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Oct 12, 1492
Christopher Columbus
On October 12, 1492 Columbus's crew sighted an island. They were all excited because they thought they had found a quicker route to the Indies for lavish goods. It was a very successful failure because he actually came upon the New Worlds. He mistakingly called the natives Indians because he thought that they were in the Indies. -
Jun 7, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
When the Spanish and Portuguese argued over the "heathen lands" the Pope made a Treaty that said the Spanish owned anything to the left of the line and the Portuguese owned anything that was discovered on the right of the line that he put in place. This was called the Treaty of Tordesillas. -
Apr 2, 1513
Juan Ponce de Leon Explored Florida
Juan Ponce de Leon discovers Florida and begins searching for gold. He was killed with an Indian arrow while searching for gold. -
Sep 10, 1513
Balboa Claims all Land Touched by the Pacific Ocean
Vasco Nunez Balboa waded in the waters of the Pacific ocean and brazenly declared all land that the Pacific Ocean touched for the king of Spain. -
Sep 20, 1519
First Circumnavigation
Ferdinand Magellan set off to make the first circumnavigation of the globe. He did not make it all the way through but his crew made it back in 1522. He was killed by inhabitants of the Phillipines. -
Aug 13, 1521
Cortes Conquers Mexico
When Cortes first arrived, the Aztecs believed he was a god. He also told him that he suffered a terrible heart disease that was only curable by gold. The Aztecs then preceeded to give the Spaniards gold which only intrigued the Spaniards more. On August 13th, the Spaniards sieged the city and after a year of disease and conquest Cortes conquered Mexico. -
Aug 29, 1532
Fransisco Pizarro Crushes the Incans
In 1532, Pransisco Pizarro crushed the Incans of Peru. This added a huge profit to the Spanish. -
Jul 10, 1540
Fransisco Coronado Explores Arizona and New Mexico
Coronado explores Arizona and New Mexico in hopes of finding golden cities that he had heard of before. Instead of finding golden cities he found adobe pueblos, and an amazing geographical feature, the Grand Canyon. -
Roanoke
Roanoke was founded by Sir Walter Raleigh. The colony was established and after some time ships were sent back to get more supplies and crew. Upon returning, the crew found an empty colony, There were no bodies or people at all. Roanoke is known as the "lost colony". -
Jamestown
After two years of peace with Spain, the Virginia Company got a charter from the king to start a settlement in the New World. This charter said that all the men at Jamestown would recieve the same rights of men in England. -
Virginia
Virginia was founded by John Rolfe and other settlers such as John Smith. They were backed by the London Company that was at Jamestown. Virginia's cash crop was tobacco. -
Maryland
Maryland was founded by Lord Baltimore in 1634. It was intended to be a Catholic Haven to escape the Protestant English government. -
Pope's Rebellion
Pope's Rebellion was a uprising by Pueblo rebels. They destroyed all of the Catholic churches in the province. They killed priests and several Spanish settlers. It was almost like a karma for what Cortes did to the Aztecs but a century later. -
Georgia
Georgia was founded in 1732 by James Oglethorpe. Georgia was originally founded to be a buffer colony. It was to protect the English colonies from the Spanish colonies. -
Christian Missionaries Led by Father Junipero Serra
Spanish Missionaries led by Father Junipero Serra tried to Christianize 300,000 natives. The "mission indians" often did convert to Christianity but lost their families. They often lost touch with their families and lost all of their culture. Many lost their lives as well due to diseases that the white men had. -
Burning of Norfolk
The British sent fire to the Virginia town of Norfolk. -
Lee's Resolution
On this day, Richard Henry Lee moved that the United colonies should and have a right to be free and independant states. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was formally approved by congress on July 4, 1776. -
Common Sense
Thomas Paine wrote the Common Sense pamphlet which said that the smaller body should never rule the larger body. -
Battle of Long Island
Washington and his men were greatly overpowered by the British, but were able to escape to Manhattan Island. -
Battle of Trenton
On Christmas night, Washington and his men crossed the icy Delaware to surprise attack the British on December 26th in the town of Trenton. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was the turning point in the war. General Burgoyne was forced to surrender when his help did not arrive. This showed France that the colonists had a chance of winning the war. -
Valley Forge
This is where Washington's troops camped out in the winter, and Baron Von Steuben whipped the troops into shape. -
French Alliance
The French made an open alliance with the Americans because they feared reconciliation between the British and Americans. -
Armed Neutrality
Catherine the Great led this union of neutral countries to have a grudge against France. -
Treason of Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold turned a traitor when he seeked to help the British because he felt underappreciated in the Continental army. -
Yorktown
Cornwallis is forced to surrender when he becomes surrounded while awaiting supplies. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the first written constitution adopted by the colonists. -
Peace at Paris
In 1782, a group of Whigs replaced the Tories that were under Lord North which was definitely favorable to the Americans. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolution. It had several terms such as America now extended as far west as the Mississippi and as far north as the Great Lakes. Loyalists were also not to be prosecuted anymore and were to be given back their land. -
Period: to
1784-1812
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Land Ordinance of 1785
It said that the land should be broke into townships which were split into one square mile sections. -
Shays's Rebellion
Rebellions by local farmers against. taxes. It made people fear these rebellions and want a stronger national government. -
Northwest Ordinance
Established the basis of how to settle the Northwest and how to become a state of the United States. -
Judiciary Act of 1789
An act that established the federal judiciary system of the United States -
Bill of Rights
The Anti-Federalists won when the Bill of Rights was adopted. It stated the natural rights of a U.S. citizen that could not be taken away. -
Bank of the United States
This is when the Federal bank was adopted. The Hamiltonian's won and the bank was given 20 years to see if it would work properly. -
Washinton's Neutrality Proclamation
This is when Washington issued the neutral stance of the United States on the war between France and England. Both the Democratic-Republicans and the Federalists were unhappy about it. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion occured in South-Western Pennsylvania because the local farmers were unhappy about the excise tax on whiskey because they used it as a form of currency. -
