US History Timeline: Chapters 1-31

By hkats
  • Columbus, sailing for Spain, makes first voyage of discovery.
    1492

    Columbus, sailing for Spain, makes first voyage of discovery.

  • John Cabot explores Newfoundland.
    1497

    John Cabot explores Newfoundland.

  • First Africans are brought to the Americas.
    1503

    First Africans are brought to the Americas.

  • Juan Ponce de Leon explores Florida.
    1513

    Juan Ponce de Leon explores Florida.

  • Period: 1517 to

    Protestant Reformation spurs religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants.

  • Hernan Cortes begins the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.
    1519

    Hernan Cortes begins the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.

  • Francisco Pizarro subdues the Incas of Peru.
    1531

    Francisco Pizarro subdues the Incas of Peru.

  • Jacques Cartier, sailing for France, explores the St. Lawrence River.
    1541

    Jacques Cartier, sailing for France, explores the St. Lawrence River.

  • St. Augustine, the first European colony in present day America, is founded.
    1561

    St. Augustine, the first European colony in present day America, is founded.

  • Period: to

    Raleigh's Roanoke Island venture.

  • The English defeat the Spanish Armada.

    The English defeat the Spanish Armada.

  • Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English colony, is established.

    Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English colony, is established.

  • Samuel de Champlain founds Quebec.

    Samuel de Champlain founds Quebec.

  • Pocahontas marries John Rolfe.

    Pocahontas marries John Rolfe.

  • First Africans arrive in English America.

    First Africans arrive in English America.

  • First Africans arrive at Jamestown.

    First Africans arrive at Jamestown.

  • Plymouth colony is founded; Pilgrims agree to the Mayflower Compact.

    Plymouth colony is founded; Pilgrims agree to the Mayflower Compact.

  • Indian uprising in Virginia.

    Indian uprising in Virginia.

  • Massachusetts Bay Colony is founded.

    Massachusetts Bay Colony is founded.

  • Settlement of Maryland begins.

    Settlement of Maryland begins.

  • Harvard College is established.

    Harvard College is established.

  • Pequot War.

    Pequot War.

  • Period: to

    English Civil War.

  • Restoration of the English monarchy.

    Restoration of the English monarchy.

  • Restoration of the Stuart monarchy - King Charles The Second.

    Restoration of the Stuart monarchy - King Charles The Second.

  • Puritans initiate the "Half-Way Covenant."

    Puritans initiate the "Half-Way Covenant."

  • Virginia enacts law declaring that children of slave women are slaves.

    Virginia enacts law declaring that children of slave women are slaves.

  • The French explore the Mississippi River valley from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

    The French explore the Mississippi River valley from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

  • Period: to

    King Philip's War.

  • Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia.

    Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia.

  • Pope leads rebellion in New Mexico.

    Pope leads rebellion in New Mexico.

  • Pennsylvania is established.

    Pennsylvania is established.

  • Dominion of New England is established.

    Dominion of New England is established.

  • Glorious Revolution.

    Glorious Revolution.

  • Royal Charter for Massachusetts is established.

    Royal Charter for Massachusetts is established.

  • Salem witchcraft trials.

    Salem witchcraft trials.

  • Period: to

    Great Awakening.

  • Georgia is founded.

    Georgia is founded.

  • John Peter Zenger is tried for seditious libel.

    John Peter Zenger is tried for seditious libel.

  • Stono Uprising.

    Stono Uprising.

  • George Whitefield preaches his first sermon in America, in Philadelphia.

    George Whitefield preaches his first sermon in America, in Philadelphia.

  • Jonathan Edward preaches "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."

    Jonathan Edward preaches "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."

  • Albany Congress adopts Plan of Union.

    Albany Congress adopts Plan of Union.

  • Period: to

    French and Indian War.

  • Pontiac's Rebellion.

    Pontiac's Rebellion.

  • Parliament passes the Revenue (Sugar) Act.

    Parliament passes the Revenue (Sugar) Act.

  • Parliament repeals the Stamp Act and passes the Declaratory Act.

    Parliament repeals the Stamp Act and passes the Declaratory Act.

  • Parliament levies the Townshend duties.

    Parliament levies the Townshend duties.

  • Boston Massacre.

    Boston Massacre.

  • Colonists stage the Boston Tea Party.

    Colonists stage the Boston Tea Party.

  • Parliament passes the Coercive Acts; colonists hold First Continental Congress.

    Parliament passes the Coercive Acts; colonists hold First Continental Congress.

  • Battles of Lexington and Concord.

