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Oct 12, 1492
America discovered
Christopher Columbus discovered America -
Nov 22, 1493
Columbian Exchange begins
Columbus returns to New World with ships of men and animals -
Jun 7, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
Spain and Portugal divide the New World along a line established in Treaty of Tordesillas -
Aug 13, 1521
Mexico conquered
Spanish conquistador Cortes defeats the Aztecs and claims Mexico for Spain -
Dec 20, 1532
Incas conquered
Francisco Pizarro defeats the Incas for Spain -
May 8, 1541
de Soto discovers Mississippi River
de Soto reached the Mississippi with his troops while exploring the American southeast -
Nov 17, 1558
Elizabeth I becomes Queen
Elizabeth I is coronated as Queen of England -
Sep 8, 1565
St. Augustine settled
Spanish fortress in Florida founded -
Sep 26, 1580
Sir Francis Drake circumnavigates the Earth
Francis Drake is first Englishman to successfully circumnavigate the Earth -
Roanoke colony founded
Sir Walter Raleigh establishes the first English colony in North America -
Spanish Armada defeated
England beat the Spanish Armada in the English Channel -
Jamestown colony established
First Virginian colony of Jamestown is settled -
End of First Anglo-Powhatan War
Pocahontas marries John Rolfe in peace settlement -
House of Burgesses formed in Virginia
The London Company allowed settlers to assemble -
Virginia made royal colony
King James revoked the London Company's charter and made Virginia a royal colony -
Maryland established
Maryland "Catholic Haven" was founded by Lord Baltimore -
Major system of slavery in West Indies
West Indies sugar plantations began to use large-scale slavery -
Barbados slave code
Strict slave code enacted in Barbados -
Colony of Carolina founded
Carolina is named after Charles II -
Powhatans consider extinct
Powhatan tribe considered extinct 39 years after end of Second Anglo-Powhatan War -
King William's War
War between Britain and France; mostly in the colonies -
Queen Anne's War
New England militias captured Port Royal, Acadia -
Treaty of Utrecht
Awarded Britain trading rights to Spanish America -
War of Jenkins's Ear
War between Britain and Spain in the Caribbean and Georgia -
King George's War
War between Britain and allies France and Spain; New England militias invaded Cape Breton Island and captured Louisbourg -
Treaty of 1748
Treaty that handed Louisbourg back to France -
Start of French and Indian War
Begun by George Washington; became a global conflict -
Albany Congress held
Colonies met to discuss Indian tribe loyalty, colonial unity, and common defense against France -
Battle at Fort Necessity
One of the first battles of the French and Indian War; George Washington's only career surrender -
Acadians displaced
British forced 4000 Acadians to move to Louisiana -
Battle of Quebec fought
James Wolfe captured Quebec; basically won the war for Britain -
Peace settlement at Paris
France was permanently pushed off the North American continent -
Chief Pontiac terrorized colonists
Pontiac led tribes to drive colonists out of Ohio Valley, including Detroit -
Proclamation of 1763 issued
Issued to protect colonists from violent Indians; perceived as a restriction on the colonists' freedoms -
Sugar Act enacted
First law passed by Parliament that inflicted taxes on the colonies for the crown -
Stamp Act passed
Tax on paper goods that was used to support the military presence in American colonies -
Boston Massacre occurs
Colonists and Redcoats clashed; resulted in the death or injury of 11 citizens -
Commitees of correspondence established
Formed to spread spirit of resistance to the British crown from town to town -
Boston Tea Party "thrown"
Colonists, in opposition to the tea tax, dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston harbor -
First Continental Congress meets
Colonial delegates met to discuss their relations with Britain; wrote the Declaration of Rights and created The Association -
World's first antislavery society
Formed by Philadelphia Quakers -
Articles of Confederation voted on
By Second Continental Congress -
Massachusetts adopts state constitution
Drafted convention and ratified by popular vote -
Articles of Confederation enacted
Put into use as the governing document -
Shays's Rebellion
Upset veteran farmers stage rebellion -
Annapolis Convention is held
Only 5 states send delegates -
Constitutional Convention is convened
12 states send delegates to write Constitution -
Constitution ratified
Majority of 9 states make new government official -
George Washington becomes president
Elected first President of the United States of America -
French revolt their government
Bloody rebellion begins -
Constitution enacted
Formally put into effect -
Hamilton's bank opens
Bank of the United States is created -
Bill of Rights adopted
Bill of Rights to Constitution put into effect -
Long-term political parties formed
Federalists and Democratic-Republicans are clear opposing parties -
Whiskey Rebellion staged
Moonshiners in Southwestern PA oppose excise taxes -
Adams inaugurated
John Adams voted 2nd president of the US -
XYZ Affair occurs
Talleyrand tries to bribe American diplomats -
Jefferson elected
Thomas Jefferson slated as 3rd president -
Convention of 1800 is held
Peace with Franc e is resolved -
US purchases Louisiana
Called Louisiana Purchase -
Lewis and Clark explore Louisiana Purchase
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark embark from St. Louis to explore the new Lousiana Purchase. -
Burr tried for treason
Aaron Burr's treason trial takes place -
Embargo Act Begins
Embargo Act from America to all European countries, especially France and Great Britain takes effect -
Madison becomes president
James Madison elected the 4th president of the US and the 3rd president from Virginia -
Macon's Bill No. 2 Goes into Effect
Says that if France or Great Britain repeal their decrees first, America will restore trade with them. -
Fletcher v. Peck court case
Supreme Court has power over the state courts -
War of 1812 begins
United States declares war on Britain -
America fails to invade Canada
Instead of attacking Montreal, 3 forces to Detroit, Niagara, and Lake Champlain fail -
