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Sep 14, 1492
Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue
Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic and found the Bahamas -
Apr 2, 1513
Ponce de Leon
Ponce de Leon explored Florida for Spain. -
Mar 1, 1524
Eastern Seaboard
Giovanni da Verrazano explored from North Carolina to the Hudson River. -
May 8, 1541
The Great Mississippi River
Hernando de Soto discovers the Mississippi River for Spain. -
Sep 28, 1542
California
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo started his exploration of the Pacific Coast at San Diego Bay. -
Roanoke
Sir Walter Raleigh founded the Roanoke Colony in present-day North Carolina. -
Virginia's Roots
Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. -
Sante Fe
The settlement of Sante Fe was established by the Spanish in New Mexico. -
Tobacco
John Rolfe, the father of tabacco, perfected this crops culture in Virginia. -
The First Africans
In the settlement of Jamestown the first Africans arrived in North America. -
Mayflower Compact
The pilgrims signed their first form of government, the Mayflower Compact. -
Royal Colony
Virginia is declared a royal colony. -
Maryland
The mostly Catholic colony of Maryland was founded. -
Harvard
Harvard is one of the many great Ivy League Schools. -
Appalachia
A Virginian, John Lederer, started exploring the Appalachian Mountains. -
Carolina
The original Carolina colony was founded by the Lords Proprietors. -
Connecticut's Blue Laws
Blue Laws were governing laws of the colony. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Virginians rebelled because they did not like the governors friendly approach to the Natives, it was led by Nathaniel Bacon. -
Pope's Rebellion
The Pueblo Indians of Sante Fe revolted against the Spanish settlers. -
PA's Roots
The Province of Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn. -
Albany Congress
Ben Franklin held this in New York with seven of the thirteen colonies present; talked about Indian relationships and defenses against the French. -
Washington's First Assignment
General George Washington tries to push the French out of the Ohio River Valley, but is defeated at Fort Necessity. -
French and Indian War
War between the British and the French that would eventually push the French out of America. -
Treaty of Paris
Ended the French and Indian War, and set up the exchange of territtories. -
Pontiac's Uprising
A loose confederation of Great Lakes' Indians were not happy with British policies, so they fought back. -
Proclamation of 1763
This prohibited the colonists from settling past the Appalachian Mountains, in order to keep peace with the Native Americans. -
Sugar Act
All sugar products would have a tax on them. -
Quartering Act
Colonists had to give shelter and food to British soldiers. -
Stamp Act Congress
Representatives from some of the colonies met and thought of ideas to protest the new Stamp Act. -
Stamp Act
A tax was charged on the printing and selling of certain documents. -
Declaratory Act
The crown declared that it has complete and total rule over the colonies. -
Townshend Acts
These were passed to increase the revenue from the colonies. -
NY Legislature Suspended
Parliament suspended the New York legislature for not corresponding with the Quartering Act. -
Redcoats Occupy Boston
The crown sensed an uprising in the, so they sent troops to Boston. -
Boston Massacre
A group of British soldiers in Boston, fired on a crowd of protestors, killing and wounding 11. -
Townshend Acts Repealed
All of the Townshend Acts were repealed except the Tea Act. -
British East India Company
The British East India Company was granted a monopoly over the tea trade. -
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act guranteed many rights to the French and extended the province to the Ohio River. -
First Continental Congress
There were twelve colonies represented at the congress in Philly, and they discussed the Intolerbale Acts. -
Intolerable Acts
These acts caused outrage and resistance in the colonies. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
These were the first military engagments of the Revolutionary War. "The shot heard around the world." -
Second Continental Congress
Dealt with war efforts and moving towards independence. -
Declaration of Independence
Adopted by the Continental Congress, this delcared the colonies independence from Britain. -
French-American Alliance
Promised protection from British attack indefinitely between France and the Colonies. -
Articles of Confederation
Established the United States as a confederation of sovereign states. -
Cornwallis Surrenders at Yorktown
Cornwallis was forced to surrender to a combined American and French force at Yorktown, Virginia. -
Treaty of Paris
Ended the American Revolution; the Colonies were victorious. -
Treaty of Fort Stanwix
Treaty signed between the United States and the six nations of the Iroquois League. -
Land Ordinance of 1785
This divided the land west of the Appalachian Mountains into separate townships to be sold. -
Shays' Rebellion
Caused by harsh debt collections of the Revolutionary War veterans. -
Annapolis Convention