    Battles of Lexington and Concord.

  • Colonists hold Second Continental Congress.

    Colonists hold Second Continental Congress.

  • Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" is published; Declaration of Independence is signed.

    Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" is published; Declaration of Independence is signed.

  • General Washington's troops cross the Delaware River; Battle of Trenton.

    General Washington's troops cross the Delaware River; Battle of Trenton.

  • Period: to

    Washington's troops winter at Morristown, New Jersey.

  • Battle of Saratoga; General Burgoyne surrenders.

    Battle of Saratoga; General Burgoyne surrenders.

  • Period: to

    Washington's troops winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

  • Americans and French form an alliance.

    Americans and French form an alliance.

  • Battles of Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse.

    Battles of Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse.

  • General Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, Virginia.

    General Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, Virginia.

  • Articles of Confederation are ratified.

    Articles of Confederation are ratified.

  • Articles of Confederation take effect.

    Articles of Confederation take effect.

  • Treaty of Paris is signed.

    Treaty of Paris is signed.

  • General Washington puts an end to the Newburgh Conspiracy.

    General Washington puts an end to the Newburgh Conspiracy.

  • Treaty of Fort Stanwix forces the Iroquois to give up land in New York and Pennsylvania.

    Treaty of Fort Stanwix forces the Iroquois to give up land in New York and Pennsylvania.

  • Land Ordinance outlines a plan for surveying and selling government lands.

    Land Ordinance outlines a plan for surveying and selling government lands.

  • Virginia adopts the Statute of Religious Freedom.

    Virginia adopts the Statute of Religious Freedom.

  • Delegates call for a constitutional convention.

    Delegates call for a constitutional convention.

  • Period: to

    Shay's Rebellion.

  • The Constitutional Convention is held in Philadelphia.

    The Constitutional Convention is held in Philadelphia.

  • Northwest Ordinance outlines a detailed plan for organizing western territories.

    Northwest Ordinance outlines a detailed plan for organizing western territories.

  • Period: to

    The Federalist Papers are published.

  • Confederation government is phased out.

    Confederation government is phased out.

  • French Revolution begins.

    French Revolution begins.

  • President George Washington is inaugurated.

    President George Washington is inaugurated.

  • Rhode Island becomes the last state to ratify the Constitution.

    Rhode Island becomes the last state to ratify the Constitution.

  • Bill of Rights is ratified.

    Bill of Rights is ratified.

  • Bank of the United States is created.

    Bank of the United States is created.

  • Slave revolt in Santo Domingo (Haiti).

    Slave revolt in Santo Domingo (Haiti).

  • Washington issues a proclamation of neutrality.

    Washington issues a proclamation of neutrality.

  • Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin.

    Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin.

  • Jay's Treaty is negotiated with England.

    Jay's Treaty is negotiated with England.

  • Whiskey Rebellion.

    Whiskey Rebellion.

  • Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike is completed.

    Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike is completed.

  • By the Treaty of Greenville, the United States purchases western lands from Native Americans.

    By the Treaty of Greenville, the United States purchases western lands from Native Americans.

  • Pinckney's Treaty is negotiated with Spain.

    Pinckney's Treaty is negotiated with Spain.

  • Wilderness Road opens.

    Wilderness Road opens.

  • President Washington delivers his farewell address.

    President Washington delivers his farewell address.

  • XYZ affair.

    XYZ affair.

  • Alien and Sedition Acts are passed.

    Alien and Sedition Acts are passed.

  • Gabriel conspiracy in Richmond, VA.

    Gabriel conspiracy in Richmond, VA.

  • Thomas Jefferson is elected president.

    Thomas Jefferson is elected president.

  • Louisiana Purchase.

    Louisiana Purchase.

  • Marbury v. Madison.

    Marbury v. Madison.

  • Period: to

    Lewis and Clark expedition.

  • Chesapeake affair.

    Chesapeake affair.

  • Embargo Act is passed.

    Embargo Act is passed.

  • Clermont, the first successful steamboat, sails to Albany.

    Clermont, the first successful steamboat, sails to Albany.

  • Participation in the international slave trade is outlawed.

    Participation in the international slave trade is outlawed.

  • International slave trade is outlawed.

    International slave trade is outlawed.

  • Supreme Court issues Fletcher v. Peck decision.

    Supreme Court issues Fletcher v. Peck decision.

  • Battle of Tippecanoe.

    Battle of Tippecanoe.

  • Charles Deslondes revolt in Louisiana.

    Charles Deslondes revolt in Louisiana.

  • Hartford Convention.

    Hartford Convention.

  • Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

    Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

  • Treaty of Ghent.

    Treaty of Ghent.

  • Construction of the National Road begins.

    Construction of the National Road begins.

  • Battle of New Orleans.

    Battle of New Orleans.

  • American Colonization Society is founded.

    American Colonization Society is founded.

  • Second Bank of the United States is established.

    Second Bank of the United States is established.

  • First protective tariff goes into effect.

    First protective tariff goes into effect.

  • Supreme Court issues McCulloch v. Maryland decision.

    Supreme Court issues McCulloch v. Maryland decision.

  • Tallmadge Amendment.

    Tallmadge Amendment.

  • United States and Spain agree to the Transcontinental (Adams-Onis) Treaty.

    United States and Spain agree to the Transcontinental (Adams-Onis) Treaty.

  • Missouri becomes a state.

    Missouri becomes a state.

  • Florida becomes a territory.

    Florida becomes a territory.

  • Mexico gains independence from Spain.

    Mexico gains independence from Spain.

  • Denmark Vesey conspiracy is discovered in Charleston, South Carolina.

    Denmark Vesey conspiracy is discovered in Charleston, South Carolina.

  • President Monroe enunciates the principles of the Monroe Doctrine.

    President Monroe enunciates the principles of the Monroe Doctrine.

  • Supreme Court issues Gibbons v. Ogden decision.

    Supreme Court issues Gibbons v. Ogden decision.

  • John Quincy Adams wins the presidential election by what some critics claim is a "corrupt bargain" with Henry Clay.

    John Quincy Adams wins the presidential election by what some critics claim is a "corrupt bargain" with Henry Clay.

  • Erie Canal opens.

    Erie Canal opens.

  • Ministers organize the American Society for the Promotion of Temperance.

    Ministers organize the American Society for the Promotion of Temperance.

  • John C. Calhoun publishes the South Carolina Exposition and Protest.

    John C. Calhoun publishes the South Carolina Exposition and Protest.

  • Andrew Jackson wins presidential election.

    Andrew Jackson wins presidential election.

  • "Tariff of Abominations" goes into effect.

    "Tariff of Abominations" goes into effect.

  • Congress passes the Indian Removal Act.

    Congress passes the Indian Removal Act.

  • Joseph Smith reveals the Book of Mormon.

    Joseph Smith reveals the Book of Mormon.

  • Andrew Jackson vetoes the Maysville Road Bill.

    Andrew Jackson vetoes the Maysville Road Bill.

  • Period: to

    Charles G. Finney begins preaching in upstate New York.

  • Cyrus McCormick invents a mechanical reaper.

    Cyrus McCormick invents a mechanical reaper.

  • Supreme Court issues Cherokee Nation v. Georgia decision.

    Supreme Court issues Cherokee Nation v. Georgia decision.

  • Nat Turner leads slave insurrection in Virginia.

    Nat Turner leads slave insurrection in Virginia.

  • William Lloyd Garrison begins publication of The Liberator.

    William Lloyd Garrison begins publication of The Liberator.

  • Supreme Court issues Worcester v. Georgia decision.

    Supreme Court issues Worcester v. Georgia decision.

  • South Carolina issues ordinance of nullification.

    South Carolina issues ordinance of nullification.

  • Andrew Jackson vetoes the Bank Recharter Bill.

    Andrew Jackson vetoes the Bank Recharter Bill.

  • Congress passes Henry Clay's compromise tariff.

    Congress passes Henry Clay's compromise tariff.

  • American Anti-Slavery Society is founded.

    American Anti-Slavery Society is founded.

  • National Trades' Union is organized.

    National Trades' Union is organized.

  • Martin Van Buren is elected president.

    Martin Van Buren is elected president.

  • Transcendental Club holds its first meeting.

    Transcendental Club holds its first meeting.

  • Americans are defeated at the Alamo.

    Americans are defeated at the Alamo.

  • John Deere invents the steel plow.

    John Deere invents the steel plow.

  • Financial panic follows a drop in the price of cotton.

    Financial panic follows a drop in the price of cotton.

  • Abolitionist editor Elijah P. Lovejoy is murdered.

    Abolitionist editor Elijah P. Lovejoy is murdered.

  • Period: to

    Eastern Indians are forced west on the Trail of Tears.

  • William Henry Harrison, a Whig, is elected president.

    William Henry Harrison, a Whig, is elected president.

  • Abolitionists form the Liberty party.

    Abolitionists form the Liberty party.

  • John Tyler becomes president.

    John Tyler becomes president.

