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Aug 29, 1488
Diaz Rounds Southern Tip of Africa
Needing to find an alternate route to Asia, Bartolomeu Diaz rounds southern tip of Africa for the first time. -
Oct 12, 1492
New World Discovered
Italian merchant Christopher Columbus sails for Spain to an island in the Bahamas, believing to have found an alternate route to Asia. He soon realizes the area in which he landed is not the Indies, and thus the exploration of the New World began. -
Jun 7, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
Signed in Tordesillas, Spain, the treaty divided the newly discovered lands between Portugal and Spain. -
Aug 29, 1513
Balboa claims Land
Vasco Nunez de Balboa claims all land touched by Pacific Ocean as property of Spain. -
Aug 29, 1521
Exploration of Florida
Ponce de Leon explores Florida in search of new lands and the fabled fountain of youth. -
Aug 30, 1521
Cortes Conquers Mexico
Hernan Cortes, a Spanish conquistador, and his men conquer Mexico for Spain; including the famous Aztec empire. -
Aug 29, 1522
First Circumnavigation of the World
Magellan is the first explorer to circumnavigate the world and returns with a single vessel. -
Aug 29, 1532
Inca Empire Falls
Francisco Pizzaro crushes the Incas, causing the empire to crumble. -
Aug 29, 1558
Elizabeth I becomes queen of England
Signified the beginning of the Elizabethan Era, in which English drama and literature flourished -
Sep 8, 1565
St. Augustine Fortress is Built
Spanish expedition leads to the building of St. Augustine, a fortress in Florida. Originally named by Menendez, the fortress would play a key role in defending a key trade route to Europe. -
Roanoke Colony Founded
Walter Raleigh, having gained QueenElizabeth's charter, founds the Roanoke colony in North Carolina. Three years later, the inhabitants of the colony go missing. -
England defeats Spanish Armada
English support of the Dutch rebels in the Spanish Netherlands led King Philip II of Spain to plan the conquest of England. However, off the coast of France, Spain's "Invincible Armada" is defeated by an English naval force. -
Spanish found New Mexico
Pedro de Peralta is made governor of New Mexico, and a year later founds the capital Santa Fe -
Tobacco Introduced
John Rolfe, early Englsih North American settler, cultivates tobacco as an export crop from the colony of Virginia. -
Charles I is Beheaded
Charles was taken captive by a Scottish force and handed over to the English Parliament. After refusing to accept his captors' demands for a constitutional monarchy, Charles was tried, convicted, and executed for high treason. -
Act of Toleration
Also known as Act Concerning Religion, this was a law put into place for tolerance of Trinitarian Christians in Maryland. -
Barbados Slave Code is Adopted
Law passed which sought to protect slaves from cruel masters and masters from their slaves. However, it provided more protections for masters than for slaves. -
French explore Mississippi River
La Salle follows the Mississippi River and names the Mississippi basin La Louisiane, claiming territory for France -
North and South Carolina Split
North and South Carolina officially split into two colonies after many disagreements between defense and governance. -
Poor Richard's Almanack
Ben Franklin's first edition of Poor Richard's Almanack is published. The book contained a series of weather predictions along with wise idioms and sayings used to advise in the happenings of every day life. -
Georgia Colony is Founded
James Oglethorpe is given a charter from King George II to create a new colony which he names Georgia. This is the last of the original 13 colonies to be founded. -
Great Awakening
Johnathon Edwards incites the Great Awakening, a religious movement in which individuals found a greater importance in the spiritual world rather than focus on secular ideas. -
Zenger Trial
Peter Zenger, a journalist for a colonial paper, was prosecuted for publishing true but reputation-damaging facts in an article. The court ruled that it was legal for Zenger to publish these claims so long as they were true, one of the first cases dealing with freedom of the press. -
George Whitefield
George Whitefield, a gifted speaker, helps to spread the message of the Great Awakening. -
War of Jenkin's Ear
This war began when a Spanish soldier cut off the ear of British officer Jenkins. -
Princeton College Founded
Founded in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Princeton was the 4th chartered insitution for higher learning in the colonies and remains a prestigous Ivy League School to this day -
Braddock's Defeat
Defeated at Battle of Monongahela, Braddock was shot and killed. Not wanting his body to be found and tortured, Montgomery and the men buried his body somewhere along the path of retreat. -
Anti-slave Trade Measures
Britain vetoes the anti-slave trade measures taken by South Carolina. -
Proclamation of 1763
This proclamation forbid settlement west of the Appalachian Mountians. -
March on Philadelphia
Incited by the Praxton Boys, they marched forward onto Philadelphia. -
Declaratory Act
Issued by Great Britain stating that they repealed previous taxes but had the authority to levy any taxes the desired in the future. -
Boston Massacre
A tax collector called for soldier protection when Boston civillians were harrassing him. Amid the confusion, a British officer opened fire and several men were killed. -
Committees of Correspondence Form
Created by Samuel Adams, a popular tavern owner, the committees of correspondence were designed to spread information throughout the colonies at an extremely fast rate. -
Slavery Abolition
The First Continental Congress gathers together and calls for an abolition of slavery -
Constitutuion of Massachussetts
The first official Constitution of Massachussetts is drafted by a convention and ratified by popular vote. -
Land Ordinanace of 1785
This separated areas of land and dedicated a percentage of the profit gained to fund education in the United States. -
Shay's Rebellion
A series of local protests by farmers to object to the unfair taxes imposed on the landowners. -
Northwest Ordinance
Set the provisions for stateship and guarunteed that all new states would be granted the same power as the original 13 states. -
