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Oct 12, 1492
Landing of Columbus
On October 12, 1492 Christopher Columbus had his first landing in the New World on the island of San Salvador. His landing was depicted in his journal entries, where he stated he planned to subjugate the whole island. -
Jan 1, 1502
Atlantic Slave Trade
In 1502 the first African slaves in the New World were reported. Taking place accross the Atlantic Ocean, West Africans from central and western parts of the continent were brought to the Americas mainly on the triangular trade route and it;s Middle Passage. -
Jan 1, 1512
Encomienda System Established
In 1512, in order to control and regulate American Indian labor and behavior during the colonization of America, the Spanish established the ecomienda system. This gave leaders grants of Indians to tribute in gold and labor, while protecting them. Although the leaders often disrespected the system by enslaving the Indians and taking their land. -
The Mayflower Compact
On November 11, 1620, 41 english colonists that were on the Mayflower ship, signed the first written framework of governement that was established in the United States. The Compact was signed to maintain order and to establish a civil society while waiting for permission to settle on new land. -
Anne Hutchinson Bannished
Massachusetts Puritan, Anne Hutchinson, became an advocate for women, organizing religious meetings and challenging political authority of the clergy. Although on November 17, 1637, Hutchinson was banned from the church and Massachusetts, because of being declared “unfit for society” at her trial. -
Salem Witch Trials
Through February 1692 and May 1963, many people in the colonial town of Salem, Massachusetts, were accused of witchcraft. A series of trials, and prosecutions took place for more than the 200 accused citizens, resulting in 20 people executed. It was later admitted the accusations were inaccurate and apologized to the families of those blamed. -
Stamp Act
On March 22, 1765, Parliament passes the Stamp Act to help pay for British troops stationed during the Seven Years’ War. It was taxed on all American colonists, requiring them to pay for every printed piece of paper they used. Paper products such as playing cards, newspapers, license, documents etc were all taxed. -
Boston Massacre:
On March 5, 1770, a group of British soldiers opened fired after being taunted by crowds of people. They had killed 5 civilians making the Boston Massacre a key event to help stimulate the colonial public. -
Whiskey Rebellion
Angered by the federal tax on whiskey and other excise taxes, farmers revolted in western Pennsylvania to impose the tax. Washington then sent troops under Alexander Hamilton's command to end the revolt. The tax was initially added to help reduce the $54 million national debt of the U.S. -
The Louisiana Purchase
In 1803 the United States acquired land stretching from the Mississippi River in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west, from the Gulf of Mexico in the South to the Canadian Border in the north, over doubling Americas size. Buying and negotiating the land with France, it was considered one of Thomas Jeffersons most important achievements in his presidency. -
Annoucement of the Monroe Doctrine
On December 2, 1823 President James Monroe announced an annual message (the Monroe Doctrine) to Congress, warning all European powers not to interfere in Western Hemisphere affairs. If they did colonize or interfere, it would be seen as acts of aggression, which the U.S. would become involved. -
Indian Removal Act
On May 28, 1830, the Indian Removal Act, under President Jackson was passed by Congress. It was a law that required the president to not force but negotiate southern Indian Tribes removal of territory west of the Mississippi in exchange for their homelands. This soon would result to be unsuccessful as the Indians were forced and threatened to leave their land and fall into the Trail of Tears. -
Mexican American War
In 1846, President Polk, ordered the U.S. Army to move in to the disputed territory of California, Texas and parts of New Mexico, because the Mexican government refused to meet with the representative over Polk’s wanting to buy their land. On April 25th, 1846, fighting broke, killing 16 American soldiers to be killed by the Mexican force over the disputed territory. -
The Civil War
Through April 12, 1861-May 9, 1865, the Union States and the states of the Confederacy entered a war to forever determine its fate as a nation. They fought through many differences involving opinions on slavery, trade, tariffs and state rights. -
Reconstruction Acts of 1867
After the Civil War, Congress decided it was time for reconstruction. They passed acts such as a presidential veto act dividing the South into military districts. They also created acts such as the Tenure Office Act, restricting the president from removing any officeholders before Senators approval, and an act giving Southern African American men the right to vote before three years ahead of when the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified. -
Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
On May 10th, 1869, the industrial economy America changed forever. The first transcontinental railroad was finally completed when the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific met. This created easier transportation across America, easier ways to transport goods, and much quicker communication. -
Panic of 1873
A panic caused by many international economic problems causing a major depression. The Resumption Act, that Congress had passed created compensatory deflationary pressure, causing decline in prices. -
Interstate Commerce Act
In 1887, Congress passed an act, making railroads the first industry subject to federal regulation. Listening to the publics demand, including farmers and populist groups, they felt the need to pass the Interstate Commerce Act. -
Spanish American War
With the Industrial Revolution causing American businesses to look for new markets, the government became more interested in imperialism and acquiring colonies. The Cuba and the Phillipine's rebel against Spain ended up giving the U.S. a chance to expand, therefore fighting against Spain as well. -
U.S. enters WWI
Although many Americans, were not in favor of entering the war and wanted to remain neutral, the U.S. decided to enter anyway. They had joined their allies Britain, France and Russia in the fight. -
Beginning of Great Depression
August 4th, 1929, a worldwide sever economic depression arose after the stock markets crashed. Many people lost their jobs/found it hard to get a job because of the decline in consumer spending and the pile up of unsold goods, causing production to slow. -
Cold War Begins
A decision made between the U.S.A and the USSR after WWII, to dominate international affairs for decades. Although it caused many crisis’ such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, Hungary, the Berlin Wall, etc. -
Korean War
On June 25th, 1950, the very first military attack of the cold war, when over 75,000 North Korean soldiers invaded across the 38th parallel. America, soon became involved as it was a war between the forces of international communism. -
NATO and Warsaw Pact
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a military alliance between N. America and W. Europe that formed the backbone of the West’s military against the USSR and its allies. It stated an attack against one of them would be considered as an attack against all of them. The Warsaw Pact formed May 14th, 1955, created a coordinated system of defense between the countries that kept stand for the cold war. The organization put the Soviets in command of the armed forces of the member states. -
The Challenger Explosion
On January 28th, 1986 the space shuttle the Challenger exploded for the world to see during its lift off. It had killed everyone on board and had put the world into a state of shock. -
Cold War Ends
The dreadful Cold War ends after the Berlin Wall comes down and the borders opened. And later in 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved into it’s component republics, causing the war to come to an end. -
9/11 Terrorist Attacks
On September 11, 2001 a terrorist attack by the Islamic Al-Qaeda group committed 4 attacks on the United States. Two planes crashed into the two World Trade Centers, while another targeted the Pentagon, leaving one plane crashing into a field in Pennsylvania. It is known as the worst attack in U.S, History, killed nearly 3,000 people.