  • Americans and British agree to the Webster-Ashburton Treaty.

    Americans and British agree to the Webster-Ashburton Treaty.

  • Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issues Commonwealth v. Hunt decision.

    Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issues Commonwealth v. Hunt decision.

  • Rainbow, the first clipper ship, is launched.

    Rainbow, the first clipper ship, is launched.

  • Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is published.

    Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is published.

  • United States annexes Texas.

    United States annexes Texas.

  • Mexican War begins.

    Mexican War begins.

  • Elias Howe invents the sewing machine.

    Elias Howe invents the sewing machine.

  • Mormons, led by Brigham Young, undertake trek to Utah.

    Mormons, led by Brigham Young, undertake trek to Utah.

  • Most members of the Donner party die en route to California.

    Most members of the Donner party die en route to California.

  • At the Seneca Falls Convention, women issue the Declaration of Sentiments.

    At the Seneca Falls Convention, women issue the Declaration of Sentiments.

  • Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican War.

    Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican War.

  • John Humphrey Noyes establishes the Oneida Community.

    John Humphrey Noyes establishes the Oneida Community.

  • Free-Soil party is organized.

    Free-Soil party is organized.

  • California gold rush begins.

    California gold rush begins.

  • Sojourner Truth delivers her famous speech Ain’t I a Woman?.

    Sojourner Truth delivers her famous speech Ain’t I a Woman?.

  • Plains Indians agree to the Fort Laramie Treaty.

    Plains Indians agree to the Fort Laramie Treaty.

  • Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is published.

    Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is published.

  • With the Gadsden Purchase, the United States acquires thirty thousand square miles from Mexico.

    With the Gadsden Purchase, the United States acquires thirty thousand square miles from Mexico.

  • Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, or Life in the Woods is published.

    Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, or Life in the Woods is published.

  • Congress passes the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

    Congress passes the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

  • The Republican party is founded.

    The Republican party is founded.

  • Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass is published.

    Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass is published.

  • Bessemer converter process allows steel to be made quickly and inexpensively.

    Bessemer converter process allows steel to be made quickly and inexpensively.

  • A pro-slavery mob sacks Lawrence, Kansas; John Brown stages the Pottawatomie Massacre in retaliation.

    A pro-slavery mob sacks Lawrence, Kansas; John Brown stages the Pottawatomie Massacre in retaliation.

  • Charles Sumner of Massachusetts is caned and seriously injured by a pro-slavery congressman in the U.S. Senate.

    Charles Sumner of Massachusetts is caned and seriously injured by a pro-slavery congressman in the U.S. Senate.

  • U.S. Supreme Court issues the Dred Scott decision.

    U.S. Supreme Court issues the Dred Scott decision.

  • Lecompton Constitution declares that slavery will be allowed in Kansas.

    Lecompton Constitution declares that slavery will be allowed in Kansas.

  • Abraham Lincoln debates Stephen A. Douglas during the 1858 Illinois Senate race.

    Abraham Lincoln debates Stephen A. Douglas during the 1858 Illinois Senate race.

  • Construction of New York’s Central Park begins.

    Construction of New York’s Central Park begins.

  • First oil well is struck in Titusville, Pennsylvania.

    First oil well is struck in Titusville, Pennsylvania.

  • Comstock Lode is discovered.

    Comstock Lode is discovered.

  • Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is published.

    Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is published.

  • John Brown and his followers stage raid at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in an attempt to incite a massive slave insurrection.

    John Brown and his followers stage raid at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in an attempt to incite a massive slave insurrection.

  • South Carolina secedes from the Union.

    South Carolina secedes from the Union.

  • Crittenden Compromise is proposed.

    Crittenden Compromise is proposed.

  • Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated president.

    Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated president.

  • Fort Sumter falls to Confederate forces; Lincoln issues call to arms.

    Fort Sumter falls to Confederate forces; Lincoln issues call to arms.

  • First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas).

    First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas).

  • The Trent affair commences when a Union warship stops a British ship on the high seas and takes two Confederate agents into custody.

    The Trent affair commences when a Union warship stops a British ship on the high seas and takes two Confederate agents into custody.

  • Congress passes the Morrill Land Grant Act.

    Congress passes the Morrill Land Grant Act.

  • Congress guarantees the construction of a transcontinental railroad.

    Congress guarantees the construction of a transcontinental railroad.

  • Congress passes the Homestead Act.

    Congress passes the Homestead Act.

  • Congress passes the Homestead Act.

    Congress passes the Homestead Act.

  • Period: to

    Peninsular campaign.