Ratification of Constitution
The final state ratifies the constitution, allowing it to go into effect. -
French Revolution Begins
The French Revolution officially begins, placing Napoleon in a position of power who was soon to initiate his plan for world conquest. -
Excise Tax Passed
Excise Tax on luxury items such as whiskey are taxed in an attempt to generate revenue. -
Neutrality Proclamation
Issued by Washington, the Neutrality Proclamation stated that the U.S. would choose neither side when it came to the conflict between Britain and France. -
The Genet Affair
Citizen Genet arrived in the U.S. rallying citizens to support the French. He was soon asked to leave and sent back to France. -
Whiskey Rebellion
A result of the excise tax, western farmers began to mob and form rebellion at the tax on whiskey- an object popularly used as currency. -
Jay's Treaty
Jay's Treaty negotiated that Britain pay for damages and apolgize for the impressment of sailors without promising that Britain cease its impressment. This was also criticized by Hamilton warning Britain of the U.S.'s intentions. -
Washington's Farewell Address
Washington resigns after a second term and warns against political parties and stresses against the importance of staying neutral. -
XYZ Affair
Three embassadors were sent to France to converse with the king, however it was demanded that they pay an unsurmountable amount of money. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
Theses acts were instituted under the term of Adams and increased the number of years before eligibility for citizenship. The Sedition Acts were instituted to prevent critism of the government. -
Election 1800
Jefferson successfully defeats Adams and has a peaceful exchange of power. -
Marbury v. Madison
A court case in which a dispute over comissions ensued. Judge Marshall ruled the Judiciary Act illegal and established more power for the Supreme Court. -
First Steamboat
Invented by Robert Fulton, the steamboat gave way to the very beginnings of the industrial revolution in America and allowed for advancement of other forms of transportation -
Cumberland Road Construction Begins
The Cumberland Road was the first road stratching across America and later became known as Route 40 and is still used to this day. -
Erie Canal Construction Begins
Built to create a navigable port system from New York to the Great Lakes, this transportation system allowed New York to eclipse Philadelphia's transportation business with its own. -
University of Virginia Founded
Founded by Thomas Jefferson, the University of Virginia continues to be a potent and important university in the United States. -
New Harmony Established
Set up as an ideal utopian community, New Harmony signified the beginning of a quest many communities would make to become a perfect center of peace and prosperity. -
Mormon Church Created
Created by Joseph Smith when he reported being given a set of golden plates that, when translated, would reveal the true scripture and be known as the Book of Mormon. -
Anti-Catholic Riot
One out of many to take place in Boston, the first riot began when a nun was believed to be held against her will at a convent by the easily misled civilians. -
Lyceum Movement
This movement began to flourish in 1835 as Transcendentalists became "circuit riders', individuals who travelled across the country to speak, debate, and entertain different ideas and thelogies. -
Mount Holyoke Seminary Formed
Established by Mary Lyon, this first form of an all female, college set out to admit women from all socioeconomic backgrounds who passed rigorous entrance exams and met the higher expectations of education. -
“The American Scholar’’
Delivered by Ralf Waldo Emerson at the University of Cambridge, this speech combines romantic and Transcendentalist themes on the cultivation of American culture and reaching a higher state of mind. -
Brook Farm Established
This community was established with the goal of reaching an ultimate utopia. It was committed to the idea of Transcendentalism, focusing on the spirituality of the natural world instead of one set deity. -
Commonwealth v. Hunt
This legal case established the legality of labor unions amid factory workers and other laborer positions, thus giving power to the people and safety regulations to its workers. -
Petition of Behalf of the Insane
Dorothea Dix, an American activist, petitioned the state of Massachussetts and other various states through lobbying programs to set up the first centers for the mentally ill. -
Telegraph Invented
Invented by Samuel Morse, the telegraph enabled messages to be sent across a wide expanse of land in only meere seconds. This eventualy coined the term "Morse Code", a series of beeps and pauses that enabled for this to occur. -
Potato Famine Begins
A staple food source in Ireland, the potato famine is the beginning of mass immigration from Ireland to the United States where the Irish would face discrimination based on their lack of wealth and education. -
Walker Tariff
This lowered the Black Tariff, which set high rates on imported goods around the whole country and left Southern states raging with anger. -
Mexican War
This year marked the beginning of the infamous Mexican-American War. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
This officially ended the war with Mexico and allowed the US to gain additional territory in modern-day southwest. -
Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush was the sporadic and desperate search for gold in the state, causing many immagrants to flee for the West and others to flood into America. -
Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
Part of the Compromise of 1850, this law demanded that all escaped slaves be returned to the south to their owners. -
Election of 1852
In this presidential election, Pierce defeated Scott for presidency. -
Gadsden Purchase
Purchased from Mexico, this amount of land became what is now modern day states such as Arizona and New Mexico. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This act repealed the original Compromise of 1820 and allowed states to determine their support or non-support of slavery through popular sovereignty.
