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Jamestown
104 English men and boys arrived in North America to start a settlement. On May 13 they picked Jamestown, Virginia for their settlement, which was named after their King, James 1. The settlement became the first permanent English settlement in North America. -
Period: to
Units 2-5
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French and Indian War begins in America
The French and Algonquin Native Americans fought against the British, colonists, and Iroquois Native Americans over territory (a.k.a The 7 Years War). -
Benjamin Franklin's Albany Plan
A plan to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies, suggested by Benjamin Franklin. -
Anglicanism established in Georgia
Christ Church of Savannah, the first Anglican church to be established in the Georgia colony. -
Writs of Assistance introduced in colonies
Authorized customs officers could randomly search American ships, warehouses, homes for contraband. -
Treaty of Paris ends French and Indian war
A letter for the colonies to get more land and area to build to be able to sustain a bigger colony. -
Proclamation Act of 1763
Prohibited Anglo-American colonists from settling on lands acquired from the French following the French and Indian War. -
Pontiac's Rebellion
An armed conflict between the British Empire and Algonquian, Iroquoian, Muskogean, and Siouan-speaking Native Americans following the Seven Years' War. -
Sugar Act
A law that attempted to curb the smuggling of sugar and molasses in colonies by reducing the previous tax rate and enforcing the collection of duties. -
Currency Act
A Parliament of Great Britain that regulated paper money issued by the colonies of British America. The act sought to protect British merchants and creditors from being pad in depreciated colonial currency. -
End of Salutary Neglect
The end of British policy adopted with regards to dealing with American Colonies (it meant that the colonies were more or less autonomous with little intervention from the British government). -
Stamp Act
Colonists had to pay a tax on printed papers. -
Quartering Act
Required the colonies to house British soldiers in barracks provided by the colonies. -
Sons of Liberty
A secret political organization in the American Revolution. -
Declaratory Act
British Parliament's taxing authority was the same in America as in Great Britain. -
Mason-Dixon Line drawn
An establishment to end a boundary dispute between the British colonies of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia. -
Townshend Acts
Parliament gave the commissioners the power to search homes and private warehouses for smuggled items that had entered the colonies without payment of the customs duties. -
Boston Massacre
A street fight between a "patriot" mob, throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers. -
Boston Tea Party
Boston colonists dressed as Native Americans raided ships in Boston Harbor and dumped hundreds of crates of expensive tea in protest of British taxation. -
First Continental Congress
Delegates from twelve of the Britain's thirteen American colonies me to discuss America's future under growing British aggression. -
Intolerable Acts
Punitive laws to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in the Tea Party protest in reaction to changes in taxation by the British Government. -
Quartering Acts
Slightly different from the Quartering Act in 1765. Instead, this new Quartering Act applied to all the American colonies and not only just Massachusetts. Allowed royal governors, rather than colonial legislatures, to find homes and buildings to quarter or house British Soldiers, -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The start of the American Revolutionary war. British Army set out from Boston to capture rebel leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington as well as to destroy the American's store of weapons and ammunition in Concord. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
A battle between American colonists and British Army troops. American colonies wanted to be separated from Britain. -
Olive Branch Petition
Last resort before deciding to into war with Britain by the American colonists during the American Revolution. It was a document in which the colonists pledged their loyalty to the crown and asserted their rights as British citizens. -
Thomas Paine's Common Sense
A 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine advocated independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. -
Declaration of Independence
America's Birth Certificate. A sacred document for Americans. It gives the reason the country was created and the hopes, ideas, and beliefs that Americans have for their country. -
Saratoga
A turning point of the American Revolution. It was very important because it convinced the French to give the U.S. military support. It lifted American spirits, ended the British threat in New England by taking control of the Hudson River, and, most importantly, showed the French that the Americans had the potential to beat their enemy, Great Britain. -
Valley Forge