  • Battle of Shiloh.

    Battle of Shiloh.

    Some events have 3 parts to them. Since I can only do a time span or one specific date, I just did a separate event for each part of this event. I'm not going to write this paragraph explanation thing again so just keep in mind that if there is a 3 part event it will be split up into separate events which you will find in my timeline as you go through it. ALSO, some of the dates for these battles are just 2 days long so I am just going to do the day it began and not make a time span on it.
  • Battle of Second Bull Run.

    Battle of Second Bull Run.

  • Battle of Antietam.

    Battle of Antietam.

  • Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation.

    Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation.

  • Period: to

    Siege of Vicksburg.

  • Battles of Gettysburg and Chattanooga.

    Battles of Gettysburg and Chattanooga.

  • Lincoln refuses to sign the Wade-Davis Bill.

    Lincoln refuses to sign the Wade-Davis Bill.

  • Sand Creek Massacre.

    Sand Creek Massacre.

  • Thirteenth Amendment is ratified.

    Thirteenth Amendment is ratified.

  • Congress sets up the Freedmen's Bureau.

    Congress sets up the Freedmen's Bureau.

  • Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox Court House.

    Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox Court House.

  • Lincoln is assassinated.

    Lincoln is assassinated.

  • Congress passes the Civil Rights Act.

    Congress passes the Civil Rights Act.

  • Ku Klux Klan is organized.

    Ku Klux Klan is organized.

  • Congress passes the Military Reconstruction Act.

    Congress passes the Military Reconstruction Act.

  • Congress passes the Tenure of Office Act.

    Congress passes the Tenure of Office Act.

  • Fourteenth Amendment is ratified.

    Fourteenth Amendment is ratified.

  • Congress impeaches President Andrew Johnson; the Senate fails to convict him.

    Congress impeaches President Andrew Johnson; the Senate fails to convict him.

  • First transcontinental railroad is completed at Promontory, Utah.

    First transcontinental railroad is completed at Promontory, Utah.

  • Joseph Glidden invents barbed wire.

    Joseph Glidden invents barbed wire.

  • Alexander Graham Bell patents his telephone.

    Alexander Graham Bell patents his telephone.

  • Thomas A. Edison makes the first successful incandescent lightbulb.

    Thomas A. Edison makes the first successful incandescent lightbulb.

  • Battle of Little Bighorn.

    Battle of Little Bighorn.

  • Compromise of 1877 ends Reconstruction.

    Compromise of 1877 ends Reconstruction.

  • Great Railroad Strike.

    Great Railroad Strike.

  • With the Compromise of 1877, Rutherford B. Hayes becomes president and Reconstruction comes to an end.

    With the Compromise of 1877, Rutherford B. Hayes becomes president and Reconstruction comes to an end.

  • Rutherford B. Hayes is inaugurated president.

    Rutherford B. Hayes is inaugurated president.

  • Supreme Court issues Munn v. Illinois decision.

    Supreme Court issues Munn v. Illinois decision.

  • President James A. Garfield is assassinated.

    President James A. Garfield is assassinated.

  • John D. Rockefeller organizes the Standard Oil Trust.

    John D. Rockefeller organizes the Standard Oil Trust.

  • Congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act.

    Congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act.

  • Congress passes the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act.

    Congress passes the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act.

  • In the Haymarket incident, a bomb set off at a Chicago labor rally kills and wounds police officers.

    In the Haymarket incident, a bomb set off at a Chicago labor rally kills and wounds police officers.

  • American Federation of Labor is organized.

    American Federation of Labor is organized.

  • Surrender of Geronimo marks the end of the Indian wars.

    Surrender of Geronimo marks the end of the Indian wars.

  • Supreme Court issues Wabash, St. Louis, and Pacific Railroad Company v. Illinois decision.

    Supreme Court issues Wabash, St. Louis, and Pacific Railroad Company v. Illinois decision.

  • Congress passes the Severalty Act.

    Congress passes the Severalty Act.

  • Interstate Commerce Commission is created.

    Interstate Commerce Commission is created.

  • Otis Elevator Company installs the first electric elevator.

    Otis Elevator Company installs the first electric elevator.

  • Hull-House, a settlement house, opens in Chicago.

    Hull-House, a settlement house, opens in Chicago.

  • Mississippi Plan resegregates public facilities by race.

    Mississippi Plan resegregates public facilities by race.

  • Battle of Wounded Knee.

    Battle of Wounded Knee.

  • Congress passes the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, and the McKinley Tariff.

    Congress passes the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, and the McKinley Tariff.

