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Period: Jan 1, 1491 to
Period 1
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May 10, 1492
Columbus lands in the Americas
While trying to find a trade route to asia, columbus stumbled upon what would become the best country in the world. it would eventually lead to the columbian exchange and triangle trade -
May 12, 1492
some of the first trade with natives begin
it is the first interaction between native amerians and europeans in history and led to the eventual destruction of the native peoples -
Jan 1, 1493
the beginning of the Columbian exchange
this marked the beginning of trade between europe africa and the americas with goods being sent in all directions, including diseases like small pox that eventually wiped out the native americans -
Apr 22, 1515
the beginning of the atlantic slave trade
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Jan 1, 1565
St augustine is established
the oldest colony in US history is established in St Augustine FL by the spanish letting the world know that they want a piece of america too -
John smith founds the colony of Jamestown
John smith fonds jamestown which is the first colony in the US and they eventually become very successful due to the cultivation of tobacco as britain wanted to trade with jamestown to get tobacco -
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Period 2
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The first slaves are brought to the VA colony
the first slaves are brought to VA which led to millions more coming over and the debate of the morality vs the economics of slavery begins -
thhe dutch founded new amsterdam
from 1626 to 1664, the dutch founded and controlled what was known as new amsterdam, a key port and trade city where present day new york is located. it was in 1664 that english colonnel richard nicholls took over from there -
New orleans was established
anlong with the creation of a key port city, the french also created the first map of their territory louisiana -
indentured servitude
indentured servitude was basically slavery with a different name and a few different principles. as after the servants pay off their debt they could buy their own land to work and make money, or at least that was what was supposed to hppen -
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Period 3
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French and Indian war
this war(1754-1763) is what started the path to the american revolution as britain became broke and used taxes on the colonists to pay for it -
Sugar act
one of the first of many taxing acts the british passes to pay for the 7 years war. it imposed duties on foreign wines, coffee, textiles, and indigo imported into the colonies, and that also expanded the customs service -
stamp act
the stamp act really pissed off the colonists by putting a tax on various forms of paper goods. however it was ater repealed -
Tea act
the east india company was authorizedthe company to sell a huge tea surplus directly to the public without payment of duty creating a monoply and eventually led to the boston tea party -
Hamilton’s Report on Manufactures
Hamilton’s vision for the economic foundation of the United States included: 1) federal assumption of state debts, 2) creation of a Bank of the United States, and 3) support for the new nation’s emerging industries -
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Period 4
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The Louisiana purchase
Jefferson sent negotiators to France with instructions to purchase New Orleans and as much of the Gulf Coast as they could for $10 million. The subsequent 1803 Louisiana Purchase more than doubled the size of the United States. -
The embargo of 1807
In an attempt to avert war, the United States imposed an embargo on foreign trade. The embargo was an unpopular and costly failure. It hurt the American economy far more than the British or French and resulted in widespread smuggling and unemployment. -
Tariff of 1816
The Tariff of 1816 imposed a high tax on foreign goods to protect American industry after the War of 1812 -
tariff of 1828
the Tariff of 1828 increased the tax on imported manufactured goods but was a huge failure -
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Period 5
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Sewing machine invented
The popularization of the sewing machine revolutionized life for many women and made the United States the leader in cheap, ready-to-wear clothing. -
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Period 6
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Purchase of Alaska
Secretary of State William Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia for the United States in 1867. For $7.2 million the deal added 586,412 square miles to the United States -
Transcontinental raileroad completed
The first transcontinental railroad was completed when the Union Pacific and Central Pacific met. Chinese and European laborers were recruited to help lay 1800 miles of track. The costs of financing the project were too great to be borne by one group of investors. it also made cross country travel and trade much easier. -
Standard Oil organized
In Ohio, John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil company was incorporated in 1870. By 1880, the company had grown into an empire, controlling about 90 percent of oil refining in the United States. -
The panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 was prompted by international economic problems and led to a major national depression. Congress passed the Resumption Act of 1875, which created compensatory deflationary pressure that contributed to general decline prices. -
American Federation of Labor founded
Trade unions formed the American Federation of Labor to organize skilled workers. Cigar maker Samuel Gompers was its first president. Gompers was concerned with practical matters of labor like hours, pay, and working conditions rather than political or social issues -
McKinley Tariff
After 1887, the tariff became a central issue in American politics. Democrats, led by Grover Cleveland, charged that the tariff raised prices, enriched the wealthy, and fostered inefficiency. Republicans argued that tariffs promoted infant industries, protected established industries, raised workers’ wages, protected workers against low-wage competition, and fostered a rich home market for farm goods. -
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Period 7
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Start of Panama Canal construction
American construction began on the Panama Canal. It took ten years and $352 million dollars to complete. The canal opened in 1914. During the building of the canal, begun under the French in 1879, more than 26,000 workers, many West Indian, died from construction accidents and yellow fever and other diseases. -
Sixteenth Amendment
The Sixteenth Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified in 1913, allowing the federal government to “lay and collect taxes on incomes -
Major industry changes by Ford
The Ford Motor Company perfected the assembly line and introduced the $5 per day wage, double the industry standard. -
Federal Trade Commission Act
Two major pieces of anti-trust legislation were enacted under President Wilson. The Federal Trade Commission Act prohibited unfair interstate commerce competition and created a commission to investigate illegal business practices. The Clayton Antitrust Act prohibited some monopolistic business practices and protected unions and farmers’ organizations from prosecution under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. -
Eighteenth Amendment was ratified
forbid the manufacture, sale, transportation, import, and export of “intoxicating liquors,” was ratified. Prohibition had profound consequences: it made brewing and distilling illegal, expanded state and federal government, inspired new forms of sociability between men and women, and suppressed elements of immigrant and working-class culture. -
Stock market crash
The stock market crashed over the course of five days in October 1929. The crisis began on October 24 and on October 29 the market experienced the greatest crash in its history. As soon as the gong sounded, a mad rush to sell began. Trading volume soared to an unprecedented 16,410,030 shares and the average price of a share fell 12 percent. It also marked the beginning of the Great Depression, which destroyed the economy and left millions of Americans unemployed. -
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Period 8
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The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan
(March 12, 1947 — April 3, 1948)
On March 12, 1947, the President announced the Truman Doctrine, a policy plan to keep Communism from spreading to politically unstable countries. Fearing that poverty and other conditions created by World War II might make Europe susceptible to Communism, the American government funneled about thirteen billion dollars into Western Europe to rehabilitate and stabilize countries through the Marshall Plan -
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Berlin Airift
June 24, 1948 — September 30, 1949 -
Hydrogen bomb test
In 1952 the United States exploded a hydrogen bomb on Eniwetok, an island in the Pacific Ocean. The detonation destroyed the island and sent up a three-mile-wide mushroom cloud. The successful test marked a new era in the arms race. -
Equal Pay Act
Congress passed the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which made it illegal to pay men and women different wages for equal work. And, in October, the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, established in 1961, issued a powerful report documenting widespread inequality and discrimination. -
Earth Day
In 1969 Senator Gaylord Nelson, after a massive oil spill in California, proposed a “national teach in on the environment.” With backing from GOP congressman Pete McCloskey, the first Earth Day was held in 1970. -
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Period 9