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The Battle of Gettysburg
The Union had won the Battle of Gettysburg. Though the cautious Meade would be criticized for not pursuing the enemy after Gettysburg, the battle was a crushing defeat for the Confederacy. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
the famous shot heard around the world marked the start of the American War of Independence. Politically disastrous for the British, it persuaded many Americans to take up arms and support the cause of independence. -
The Winter at Valley Forge
the winter encampment of the Continental Army under General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. -
Benedict Arnold turns traitor
Revolutionary War hero Benedict Arnold turned his back on his country in a secret meeting with a top British official. -
The Battle of Cowpens
The battle of Cowpens in the American Revolution was a brilliant American victory over a British force on the northern border of South Carolina that slowed Lord Cornwallis's campaign to invade North Carolina. -
The USS Constitution defeats the HMS Guerriere
USS Constitution met and defeated HMS Guerriere, a 38-gun British frigate under the command of Captain James Richard Dacres. While relatively inconsequential in strategic terms for the War of 1812, the stunning victory provided a much-needed morale boost for the American public. -
The Battle of Baltimore
The successful defense of Baltimore City helped end the War of 1812. This victory, together with the defeat of a British naval squadron on Lake Champlain showed the British government that the United States could hold out against British attacks. -
The Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans, U.S. victory against Great Britain in the War of 1812 and the final major battle of that conflict. -
The Election of Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson won the election to be the president in 1824. -
The Battle of the Alamo
It took place at a fort in San Antonio, Texas called the Alamo. The Mexicans won the battle, killing all of the Texan soldiers inside the fort. -
Mexico loses California, New Mexico, and Arizona
This treaty, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the war between the United States and Mexico. By its terms, Mexico ceded 55 percent of its territory, including the present-day states California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, most of Arizona and Colorado, and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected President
Lincoln's primary goal as president was to hold the country together. For a long time, it didn't look as if he would succeed. During the early years, the South was winning the war. It wasn't until the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania in July 1863 that the war turned in favor of the Union. -
South Carolina secedes from the United States
South Carolina became the first state to secede from the federal Union. The victory of Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 presidential election triggered cries for disunion across the slaveholding South. -
The First Battle of Bull Run
The outcome of the First Battle of Bull Run sent northerners who had expected a quick, decisive victory reeling, and gave rejoicing southerners a false hope that they themselves could pull off a swift victory. -
The Treaty at Appomattox Courthouse
Trapped by the Federals near Appomattox Court House, Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union general Ulysses S. Grant, precipitating the capitulation of other Confederate forces and leading to the end of the bloodiest conflict in American history. -
The sinking of the USS Maine
In the evening of 15 February 1898, Maine sank when her forward gunpowder magazines exploded. Nearly three-quarters of the battleship's crew died as a result of the explosion. -
The Adoption of the Star Spangled Banner as the National Anthem
it accompanied the flag raisings by the Navy. President Woodrow Wilson adopted the song as a de facto “national anthem” in 1916 but did not codify this ruling -
Battle of the Philippines
The Battle of the Philippine Sea, the largest aircraft carrier action in World War II, began on June 19, 1944. This battle was to counter the American invasion of Saipan.