  • Basketball is invented.

    Basketball is invented.

  • Homestead Strike.

    Homestead Strike.

  • Ellis Island, a federal center for processing immigrants, opens.

    Ellis Island, a federal center for processing immigrants, opens.

  • People’s party drafts its Omaha platform.

    People’s party drafts its Omaha platform.

  • Frederick J. Turner’s “frontier thesis”.

    Frederick J. Turner’s “frontier thesis”.

  • Economic depression affects a substantial proportion of the population.

    Economic depression affects a substantial proportion of the population.

  • Pullman Strike.

    Pullman Strike.

  • Republic of Hawaii is proclaimed.

    Republic of Hawaii is proclaimed.

  • Cuban insurrection breaks out against Spanish rule.

    Cuban insurrection breaks out against Spanish rule.

  • Booker T. Washington delivers his Atlanta Compromise speech.

    Booker T. Washington delivers his Atlanta Compromise speech.

  • Supreme Court issues Plessy v. Ferguson decision.

    Supreme Court issues Plessy v. Ferguson decision.

  • U.S. battleship Maine explodes in Havana Harbor.

    U.S. battleship Maine explodes in Havana Harbor.

  • War of 1898.

    War of 1898.

  • United States annexes Hawaii.

    United States annexes Hawaii.

  • U.S. Senate ratifies the Treaty of Paris, ending the War of 1898.

    U.S. Senate ratifies the Treaty of Paris, ending the War of 1898.

  • Period: to

    Filipino insurgents resist U.S. domination.

  • Baseball’s National League is formed.

    Baseball’s National League is formed.

  • Army Yellow Fever Commission confirms the cause of yellow fever.

    Army Yellow Fever Commission confirms the cause of yellow fever.

  • International alliance quells the Boxer Rebellion.

    International alliance quells the Boxer Rebellion.

  • J. Pierpont Morgan creates the U.S. Steel Corporation.

    J. Pierpont Morgan creates the U.S. Steel Corporation.

  • Theodore Roosevelt attempts to arbitrate the coal strike.

    Theodore Roosevelt attempts to arbitrate the coal strike.

  • Justice Department breaks up Northern Securities Company.

    Justice Department breaks up Northern Securities Company.

  • Panamanians revolt against Colombia.

    Panamanians revolt against Colombia.

  • Congress passes the Elkins Act.

    Congress passes the Elkins Act.

  • Wright Brothers fly the first airplane.

    Wright Brothers fly the first airplane.

  • Ford Motor Company is founded.

    Ford Motor Company is founded.

  • Russo-Japanese War.

    Russo-Japanese War.

  • First movie house opens.

    First movie house opens.

  • Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle is published.

    Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle is published.

  • Congress passes the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act.

    Congress passes the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act.

  • Great White Fleet circumnavigates the globe in a demonstration of America’s rise to world-power status.

    Great White Fleet circumnavigates the globe in a demonstration of America’s rise to world-power status.

  • Supreme Court issues Muller v. Oregon decision.

    Supreme Court issues Muller v. Oregon decision.

  • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is created.

    National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is created.

  • William Taft is inaugurated president.

    William Taft is inaugurated president.

  • Congress passes the Mann-Elkins Act.

    Congress passes the Mann-Elkins Act.

  • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is founded.

    National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is founded.

  • Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire.

    Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire.

  • Congress passes the Federal Reserve Act.

    Congress passes the Federal Reserve Act.

  • Panama Canal opens.

    Panama Canal opens.

  • Congress passes the Clayton Anti-Trust Act.

    Congress passes the Clayton Anti-Trust Act.

  • United States intervenes in Mexico.

    United States intervenes in Mexico.

  • World War I begins in Europe.

    World War I begins in Europe.

  • British liner Lusitania, with Americans aboard, is torpedoed without warning by a German submarine.

    British liner Lusitania, with Americans aboard, is torpedoed without warning by a German submarine.

  • Louis Brandeis is nominated to fill a seat on the Supreme Court.

    Louis Brandeis is nominated to fill a seat on the Supreme Court.

  • Congress passes the National Defense Act.

    Congress passes the National Defense Act.

  • Marcus Garvey brings to New York the Universal Negro Improvement Association.

    Marcus Garvey brings to New York the Universal Negro Improvement Association.

  • Zimmermann telegram reveals that Germany is attempting to incite Mexico to enter the war against the United States.

    Zimmermann telegram reveals that Germany is attempting to incite Mexico to enter the war against the United States.

  • United States enters the Great War.

    United States enters the Great War.

