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First people by boat arrive in North America in 30,000 BC, prior to settlers, such as Columbus, in 1492 -
Spanish, Portuguese, French and English arrive on in the new world -
The Virginia Company formed a settlement in Jamestown. Settlers from England. -
The first Africans arrive in Virginia. They were used as trade for supplies. This would be the start of slave trading in the New World. -
Irish started to arrive in the new world in 1630 -
The first known Jewish settlement in the New World was in New Amsterdam in 1654 from Brazil -
Some Germans came to American with the English to settle Jamestown in 1607. In 1683, thirteen families came to America seeking religious freedom -
Congress adopts the Declaration on Independence that breaks the United States from Great Britton -
The Revolutionary War was from 1777 - 1783. The United States was free country. -
The Constitution was adopted in 1787, but did not detail who/whom would be an American citizen. -
In the name of expansion and exploration, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. This took land from Native Americans that had been stewards for centuries. They were moved, by foot, westward and many did not survive. -
Chinese arrive to San Francisco to try to find their luck with the California Gold Rush. -
A former Slave went to court to establish he was an American Citizen. The court decided he was not. -
Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863 that states all African Americans were free of slavery in the Northern states. -
A major issue during the Civil War was slavery. The Confederacy felt that slaves were a state right and were required to continue to provide cotton to the world -
Juneteenth 1865: When word of the freeing of the slaves arrived in Texas, making all African Americans free from slavery -
The 14th Amendment "grants citizenship to all PERSONS born or naturalized in the United States." This included formerly enslaved people. It also grated "equal protections under the laws" previously discussed in the Bill of Rights. -
The 15th Amendment decreed that African Americans were given the right to vote in State and Federal elections. -
In 1882, The United States banned Chinese immigration for 10 years and segregated schools in San Francisco. -
The California Supreme Court decided that Chinese American students were afforded the same public education. -
The Untied States Supreme Court found that equal but separate for whites and colored people. -
In the 1900's many states wanted to find ways to stop Blacks from voting. Poll taxes, literacy tests and imitation made it very tough for Blacks to vote during elections. -
Between 1870-1900 immigrants came from Great Britain, Ireland, and Scandinavia. They worked in factories and low wages. They lived in tight quarters and tenement buildings in urban areas of large cities -
The 19th Amendment allowed women the right to vote. Women had fought for equal rights for others, but it wasn't until 1920 that women could vote. -
During WWII, FDR created internment camps for Japanese Americans with decedents from Japan. This made those born in the United States feel like they were not American. -
In 1954 The United States Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th Amendment and unconstitutional. -
The Civil Rights movement in the early 1960's led to The Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national orgin. -
The era for push for the Equal Rights Amendment started in 1972. While there is strong support, it is not yet a part of the Untied States Constitution.