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Founding of Jamestown
It was supported by the Virginia Company of London by people who thought they would gain from the venture. It was the very first civilization in America. This is important because it was the very first successful settlement in America and it sparked more civilizations here. -
Plymouth Colony
Founded by the Pilgrims, this was, among others, one of the first successful settlements in North America. It was the first sizable civilizations founded by the English in New England. This is important because it led to a town that is still around today and it inspired a lot more permanent settlements. -
French and Indian War
It was a battle from 1754-1763 with the British, the French and the Indians. The British and the French fought for control over colonial land. This helped America because the population grew, and we gained land which gave us power. -
Boston Massacre
There was tension between the British and the colonists since the British troops came in to enforce the heavy taxes. It was a riot where the patriots fought the British troops and many people were killed. This event led to the rebellion in the colonists and them wanting to fight. It signaled the Revolutionary War which is why America is free from Britain today. -
Boston Tea Party
It was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty dressed as Indians, who threw a new shipment of tea into the Boston Harbor, ruining the tea. This was in protest to the Tea Act which violated their rights as Englishmen for "No taxation without representation." This made the colonists want to fight against the English and protest the unfair taxations, which led to the Revolution that created America. -
First Continental Congress
The first Continental Congress met in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia from September 5 to October 26, 1774, and all colonies but Georgia sent delegates. The delegates were elected by the people, the colonial legislatures, or the comittees of correspondence of that colony. They gathered the delegates to show a united force against Great Britain, and that affected the Revolution. This is important to America today because we still use the concept of Congress in our government. -
American Revolution
This war was between the colonies and Great Britain, because the colonies wanted to be free from Great Britain, but the British wanted to keep hold of North America. This had a huge impact on America today because we would still be under Great Britain's control if we hadn't broken free in the war. -
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress issued a unanimous vote to declare their independence from Great Britain and become a new nation. It also established the Continental Army which helped us win our independence. This had a huge impact on America today because if they hadn't gathered and decided to fight for independence we might still be connected to England. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a document that stated that the thirteen colonies regarded themselves as independent soveriegn states and part of a new nation called the United States of America. This impacted America today because this is when we officially broke free from Great Britain, and this is why today we are a free and independent country. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was an agreement of the thirteen states that acted as the first constitution. Even before it was ratified they used it for domestic and international legitimancy for the Continental Congress. However it created weakness in the government and nationalists felt that it needed to be replaced. This is importsnt in America today because it was the first version of the Constitution that we still use today and it led to the Constitution being made. -
Treaty of Paris 1783
This ended the Revolutionary War between Great Britain and the United States. It was signed in Paris by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay (representing the United States), and David Hartley (a member of the British Parliament). This is very significant to America because it ended the war in which we broke free from England. -
Shays' Rebellion
The rebellion was caused by a post-war economic deppression, and harsh government policies instituted to fix the state's debt problems. There were small battles that were an effort to stop the heavy taxes. This is important to America today because the rebellion affected the discussion on how to run the new government when they were making the Constitution. -
Constitutional Convention
It was a meeting to address the problems in The United States government, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation ever since they were free from Great Britain. They needed to change the way they governed America, so they met to figure it out. This impacted modern America greatly because this is the Constitution that we still use today. -
U.S. Constitution
Our Constitution describes how we run our government. In the first three articles, it explains the seperation of powers into the judicial, legislative, and executive branches. The Constitution impacts America today because it still defines how we run our government and we have ammended it 27 times as our country changed over time. -
George Washington
George Washington led the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War which helped us separate from Britain. He also presided over the covention that drafted the Constitution that still runs our government. He led a strong, well-financed country, and he established forms and rituals in government that have been used ever since. -
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is a collective name for the first ten ammendments to the US Constitution. It was proposed to relieve the fears of those who opposed the Constitution being ratified, and it guarantees some personal freedoms that limit the government's power. This is still important today because we still have all these rights and freedoms as citizens of America. -
Invention of the Cotton Gin
The cotton gin was a helpful invention that quickly and easily separate cotton fibers from their seeds. This allowed for more productivity to make cotton products and plant more cotton with undamaged seeds. This led to more slaves being needed in the South, and it is said to have led to the Civil War, which impacted America today because that helped create our opinions on slavery and African-Americans. -
John Adams
As the second president of the United States, he promoted republicanism, and a strong central government. He was a Founding Father, and also an advocate for freedon from Great Britain. He was also opposed to slavery, having never owned a slave. -
Thomas Jefferson