Washington is burned
During a battle of the War of 1812, the British plunder and burn the nation's capitol -
Treaty of Ghent is signed
America and Britain came to terms at Ghent and signed this document - ended the last conflict between America and Britain -
Federalists convene in Hartford
Federalists hold Hartford Convention to draw up their grievances with the government -
First protection tariff is passed
Tariff of 1816 is put into effect to protect New England manufacturers -
Longest unfortified border in the world created
the Rush-Bagot agreement between America and Britain establishes the border between Canada and Britain the longest unfortified border in the world - to this day. -
Andrew Jackson invades Spanish Florida
Jackson invades and takes Spanish Florida for the United States (though frowned upon by many American politicians) -
America's First Financial Panic
the Panic of 1819 abruptly ends the Era of Good Feelings -
McCulloch v. Maryland goes to Supreme Court
Justice John Marshall declares the constitutionality of the national bank -
Henry Clay formulates the Missouri Compromise
Creates Missouri (slave state) and Maine (free state) -
Cohens v. Virginia decided
Justice John Marshall emphasizes the binding qualities of a contract -
Monroe Doctrine comes to life
Secretary Adams puts forward the Monroe Doctrine -
America's first minority president
John Quincy Adams is elected as a minority president: minority of the popular vote. -
New Harmony commune established
one of the first utopian societies -
American Temperance Society formed
Society (mostly consisted of women, pastors, and businessmen) who called for the effort to stop drinking alcohol -
Joseph Smith founds Mormon Church
First American religion established in New York's Burned-Over District -
Nat Turner slave rebellion in Virginia
Turner's slave crew kills 60 people -
Canadian rebellion and Caroline incident
Americans try to help French Canadians, British Canadians attack the American ship the Caroline -
Harrison dies after four weeks in office
After contracting pneumonia at his inauguration speech -
Aroostook War over Maine boundary
Conflict with Canada over a road through Maine -
United States annexes Texas
Texas becomes a United States territory -
Mexican-American War
War between Mexico and America over the Texan border and the California Territory -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signed
Treaty that ended the Mexican-American War -
Seneca Falls Woman's Rights Convention held
In Seneca Falls,NY women's rightists meet and write the Declaration of Sentiments -
California Gold Rush
Influx of people to the new California Territory when gold is struck -
Compromis of 1850 reached
Compromise includes California as a free state, Utah and New Mexico as popular sovereignty states, a strict Fugitive Slave Law, outlaw of slave trade in Washington, DC, and $10 mil to Texas -
Maine passes first law prohibiting liquor
Maine Law of 1851 is passed; first law that enforces prohibition -
Pierce defeats Scott for presidency
Franklin Pierce becomes the new US president -
Gadsden Purchase from Mexico
Purchased to build a railroad to California -
Republican party organized
Purely sectional party of all northerners -
Commodore Perry opens Japan
Japan is no longer isolated from the modern world -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Created by Stephen Douglas, proposed popular sovereignty in the Nebraska and Kansas territories -
Ostend Manifesto proposes seizure of Cuba
Leaked before deal goes through, infuriates Northerners -
Sumner beaten by Brooks in Senate chamber
Sen. Charles Sumner brutally beaten with a cane; faced 3 year recovery -
Dred Scott decision
Supreme Court rules that slaves are property, not people -
Lecompton Constitution rejected
"popular" sovereignty constitution in Kansas is not passed -
Hinton Helper publishes The Impending Crisis of the South
This book claimed that the real victims in the South was the non-slaveowning whites -
Lincoln-Douglas debates
Lincoln challenges Douglas to a series of debates; become crucial 2 years later -
Brown raids Harpers Ferry
John Brown tries to steal arms from Harpers Ferry, VA and free slaves -
South Carolina secedes from the Union
First state to secede -
Lincoln wins four-way race for presidency
Becomes a minority president -
Seven seceding states from the Confederate States of America
South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas seceded before Lincoln took office -
Fort Sumter fired upon
Confederates attack Union fort -
McClellan's Peninsula Campaign
Slow McClellan finally leads his men on a wild goose chase through Virginia -
Naval battle of the Merrimack and the Monitor
Significant naval battle that revolutionized naval warfare -
Seven Days' Battles
Confederate counterattack that caused McClellan to be removed from commander of the Union Army -
Battle of Antietam
Bloodiest day of the Civil War with major repercussions to the South for the result of a military draw -
Battle of Fredericksburg
Rash frontal attack on Lee's army in Virginia -
Battle of Chancellorsville
Lee's most brilliant victory but cost him Stonewall Jackson -
Battle of Gettysburg
Last real chance for the Confederates to win the war -
Fall of Vicksburg
Reopened the Mississippi to Northern control -
Emancipation Proclamation issued
Freed all slaves in the Confederacy -
Sherman's March through Georgia
Pillaged Georgia in the name of the Union -
Freedmen's Bureau established
Established to educate free blacks -
Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox
The end of the Civil War -
Lincoln assassinated
Shot at Ford's Theater in Washington by John Wilkes Booth -
Thirteenth Amendment ratified
Outlawed slavery -
Congress passes Fourteenth Amendment
Used principles of the Civil Rights Bill and integrated it into the Constitution -
Johnson impeached and acquitted
Closest president to actually being removed from office -
Johnson pardons Confederate leaders
Pardons them of treason -
Fifteenth Amendment ratified
Universal manhood suffrage -
Reconstruction ended
The "end" of Reconstruction and the beginning of the 2nd United States of America