Representatives from five states met to discuss a revision of the the Articles of Confederation. -
Constitutional Convention
Held in Philidelphia, it was intended to revise the Articles of Confederation but it created a new constitution. -
Northwest Ordinance
This created the Northwest Territory (Great Lakes Region). -
President Washington
George Washington was elected the first president of the United States. -
Constitution Ratified
The Constitution went into effect after it was ratified by eleven states. -
Judiciary Act of 1789
Officialy formed the U.S Supreme Court. -
Excise Tax
This was a tax on luxury items including whiskey. -
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the Constitution; protect the natural rights of liberty and property. -
Whiskey Rebillion
Occured in Southwest Pennsylvania in response to the Excise Tax on whiskey. -
Jay's Treaty
Treaty between U.S and Britain that averted war and alllowed peaceful trade for ten years between the two. -
Fletcher v. Peck
Asserted the right of the Supreme Court to invalidate state laws as unconstitutional. -
War Declared
United States declares war on Great Britain, starting the War of 1812. -
Battle of Lake Erie
Oliver Hazard Perry and the U.S fleet defeated the Royal Navy off the coast of Ohio on Lake Erie. -
Battle of Thames
Battle ended with a U.S victory and the death of Tecomseh. -
Washington Burned
Most of Washington D.C was burned by the British including the White House and Capitol Building. -
Battle of Plattsburgh
Thomas McDonough and the Americans defeated the British on land and on Lake Champlain to keep the Red Coats from advancing southward. -
Treaty of Ghent
Ended the War of 1812 and resulted in no territory lose by either side. -
Hartford Convention
New England Federalists met and discussed their displeasures with the government and talked about secession. -
Battle of New Orleans
This was the final major battle of the War of 1812 where Andrew Jackson and the Americans were victorious over the Red Coats. -
Tariff of 1816
This was the first protection tariff in U.S history and it protected American manufacturing and goods. -
Second National Bank
The bank was based off of the first national bank and handled all of the Federal Government's transactions. -
Rush-Bagot
Limited naval armament of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, and demilitarized the U.S and Canadian boarder. -
Jackson Invades Florida
Andrew Jackson invaded Florida claiming to be looking for British spies, but once in Florida he never left. -
Treaty of 1818
Signed by the U.S and Britain and ressolved boundary issues and had joint occupation of the Oregon Territory. -
Panic of 1819
This was the first major economic depression in the United States and occured during the Era of Good Feelings. -
U.S Gets Florida
Spain gave the Florida Territory to the U.S after Andrew Jackson invaded Spanish forts. -
Missouri Compromise
This compromise banned slavery in the Lousiana Territory and admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. -
Land Act of 1820
This act eliminated the purchase of public land on credit in the U.S. -
Cohens v. Virginia
In this case the U.S Supreme Court enacted the power to review state supreme court cases. -
Gibbons v. Ogden
In this case the U.S Supreme Court ruled that Congress had the power to control interstate commerce. -
Erie Canal
Canal that connects the Hudson River in New York to Lake Erie. -
Tariff of Abominations
The Tariff of 1828 was passed by Congress as a protective tariff, but it greatly angered the south. -
Indian Removal Act
Signed by President Jackson to move the Native Americans in the east to federal Indian Reserves in the west. -
Black Hawk War
Short conflict between the U.S. and a group of Native Americans lead by Black Hawk near Illinois. -
Tariff of 1832
This tariff was also a protection tariff, but it was passed as a small compromise between the south and the Tariff of 1828. -
Tariff of 1833
This tariff was passed as a compromise tariff from the Tariff of 1828. -
The Alamo
200 Texans were killed by the Mexican Army at a mission named the Alamo fighting for Texas's freedom. -
Pottawatomie Massacre
John Brown led a band of abolitionists to kill five people. -
Bleeding Kansas
A series of violent political acts between anti-slavery people and pro-slavery people in the Kansas Territory. -
Tariff of 1857
This tariff amended the Walker Tariff and lowered rates to around 17%. -
Buchanan Wins the Presidency
James Buchanan defeated Fremont and Filmore to become the 15th president of the United States. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott (a slave) was brought to Illinois by his master and then tried to sue for his freedom. The court ruled that he was not a citizen so had no right to sue. -
Panic of 1857
This panic was caused by the declining global economy and over-speculation. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Abe Lincoln and Senator Stephen Douglas debated seven times to try and win their spot in the Illinois Senate. -
Brown and Harpers Ferry
John Brown tried to lead a slave uprising by capturing the arms at the U.S arsenal at Harpers Ferry. -
Lincoln Wins the Presidency