The six-month encampment of General George Washingtonś Continental Army at Valley Forge in the winter was a major turning point in the American Revolutionary War. -
Articles of Confederation ratified
Ratification of the Articles of Confederation by all thirteen states. -
Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown
Cornwallis surrendered his army of some 8,000 men to General George Washington at Yorktown, giving up any chance of winning the Revolutionary War, -
Treaty of Paris
Signed by the U.S. and British Representatives, ending the War of American Revolution. -
Land Ordinance
A process for admitting a new state to the Union, and guaranteed that newly created states would be equal to the original thirteen states. -
Shays' Rebellion
Conflict in Massachusetts caused many to criticize the Articles of Confederation and admit the weak central government was not working; an uprising led by Daniel Shays in an effort to prevent courts from foreclosing on the farms of those who could not pay the taxes. -
Annapolis Convention
A federal plan for regulating interstate and foreign trade was sought Failed to gain interest with the weakness of the articles of confederation. 12 delegates from 5 states attended. Agreed to meet again in Philadelphia to fix the government. -
Constitutional Convention
A meeting of state delegates in 1787 in Philadelphia called to revise the Articles of Confederation. It instead designed a new plan of government- the US Constitution. -
Northwest Ordinance
A land agreement that created the Northwest Territory, letting the United States expanded into the Great Lakes area and it told the territories how it becomes a state. -
Federalist Papers
Essays published in New York newspapers over course of 2 years(1787-1788); 85 total essays. -
Hamilton's Fiscal Program
A bold economic plan headed by Alexander Hamilton that aimed to pay of the United States' debt in full, create a bank of the United States, and make American manufacturers self-sufficient. -
Bill of Rights ratified
The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, confirming the fundamental rights of its citizens. -
First Bank of the US chartered
The establishment of the Bank was included in a three-part expansion of federal fiscal and monetary power championed by Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of the Treasury. -
Cotton Gin
Invented by Eli Whitney in 1793. It removes seeds from cotton fibers. -
Whiskey Rebellion
A protect against the whiskey tax; an "excessive" tax. -
Washington's Farewell Address
In his letter to "Friends and Citizens," he warned that the forces of geographical sectionalism, political factionalism, and interference by foreign powers in the nation's domestic affairs threatened the stability of the Republic. -
XYZ Affair
An incident in which french agents attempted to get a bribe and loans from US diplomats in exchanges for an agreement that French privateers would no longer attack American Ships. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
Acts passed by federalists giving the government power to imprison or deport foreign citizens and prosecute critics of the government. -
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
Political statements drafted in 1798 and 1799 in which the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures took the position that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional. -
Revolution of 1800
In the United States Presidential election of 1800, Vice President Thomas Jefferson defeated incumbent president John Adams. The election was a realigning elect that ushered in a generation of Democratic Republican Party rule and the eventual demis of the Federalist Party. -
John Marshall appointed Chief Justice of Supreme Court
Adams then turned to Marshall, and in January 1801 Adams sent to the Senate the nomination of John Marshall to be chief of justice. -
Marbury v. Madison
The case started with William Marbury when he started a petition due to a letter that was never received. Thomas Jefferson told James Madison to not deliver the letter because he didn't want him to be a justice, so that why created a petition. The letter was called a writ of mandamus. -
Louisiana Purchase
The biggest real estate deal for the United States. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
To explore the Louisana Purchase and the Pacific Northwest (to explore the unknown territory, establish trade with the Natives, and affirm the sovereignty of the United States in the region). -
Hamilton-Burr Duel
Hamilton and Burr insulting each other in public, leading to a fight at the Heights of Weehawken, NJ. Both used firearms, Hamilton went first and missed. Burr took his shot and hit Hamilton's lower abdomen above his right hips (dies the following day after), Burr went to tried for treason. -
War of 1812
A conflict between the US and the UK, prompted by restrictions on US trade resulting from the British blockade of French and allied ports during the Napoleonic Wars, and by British and Canadian support North American Indians trying to resist westward expansions. It was ended by a treaty that restored all conquered territories to their owners before the outbreak of war. -
Burning of Washington, D.C.