Jay's Treaty
This treaty was to settle issues between England and America that had been occuring since America claimed it independence. -
Pinckney's Treaty with Spain
It was signed on October 27, 1795 to state intentions of a friendship between Spain and the United States. Spanish gave up the land east of the Mississippi river. -
Washington's Farewell Address
Washington's Farewell Address advised future politicians and Americans to not do certain things. One of these was that we should not have politcal parties because they divide the nation. Also, we should never have permanent alliances because we need to look after ourselves before other countries. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
John Adams implimented the Alien and Sedition Acts which very obviously violated the rights of people in the United States. The Alien act was so new citizens would not side with the Democratic-Republicans. The Sedition Act didn't allow people to say anything negative about the current Federal government. -
Marbury v. Madison
Marbury filed a court case against Madison because Madison would not give him his commission. John Marshall ultimately ruled a bill that was previously passed unconstitutional which let him weasel his way out. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to explore the Louisianna Territory and document everything they saw. -
Embargo Act
This is when Thomas Jefferson made all imports and exports from or to the United States illegal in order to punish France and Britain. -
Period: to
1813-1852
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Treaty of Ghent
This ended the War of 1812 when it was signed in the city of Ghent. It was signed on December 24, 1814. -
Hartford Convention
The Hartford Convention was a series of meetings in Hartford, Connecticut in which the Federalist party discussed their concerns and worries about the War of 1812. -
Battle of New Orleans
This is where Jackson scored a victory in the largest battle of the war. This was a turning point in the war. -
Tariff of 16
Notable as the first tariff to protect U.S. manufactured goods from foreign competition. -
Treaty of 1818
This treaty established the northern most boundary for fishing, and also, marked the last permanent loss of land for the U.K. -
Rush-Bagot Agreement
This agreement was between Britain and the United States that limited the naval power on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. -
Dartmouth College V. Woodward
Was a large decision from the Supreme Court which said that Dartmouth could continue as a private institution with its seal, charter, and buildings. It must keep its contract. -
Panic of 1819
This was the first financial crisis in the United States. It followed by a general economic collapse through 1821. -
Florida Purchase Treaty
This treaty ceded Florida from Spain to the United States and defined the boundry between the U.S. and new Spain. -
Land Act of 1820
This act authorized a person to buy 80 virgin acres at $1.25/acre. -
Monroe Doctrine
This said that colonizing in the Western Hemisphere would be seen as a threat to the U.S. and they would take actions. -
Russo-American Treaty of 1824
It gave Russia claims for fishing on the Northwestern border below the 54 40' -
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal started to be built in August 1823. It was nicknamed Clinton's Ditch. It was to be 363 miles long. In addition it would be 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep. -
Tariff of Abominations
This tariff was a very high tariff that was passed in 1828. The south began to call it the tariff of abominations because they believed it wasn't fair. The tariff was very high and only really supported the North. -
Force Bill
This was passed for Andrew Jackson after the tariff had been lowered. It said that Jackson was allowed to take the tariff by force if necessary. -
Period: to
1853-1860
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Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act moved the railroad up north and settled what would happen with slavery in the states. It left Kansas and Nebraska up to popular sovereignty. -
Sumner Brooks Incident
The Sumner-Brooks Incident is when Brooks came into the senate and beat Sumner with a cane. Sumner was seriously injured and put in the hospital. It was because Sumner had made rude remarks against Brooks' cousin, a representative from South Carolina. -
Election of 1856
Buchanan defeated both Fillmore and Fremont during the Presidental Election. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a violent period in Kansas which occurred because of the dispute over whether Kansas should become a slave state or a free state. -
Pottawatomie Massacre
During this massacre, John Brown butchered five pro-slavery citizens because of the attack in Lawrence, Kansas. -
Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott Decision was about an African American slave named Dred Scott who was suing his owner for his freedom. He said he deserved it because he had been in a free state. Chief Justice Taney ruled that he was not a citizen so he could not sue and that slaves can be taken anywhere and not be free because they are merely property. -
Lecompton Constitution Rejected
The Lecompton Constitution was the constitution made up for Kansas which decided if it was a slave state or a free state. Although it was supposed to decide free or slave, there would be slaves no matter what. If voted for, people could bring new slaves into the state. If it wasn't voted for, only the slaves that were already in the state could stay. -
Panic of 1857
A financial decline that occurred under Buchanan because over expansion of the Domestic economy. -
Tariff of 1857
The Tariff of 1857 was a major tax rn the United States. It amended the Walker Tariff of 1846 by lowering rates to around 17%. -
The Impending Crisis of the South
Hinton Helper released this book at this time. It was a major novel like Uncle Tom's Cabin. It said that slaves did not have it the worst, but it was actually the white, small-farmer's who had it the worst. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The Lincoln–Douglas Debates of 1858 were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Senator Stephen Douglas, the Democratic Party candidate. -
Harpers Ferry
An attack by an armed band of abolitionists led by John Brown on the federal arsenal located at Harpers Ferry, Va. -
Election of 1860
A four-way presidency run with Lincoln, Bell, Beckinridge, and Douglas. Although Lincoln only recieved 40% of the popular votes, he won the election. -
South Carolina Secession
South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union, and they did this after Lincoln was elected. They had threatened that they would if he was elected and they did. -
Crittenden Compromise
Senator John Crittenden proposed to extend the old Missouri Compromise line of 36°30’. It ultimately failed without the support of Lincoln.