Abe Lincoln defeated three other candidates to become the 16th president of the United States. -
Confederate States of America
Led by South Carolina, seven states seced from the Union by 1861 and form the Confederate States of America. -
Battle of Shiloh
This battle was fought in southwestern Tennessee, and ended in with a victory for Ulysses S. Grant and his Union Army. -
Confederate Draft
The Confederacy enacts conscription for men ages 18 to 35 to be a part of the army for three years. -
Homestead Act
Anyone who was 21 years or older and did not take up arms against the U.S government could file for a federal land grant. -
C.S.S. Alabama
The Alabama raided the northern shipping routes and captured or burned 65 Union ships. -
Battle of Antietam
Although this battle ended in a draw, the North used it as a moral booster and it allowed Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
This battle was fought in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and ended in a victory for Lee and the Confederate forces over Burnside and the Union forces. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln issued this proclamation which stated that all slaves in the Confederate States were to be freed, but it did not free the slaves in the boarder states or southern territory occupied by the Union. -
National Banking System
The United States' National Bank was formed, and it pushed for a national currency. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
This battle was fought near Chancellorsville, Virginia, and was called Lee's perfect battle because he was victorious even though his men were outnumbered two to one. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The battle of Gettysburg was fought in central Pennsylvania and was the Union's first major victory. -
Maximilian
Napoleon III declares Maximilian as emperor of Mexico, but he is later killed by the Mexican peoples. -
Commerce Raider Sunk
The Confederate commerce raider, the Alabama, was sunk off the coast of France by the U.S.S Kearsarge. -
Sherman's March
Major General Sherman and his Union forces marched through Georgia and waged total war from Atlanta to Savannah. -
Lee's Surrender
General Lee surrendered his army to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse virtually ending the Civil War. -
Lincoln's Death
President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in Fords Theater shortly after the end of the Civil War. -
Transatlantic Cable
The permanent transatlantic cable was established from Newfoundland to Ireland. -
Alaska
The U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, but it was not an organized territory for many more years. -
Election of 1868
The formal general Ulysses S. Grant defeated Horatio Seymour for the presidency and began the Reconstruction era. -
Transcontinental Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railraod met in Promontory Summit, Utah completing the first transcontinental railroad -
Tweed Scandal
"Boss" Tweed takes over the New York City government and starts a political machine with corruption. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment was added to the Constitution and it prohibited the state or federal governments from denying the right to vote from any citizen. -
Chicago Fire
This fire burned for three days, destroyed 3.3 square miles of Chicago, and killed hundreds of residnets. -
Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park was established by Congress, and is located mostly in Wyoming. -
Credit Mobilier
Main investors in the Union Pacific Railroad created their own construction company (Credit Mobilier) and hired themselves to build the transcontinental railroad at high prices. -
Panic of 1873
The panic was caused by over speculation of land and the rise and fall of the many wildcat banks. -
The Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone which allowed people to talk to each other directly at large distances. -
Little Big Horn
Lt. Col. Custer and the 7th Calvary were wiped out by the Sioux indians near the Little Big Horn River. -
Standard Time
The U.S. was divided into four time zones to organize the railroad schedules. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
This act prohibited all immigration of Chinese laborers, but permitted the ones already present to stay. -
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France as an icon of Freedom. -
American Federation of Labor
The AFL was one of the first national labor unions in the U.S. -
Interstate Commerce Commission
This commission was formed to regulate the railroad rates to be fair and rate discrimmination. -
Women's Suffrage
The National American Women Suffrage Association was founded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton to fight for equal rights for women, especially the right to vote. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
The Sherman Antitrust Act was passed into law to prohibit commercial monopolies. -
McKinley Tariff
This tariff raised previous tariff rates to almost 50% to protect domestic manufacturing. -
Frontier Closed
After reviewing the 1890 census the Census Bureau decided that the West was settled enough to close the frontier.