He was the lead author of the Declaration of Independence, which was a very important job. As the third president, he embraced the priciples of republicanism, and was a spokesperson for democracy. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana purchase was when America bought a considerable amount of land in North America from France, about 828,000 square miles, which encompasses about 15 present day states. Some opposed this because they thought it was unconstitutional, but the current president at the time, Thomas Jefferson, went ahead with the purchase anyway to keep other countries out of North America. This was helpful to America today because it expanded our territory and it helped shaped our counrty today. -
Lewis and Clark
This expedition was to map and explore the newly aquired territory for America, and show an American presence there before other countries tried to claim it. They also wanted to study the geography and establish trade with Indians. This affected America today because it is when they first discovered and explored the west for the United States. -
William Lloyd Garrison
On December 12, 1805 an important abolitionist was born. In 1831, he started a newspaper called The Liberator, which was a newspaper supporting anti-slavery, and it gained a lot of followers. He spearheaded a new movement for the total abolition of slavery in the US, and was a huge part of the American Anti-Slavery Society. This had a big impact on America today because this had a huge part in leading to the complete abolition of slavery, and later led to respecting African Americans. -
James Madison
He was instrumental in drafting and ratifying the Constitution. As president, he led the country into the War of 1812 to respond to the British encroachments on American rights, and he also wanted to end British influence on the United States' Indian allies. -
War of 1812
This war was started by the Americans for many reasons, such as trade restrictions, British support of American Indian tribes against the expansion of America, insults to national honor after incidents on the high seas, and hoping to gain land in modern-day Canada. This war resulted in some resolved issues, but no boundry changes, which affects America today because it relaxed some tension between America and the UK. -
James Monroe
As president, he bought Florida from Spain. He also sought to ease any partisan tension by going on a country-wide tour that was appreciated by the people. -
Missouri Compromise
This prohibited slavery anywhere north of the parallel 36 degrees 30' north, except for within the state of Missouri. This was a temporary solution for the tension between the North and the South, but eventually civil war would breakout, which affected America's views on slavery and African Americans. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was a foreign policy that stated that any acts of intrusion by European countries in South or North America would be considered acts of aggression and needed US intervention. It also said that the US would not intrude in Europe or in any internal European matters. This helped our country today because it would stop any European attempts to colonize or take back America. -
John Quincy Adams
Adams was able to enforce and practice the fundamentals of the US foreign policy, which were independence, nonintervention, noncolonization, and nonentaglement in European politics. Throughout his life he negotiated many key treaties that hold much importance in American history. -
Andrew Jackson
As president, he dismantled the Second Bank of the United States and initiated forced resettlement of Native Americans to west of the Mississippi River with the Indian Removal Act. His followers created the modern democratic party. He was supportive of a small limited government and he strengthened the presidency. -
Indian Removal Act
This authorized the president, Andrew Jackson, to negotiate with Indian tribes for their removal to west of the Mississippi River in exchange for their homelands. Thomas Jefferson had wanted to respect the Native American's rights to their homelands, however, Jackson wanted to use political and military action to remove Indians from their homelands and started working on a law for Indian removal. This affected America because it helped shape the way we see and treat Native Americans' rights. -
Nat Turner Rebellion
Nat Turner led a slave rebellion in Virginia that resulted in 55 white deaths. The whites responded with violence and caused 200 black deaths. Nat Turner was convicted and hanged for his crimes, and so were 56 blacks accused of being part of the slave rebellion. This affected America because it caused unrest with the issue of slavery, and helped lead to the civil war, which had a lasting impact on the way we treat black people today. -
Trail of Tears
This is when the Native Americans were forced to relocate from the "Deep South" to "Indian Territory" which was in current Oklahoma. On the journey they were exposed to disease and starvation, and around 2000-6000 of the 16,542 died from the Cherokee tribe alone.
This left an impact on America because it changed Native Americans' homelands today, and nowadays we are very respectful to their homelands, and we would never take them like we did back then. -
Alamo
About 1500 Mexicans marched to the Alamo Mission in attempt to retake Texas. There were small skirmishes for ten days, then on the last day, the few Texans could not hold them back, most of the Texans died (around 182-257) and around 600 Mexicans died. This affected America because we still remember the Alamo today, and appreciate all the soldiers for what they did. -
Martin Van Buren
He was a key organizer for the Democratic party, and played a big partin the Second Party System. He was the first president not of British or Irish descent (his family was Dutch) and English was his second language. As president he did not want the US to annex Texas, and his presidency was often associated with the economic hardship of the time. -
William Henry Harrison and John Tyler
Since William Henry Harrison died a month into his presidency, his vice president John tyler had to take over. He aqquired some fame by being disowned by his political party because he vetoed important measures supported by his party in Congress. He is often considered at nearly the bottom of the rankings of American presidents. -
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny is the belief that Americans were destined to expand America throughout the continent. Democrats were all for this idea, but many important Americans were not. This would mean the justification of wars, and expansion of slavery. This left an impact today because now we own most of the continent, and the more land we have the more power we have. -
Mexican War
When the Americans were annexing Texas, the Mexicans thougt of it as their territory, and therefore a war begun. About a year and a half later, it ended in American victory. This war helped shape America, because if the US had lost, then Texas would be a part of Mexico today. -
National Bank
This established a system of national banks for banks and encouraged a uniform currency for America backed by the banks. This left an impact on America because of its support for a uniform banking policy, which we have today.
