves as equals with people of color and violence, especially in the South, grew. -
The 15th Amendment would be the last of a series of amendments passed during Republican domination of Congress. The act solidified the right of citizens of the United States to vote and not be denied that right on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. This was a remarkable breakthrough in the extension of voting rights. But, like with the 14th amendment, defiance rose. Poll tax, literacy tests, and intimidation left many in the South to be unable to vote. -
With settlement of the west came a land, rich with possibility. With the constant development of the west came large scale destruction of the landscape, nature, and wildlife. The Republicans in Congress saw the need to preserve places of immense beauty, areas that symbolize American culture and nature. In 1872, over 2 million acres of land were allotted to the creation of a national park in Southern Wyoming. This would spark the beginning of large scale conservation efforts in the United States. -
By 1876, Grant had declined to run for re-election. With increasing democratic representation back into Congress and political life, a strong Democratic candidate was put up for election. The Republicans nominated Rutherford B. Hayes to run against Democrat Samuel Tilden. When voter fraud was suspected in 3 southern states, Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina, the presidency was given to Hayes by a congressional committee. Outraged, democrats called for an end to Reconstruction. -
In October of 1884, Mark Twain published his novel "Huckleberry Finn." It was very important in its confrontation of slavery and racism. It is a symbol of kinship that portrays a runaway slave and a young boy floating down the Mississippi River. As a response against the racism of the time, the segregation of blacks and whites in society, it helped shape modern American literature. Twain was very successful in presenting the first deep portrayal of kinship and boyhood.