  • Woodrow Wilson delivers his Fourteen Points speech.

    Woodrow Wilson delivers his Fourteen Points speech.

  • Representatives of warring nations sign armistice.

    Representatives of warring nations sign armistice.

  • U.S. attorney general launches Red Scare.

    U.S. attorney general launches Red Scare.

  • Supreme Court issues Schenck v. United States decision.

    Supreme Court issues Schenck v. United States decision.

  • Race riots break out in Chicago.

    Race riots break out in Chicago.

  • Treaty of Versailles is presented to the Germans.

    Treaty of Versailles is presented to the Germans.

  • Nineteenth Amendment, guaranteeing women’s suffrage, is ratified.

    Nineteenth Amendment, guaranteeing women’s suffrage, is ratified.

  • Prohibition begins.

    Prohibition begins.

  • F. Scott Fitzgerald’s This Side of Paradise is published.

    F. Scott Fitzgerald’s This Side of Paradise is published.

  • Albert Einstein receives the Nobel Prize in physics.

    Albert Einstein receives the Nobel Prize in physics.

  • Congress passes the Emergency Immigration Act.

    Congress passes the Emergency Immigration Act.

  • Representatives of the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan attend the Washington Naval Conference.

    Representatives of the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan attend the Washington Naval Conference.

  • Joint resolution of Congress officially ends the war among the United States, Germany, and Austria-Hungary.

    Joint resolution of Congress officially ends the war among the United States, Germany, and Austria-Hungary.

  • T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land is published.

    T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land is published.

  • First radio commercial is aired.

    First radio commercial is aired.

  • United States begins sending observers to the League of Nations.

    United States begins sending observers to the League of Nations.

  • Benito Mussolini comes to power in Italy.

    Benito Mussolini comes to power in Italy.

  • President Warren G. Harding dies in office.

    President Warren G. Harding dies in office.

  • Congress passes the Immigration Act.

    Congress passes the Immigration Act.

  • Scopes “monkey trial” tests the teaching of evolution in Tennessee public schools.

    Scopes “monkey trial” tests the teaching of evolution in Tennessee public schools.

  • Charles Lindbergh Jr. makes first solo transatlantic flight.

    Charles Lindbergh Jr. makes first solo transatlantic flight.

  • Herbert Hoover is elected president.

    Herbert Hoover is elected president.

  • More than sixty nations sign the Kellogg-Briand Pact pledging not to go to war with one another, except in matters of self-defense.

    More than sixty nations sign the Kellogg-Briand Pact pledging not to go to war with one another, except in matters of self-defense.

  • Stock market crashes.

    Stock market crashes.

  • Congress passes the Hawley-Smoot Tariff.

    Congress passes the Hawley-Smoot Tariff.

  • Congress sets up the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.

    Congress sets up the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.

  • Congress passes the Glass-Steagall Act.

    Congress passes the Glass-Steagall Act.

  • Congress passes the Beer-Wine Revenue Act.

    Congress passes the Beer-Wine Revenue Act.

  • Adolf Hitler becomes a chancellor of Germany.

    Adolf Hitler becomes a chancellor of Germany.

  • Bonus Expeditionary Force converges on Washington to demand payment of bonuses promised to war veterans.

    Bonus Expeditionary Force converges on Washington to demand payment of bonuses promised to war veterans.

  • Congress establishes the Civilian Conservation Corps.

    Congress establishes the Civilian Conservation Corps.

  • Congress passes the Beer-Wine Revenue Act.

    Congress passes the Beer-Wine Revenue Act.

  • Congress passes the Emergency Banking Relief Act.

    Congress passes the Emergency Banking Relief Act.

  • Congress creates the Tennessee Valley Authority.

    Congress creates the Tennessee Valley Authority.

  • Congress establishes the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

    Congress establishes the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

  • Congress creates the Civil Works Administration.

    Congress creates the Civil Works Administration.

  • President Roosevelt creates the Works Progress Administration.

    President Roosevelt creates the Works Progress Administration.

  • Congress passes the Wagner Act.

    Congress passes the Wagner Act.

  • Social Security goes into effect.

    Social Security goes into effect.

  • Panay incident.

    Panay incident.

  • Hitler forces the Anschluss (union) of Austria and Germany.

    Hitler forces the Anschluss (union) of Austria and Germany.

  • John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath is published.

    John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath is published.

  • Soviet Union agrees to a nonaggression pact with Germany.

    Soviet Union agrees to a nonaggression pact with Germany.

  • German troops invade Poland.

    German troops invade Poland.