Led by General Robert Ross, the British force occupied Washington, D.C., and set fire to many public buildings following the American defeat at the Battle of Bladensburg. -
Hartford Convention
A meeting of New England Federalists held in Hartford Connecticut in the winter of 1814-15, discussing and seeking readdressed by Washington for their complaints and wrongs that they felt had been done (manifestation complaints of fear of being overpowered by the states in the south and west). -
Treaty of Ghent
Ended the War of 1812 and restored the status quo. For the most part, the territory captured in the war was returned to the original owner. It also set up as a commission to determine the disputed Canada/U.S. border. -
Battle of New Orlean
Found between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson (final major battle of the War of 1812). -
Second Band of the US
A revived bang of the United States voted by congress. -
Era of Good Feelings
When sectionalism appeared dead. There was no opposition/debate even in the north eat where Monroe welcomed by the federalists. The issue of tariff, bank, internal improvements, and the sale of public lands halted the era of good feelings and crystallized sectionalism. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
Involved an attempt by the state of Maryland to destroy a bank branch of the U.S. by imposing a tac on its notes. Marshall declared the bank constitutional by invoking the Hamiltonian doctrine of implied powers. He strengthened federal authority and slapped at state infringement. -
Missouri Compromise
United States federal legislation that stopped northern attempts to forever prohibit slavery's expansion by admitting Missouri as a slave state in exchange for legislation which prohibited slavery north of the 36 30' parallel except for Missouri. -
Monroe Doctrine
The best-known U.S. policy toward the Western hemisphere. Buried in a routine annual message delivered to Congress by President James Monroe in December 1823, the doctrine warns European nations that the United States would not tolerate further colonization or puppet monarchs. -
American System (Henry Clay)
The policy of promoting industry in the U.S. by the adoption of a high protective tariff and of developing internal improvements by the federal government (as advocated by Henry Clay from 1816 to 1828). -
"Corrupt Bargain" Election
The alleged deal between presidential candidates John Q. Adams and Henry Clay to throw the election, to be decided by the house of representatives, in Adam's favor. -
Gibbons v. Ogden
A landmark decision in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that the power to regulate interstate commerce, granted to Congress by the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution, encompassed the power to regulate navigation. -
Erie Canal Opens
Providing overland water transportation between the Hudson River on the east and Lake Erie at the western end. -
Andrew Jackson elected president
Andrew Jackson won the popular vote and had the most electoral votes but no candidates had enough electoral votes to win so the House of the Reps decided the election. -
Spoils system
Incoming officials throw out former appointees ad replace them with their own friends, -
Kitchen Cabinet
When President Andrew Jackson took office in 1829, his official Cabinet was fractured by factional disputes, largely resulting from the fierce rivalry between Vice President John C. Calhoun and Secretary of State Martin Van Buren. The infighting was so pronounced that the cabinet became virtually ineffectual, and Jackson stopped holding Cabinet meetings. He turned instead to an unofficial group of trusted friends and advisors. -
Maysville Road veto
The Maysville Road Bill proposed building a road to Kentucky at federal expense. Jackson vetoed it because he didn't like Clay, and Martin Van Buren pointed out that New York and Pennsylvania paid for their transportation improvements with state money. -
Indian Removal Act
Signed into law by President Andrew Jackson, strongly supported by the South who was eager to gain access to lands inhabited by the "Five Civilized Tribes." Through the act was intended to be voluntary removal, significant pressure was put onto the tribes' chiefs to vacate and led to the inevitable removal of most Indians from the states. -
Worcester v. Georgia
Marshall determined that Cherokees were a sovereign nation under U.S. Treaty, and Georgia could not interfere, Andrew Jackson: "John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it." -
Jackson's veto of the Bank of the US
Believes that the large bank is privileged for the rich. Removal of federal deposits a Jackson "pet banks" puts money from federal bank into Democratic banks. -
Ordinance of Nullification
South Carolina then adopted the Ordinance of Nullification, proclaiming both tariffs null and void within the state and threatening to secede if the federal government attempted to enforce the tariffs. -
Whig Party
An American political party formed in the 1830s to oppose President Andrew Jackson and the Democrats stood for protective tariffs, national banking, and federal aid for internal improvements. -
Republic of Texas' Independence
Colonized in the eighteenth century by the Spanish, the Republic of Texas declared its independence from Mexico. -
Underground Railroad
A secret network of people who helped runaway slaves to reach freedom in the north or Canada. -
Amistad Case
In 1839, 54 African captives, with the Leader Joseph Cinque, seized control of the Spanish schooner Amistad, which had been carrying them to slavery in Honduras. -
Dorothea Dix
Boston schoolteacher visited prisons and found deplorable conditions. These conditions included crowded living spaces, lack of heat, lack of proper food and clothing, and lack of treatment for mentally ill inmates. Later submitted a report of her findings to the Massachusetts legislature. Her testimony convinced Massachusetts and other states to improve prison conditions and to build separate hospitals for the mentally ill.