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he Battles of Lexington and Concord occurred on April 19, 1775, marking the beginning of the American Revolution. -
The Continental Army's winter encampment at Valley Forge occurred from December 19, 1777, to June 18, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. Led by General George Washington, the army endured extreme hardship from starvation, disease, and exposure in inadequate shelters, but emerged as a more disciplined and cohesive fighting force after undergoing crucial training led by Baron von Steuben -
Benedict Arnold turned traitor to the American cause in 1779, beginning secret communications with the British, and a pivotal secret meeting with British Major John André on September 21, 1780, to betray the American fortress at West Point for money and a British command. His defection was the culmination of perceived slights, financial problems, and disillusionment with the Continental Army, leading him to become a synonymous name for betrayal -
The Battle of Cowpens was fought on January 17, 1781, in South Carolina, where Patriot forces under Daniel Morgan decisively defeated a British army led by Banastre Tarleton. This pivotal American Revolutionary War battle was a stunning tactical victory, a turning point in the Southern Campaign that boosted American morale, severely weakened the British forces, and ultimately contributed to the Patriot victory at Yorktow -
The USS Constitution defeated the HMS Guerriere on August 19, 1812, during the War of 1812, an event that earned the Constitution the nickname "Old Ironsides" due to its incredibly strong hull. Captain Isaac Hull's ship was larger and more heavily armed, weathering the Guerriere's attacks before crippling the British frigate in a brief battle. The victory significantly boosted American morale, though its strategic impact was limited -
The Battle of Baltimore took place from September 12–14, 1814, during the War of 1812, when American forces successfully repelled a British land and sea assault on the important port city of Baltimore, Maryland. The battle is best known for inspiring Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner" -
he Battle of New Orleans occurred on January 8, 1815, where U.S. forces under General Andrew Jackson decisively defeated a large British assault, leading to over 2,000 British casualties compared to around 71 American losses. This major engagement was the last battle of the War of 1812, happening after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent but before news of the peace treaty reached America -
Presidential elections were held in the United States from October 31 to December 2, 1828. Just as in the 1824 election, President John Quincy Adams -
The Battle of the Alamo occurred from February 23 to March 6, 1836, during the Texas Revolution when a small Texian garrison defended the Alamo Mission against a much larger Mexican army led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna. After a 13-day siege, Mexican forces successfully stormed the mission on March 6, -
Mexico lost California, New Mexico, Arizona, and other territories to the United States in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), which concluded with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signed on February 2, 1848. Under this treaty, Mexico ceded roughly 55% of its territory, which included the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma -
On November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected as the first Republican president. His victory was entirely due to his support in the North and West. No ballots were cast for him in 10 of the 15 Southern slave states -
South Carolina seceded from the United States on December 20, 1860, after the election of Abraham Lincoln as president. This act, driven by fears that Lincoln's anti-slavery stance threatened their way of life, made South Carolina the first state to leave the Union and set off a chain of secessions that led to the American Civil War. -
The First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) occurred on July 21, 1861, near Manassas, Virginia, and was the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Under pressure from the public, the Union army, led by General Irvin McDowell, attacked Confederate forces commanded by General P.G.T. Beauregard and Joseph E. Johnston -
The Battle of Gettysburg occurred from July 1–3, 1863, where Union forces defeated Confederate General Robert E. Lee's second invasion of the North in the largest battle of the Civil War. The Union victory, marked by over 50,000 casualties, is considered the war's turning point, ending Lee's attempt to force a decisive victory on Northern soil and ultimately contributing to the Union's preservation. -
The surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ended the American Civil War. The generous terms of the surrender, drafted in the McLean House, allowed Lee's soldiers to return home with their personal belongings and horses, setting a precedent for other Confederate forces to capitulate and paving the way -
The U.S. battleship USS Maine was sunk by a massive explosion on the night of February 15, 1898, in Havana, Cuba, killing most of her crew and becoming a key factor in the outbreak of the Spanish-American War. While popular American opinion blamed Spain and the rallying cry "Remember the Maine" was used to propel the nation into war, the exact cause of the explosion—whether an internal accident or an external attack—remains unsettled -
The Star-Spangled Banner" became the official U.S. national anthem on March 3, 1931, when President Herbert Hoover signed a law passed by Congress. The law codified the song, written by Francis Scott Key in 1814, after the bombardment of Fort McHenry, following years of public and legislative efforts and a prior 1916 executive order by President Woodrow Wilson that made it the de facto anthem for the armed forces