  • Richard Wright’s Native Son is published.

    Richard Wright’s Native Son is published.

  • Battle of Britain.

    Battle of Britain.

  • Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact.

    Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact.

  • Japanese launch surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

    Japanese launch surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

  • Battle of Midway.

    Battle of Midway.

  • Roosevelt, Churchill, and the Combined Chiefs of Staff meet at Casablanca.

    Roosevelt, Churchill, and the Combined Chiefs of Staff meet at Casablanca.

  • Roosevelt and Churchill meet Stalin, in Tehran

    Roosevelt and Churchill meet Stalin, in Tehran

  • Roosevelt and Churchill meet Stalin, in Tehran.

    Roosevelt and Churchill meet Stalin, in Tehran.

  • Allied forces land on Sicily.

    Allied forces land on Sicily.

  • Congress passes the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (GI Bill of Rights).

    Congress passes the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (GI Bill of Rights).

  • Congress passes the Servicemen's Readjustment Act (GI Bill of Rights).

    Congress passes the Servicemen's Readjustment Act (GI Bill of Rights).

  • D-day.

    D-day.

  • Fifty nations at war with the Axis Powers sign the United Nations Charter.

    Fifty nations at war with the Axis Powers sign the United Nations Charter.

  • Yalta Conference.

    Yalta Conference.

  • Franklin Delano Roosevelt dies; Hitler commits suicide.

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt dies; Hitler commits suicide.

  • V-E day.

    V-E day.

  • Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

    Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

  • Japanese surrender.

    Japanese surrender.

  • Congress passes the Taft-Hartley Labor Act.

    Congress passes the Taft-Hartley Labor Act.

  • National Security Council (NSC) is established.

    National Security Council (NSC) is established.

  • Israel is proclaimed an independent nation.

    Israel is proclaimed an independent nation.

  • Truman issues an executive order ending segregation in the U.S. armed forces.

    Truman issues an executive order ending segregation in the U.S. armed forces.

  • Allied forces begin airlifting supplies to West Berlin.

    Allied forces begin airlifting supplies to West Berlin.

  • Truman defeats Dewey in the presidential election.

    Truman defeats Dewey in the presidential election.

  • North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is created.

    North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is created.

  • China “falls” to communism.

    China “falls” to communism.

  • United States and other UN members go to war in Korea.

    United States and other UN members go to war in Korea.

  • Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man is published.

    Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man is published.

  • Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are executed.

    Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are executed.

  • Armistice is reached in Korea.

    Armistice is reached in Korea.

  • Supreme Court issues ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.

    Supreme Court issues ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.

  • Period: to

    Army-McCarthy hearings are televised.

  • Geneva Accords adopted.

    Geneva Accords adopted.

  • Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott begins.

    Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott begins.

  • In Suez War, Israel, Britain, and France attack Egypt.

    In Suez War, Israel, Britain, and France attack Egypt.

  • Hungarian revolt against the Warsaw Pact is quickly suppressed.

    Hungarian revolt against the Warsaw Pact is quickly suppressed.

  • Federal troops ordered to protect students attempting to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

    Federal troops ordered to protect students attempting to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

  • Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1.

    Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1.

  • Jack Kerouac’s On the Road is published.

  • Baby boom peaks.

    Baby boom peaks.

  • Students in Greensboro, North Carolina, stage a sit-in to demand service at a “whites-only” lunch counter.

    Students in Greensboro, North Carolina, stage a sit-in to demand service at a “whites-only” lunch counter.

  • U-2 incident reveals that the United States is flying spy planes over the Soviet Union.

    U-2 incident reveals that the United States is flying spy planes over the Soviet Union.

  • Bay of Pigs fiasco.

    Bay of Pigs fiasco.

  • Soviets erect the Berlin Wall.

    Soviets erect the Berlin Wall.

  • Cuban missile crisis.

    Cuban missile crisis.

  • March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

    March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

  • John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas.

    John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas.

  • Congress passes the Civil Rights Act.

    Congress passes the Civil Rights Act.

  • Congress passes the Tonkin Gulf resolution.

    Congress passes the Tonkin Gulf resolution.

  • Malcolm X is assassinated by a rival group of black Muslims.

    Malcolm X is assassinated by a rival group of black Muslims.

  • Riots break out in the African American community of Watts, California.

    Riots break out in the African American community of Watts, California.

  • Viet Cong stages the Tet offensive.

    Viet Cong stages the Tet offensive.

  • Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated.

    Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated.

  • Robert Kennedy is assassinated.

    Robert Kennedy is assassinated.